Sports Dogs Podcast: State Championship recap and Bracket Bustin’

3/18/26- The Dogs take a bite out of their Tournament brackets, and look back at a great weekend at VCU for our area basketball teams including:

  • Clarke County’s girls claiming their second title in four years and record-breaker Alainah McKavish
  • Handley’s boys first program title in over 100 years
  • Luray’s boys fending off a record-setting performance to win in double-overtime
  • The valiant efforts by the Central boys, Skyline girls, and Luray girls

Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC. Visit the “Dave-Dog” at https://energywindowsllc.com and find out how to save money on those energy bills this Summer!

Listen to the Sports Dogs on The River online, Spotify, Amazon, or iTunes HERE.

The Duke’s State Championship Preview: Clarke County vs Union

3/13/26 Richmond, VA- Clarke County High School returns to the VHSL Class 2 Girls Basketball State Championship game to take on Union High School in the first game of our coverage from VCU starting at 12:10 pm, 12:30 tip-off on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app brought to you by the Hike Kidz Foundation c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill.

Clarke County has dominated their way to the State Championship game from the regular season all the way to the Siegel Center.

The Eagles only losses came to State Semifinal opponent Strasburg and a team still in play for the Maryland state title.

In the first year under Coach Shadd McCaw, Clarke County has had a clear goal of reaching Richmond and he has already referred to the game as a “business trip.”

Once the playoffs began after the late regular season loss to Strasburg, the Eagles found another gear and have won each postseason game by at least 11 points.

Alainah McKavish reclaimed District and Region Player of the Year and still upped her play for the title run.

She has increased her points, blocks, and assists per game since the end of the regular season and now stands at 22 ppg, 2.4 blks, and 3.2 ast.

Paige Stemberger’s return from injury added another senior leader to a youthful team (four sophomores) and her defensive ability raises the ceiling for a Clarke County team that could likely compete for a championship at any of the Classifications in the VHSL.

Team defense will be key for the Eagles to slow down Union’s star Katelynn Witt.

Witt is the greatest scorer in Union history after eclipsing 1,300+ points and has averaged 30+ through the playoff run.

She is coming off a 38 point Semifinal win over Ridgeview but the Bears did not have any other players in double-figures.

Clarke County has already succeeded in limiting stars throughout the Valley like Emily Gorrell and JMU-bound Reagen Edsall, but Witt may be the most pure scorer they have faced so far.

I look for the Eagles to throw a lot of fresh defenders at Witt to try to wear her down and force off balance shots.

Overall, Clarke County has a more well-rounded roster and players who can step up even if their player of the year has an off night…

Spoiler Alert: She won’t.

The Eagles finally get to celebrate with the trophy they have really wanted all year long, Clarke County 76- Union 56.

For more pregame coverage of the Class 2 girls state championship, CLICK HERE for color commentator Josh Kirby’s interviews with both coaches and Alainah McKavish.

For previews of all our local state championship teams from the latest Sports Dogs Podcast, CLICK HERE.

The Duke’s Hoops Preview: Strasburg vs Clarke County V

3/6/26 Berryville, VA- For the fifth and final time this season, Clarke County and Strasburg will face-off in girls basketball, but this go-round the winner will advance to VCU and the State Championship while the other team’s long season will come to an end.

The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app begin State Semifinal coverage tonight at 6:10 pm ahead of the 6:30 pm tip-off, brought to you by The Hike Kidz Foundation c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill.

Clarke County holds a 3-1 edge on the season series and claimed the Bull Run District and Region 2B Championship trophies against the Rams after falling to Strasburg at home.

The Eagles set a record for the briefest trophy celebration in history after winning the Bull Run District and has clearly had their eyes set towards bigger things all season long.

Coach Shadd McCaw’s group has dominated playoff play with each win coming in double figures and annihilated State Quarterfinal opponent Prince Edward County 90-15.

Prince Edward’s only other losses this season came to John Marshall, Strasburg’s State Quarterfinal opponent.

The Rams discarded John Marshall 54-45 after falling to the Justices the last two state tournament meetings and proved that the Bull Run District is one of the toughest in Class 2.

Strasburg was led by Jaden Stinnette with 18 points and 7 rebounds along with Emily Gorrell who just missed a double-double with 14 points and 9 assists.

Coach Kelly Stinnette will need both of her seniors to have big games against Clarke County to advance to Richmond.

Emily Gorrell lit up the stat sheet with 26 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals in the Region Championship, while Clarke County held Stinnette to just five points outside the six she scored during a late run.

Alainah McKavish led all scorers with 27 points in the Region title game and was joined in double figures by Paige McKavish (14 points), Savannah McCaw (10 points) and Eryn Demko (10 points).

