Sports Dogs Podcast: High School Football Week 1 recap, Week 2 preview

In this episode, The Sports Dogs are barking a day early due to the shortened week for many schools.

Check out the episode HERE featuring:

  • Week 1 recaps including:
    • Strasburg vs Skyline in the first Game of the Week
    • Big wins by Sherando, James Wood, and Handley
    • A heartbreaker for the Pioneers
  • Week 2 previews of:
    • Game of the Week-Millbrook vs Heritage
    • Rematches of Broadway vs Strasburg and Loudoun County vs Sherando
    • Handley’s new game change and more..
  • The first Player of the Week nominees including Millbrook’s Carter Kinley and James Wood’s Jackson Ledford
  • an updated Power Five rankings
  • and more…

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

The Duke’s Championship Preview: Handley vs Hampton

3/14/26 Richmond, VA- The Handley Judges will look for the program’s first Class 4 VHSL Boys Basketball State Championship against the Hampton Crabbers today with coverage starting at 12:40 pm for the 1 pm tip-off on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app brough to you by the Hike Kidz Foundation c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill.

Last season, Varina eliminated Handley in the State Semifinal and then defeated Hampton in the State Championship game, but this season, Handley took out Varina in the semis and will look to leave the Crabbers as runner-ups once again.

In this year’s semifinal, Handley traveled to Varina and knocked off the Blue Devils in an electric second half comeback.

Trailing 30-23 in the 3rd quarter, Christian Dinges turned the tide for Handley with a dunk and three to tie the game.

The game stayed tight into the 4th quarter when Will Braun-Duin pulled up for a three from Braddock Street to take the lead for the final time.

Now this generation of Judges will look to do something no basketball team in Handley history has ever done, finish as state champions.

Coach Zach Harrell-Zook became the youngest coach in VHSL history to reach a title game in 2021 when the Judges fell to Smithfield.

Saturday, he will try to finish the job with a team focused on “‘we,’ not ‘me.”

Standing in Handley’s way are the Crabbers from the 757.

The 757 plays a tough brand of basketball that Handley has tried to prepare itself for all season long by playing the toughest competition they could find including the Arby’s Classic and playing powerhouse programs like Oak Hill to ensure the lights will not be too bright at the Seigel Center.

Hampton fell to perennial state champion Denbigh in the season opener before rattling off 26 consecutive wins on their way to back-to-back State Finals.

The Crabbers are led by Region Player of the Year Joshua Rice with 16.1 ppg and shoots 40% from deep.

The senior 6’2″ guard is coming off a 19 point performance in their Semifinal win over Heritage, 50-46.

Rice is supported by powerful forwards 6’4″ Abraham Taft, who had 12 points and 14 rebounds in the semi, and 6’8″ Gavin Kay (9.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg).

Both teams feature senior-heavy rosters built to contend for a state championship this year, but one will go home empty-handed.

I look for the Crabbers to underestimate a team from the Valley out of the gates but to tighten up the score by halftime.

Will Braun-Duin and Asher Mattison’s shooting ability combined with Kyren Oglesby coming off a three 3-pointer night and Dinges ability to score at all three levels will make the Judges hard to guard down the stretch.

Handley wins on a last second basket three for the win by Braun-Duin for the first title in program history, Judges 61- Crabbers 59.

For color commentator Josh Kirby’s interviews with both coaches, click HERE.

For The Sports Dogs State Championship weekend preview and Commanders Free Agency, click HERE.

The Duke’s Hoops Preview: Skyline vs Handley

2/6/26, Winchester, VA- Handley (14-5) hosts Skyline (14-4) for a Northwestern District grudge match in tonight’s Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week c/o of Brickhouse Bar and Grill with coverage starting at 7:15 pm for the estimated 7:30 pm tip-off on Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

Skyline held on for a 67-64 victory at home less than a month ago after jumping out to 22-10 1st quarter lead thanks to six JHHS turnovers.

