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.

Sports Dogs Podcast: Road to Week 1-Frederick County and Winchester football

In Part 2 of our High School Football “Road To Week 1” series, The Dogs feature previews of the Winchester & Frederick County teams.

Ryan and guest Sports Dog Josh Kirby interview coaches:

  • Jake Smith- Handley
  • TJ Rohrbaugh- Sherando
  • Todd Wilson- James Wood
  • Nick Manuel- Millbrook

To look back to Part 1 of “The Road to Week 1” highlighting Skyline and Warren County, click HERE.

For more of Josh Kirby’s interviews and video coverage from high school training camps, click HERE.

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Handley Alum turned Hoosier wins CFP National Championship

John Handley High School Alumni Stephen Daley and the Indiana Hoosiers won the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday night, 27-21 over Miami.

Daley began his college football career at Kent State before transferring to Indiana for his senior year.

Last season, his Kent State team went 0-12 while this year’s Hoosiers went 16-0.

He led one of the top defenses in the country and ranked 3rd in all of college football in tackles for loss with 19.

The 6’1” 273 pound defensive end also had 5.5 sacks, 35 tackles and 2 forced fumbles on the year along with a sack and three tackles against Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.

Daley suffered a season ending knee injury while celebrating the Big 10 Championship game and was unavailable for the playoffs.

According to his Instagram, he did travel to Miami and was able to celebrate the National Championship win with his team.

Before the injury, Daley entered the radar of NFL scouts and could hear his name called on Day 3 of the Draft in April.

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

The Duke’s Preview: James Wood vs Handley

The longest running rivalry in Frederick County-Winchester renews tonight with James Wood hosting Handley in the Dave’s Diversified Services Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sport Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com and The River 95.3 app with coverage starting at 6:30 for the 7 pm kick-off.

Both teams enter the matchup with some of their best squads in years and the game looks to be one of the most competitive in the series after a string of Handley wins including last year’s 57-16 win, the most lopsided in 63 total contests.

This year’s iteration looks to be a return to some of the more exciting versions of the rivalry like the infamous “Lights Out” game and more recently, the last James Wood win in 2018 which featured a 14 point comeback and overtime.

Handley enters Kelican Stadium with a 7-1 record and the lone loss coming to reigning Class 3 Runner-Ups Kettle Run.

The Judges boast one of the area’s top defenses and held Sherando’s powerful rushing attack which averaged over 225 rushing yards per game to just 30 in the 14-7 win.

Handley’s defense is led by the linebacker duo of Jo-Jo Johnson (58 tackles, 2.5 sacks)  and Trent Gomez (47 tackles, 2 sacks) who benefit from a talented defensive line anchored by DT Carson Green (5’9″ 305 lbs).

Offensively, Handley has shown a balanced attack with Duncan Hensler under center.

Hensler does best when simply getting the ball to his playmakers like Will Yoder (31 receptions, 462 yards, 6 TDs) and has stepped in nicely for injured Triston Darling.

Darling was in uniform and on the sideline against the Warriors last week, and if he can return to the lineup at any point this season, the Judges offensively ceiling would be hard to top in the Region.

Jamir Washington has continued to improve as the lead back and is coming off his best game of the season with 193 hard earned yards, bringing his season total to 827 with 7.9 ypc and 5 TDs.

James Wood’s leading rusher is also their quarterback, the area’s passing leader in yards (1,766) and touchdowns (19), Owen Neal.

Neal is the heart and soul of this Colonels team and would love nothing more than to keep their rivals from celebrating with the Barr-Lindon Apple Cup on their home field.

The JR QB and his squad have had to simmer on the one point loss to Liberty for two weeks while preparing for the Judges.

Prior to the loss, the Colonels had won 6 of 7 and appeared on pace for one of the best season’s in recent history before the surprising loss to then .500 Liberty.

James Wood will look to get back on track at home in this pivotal game for the Apple Cup (Handley’s with a win, Sherando’s with a James Wood win) and playoff standings in Region 4D.

Handley is currently 3rd and would host a home game while the Colonels are 5th and just 3 power points away from being on the outside looking-in.

Neal will look to his stellar receiving corps to go toe-to-toe with the Handley defense.

James Wood’s receivers include the area’s receiving touchdowns leader in Xavier Price (11) and yardage leader in Aidric Yurish (648).

Kaden McCullough is also dynamic with the ball in his hands and is the kick return leader averaging 36.1 yards per return.

The Colonels defense will need to step-up and get pressure on Hensler as they give up 264 passing yards per game and the Judges QB only trails Owen Neal in passing touchdowns with 17.

While the Colonels DBs have given up some big plays, they can make them as well with Xander Manzo and Xavier Price snagging 3 INTs each.

Both offenses appear to be relatively even in this matchup, but the advantage in this game goes to the Handley defense which has not allowed more than one offensive touchdown for five consecutive games.

James Wood averages 41.5 points per game and has not been held under 20 all season so they should score more than once, but I don’t think it will be enough to beat a Handley team that has shown they can win in a variety of ways.

I look for Handley to prioritize ball control again this week and the Judges to pull away late, 34-18.

For a preview of the rest of the Week 10 matchups, a look back to Week 9 and more, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast here.

The Duke’s Preview: Warren Co vs Handley ft Coach Breeden

It’s Homecoming Week in Warren County where the Wildcats (1-5) host the Handley Judges (5-1) in the High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, and streaming at theriver953.com and the River app with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off.