Seniors Alainah McKavish, Eryn Demko, and Paige Stemberger have established the standard, but Clarke County’s three sophomore starters- Paige McKavish, Savannah McCaw, and Kendall Harmon- really showcased their composure on a big stage at Shenandoah University with a trophy on the line.

Instead of shying away or trying to do too much, they stayed within their roles to make sure Clarke County won the turnover battle and played complimentary basketball that allowed their Region 2B Player of the Year to dominate.

While I have no doubt the stars will shine in Berryville Friday night, Clarke County’s edge with their role players will prove to be the difference.

Eagles protect homecourt and advance to Richmond for the trophy they have had their eyes on all season long, Clarke County 72- Strasburg 55.

For more local sports coverage including The Three Pointer discussing neutral sites for the playoffs, unfairness in Class 3, and hiding game film, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast. 

For Color Commentator Josh Kirby’s chat with coach Shadd McCaw, click here. 

The Duke’s Hoops Preview: Region 2B Championships

2/28/26, Winchester VA- The Region 2B Championships invade Shenandoah University for tonight’s coverage of girls and boys basketball on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app starting at 5:45 pm thanks to the Hike Kidz Foundation c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill.

The girls championship game will tip-off first at 6 pm and feature Clarke County against Strasburg.

Clarke County has looked like a team with a clear mission all season long under 1st year Head Coach Shadd McCaw and that mission is win a State Championship.

The Eagles dominated regular season competition again and finished 23-2 with an astounding average margin of victory at 35.7 points per game.

Clarke County is led by District Player of the Year and future Shippensburg University athlete Alainah McKavish.

McKavish has the ability to takeover a game and averages over 20 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 4 steals, but the Eagles have enough talent to make the opposition pay if they try to focus on the senior.

In the Region Semifinal, Alainah was held to 10 points, but her sister Paige, Savannah McCaw, and Paige Stemberger balanced the scoring sheet with 11 points each.

Clarke County also had a dominant team performance on the glass and outrebounded Central 38-18 (14-3 for offensive rebounds) on the way to a 59-34 win to set up a Bull Run District Championship rematch with Strasburg.

The Rams are coming off an impressive 49-35 win on the road against Stuarts Draft in the Region Semifinals.

Strasburg saw Emily Gorrell and Jayden Stinnette return to action after suffering injuries in the BRD Championship game loss to Clarke County and missing the entire second half.

Both seniors looked to be close to 100% in the Semifinal win with Gorrell leading all scorers with 22 points followed by Stinnette with 16 to secure Strasburg’s 5th State Playoff appearance in the last 7 years.

While falling to Clarke in the BRD Championship game about a week ago, the Rams should still feel confident in their ability to play with the Eagles as they are the only team in Virginia to defeat them this season.

In the win, Strasburg limited Alainah McKavish to just 3 points through the first three quarters while Stinnette and Gorrell combined for 31 points and connected for the game winning basket.

Clarke County would love nothing more than to prove that loss was simply an off-night and another Region Championship.

Clarke County’s defensive pressure led by the length and athleticism of the McKavish sister’s and the tenacity of Paige Stemberger will be the difference maker to keep Strasburg under 50 and give the Eagles the 61-49 win.

Following the girls championship game, the boys from Strasburg and Central will take the floor for a rubber match with the Region 2B trophy on the line.

Strasburg and Central split the regular season matchups with each team winning on the road and silencing rowdy home crowds.

If tonight’s matchup is anything like the first two, it could come down to who makes the better halftime adjustments.

The third quarter essentially decided both previous games with Strasburg going scoreless in the 3rd quarter while Central went on a 14-0 run and forced 5 turnovers, then Strasburg turned the tides in Woodstock with a 19-4 run to close the 3rd quarter and led by at least 17 the entire 4th quarter.

These two rivals are so familiar with each other and matchups like this often turn into chess matches between head coaches Larry Fox and Jeff Whittle.

During the final regular season matchup, I predicted the first team to 50 would win but tonight it might be the first team to 40.

With each basket coming at a premium tonight, Strasburg’s Gavin Dellinger could be the game changer with his quick release from deep and ability to get open off the ball.

Dellinger led the Rams through the regular season with about 15 points per game while Jasiah Warner has gotten better and better as the season has gone along and is coming off a career high 27 points against Page County in the Region Semifinal win Friday night.

The Rams had to fight off a furious comeback and three point barrage from Page County to reach the Championship game while the Falcons needed overtime to finish the job against Fort Defiance.

Central had to over come a double digit deficit after Fort Defiance put together a 19-2 run in the second quarter.

