The Duke’s Preview: Strasburg vs Warren County

9/11/26, Front Royal, VA- Warren County (1-0) welcomes Strasburg (2-0) to town for tonight’s Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill with coverage starting at 6:30 pm on The River 95.3, Fox Sports 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

The Wildcats will enter the contest off a Bye Week and plenty of time to prepare for an angry Rams squad coming off a loss.

Warren County is 1-0 after a season opening thrashing of Rock Ridge, 58-12.

Senior QB Bryce Bergmann led the way with 4 TD passes, 3 of those to senior WR Troy DeHaven.

But now the Wildcat offense will face a much tougher opponent in Strasburg.

The Rams defense actually shutout Broadway in the 8-7 loss with the Gobblers only touchdown coming in the form of a late pick-six.

Strasburg will now look to rally this season like they did last year after an early loss to Broadway before turning things around and winning the school’s first State Championship.

In last year’s matchup vs Warren County, Quincy Williams was sidelined due to injury, but this go round he is expected to be at full strength.

Williams is coming off a 177 yard, 4 TD performance against Skyline followed by a 131 yard, 1 TD game last week.

With a healthy season and a few playoff games, the Strasburg career rushing record of 5,307 yards set by Frankie Shoemaker (stat via Until It Was Ours by Ryan Sonner) could be within reach.

Warren County’s defense led by the Texan Tackling Machine LB Frank Nelson and two-way standout Kaiden Clowser, scoop and score vs Rock Ridge, will need to contain Williams and read their keys against Strasburg’s T-Formation to keep this game within reach.

Strasburg has dominated this rivalry in recent years, but Warren County is hoping to have a turned a new leaf with Coach Breeden now establishing his culture and coming off what he claims is the program’s best offseason since his arrival.

We will see tonight how much ground the Wildcats have made up, but the Rams still seem to be a program farther along and they will be seeing red after experiencing another heartbreaking loss to Broadway.

Warren County will be able to connect on a few explosive plays, but Strasburg will dictate the pace of the game and win at the line of scrimmage.

Rams out pace the Cats, 34-22.

For a preview of all the Week 3 matchups and a look back at Week 2, listen to the latest Sports Dogs Podcast HERE.

Sports Dogs Podcast: Week 2 recap, Week 3 preview

The Sports Dogs are barking about High School Football again this week as we put Week 2 in the books and look ahead to Week 3.

Click HERE to listen to the latest episode on The River 95.3 app or website, iTunes, Spotify, or Amazon music.

This week, the Dogs:

  • Look back at big wins for Sherando, Skyline, Handley, and James Wood
  • Tough losses for Strasburg, Millbrook, Clarke County and Central
  • Select Brady Lupton’s one-handed snag as Play of the Week
  • Select Owen Neal and Jaylen Tasco-Murray as Players of the Week
  • Rank our Power 5 (with some big shakeups in the rankings)
  • Look ahead to Game of the Week-Strasburg vs Warren County and all other Week 3 matchups
  • and more…

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Local schools claim 5k in T-Mobile contest

T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights contest is back again this year and several local schools have already claimed their share of the first round of prize money.

The most recent selections for “Week 5” of the contest included Clarke County and Warren County High Schools and they will each receive $5,000.

Other local winners selected earlier this season include Page County, Central, and Skyline.

Each of the five schools will now have the opportunity to win the grand prize of $1 million in stadium upgrades.

Schools from areas of population under 150,000 people are eligible and votes are cast via social media.

Photos and videos of school pride posted that tag T-Mobile, the school, and use hashtags #FN5GL and #entry will be counted towards the contest.

Schools still have until September 18th to enter the opening round of the contest and you can submit your shots from the Game of the Week Friday Night to cast your votes for Strasburg or Warren County.

To learn more about the contest, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

A Moral Loss

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(Posted 9-7-26)

Greetings from The Booth!

