Sports Dogs Podcast: Road to Week 1- Bull Run Preview

The Sports Dogs continue their ramp-up to the high school football season by previewing our Bull Run teams: Central, Clarke County, and Strasburg.

Listen HERE on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, or The River online.

Special guests joining the Dogs this episode include:

  • Author Ryan Sonner, “Until It Was Ours”
    • Discuss the new book
    • Strasburg’s coaching legacy
    • 2025 Championship Run
    • All Time Strasburg Football Team
    • Book available HERE.
  • Head Coach Casey Childs- Clarke County High School
    • Bull Run redistricting
    • Rebuilding a still young team
    • Standouts like Grady Ferrell
  • Head Coach Rowdy Hoover- Central High School
    • Strength of Shenandoah County football
    • New QB in Woodstock
    • Talented returning players like Chris Brown, Kyle McCabe, and Brookyln Minor and rising stars

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Call him at 540-671-9243. Or visit https://energywindowsllc.com

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

The Duke’s Preview: Clarke County @ Strasburg

Clarke County travels to Strasburg in tonight’s Dave’s Diversified Services Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com, and The River 95.3 app with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off.

Clarke County finally found their way into the win column on Homecoming with a classic performance by a squad coached by Casey Childs.

In the 34-8 victory, the Eagles did not punt or pass the entire game as Grady Ferrell led the way with 197 yards and 2 TDs.

The young Eagles had a long journey to the first win of 2025 and will look to carry that momentum into Strasburg to take on an experienced Rams squad.

After a one score loss to 7-1 Broadway, Strasburg has averaged 40.8 points per game and allowed just 8.8 points per game with a shutout.

The Rams are using the same combo that brought them to Salem last season: winning at the line of scrimmage, a strong running game, and swarming defense.

Leading the backfield is Quincy Williams, who is coming off nearly 200 total yards and 3 TDs against Luray last week.

Williams was one of the few offensive standouts in last year’s bash between unbeatens.

The game was ultimately decided by a Rams missed PAT, but Coach Lamb and Co. would rally from that loss for six straight wins and a trip to the State Championship game while Clarke County continued an undefeated regular season before falling in the first round of the playoffs.

Strasburg will look for revenge against their Bull Run rival after falling to the Eagles in Feltner Stadium and looking up to a Clarke County student section full of “I hate Strasburg” shirts.

Maybe the memory of that loss will prompt the Strasburg seniors to ask Coach Lamb for one more drive when up big in the second half.

This game appears to be all Rams on paper and I am predicting another big Strasburg win, 49-12.

For a preview of all the Week 9 matchups, a Week 8 recap, Power 5 rankings, and more, click here. 

The Duke’s Preview: Clarke County vs Fort Defiance

Clarke County welcomes Fort Defiance to Berryville for the Dave’s Diversified Game of the Week tonight on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and The River 95.3 app with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off.

Coach Casey Childs and the Eagles are looking to rebound after a 44-3 loss in the opener to a more experienced, Class 4 team in James Wood.

Offensively, the Eagles did not complete a pass and couldn’t get much going on the ground as they look to replace over 2,500 yards in rushing production from last year’s senior laden squad.

Clarke County started hot defensively with Brayden Roper snagging an early interception off talented QB Owen Neal, but eventually the big, veteran Colonel line began to dominate.

The game was played in front of a packed Feltner Stadium and tonight’s crowd will be in festive mood with the Hall of Fame induction planned for halftime.

Making the trip up from Augusta County is Fort Defiance High School led by a familiar face to The Felt, Mike Yew.

Coach Yew led Central High School for 17 years and was on the headset for many classic Clarke-Central head-knockers.

Through the last five matchups, Yew’s Falcons emerged with a 4-1 record (according to MaxPreps).

This is Yew’s first year donning his signature Cargo shorts on the Fort Defiance sideline and through Week 1, his Indians already are embracing the identity of his former Falcons as a hard-nosed, physical football team.

Fort Defiance held Turner Ashby to just 88 rushing yards in the Week 1 loss.

A few special teams mistakes and difficulties against pocket-passer Zach Grove (194 yards, 2 Touchdowns) led to the 35-15 defeat.

Lance Fridely looked solid at running back with 77 yards on 19 carries after starter Blake Marshall left with an injury early.

While Coach Yew is in Year 1 at Fort Defiance, this is a game where the culture Coach Childs has instilled over the course of his tenure at Clarke County could give his Eagles an advantage.

Clarke County has not lost back to back home games since 2017 when Childs was still an assistant coach with the program and have 18 straight winning seasons.

Tonight’s game is a big step to get back to the .500 mark and put the team in a better spot before the tough Bull Run District schedule begins.

I predict Clarke County will look more settled in after many starters first varsity game last week and Coach Childs will reclaim bragging rights next time he hits the golf course with Coach Yew, Clarke County 24- Fort Defiance 16.