The Hawks lead reached 20 in the second quarter before Handley started to chip away and bring the lead to 11 at halftime then 9 entering the 4th quarter.

Handley eventually brought the deficit to just 2 points with 1:12 left, but some clutch free throw shooting by Cameron Kerns following a Zayden Burks offensive rebound helped secure the win.

Burks and Kerns led the way all night with 19 points and 17 points and it was only fitting they shut the door on the comeback bid.

Skyline has carried the momentum from that win into victories in five of their last six and seem to be playing their best basketball as the playoffs approach.

Handley has made some changes since the first matchup and seem to be adjusting well to life without the injured superstar Will Braun-Duin.

Christian Dinges has emerged as a top player in the District…Region State and Asher Mattison appears to be the heir to Braun-Duin’s three-point throne.

Earlier this week, Dinges put on a clinic against James Wood with 36 points (20 in the 1st quarter), 10 rebounds, and some highlight reel dunks to lead the way for a 77-32 road win.

Mattison followed with a 37 point and 10 three pointer performance against Veritas Collegiate Academy on Wednesday.

The freshman sharpshooter was just one made three away from tying Braun-Duin’s single game record while taking only 12 shots from long range.

Mattison has only made four varsity starts entering Friday night, but Handley is 4-0 in those games with an average margin of victory of 49.5 ppg.

The 6’4″ athlete has shown he is ready for the varsity level and could provide the spacing that Handley needs to make a deep playoff run which many thought was impossible following the second Braun-Duin injury.

While Skyline jumped on Handley early in the first matchup, I look for the Judges to turn the tides and come out hot with the home crowd behind them and a chip on their shoulder following the first loss to the Hawks.

The addition of Mattison and the rest of Coach Harrell-Zook’s lineup feeling more comfortable in their roles post-Braun Duin will be enough to make up the difference from Game 1, Judges 75 – Hawks 68.

For more local sports coverage along with a Super Bowl preview, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast. 

The Duke’s Hoops Preview: Handley vs Sherando doubleheader

12/19/25, Winchester, VA- John Handley High School hosts Sherando High School in a Northwestern District doubleheader for tonight’s Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week courtesy of Brickhouse Bar and Grill on Fox Sports Radio 1450 WFTR, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app with the girls tipping-off at 6 pm followed by the boys around 7:30 pm and a Tana Hoffman Pregame Show beginning roughly 15 minutes before each.

In the first matchup, both teams will continue to look for their identities in this young season with Sherando adjusting to a new head coach and Handley finding their footing after the return of their superstar.

Regina Downing made the move from Clarke County to Sherando this offseason after a State playoff appearance.

The Eagles have continued to soar since her departure and are undefeated while the Warriors are still searching for their first win.

Downing is inheriting a Sherando team that went just 12-11 last season but does have some exciting talent in Junior Avery Ryan and Sophomore Kinsley Richardson.

The duo combined for 20 of Sherando’s 22 points in the first half against Kettle Run on Tuesday and can fill-up the stat sheet with steals and rebounds as well.

While the Warriors enter at 0-6, they have closed the gap in recent outings losing the last three games by less than 10 points and will continue to gain confidence in Downing’s style which prioritizes strong man-to-man defense.

Handley has also struggled out of the gates and enters Friday night at 1-6, but the Judges have faced stiff competition mostly without the help of Reagan Edsell.

Handley’s six losses came against teams with a combined 26-5 record this season and the reigning Regional Player of the Year and James Madison commit was sidelined for the majority of those games.

She did return in the 55-50 loss to Loudoun Valley.

Handley also returns a solid roster around Edsell including All District Honorable Mention selection Cameron Hobson and Senior Center Amaya Smith, but the group will need their full lineup to take on top teams come playoff time.

When the boys take the floor following Game 1 of tonight’s doubleheader, Handley will also have the advantage in star power with Will Braun-Duin.