Last year’s District Player of the Year and All State selection Dereck Batiz-Lugo continues to play at a high level for Central and led the way in the Region Semifinal with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.

Jonathan Akasa has been a force on the boards this year and had 9 rebounds to go with 8 points in the Semi and he led the Bull Run in rebounding through the regular season with 7.4 per game.

This game is truly a coin-flip in my mind and could come down to the final shot and I think the Rams get that final shot with the defense keying in on Dellinger before he drops it off to Warner for the game winning basket, Rams 49-Falcons 47.

For more local sports coverage, listen to the Sports Dogs Podcast here.

The Duke’s Bull Run District Championship Preview: Clarke County vs Strasburg

2/18/26, Berryville VA- Clarke County hosts Strasburg in the Bull Run District Girls Basketball Championship Game with coverage starting around 7:30 pm on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, The River 95.3 app and TheRiver953.com for the first of two Hike Kidz Foundation Games of the Week c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill (Boys Championship game will take place on Thursday).

Clarke County was pinned as the early favorites to repeat as Bull Run District Champions this season, but Strasburg made sure no one forgot about them after a 21-3 record and splitting with Clarke County in the regular season.

Strasburg upset Clarke County just 7 days ago at home 48-47 after a late Jayden Stinnette lay-up, but stumbled in their final regular season 56-51 to Central before a rematch three days later in the Bull Run District Semifinals where the Rams won 54-51.

In the win vs Clarke County, Strasburg snapped a 12 game Eagles win streak and limited All State Forward Alainah McKavaish to just 3 points in the first 3 quarters.

Limiting McKavish will be key to another chance at knocking off the Eagles.

In the first matchup between the schools in early January, McKavish dominated with a 21 point and 10 rebound performance and was one of five Eagles to knock down at least two 3-pointers.

McKavish leads Clarke in nearly every statistical category but has a strong and experienced supporting cast with 8/9 players returning from last years State Semifinal squad.

Paige McKavish (15.9 ppg) and Kendall Harman (10.5 ppg) join Alainah (20.6 ppg) in double digits while Savannah McCaw leads the Eagles with 4.1 assists per game and Paige Stemberger’s lock-down defense leads to 3.6 steals per game.

The Rams are led by seniors Emily Gorrell and Jayden Stinnette.

When Clarke County zeroed in on Gorrell last week, Stinnette made them pay with the game winner.

Gorrell leads the Rams in scoring with 17.8 per game and assists with 3.2 while Stinnette is just behind at 11.9 points per game and is the leading rebounder with 8.3 per game.

The duo is playing their best as the Rams enter the playoffs with both earning a double-double in the BRD semifinals.

Individually, Gorrell is on a tear with three straight games over 20 points.

Strasburg will have an advantage in coaching experience with Kelly Stinnette leading the bench for her third season while Coach Shadd McCaw is still in his first year as head coach.

While a loss tonight wouldn’t end either teams season, Clarke County should be in playoff mode and will look for revenge against the only team in Virginia to beat them this season.

I look for the Eagles to come out very aggressive and Alainah McKavish to be a little more “selfish” early to build a Clarke County lead then pull away for a 60-45 win.

For a regular season recap and playoff preview, check out last week’s Sports Dogs podcast here. 

Color commentator Josh Kirby spoke with Clarke County’s Shadd McCaw here. 

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

Sports Dogs Podcast: SB recap, RIP Sonny, and High School Hoops

While the R-Dog is away, the Sports Dogs still play!

The Duke is joined by Josh Kirby to recap the Super Bowl, look back on the legacy of Sonny Jurgenson, and review an INCREDIBLE high school hoops regular season as the playoffs begin next week.

The Sports Dogs are brought to you by Energy Windows, LLC…your go-to team for everything outside the home. Call Dave at 540-671-9243 or visit https://energywindowsllc.com

For the latest episode, click here. 

Sports Dogs Podcast: Big Game = Big Pod

It’s a full dog bowl this week, as the R-Dog & The Duke preview The Big Game on Sunday (coverage from 2pm -8pm on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports Radio 1450 via Westwood One).

Plus, an exciting Wizards trade, Curling Olympics begin, and Duke’s Three-Pointer featuring three scorers in Handley’s Asher Mattison, Clarke County’s Alainah McKavish, and Luray’s Matthew Owens!

Get those meatballs and your seven-layer dip ready, and let’s roll with another Sports Dogs Pod, brought to you by Energy Windows, LLC…your go-to team for everything outside the home. Call Dave at 540-671-9243 or visit https://energywindowsllc.com

Available now on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, or The River online here.