For a preview of all of this week’s games, a look back to Week 1, our Player of the Week, and Power 5 rankings, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast here.

The Duke’s Preview: Strasburg vs Clarke County ft. Coach Tripp Lamb

The High School Football Game of the Week features two unbeatens as Strasburg (7-0) travels to Clarke County (7-0) with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick off on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

While both team’s are fueled by a strong rushing attack and tough defense, they do so in different ways.

Schematically, Clarke County’s single wing creates an unbalanced look out by beefing up the strong side of the offensive line with an additional blocker and then letting the senior-filled backfield of QB Tanner Sipe, RB Wyatt Palmer, and WB Wilson Taylor make plays utilizing misdirection and speed off-tackle.

Palmer leads the area in rushing yards with 959 on a staggering 9.2 yards per carry to go with 13 touchdowns.

Sipe and Taylor have also combined for another 911 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Strasburg’s T-formation provides a more traditional look with the quarterback under center and a balanced line, but the confusion starts after the snap with misdirection and perfectly executed ball-fakes by Braden Hough before he hands it off to any of the three talented backs behind him.

Senior Takhi Coates leads the team with 643 rushing yards and 10.9 yards per carry in his return to Strasburg after spending last year at a different school.

The backfield’s newest edition is sophomore Quincy Williams, and he brings explosive play potential averaging 14.1 yards per carry while leading the Rams with nine rushing touchdowns.

In last year’s matchup vs Clarke County, RB Lucas Martinez dominated with three rushing touchdowns while Hough added two more on the ground.

Clarke County’s senior linebacker and the area’s leading tackler (87) Carson Chinn had a front-row seat to that onslaught and will be flying from sideline-to-sideline Friday night looking to avoid a repeat performance.

Strasburg’s defense has retooled from last year with Nate Turner (62 tackles) and Jacob Britton (37 tackles, 3 sacks) now leading the charge.

While recent history has favored the Rams who have won the last two meetings, the all-time series remains about as tight as it can be with Clarke County leading 31-30-2.

While brainstorming my prediction for this game, I  initially leaned towards Clarke County due to some of the individual talent on the roster and the experience of Casey Childs against first year coach Tripp Lamb.

But as I looked more into these specific team’s and how they matchup, the Rams may have an edge when their offense is on the field.

Strasburg ran away with last year’s matchup after Clarke County struggled to figure out the T-formation and the Rams scored on each drive of the game until zeros hit the scoreboard.

While a few team’s in the region run variations of Clarke’s single-wing, Strasburg’s T-formation can be very difficult to gameplan against because it is difficult for the scout team to learn in just a week’s preparation.

Clarke County is also coming off two games in one week including a physical battle with Central.

Due to that, Strasburg may be able to wear down Clarke County if they can string together some long drives.

I predict Strasburg comes away with a tight win by going for 2 late in the 4th quarter in an instant classic, Rams 29- Eagles 28.

To hear my interview with Strasburg Head Coach Tripp Lamb, click here.

For a breakdown of all of the week’s high school football games, a look back at last week, and much more, listen to the latest Sports Dogs Podcast here.

The Duke’s Preview: Central vs Clarke County ft Coach Casey Childs

Clarke County (5-0) visits Central (1-4) for a Monday night edition of the High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and The River 95.3 app with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off.

Clarke County enters the contest flying high with an undefeated start through non-district play including some tight contests against perennial playoff contenders and a few blowouts in typical Eagles fashion, tough defense and a strong running game.

Wyatt Palmer has taken over the role as the lead back totaling 667 yards this season for 9 touchdowns while averaging 9.4 yards per carry and is coming off his best game yet.

Palmer dominated Catoctin with 213 yards on the ground and two bookend touchdowns to secure the 21-13 victory.

Eagles linebacker Carson Chinn regularly stacks up defensive stats as one of the areas leading tacklers (63 total) and added Homecoming King to his accolades off the field during last week’s win.

Chinn, Palmer, and the rest of the Eagles will need to bring their A game to Woodstock to knock off a Central team that will be playing with a chip on their shoulder the rest of the season.

After three of the Falcons opening wins were forfeited due to an ineligible player, Central earned their first official victory of season last week against a tough King William team, 19-10.

While losing your starting quarterback is never an ideal situation, Central is fortunate to fall back on Nick Barahona.

The senior started at quarterback for two seasons including the Falcons run to the VHSL Class 2 State Championship game his sophomore season.

Central has lost a lot of production over the past few years due to graduation including Tyler Forbes, Nathan Lopez, Luc Retrosi and more, but like the Eagles, boast a strong rushing attack and tough defense.

The Falcons defense has not allowed more than 10 points in a game this season and is spearheaded by leading tacklers Brady Hecker (47 total) and Chris Brown (39 total, 2 INTs) along with one of the areas leaders in sacks Matthew Folk (5 sacks, 23 total tackles).