The First Team All-State selection as a Sophomore returns to the lineup after leading the area in scoring (26.4 points per game), steals (2.3 per game), and free throws (87.4 %).

Like Edsell, Braun-Duin will play at the Division-I level and has quite a few options fighting for his commitment including Old Dominion, Mount Saint Mary’s and more.

Coach Zach Harrell-Zook brings back essentially the entire roster around Braun-Duin from last year’s State Title contending squad including the areas returning leaders in rebounds (6.5) and blocks (1.1) Christian Dinges and assists(3.7) Kyren Oglesby.

Sherando also returns some solid talent, but it is more likely that the Warriors will be fighting for second place in the District with the expected dominance of Handley.

The Warriors pair of 6’4″ forwards Jackson Ogle and Sean Benton will need to dominate the paint and win the rebounding battle to give Sherando a chance.

In Sherando’s first win of the season over James Wood, the duo helped lead a 32-16 advantage on the glass and more than doubled the opposition in offensive rebounds.

Coach Garland William’s group could also benefit from a “look ahead” spot with Handley getting ready to hit the road for some holiday season tournaments which includes the Arby’s Classic and a date with national powerhouse Oak Hill.

I do not think that will happen as Coach Harrell-Zook has never been questioned about his intensity and he will have his team focused on knocking down a cross-town rival tonight, Handley wins big 84-54.

For the girls, I look for Reagen Edsell to take the floor and have her coming-out party this season with a double-double to lead the way and keep the Warriors searching for their first win, Judges 52-Warriors 38.

For more coverage of tonight’s matchup, click the links below for color commentator Josh Kirby’s conversations with:

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: Handley @ Skyline

Skyline hosts Handley tonight in the 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 the Tana Hoffman Pregame Show starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off.

The Hawks are still looking for their first win after a brutal schedule to start the season including two reigning State Runner-Ups while Handley seems to have picked up right where they left off last year, even with some new faces at key positions.

Skyline competed well in their opening matchups and showed signs of why the team had such high expectations entering the season.

The Hawks had an opportunity to go up two scores early against Strasburg before self inflicted wounds began to pile up and the Rams defense made a few adjustments at halftime to shutdown standout RB Zayden Burks for the final two quarters.

Skyline moved the ball well early against Kettle Run, the best public school in Class 3 last year, and kept the game 28 points closer than the previous go-round.

But the Hawks did not enter this season looking for quality losses, they have aspirations of a play-off run and everything they wanted in the offseason is still in front of them.

Last year the Hawks dropped 3 of the first 4 before rallying to 7 straight wins including the first round of the playoffs so a midseason surge could be in the cards once again as some very winnable games are on the horizon.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Handley’s first three opponents have a combined 1-7 record and the Judges have blown them out by a score of 111-37.

With that momentum, the Judges will enter Front Royal with tremendous confidence and a talented, deep roster featuring some of the top skill players in the Valley.

Will Yoder leads the area in receiving (215 yds, 2 TDS) and is coming into his own defensively at safety.

Last week, Yoder secured 83 receiving yards and receiving touchdown to go with an 84 yard pick-six in front of the home fans.

Jamir Washington has emerged as the go-to back for the Judges after playing primarily as a wide receiver last season.

Some of the new additions to step up include multi-sport standout Isaiah Baxter and new QB Duncan Hensler.

Baxter has two interceptions and is coming into his own as a tight end.

His block in the 2nd quarter vs Brentsville sealed the edge and allowed Hensler to scamper to the endzone untouched.

Not quite the deep ball or running threat of D-I prospect Triston Darling (out with injury), but the junior stayed ready for his number to be called and is leading Northwestern District Quarterbacks in passing yards (466) and passing touchdowns (7).

Hensler will look to add to those numbers against a defense that has allowed 41 and 36 points in their first two outings so it may be up to the Hawks offense to keep them in the ball game.

Skyline will need long, scoring possessions to hang with the Judges efficient and up-tempo offense.