You’ve heard the term “moral victory?” We WVU fans are very familiar, as we suffer heartbreak after heartbreak following “almost” wins and “we were this close” losses. Every West Virginia fan has the score “13-9” ingrained in their membrane. For the unwashed, that’s the result of the infamous 2007 Backyard Brawl, when the Mountaineers lost to a god-awful Pitt team in a game that cost them a spot for the National Championship. I could go in and on with countless other examples of the Old Blue and Gold grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory.

Here’s how I got fired up for last Saturday’s opener against Coastal Carolina: earlier in the week I watched a replay of the 2014 Chick Fil A Kickoff Game. In that contest, WVU lost to mighty Alabama, 33-23. The Tide was an almost 4-touchdown favorite, but a gritty West Virginia team hung in there until the very end. Man, nothing fires you up like a loss. On occasion, I’ll watch Tavon Austin’s incredible performance against Oklahoma, where he piled up 572 total yards (by himself!) in a–you guessed it–heartbreaking 50-49 defeat at the hands of the Sooners.

You get the idea…

So, why is it that I can’t be happy about WVUs opening win against the Chanticleers? Because that’s how we are in the Mountain State. We immortalize the legendary losses and pick apart the underwhelming victories. And make no mistake, the Mountaineers’ 31-24 win this past weekend was underwhelming.

After the homecoming hire of Rich Rodriguiez and a 4-8 campaign last year to begin RR 2.0, 2026 was/is supposed to be a return to the 2005-2008 golden era of WVU football. Quarterback Michael Hawkins, Jr. and running back Cam Young were/are going to be the second coming of Pat White and Steve Slaton. An improved O-line, and a blitzing, aggressive defense were/are going to make us the surprise team in the Big 12.

What we got in the first half against Coastal was a hint of that promise, as Young took his first WVU carry 72 yards, then punched it in one play later for a 7-0 lead. Hawkins 49-yard touchdown pass made it 14-0 Mounties. The expected rout was on! WVU added 2 more scores for a 24-0 advantage, but left points on the table as Hawkins lost the football shy of the goal line, and then, inexplicably, Rich Rod took a knee with 50 seconds left in the half and all three of his timeouts. Still, WVU went into the locker room with a 24-0 lead.

A different WVU team came out of the locker room as Coastal Carolina QB Deuce bailey torched a Keystone Cops West Virginia secondary, the WVU defense took bad pursuit angles, and the Mountaineer offense bogged down, as Rodriguez stubbornly tried to run the ball against an 8-man front. Fortunately for the lubricated Morgantown crowd, time ran out on the Fancy Chickens, and West Virginia escaped with a 31-24 victory.

It’s said that the biggest improvement for a team comes between weeks 1 and 2. I hope that’s true, because after an anticipated Saturday win against UT Martin (who?), a 2-0 start is going to have us all pretty depressed in West-By-God.

Until the next visit from The Booth…GO EERS!

RW

 

 

The Duke’s Preview: Millbrook vs Heritage

9/3/26 Winchester, VA– Millbrook hosts Heritage in tonight’s Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off on The River 95.3, Fox Sports 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

The Pioneers will try to get the taste of a heartbreaking 39-37 loss to Loudoun Valley out a day earlier than normal thanks to the holiday weekend.

Millbrook took last year’s Dulles District champions to the wire and actually led by two scores in the second half before Loudoun Valley began to rally then march down the field for a game winning field goal.

RB Carter Kinley had a strong Week 1 showing and finished with 33 carries, 148 yards, and 4 TDs to earn Randy’s Player of the Week.

Last year against Heritage, Kinley led the way on the ground with 20 carries for 102 yards while Rylee Baker (now at Hargrave) finished the drives with 3 touchdowns.

With the graduation of Baker and departure of last year’s QB Keon Lewis to focus on basketball, Kinley will be asked to do a bit more for the Pioneers this season and he appears to have the skillset and toughness to handle 20+ carries a game.

In the 26-15 win over Heritage last season, Head Coach Nick Manuel secured his first win and Millbrook’s defense and special teams helped provide short fields for the offense, especially in the first half.