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

The Duke’s Hoops Preview: James Wood vs Clarke County

12/1/25, Winchester, VA – James Wood hosts Clarke County in the Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week courtesy of Brickhouse Bar and Grill with a girls and boys basketball doubleheader on Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com and The River 95.3 app.

The girls tip-off first at 6 pm with pregame coverage starting at 5:45 pm followed by the boys with an estimated start time of 7:30 pm, 7:15 pregame.

The Clarke County girl’s squad returns a star-studded lineup that advanced all the way to the State Semifinal before falling to John Marshall, 67-56.

Leading the way once again for the Eagles this season will be the duo of Paige and Alainah McKavish.

Alainah enters her senior season after another 1st Team All State campaign last year and averaged 21.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 3.9 steals.

Paige earned 2nd Team All State during her Freshman year and was second on the team with 10.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 3.1 apg.

While the roster experienced little turnover, former Head Coach Regina Dowling left for Sherando and her assistant Shadd McCaw will takeover as head coach.

McCaw will look to continue the Clarke County tactic of jumping on opponents early with their signature full-court pressure and the Colonels will need to be ready for physical and aggressive opening night.

These teams met on opening night last season and Clarke County ran away with a 61-24 win.

James Wood returns a few key members from last year’s team including guard Aubrey Nail (7.1 ppg, 2.2 steals, 2.7 apg) and forwards Hailey Harlow (4.7 rpg and 62.5 FT%) and Ashlyn Evans (5.8 rpg).

The Colonels have some huge shoes to fill this year following the graduation of former 1st Team All District selection Josie Russell who led the area in rebounding with 13.1 ppg and added 18.4 ppg.

When the boys tip-off, it will be James Wood who returns more experience while Clarke County will be searching for who will step-up next.

The Colonels return the senior backcourt of Brodie Sirbaugh and Ashby Copenhaver who combined for nearly 20 points per game and a good size front court including 6’5″ Michael Bell and 6’4″ Ronnie Barrett.

James Wood showed solid improvement behind that core last season to reach .500 after a 7-14 campaign in 2023-2024 and will look to take it another step farther this season.

The Eagles lost their top two scorers from last season in Tanner Sipe and Lincoln Booker and will be without the lone returner in double-figures Isaac Nei due to a minor injury.

Coach Kent Auslander is excited about JR guard Chris Reid and  SR guard Maddox Roberts after a great offseason.

Reid was a standout for the JV squad and Roberts has great length as a 6’3″ guard and could be the teams top player after averaging just 3 ppg and 2 rpg last year.

While the Clarke girls will hit the court running, the boys side may take time to find their footing with so many new pieces.

The McKavish sisters might outscore the Colonels on their own and the Eagles should start the season with a win, 64-38.

The boys game should be more competitive and I look forward to the matchup of senior guards for James Wood and the emerging Maddox Roberts with experience providing the edge, Colonels win 58-52.

For a preview on the girls matchup with both coaches and Josh Kirby, click here.

For a preview on the boys matchup with both coaches and Josh Kirby, click here. 

The Duke’s Preview: Clarke County vs Prince Edward

The VHSL State Playoffs begin with tonight’s Van Metre Homes Game of the Week as Clarke County hosts Prince Edward County in girls basketball with coverage starting at 5:45 pm for the 6 pm tip-off on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

Clarke County has coasted through the District and Regional Tournaments with an average margin of victory of 38.2 ppg and claimed both tournament trophies.

Clarke County now turns their attention to the State Tournament where they look to put together the same run like they did just two years ago to hoist the third and most significant trophy a team can aspire to attain.

Alainah McKavish and Devin Simmons-McDonald were members of the 2023 Championship Team and know what it takes to get back to the promised land.

McKavish upped her game each season since the Freshman campaign and recently earned the Region 2B Player of the Year while Simmons-McDonald provided great post presence on her way to a 2nd Team All-District selection.

Alainah’s sister Paige and Paul VI transfer Paige Stemberger also earned All-Region nods and when the starters faulter or get in foul trouble like in the Regional Championship Game, underclassmen like Anna Taylor, Haley Foltz, Kendall Harman, and Savannah McCaw have stepped-up.

Clarke County’s depth and post season experience will pose problems for a Prince Edward team that will enter the State Quarterfinal after their first loss of the season to John Marshall in the Regional Championship Game.

Prince Edward coasted to an undefeated record through the regular season and early rounds of Regionals before falling to last year’s State Runner-Up.

While Prince Edward dominated regular season play, they did not see many competitive teams throughout their schedule with only two opponents finishing the season over .500.

