Shenandoah Valley athletes shine on the gridiron

The Shenandoah Valley’s athletes are shining on the gridiron and getting ready for some huge postseason matchups.

Strasburg High School is heading back to the state championship, James Madison University received their first college football playoff birth, and a Handley alum is helping to lead the defense for the #1 seeded Indiana Hoosiers.

Strasburg clinched a State Championship berth after a dominating 31-10 win on the road over Poquoson Saturday afternoon.

The Rams, led by Coach Tripp Lamb, will now face Glenvar in the State Title game Saturday at 11:30 am with coverage on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450.

James Madison was announced as the 12 seed during Sunday’s selection show and will travel to Oregon to face the Ducks on December 20th at 7:30 pm.

The Dukes roster includes Millbrook graduate and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Cole Purdy.

John Handley High School Alumni Stephen Daley has helped lead the Indiana defense all year long and the Hoosiers secured the #1 seed after defeating Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten Championship game.

Daley secured two tackles including a sack against the Buckeyes.

Indiana received a bye in the opening round of the CFP.

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

The Duke’s Preview: Warren County vs Millbrook featuring Coach Breeden interview

This edition of the Friday Night Lights High School Football Game of the Week features Millbrook (1-0) travelling to Warren County (0-1).

The two teams have not played since 2013 and have split the all time series 3-3.

Millbrook’s season debut saw an incredible rushing attack pile up nearly 400 yards without attempting a pass against Harrisonburg.

Junior running back Kyler Jackson made his varsity debut with 5 carries for 182 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Millbrook ran away with a 40-0 victory after pulling the starters in the second half.

The Pioneers will have a tougher test this week against a Warren County team coming off a strong season last year.

Warren County struggled finishing drives but in my discussion with Head Coach Josh Breeden, he did not seem too concerned about it.

He felt they just had a few things to clear up, and he is confident his squad will have better execution on Friday.

New QB PJ Dellinger and RB Gavin Dodson were the main contributors on offense while Dodson scored the lone TD for Warren County on a pick six.

Warren County’s defense responded well after an opening drive touchdown and did not allow a score in the second half

The defense will face a familiar formation when they see Millbrook’s single wing offense.

The Wildcats ran the same formation the past few seasons under Coach Jerry Sarchet.

When Warren County is on offense, keep an eye on the battle between the Wildcat’s offensive line led by four seniors against the Millbrook defensive line which features All-District selections Cole Purdy (6’3″ 250) and Ezra Doyle-Naegeli (6’0″ 245).

This game will truly be decided in the trenches as the skill positions look very even.

I predict Millbrook will win the battle up front as they dominated the line of scrimmage last week and come away with the victory, 27-14.

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

My interview with Warren County Head Coach Josh Breeden is available below.

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