Heritage actually outgained 266-219, but the Pioneers converting on the shortened fields and a 2-for-1 stretch before halftime proved to be the difference.

Millbrook’s defense will see a few familiar faces for Heritage including QB Jonathan Heckman (started last year in place of injured starter) and RB Luke Olszewski.

Olszewski was a 1st Team All Region selection on offense and defense, both as an “all-purpose” player which highlights his versatility.

The Pioneers will miss Parker Edwards (now at Sherando), but defensive end Karl Moutemy set the edge well against Loudoun Valley and came up with 2 sacks.

Jude Cusick moved to linebacker this season after earning 2nd Team All-Area honors at defensive back last year, and led Millbrook with 11 tackles in Week 1.

On the outside, Millbrook will need to account for Heckman’s favorite returning target Brock Zakrzewski.

Last year, the Class of 2029 athlete accumulated 18 total TDs (10 receiving, 6 rushing, 1 kick return, and 1 punt return) and 1,140 yards with ZERO drops on offense and two INTs on defense.

He is a big play machine and in 2025 averaged 15.7 yards per carry, 22.6 yards per catch, and 64 yards per kick/punt return.

If Millbrook can contain Zakrzewski and Olzewski, while the offensive line continues to win battles for Carter Kinley then Coach Manuel’s crew should be able to extend the Pioneer’s winning streak vs Heritage to four straight.

I would like to see Rome Johnson get more involved through screen passes and reverses due to his home run hitting potential, but the offense may be a bit more basic this week due to shortened practice time and a QB making just his second varsity start.

Regardless, the Pioneers should be able to win the line of scrimmage and benefit from the hometown crowd while feeding off the disappointment of last week’s tough loss to take home win 1 of 2026, Millbrook 24-Heritage 14.

For a preview of all Week 2 matchups and a look back to Week 1, listen the Sports Dogs Podcast HERE.

Sports Dogs Podcast: High School Football Week 1 recap, Week 2 preview

In this episode, The Sports Dogs are barking a day early due to the shortened week for many schools.

Check out the episode HERE featuring:

  • Week 1 recaps including:
    • Strasburg vs Skyline in the first Game of the Week
    • Big wins by Sherando, James Wood, and Handley
    • A heartbreaker for the Pioneers
  • Week 2 previews of:
    • Game of the Week-Millbrook vs Heritage
    • Rematches of Broadway vs Strasburg and Loudoun County vs Sherando
    • Handley’s new game change and more..
  • The first Player of the Week nominees including Millbrook’s Carter Kinley and James Wood’s Jackson Ledford
  • an updated Power Five rankings
  • and more…

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Sherando recommended to remain in Class 4 by VHSL

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The VHSL Alignment Committee has made its recommendations for the next 4 year alignment plan following the meeting of the Alignment Appeals Committee and Sherando High School will now be recommended to remain in Class 4.

Sherando won the appeal on 3-2 vote and the VHSL stated the rationale was based on the school being within the 1% allowance and near future redistricting due to construction of the new high school.

Sherando was originally recommended to move to Class 5, but filed an appeal before the committee on August 25th of their opposition to the recommended plan.

The Alignment Appeals Committee will now pass their suggestions to the Executive Committee.

On September 23rd, the Executive Committee will determine the final alignment plan for the 2027-2031 time period.

Schools recommended for alignment that did not file an appeal include Warren County and Skyline from Class 3 to Class 2 and Page County from Class 2 to Class 1.

Other notable winning appeals include Liberty Christian Academy to Class 3, Princess Anne to Class 5, and Loudoun Valley to Class 4.

All changes will go into effect next school year.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

The Duke’s Preview: Skyline @ Strasburg

8/28/26 Strasburg, VA– Skyline makes the short trip to Strasburg for the first High School Football Game of the Week brought to you by the Hike Kidz Foundation c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill with coverage starting at 6:30 for the Tana Hoffman Pregame Show then the 7 pm kick-off on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

Strasburg ended a program long State Championship drought last season and will now look to prove this is the start of a dynasty, not the book after a Cinderella story.