Clarke County on the other hand faced a competitive Bull Run District schedule and only district loss came to the Co-Regular Season Champions, Strasburg, while the other losses came against opponents from higher classifications.

This battle tested schedule has allowed Clarke County to transition well to the heightened stakes of the playoffs and some of their most significant contributors are already familiar with the State stage.

Clarke County will also have a distinct height advantage over Prince Edward as all five starters are over 5’8″ while Prince Edward does not have a player on the roster over 5’7″.

The experience and length of Clarke County will help the Eagles of Berryville maintain control of the tempo of tonight’s ball game and dominate the boards while the Eagles of Farmville may leave the 3+ hour bus ride to be shell-shocked by a better team like they were against John Marshall.

Clarke County advances to the State Semifinals, 65-42, and will likely see the Justices then.

The Duke’s Region 2B Championships Preview

The Region 2B Basketball Championships takeover Shenandoah University in tonight’s Van Metre Homes Games of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and The River 95.3 app with coverage of the Girls Championship Game starting at 5:45 pm followed by the Boys Championship Game around 7:45 pm.

On the girls’ side, #1 seed Clarke County knocked off Page County and Central to advance to the title game while #3 seed Stuarts Draft took out Riverheads and Luray along the way.

Stuarts Draft avoided #2 seed Strasburg after the Rams were shorthanded against Luray in the Regional Quarterfinals before navigating past a Bulldog team that gave them their first loss of the season back in December.

Stuarts Draft enters the Regional Championship game on a nine game win streak and the Cougars are led by Shenandoah District Coach of the Year Chad Seibert and All District selections Ava Flippin, Augusta Seibert, and Madyson Mason.

The 19-4 Cougars have already well surpassed last season’s 12-11 performance that ended in a Regional Quarterfinals loss, but Clarke County will likely be the best team that Stuarts Draft has seen all year.

The Eagles have dominated Class 2 competition this year with just one loss coming against their peers, the other three came while playing higher classifications.

Clarke County is usually led by junior Alainah and freshman Paige McKavish with the elder sister recently being named District Player of the Year while both were named 1st Team All District selections.

Paige Stemberger earned 2nd Team honors and shined in our most recent coverage of the Eagles against Page County on Tuesday night.

Stemberger, a Paul VI transfer, led Clarke County in scoring for the majority of the evening and finished with a stat stuffing line of 23 points, 7 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.

When players like Stemberger, forward Devin Simmons-McDonald, and Eryn Demko contribute at levels like that to go along with the McKavish’s regular production, Clarke County will be a very tough-out for any team in the VHSL playoffs.

Clarke County’s team defense regularly wreaks havoc in their full court and half court zone pressures to build massive leads including a 36-0 start in Regional Quarterfinal.

When the boys take the floor, it will be another #1 vs #3 matchup with Central taking on Luray.

The Falcons and Bulldogs have already faced off three times since February 4th with all three going Central’s way, but each a bit closer than the previous.

The inaugural bout saw Central dominate the 2nd period and pull away to a 22 point win.

The second time the Bulldogs hosted the Falcons and actually led by 6 past the midway point of the fourth quarter before allowing an 18-8 run to lose 53-47.

Central and Luray’s most recent meeting also had hardware on the line in the Bull Run District Championship.

Luray limited Bull Run District Player of the Year Dereck Batiz-Lugo to just 5 points and led by as much as 10 in the 2nd quarter before the Falcons began their comeback.

Central led by just 1 with about 35 seconds left but Luray turned the ball over before getting a shot attempt and eventually fell 61-57.

The Falcons were led by Joseph Pan in that game with 26 points and 8 rebounds, and the junior is one of many Falcons who can lead the team in scoring on any given night.

Coach Jeff Whittle’s balanced approach landed four players on the All-District teams including 1st Teamers Batiz-Lugo and Luke Williams and 2nd Teamers Haiden Click and Maddox Davis.

Coach Matt Huff’s Bulldogs are led by one of the top backcourts in the Valley with Blake Jenkins and Matthew Owens.

The 1st Team All District selections combine for over 32 ppg and the junior Owens could potentially become the highest scorer in school history after already eclipsing 1000 points during the Bull Run District Tournament.

I predict Clarke County will continue to look ahead of the pack tonight but will begin to meet some similarly skilled foes in the State level.

Eagles win 86-67 with another 20+ point performance by Alainah McKavish.

The boys matchup on the other hand will come down to the final possession.

Not many teams can shoot the deep ball to keep up with Luray, but Central’s Haiden Click can help do just that and is coming off a career high 25 points including 5 three-pointers.

He will stay hot to lead Central and Luray’s buzzer beater rims off, Falcons win 51-49.