While Central has dominated the series lately, winning 5 of the last 6, the two teams have split the last 16 contests dating back to 2005.

On top of the change at quarterback and a recent tragedy in Woodstock that forced the game to be moved to Monday, Clarke County may be able to focus more on what lies between the chalk lines.

That clarity under longtime head coach Casey Childs will be an advantage over a Central team facing a lot of adversity with a first year head coach in Rowdy Hoover and help the Eagles to a tight victory, 20-16.

To listen to my interview with Clarke County Head Coach Casey Childs, click here. 

The Duke’s Preview: Warren Co vs Clarke Co ft Coach Casey Childs

Tonight’s High School Game of the Week will see Warren County (0-2) host Clarke County (3-0) with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450,  theriver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

Warren County will need to do something they have struggled to do this year and that is start fast.

The Wildcats have found themselves trailing early and forced to dig out of a hole in both of their games so far.

Against James Wood, Warren County gave up an early touchdown after surrendering a blocked punt before ultimately falling 21-0.

The following week at Millbrook, the Wildcats gave up a 60 yard touchdown to Kyler Jackson on the opening play from scrimmage and did not get on the board offensively until the game was decided.

Warren County’s backfield of Gavin Dodson and Blaise Skube have shown the ability to break any run, but they will need the inexperienced offensive line to deliver at least a sliver of daylight for them.

Clarke County coasted to a win over Rock Ridge and then faced a few perennial playoff contenders in King William and Buffalo Gap.

Both opponents play physical brands of football and Clarke County rose to the occasion both evenings.

In the 28-20 victory over King William, the Eagles dominated the turnover battle after forcing four and not allowing one.

Last week against Buffalo Gap, Clarke County scored each possession with the exception of a turnover into the endzone and saw explosive plays from Wilson Taylor (11 carries, 230 yards) and Wyatt Palmer (9 carries 95 yards).

Last year against Warren County, Clarke County saw similar results after scoring on each possession of the first half to take a 34-0 lead.

Clarke County Head Coach Casey Childs takes every opponent seriously regardless of record and will look to attack Warren County as he does any opponent with a relentless run game and physical defense.

That recipe has caused nightmares for Warren County with the last two games going Clarke County’s way by identical scores of 40-7.

The Wildcats haven’t defeated the Eagles since 2011 and I do not think that trend changes tonight.

Clarke County could simply be too much for Warren County as the Wildcats continue to try to build the program into something that Clarke County has already established.

Eagles win big on the road, 40-13.

To listen to my interview with Clarke County’s Coach Childs, click here. 

To hear about all of the weekend’s games, look back at last week and the Player of the Week, and updated the Power 5 rankings, listen to the Sports Dogs Podcast here. 

The Dukes Preview: Coach Casey Childs

Clarke County Head Coach Casey Childs speaks with Ryan Rutherford ahead of the Eagle’s trip to Warren County for week 4 of the High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and The River App.

The Duke’s Preview: Clarke County vs Central featuring Coach Casey Childs

The battle of the unbeatens is finally here.

Central (5-0) will travel to Berryville for their 4th consecutive road game to take on Clarke County (5-0) for our Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and the Tune In Radio App.

The last few matchups in the series have been instant classics and this game looks to fit the same mold.

Last year, Clarke County took an early 14-0 lead, but Central made a comeback moving Tyler Forbes (121 yards and two touchdowns) from fullback to tailback to win 21-14.

Forbes would stay put as the lead back for the rest of the season, and Central advanced all the way to the state championship game using the same formula of a hard nosed rushing attack and stifling defense.

This year looks to be a lot more of the same as they are off to a hot start with some quality wins and players like Forbes and defensive end Nathan Lopez (52 tackles and 4 sacks) picking up where they left off last season.

Central’s passing game looks to have taken a step back with quarterback Nick Barahona completing just 9 passes and one touchdown through the air to his receiving corps which features mainly underclassmen.

The Falcons will meet a Clarke County team that has made huge strides this season after a difficult year in 2022 plagued by injuries.

Clarke County is led by an experienced offensive line (four seniors, one junior) and a variety of gifted backs including Will Booker, Wyatt Palmer, and Carson Rutherford, who may be available Friday night for the first time since the King William game on September 1st.

Booker has been featured heavily the past few games including a 25 carry, 145 yard, and two touchdown performance against Catoctin last week.

Defensively, the Eagles have been stout allowing just 8.2 points per game and 111.8 yards per game.

They have also been opportunistic in forcing turnovers.

Basketball standout Moses Day has adapted quickly to the gridiron and had two interceptions against Catoctin from his defensive back position.

This game will truly come down to execution and limiting turnovers, but I believe Clarke County’s edge in team speed, experienced skill players, and a rowdy Feltner Stadium crowd will give the Eagles the victory, 26-21.

Press play below to hear my full interview with Clarke County Head Coach Casey Childs.

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