The Rams return Class 2 Offensive Player of the Year RB Quincy Williams (2,000+ yards, 27 Touchdowns) and 2x All State selection Gage Gutierrez along the offensive line but will look to replace some key players including QB Brayden Hough, RBs Brady Knight and Linkyn Bosworth, and other key pieces along the offensive line.

OT Cooper Miller filled in during the playoff run due to injury and played will during crucial games for the Rams while many other younger players like Brady Knight’s brother Tyler Knight were able to get varsity playing time thanks to lopsided scores down the stretch.

TEs Carson Duckworth and Alexander Mudd love to block and will provide senior leadership on the ends of the OL.

The defensive side of the ball contains more question marks as the Rams will graduate four Class 2 All State Defensive selections including Brady Knight, Nathaniel Turner, Jacob Britton, and Defensive Player of the Year Hutson Conrad.

Quincy Williams will make impact plays on the defense as well and provides good versatility thanks to his speed and physicality.

James Trainor and Pablo Mora Hernandez will be looked to on the backend after strong junior campaigns and playoff runs.

Skyline is still searching for the school’s first football State Title but did claim the program’s first Region Runner-Up after falling short to Kettle Run in last year’s playoffs.

The Hawks also bring back an All-State level running back in Zayden Burks.

Burks led  Virginia with an astounding 2,897 yards and 28 touchdowns and could realistically surpass those numbers this season.

If Burks can reach that total this year, he would have the second most career rushing yards in VHSL history and he is just 1,236 yards away from 6,000 career yards and ranking in the top 27 in state history.

Skyline returns a strong offensive line including four seniors Tytus Drake, Ryan Held, Adrian Schmitz, and Christian Boone who take pride in opening lanes for their RB and protecting first year starter QB Brentley Grindle.

Grindle’s raw talent, athleticism, and performance as JV QB last year made the decision easy for the Hawks coaching staff and the sophomore has impressed his teammates with his play and leadership in 7-on-7 tournaments and training camp.

Grindle has already formed a good connection with Jr TE Brady Lupton (6’4″ 230 lb) and WRs Caydin Jenkins and Lane Kenney.

Defensively, the Hawks will have many of those OL playing both ways with Lupton and Drake ready to wreak havoc again along the defensive line.

Skyline will need to figure out life without All State LB Andre Ford and the Hawks other leading tackler, Marques Lockhart-Wright (TE at Virginia University of Lynchburg).

With that duo now graduated, Burks could enter the rarified air of 100-plus tackles to go with 2,000-plus rushing yards this season.

Skyline’s defensive backfield of Kenney, Jenkins, and Isiah Grady should be a strong unit again this season.

Now to the matchups, Skyline’s new LB unit without Ford and Lockhart-Wright will be tested in Game 1 against Strasburg’s unique T-Formation.

The Hawks have started the last few season against the Rams so it is not an entirely new concept, but it is still difficult to prepare for, especially at the game speed of the Rams.

Skyline’s new QB Brently Grindle will also get to experience a Varsity defense for the first time and it as a Rams unit that allowed just 12.5 ppg last season.

The Hawks rebuttal to these perceived disadvantages can be pretty simple… we have a hulk… or Zayden Burks.

Burks has game breaking potential every time he touches the ball, even when he is a defenses #1 priority.

Skyline would have an advantage in the defensive backfield against a new starter at QB for Strasburg but the Rams would be completely fine without passing the entire game which would negate that potential edge.

Both team’s offensive and defensive lines should dominate all year long and I would say that category is a push in this matchup.

With two teams who enter the season with high expectations, it may truly come down to who can minimize mistakes and based on the youth at key positions for the Hawks, that could be an issue.

Look for the Rams to come out with some extra energy early as it will be their first time back on Glenn Proctor Field since hoisting the State Title, but this is a motivated Skyline team that would take pride in raining on the Rams return to their homefield.

