The Duke’s Preview: Warren County vs Skyline featuring Coach Breeden and Gilbert

The annual Warren County (1-8) and Skyline (3-6) football game has even more on the line this year with the addition of The River Rivalry Trophy which will be presented to the winner on the field following the game.

The broadcast for the Game of the Week will begin at 6:40 pm with Randy Woodward and Ryan Rutherford on The River 95.3, 1450 WFTR, streaming at theriver953.com and the Tune In Radio App.

This rivalry has fired up both teams.

Warren County has nothing to lose as they sit outside the playoff picture.

Coach Josh Breeden emphasized to his team in practice this week the importance of this rivalry and trying to get the senior class their first win over Skyline.

The Wildcats hope to have P.J. Dellinger back at quarterback as he returns from injury, but the offense will rely on the backfield of Gavin Dodson and Blaise Skube.

Skube has looked strong lately with a 37-yard touchdown last week and a kickoff return for a touchdown the week prior, despite being bogged down by an injury earlier in the season.

Dodson has been steady for the Wildcats with his best game coming against one of the toughest defenses they have faced at Sherando.

Dodson finished that outing with 15 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown.

Last week, Warren County went to a “Wildcat” formation with both Dodson and Skube in the backfield and used a zone blocking scheme for their most successful drive against Meridian.

Last year, the Hawks contained the Warren County rushing game, holding the backfield to 72 yards on 28 carries.

This year, Skyline will rely on a defense that swarms to the ball carrier led by linebackers Marques Lockhart-Wright (73 tackles) and Andre Ford (71 tackles).

Offensively, the Hawks know their identity lies with the running game led by Aidan Vaught.

Vaught recently had one of the best games in state history against Meridian where he reached 452 rushing yards on 17.4 yards per carry with five touchdown.

In general, it has been a slower season for Vaught who certainly looks to end his regular season career at Skyline with a bang.

Vaught is back at his running back position this year, but last year as quarterback, he led the team with 112 rushing yards, 129 passing yards, and two rushing touchdowns against the Wildcats.

Skyline is currently in the playoffs, but Warren County would love to play spoiler of their cross-town rivals and put the first plaque on The River Rivalry Trophy.

Both teams will pull out all the stops and we may see a few exciting trick plays along the way.

Skyline has focused on accomplishing three goals this regular season:

  • Winning Homecoming
  • Winning Senior Night
  • Beating Warren County

They accomplished the first two and now look to check one more box before the playoffs.

Skyline will have more on the line tonight fighting for their playoff birth and a more experienced roster.

I predict that combination will help the Hawks secure the victory at Warren County and earn The River Rivalry Trophy in a thrilling 28-22 win.

Press play below for my interview with Skyline Head Coach Heath Gilbert and Warren County Head Coach Josh Breeden.

For more information on The River Rivalry Trophy, click here.

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

The Duke’s Preview: Skyline vs Fauquier featuring Coach Heath Gilbert

Last week, the Fauquier Falcons (1-3) travelled to Front Royal and Warren County stole their first win of the season on an insane finish.

This week our High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and the Tune In Radio App, will see the Falcons return to town to face the Skyline Hawks (0-4) as they continue to search for their first win.

Fauquier regularly plays Warren County, but this is the first time they have played Skyline since 2014.

Skyline has struggled out of the gates for a variety of reasons, some of which are self imposed.

The Hawks have suffered from penalties week after week including over 100 penalty yards against Millbrook and James Wood, while late penalties cost them a chance at the win Week 1 against Strasburg.

The ground game has also struggled as Aidan Vaught has been unable to find space behind the Hawks offensive line.

One of the leading rushers in the area the last few years has been to under 100 yards per game this season, a milestone that seemed a given every week last year.

Fauquier has struggled this season as well but when they saw success in their win vs Culpepper County, it came with an effective rushing attack.

Their F-1 backfield led by Aaron Lewis and Mason Hamilton, ran for 348 yards and six touchdowns.

Many of those carries came behind the blocking of their 6’5″ 275 left tackle Dillon Epperson, a future D-I athlete committed to the University of New Hampshire.

Skyline is going to come out hungry for that first win in front of their home crowd.

The Hawks have prepared to contain Fauquier’s run-heavy gameplan, featuring almost 50% buck sweeps.

I predict Skyline taking home their first win of the season behind 150 yards and 2 touchdowns from Aidan Vaught, 35-20.

Press play below for my interview with Skyline’s Head Coach Heath Gilbert.

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

The Duke’s Preview: Skyline vs James Wood featuring Coach Gilbert interview

Tonight’s Friday Night High School Football Game of the Week features the Skyline Hawks (0-1) coming off a bye week and the James Wood Colonels (1-1) who fell to Brentsville 41-7 last week.

Even though they have only played one game, Skyline had a lot to look back on from their first game against Strasburg.

Skyline had a few chances to win but self-inflicted mistakes like unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and turnovers led to them coming up short.

Aidan Vaught already looked to be in midseason form back at his more natural running back position piling up 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Vaught had a great game against James Wood last year when he had 133 yards and a passing and rushing touchdown.

He willed Skyline to victory on their final scoring drive rushing for 61 yards.

James Wood already is off to a better start to this season than last.

James Wood had to wait until October for their first win in 2022, but this year they took down Warren County in Week 1.

The Colonels shut out Warren County in the second half and played a strong second half against an explosive Brentsville offense, limiting them to one score and forcing two turnovers.

One of the players tasked with tracking down Vaught when James Wood’s defense is on the field is Zach Smith.

The All Region selection from 2022 has already shown his impact leading James Wood with 16 tackles and and interception against Warren County.

My prediction for the game is that Skyline will be able to use the extra week of preparation coming off the bye and the frustrations of letting one slip away against Strasburg to come up with the win tonight in another close game, final score Skyline 21-James Wood 13.

Tune into the action at Fox Sports Radio 1450 WFTR, The River 95.3, and streaming on theriver953.com and the Tune In Radio App.

To hear my interview with the Skyline Hawks Head Coach Heath Gilbert, press play below.

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