Handley brings one of the most potent rushing attacks (303 yards per game) in the Valley to Front Royal on Friday night led by the due of running back Hassan Akanbi and quarterback Triston Darling.

Akanbi has been dynamic in the Judges backfield for some time now while Darling has taken the region by storm during his freshman season.

Both ballcarriers average over 13 yards per carry and have combined for 24 rushing touchdowns and nearly 1500 yards.

If defenses lock-in on the run, Darling can win through the air.

He is coming off his best passing game of his young career and was named the Sports Dogs Player of the Week after finishing 9/13 with 182 yds and 3 touchdowns through the air to go with his 116 yards and touchdown on the ground.

Warren County’s defense has been the strength of the team this season and has shown the ability to slow down some of the area’s top offenses.

Frank Nelson, a transfer from Texas, has shined at the linebacker position this season and looks more comfortable each game leading the defense as just a sophomore.

The Wildcat’s offense has struggled stringing together first downs which leaves the defense on the field longer than Coach Josh Breeden and Co. would like.

Breeden and his staff will look to open up the playbook a bit more this week to try to create some more ways to get his playmakers like Gavin Dodson, Michael Hooper, and Blaise Skube in space.

In the last three games, Skube has shown his big play potential with two touchdowns over 40 yards.

As many games due, this one will come down to the play in the trenches where Handley has a massive advantage in size and experience.

Handley’s offensive line is led by the Offutt brothers along the left side including senior Jaishaun (6’4″ 315 lbs) and junior Jaiquan (6’3″ 305 lbs).

Jaishaun committed to Division-I Wake Forest University before the season started and has accumulated nearly 20 D-I offers.

The combination of talented ballcarriers and an offensive line that could pass for a college team will be too much for the Wildcats and dampen the Homecoming celebration, Judges 56 – Wildcats 6.

To listen to my interview with Warren County Head Coach Josh Breeden, click here.

For the latest Sports Dogs podcast covering all of this week’s games and more, click here. 

JHHS dedicates football field to former coaches

malloy toyota donation

John Handley High School announced that the football field at Handley High School’s Jimmy Wilkins Jr. Stadium will now be called Lindon-Rice Field in honor of Ron Lindon and Ron Rice.

Lindon is the only coach in the northern Shenandoah Valley to win multiple State Championships (1984 and 1994).

He led the Judges to a record of 142-67-1 during his 19 years.

Lindon also served as Handley’s athletic director following the retirement of Jimmy Omps in 1995.

Rice coached two undefeated football teams in 1967 and 1970 as well as the first fully integrated football team in the area.

Handley football boasted a 43-5-2 record under Rice’s leadership and his 86% winning percentage is the highest of any coach in Handley history.

Both men’s lives were tragically cut short with Lindon passing from a battle with cancer at 59 and Rice of a heart attack at 35.

Players coached by Lindon and Rice gathered at the stadium to remember the combined efforts of the coaches in a dedication ceremony during halftime of Handley’s win over Musselman.

In honor of their impact, the Lindon-Rice Fund was established to support the Handley football team’s extra-budget requests.

A link to donate to the fund is available here and include “for the Lindon-Rice Fund.”

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

The Duke’s Preview: James Wood vs Handley featuring Coach Todd Wilson

Tonight’s High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and the TuneIn Radio App features the 61st matchup between James Wood (2-2) and Handley (1-3).

This is one of the most anticipated games in the area every year thanks to one of the oldest rivalries.

This year’s installation will feature two head coaches looking to make their first mark in the rivalry.

Handley’s head coach Dan Jones is in his first year with the program after coaching at Sherando last season.

Todd Wilson has served on the Colonel’s coaching staff as the offensive line coach for the last 4 years before taking over the head job.

Coach Jones will bring with him a Handley offense that has explosive potential from numerous spots on the field.

Running Back Manno Lusca enters the game as one of the area’s leading rushers with 380 yards, 9.2 yards per carry, and six touchdowns, but he is just one of many players who could go the distance at any time.

Hassan Akanbi possesses track athlete speed and has already taken one catch 99 yards to the house this season.

Breylon Miller looks the part of a future Division I athlete at 6’6″ 218 lbs. and has stats to back it up.

Miller is second in receiving yards in the area with 264 yards off 12 receptions with two touchdowns.

James Wood’s defense looks to be up to the task, already having faced some of the best offenses in the area.

The Colonel’s limited the an explosive Brentsville offense to just one second half touchdown and forced two turnovers in that half.

They also contained last year’s state runner-ups, Kettle Run, on the first three drives forcing two turnovers and a turnover on downs.

Two leaders on that opportunistic defense include defensive back Justin Gwinner, the area’s leader in interceptions with 4, and linebacker Zack Smith, the area’s leading tackler with 46.

They will need to keep the explosive Handley offense in front of them and force a few turnovers to come away with the victory.

Handley must focus on efficiency inside the red zone and execution on special teams.

Last week the Judges were stuffed on numerous opportunities in the red zone.

I look forward to another  great installation of this rivalry which gave us a classic game as recently as last season when Handley came back from trailing 16-0 early and a 10 point deficit with 3:47 remaining to come away with a 37-30 win in overtime to clinch a playoff birth.

This will be another close game but Handley’s playmakers should help the Judges prevail on the road, 27-20.

Press play below for my interview with James Wood Head Coach Todd Wilson.

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