This game will come down to the final possession, but based on recent history of the Rams undefeated record on the field vs the Hawks since COVID and the momentum from the hometown crowd behind them, it will be tough to unseat the champions in Week 1.

Williams and Burks put on a show with ZB2K slightly outgaining QW1 in yardage, but with the Rams taking the edge on the scoreboard, Strasburg 28-Skyline 22.

For a preview of all the Week 1 matchups, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast HERE.

Sports Dogs Podcast: HS Football Week 1 Preview

It’s that time of year! The Sports Dogs Podcast becomes the Sports Dogs High School Football Podcast.

Listen to the latest episode HERE.

Randy and Ryan unveil our first Power Five rankings of the season and preview:

  • Skyline vs Strasburg- The Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill
  • Loudoun Valley vs Millbrook
  • Clarke County vs James Wood
  • Sherando vs Amherst
  • Central vs Stuarts Draft
  • Warren County vs Rock Ridge
  • Handley vs Eastern View

Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC! Add some curb appeal by visiting https://energywindowsllc.com

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Views From The Booth: Commanders Takeaways

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Greetings From The Booth!

Can you feel it in the air? Fall is coming, and with it, “for-real” NFL games, not to be confused with the pre-season contests that whet our appetites this time of year. That being said, I have some takeaways from the Washington Commanders’ 17-13 loss to Detroit this past Saturday. No one cares about the score or the result–that will be forgotten by Tuesday, if it isn’t already. These are the things that concern and puzzle me as we get closer to teeing it up on September 13th in Philadelphia:

Why did Jayden Daniels even play? 3 snaps?!? Are you kidding me? I thought Week 2 of the preseason was supposed to be a “dress rehearsal” for the starters. Especially for a team with new coordinators, new systems, and new players. As for Daniels, his 3 plays consisted of a hurried incompletion, a 10-yard sack, and a “give-up” handoff on 3rd and 20. That was his day. I would have liked to see the starters play for at least a quarter. Nothing was accomplished here.

No running game. The Washington running game Saturday consisted of 45 yards. This paltry total is not so much a reflection of the Commanders running backs as it is an indictment of the offensive line. With several starters on the O-line, this was an opportunity for the “next man up,” and as John Lennon might say, they didn’t pass the audition.

The battle for QB3. Hands down, Athan Kaliakmanis is winning (or has already won) this duel with Sam Hartman. The former Illinois and Rutgers quarterback has good pocket presence and is not afraid to throw the ball downfield. On the other hand, Hartman looks for his check down receivers almost immediately after the snap. Look at the stats. Both have a pretty high completion percentage, but the yardage belongs to AK16, who simply looks to be the better option at QB3. With backup Marcus Mariotta injured, this matters.

Sonny Styles. There has been a lot of fan board and social media discussion about the Commanders linebacker and number one draft choice, who has not dazzled in the team’s first two preseason games. Styles at times looks to be out of position, as he was on a 50-yard quarterback read-option that went for a Lions touchdown. And there seems to be some concern about his size. 2 preseason games does not a season or career make, so he deserves the benefit of the doubt. That being said, maybe he would be a better (strong) safety in the pro game. Let’s give him some time.

Defensive takeaways. The Commanders’ defense has been a turnover machine in the preseason. I’m not sure how this will carry over into the regular season, but it’s an encouraging sign for a defense that couldn’t take candy from a baby in 2025. It was also fun to see a defensive touchdown on the game’s first series.

An overall sloppy effort. For a Week 2 dress rehearsal, Dan Quinn could not have been happy. The eye test revealed a sloppy effort, especially when you consider that this game was an opportunity for players who will not make the Commanders roster but are auditioning for other NFL teams.

Overall grade for Week 2: C-minus.

What can we really take away from the above? Probably nothing. Hopefully we will see a prepared and much different team when the Commanders begin a challenging schedule in Philadelphia in a few weeks. I’m ready…I just hope my team is.

Until the next visit from the Booth…HTTC!

RW