The biggest advantage for this game appears to be Handley’s defense led by Jo-Jo Johnson (D-I offer to Campbell).

Johnson will do his best to shut down Burks while Baxter and Yoder patrol the backend and 300+ pounders Carson Green and Jaiquan Offut plug up the middle.

Handley’s playmakers at each level defensively should allow them the to snag a few more stops than Skyline and come out ahead in a shootout, Judges win 42-34.

For a preview of all of the area’s Week 4 games, a look back at Week 3, and more, check out the latest Sports Dogs podcast here. 

The Duke’s Preview: Handley vs Varina

The Handley Judges host the Varina Blue Devils in the Class 4 VHSL State Semifinals in tonight’s Van Metre Homes 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 6:45 pm for the 7 pm tip-off.

Handley will look to continue their historic season against one of Class 4’s powerhouse programs in front of what is sure to be another sell-out home crowd.

The Judges started the season 21-0 before falling in overtime to West Virginia state title contender Spring Mills to conclude the regular season.

Handley used that loss as a learning experience and rebounded to win the last four playoff games including a comeback victory against E.C. Glass in the Regional Championship game.

While Zach Harrell-Zook’s squad coasted through most of the regular season with wins often coming by double-digits, finishing that game on a 9-0 run with clutch free-throws from Will Braun-Duin shows this team can win in whatever fashion it takes.

Braun-Duin led the Judges during his sophomore season with 26.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, shooting an astounding 45.3% from three, and already surpassing 1,000 points in his career.

He was joined by the team’s second leading scorer, 6’5″ forward Christian Dinges, and all-around talent, 6’4″ forward Kyren Oglesby, as recent 1st Team All-Region selections.

Junior guard Jaevon Brisco has been on fire from long range in the playoffs and has multiple five three-pointer games in the run including in the Tuesday night win over Heritage.

Three point shooting appears to be an advantage for Handley, but Varina will have some advantages of their own including pure athleticism and familiarity with deep playoff runs in all sports.

Varina recently moved down from Class 5 and has dominated including back-to-back State Championships in basketball before falling to the eventual champions last season.

The Varina football team also went to the State Championship game just a few months ago with many of those top athletes trading their cleats for basketball shoes.

Kaleb Wyche led the Blue Devils football team at quarterback before going down with an injury in the State Championship game and after returning to the basketball team late from that injury, he assumed the role of quarterbacking this offense as well.

Wyche is the younger brother of Kennard Wyche, former All-State selection and currently a member of Virginia Union’s basketball team, and every possession goes through him.

He is dangerous off the dribble with explosive speed and when the defense collapses on him, he always finds the open man.

Usually benefitting from the attention drawn by Wyche are 6’4″ sophomore wing Brian Mitchell and 6’6″ junior forward Caleb Straughter.

Both have shown the ability to score in bunches with Mitchell dropping 41 earlier this year and Straughter leading the Blue Devils last game with 17.

Straughter is not a “back-to-the-basket” big man, and he will stretch the Judges’ defense with his shooting ability.

Both Handley and Varina have kept an eye on each other all season long and will finally meet in Winchester on Friday night with a trip to the Seigel Center on the line.

This game will come down to the final seconds and Handley will celebrate one last time on their home floor before heading to VCU to complete the magical run next week, Judges win with Braun-Duin icing the game from the line 58-54.

To listen to the latest Sports Dogs Podcast including all of the local state title contenders, the latest Commanders updates, and more, click here.

The Duke’s Preview: Millbrook vs Handley ft Coach Smith

The Handley Judges (8-1) head down Route 7 to take on the Millbrook Pioneers (3-5) in the High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, and streaming on The River 95.3 app and theriver953.com with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off.

While Handley has a lot ahead of them including a looming showdown against Sherando with playoff seeding and the Apple Cup on the line, they can’t over look Millbrook.

When two Frederick County/Winchester teams matchup, the familiarity and hometown rivalry can overcome any perceived imbalance based on wins and losses.

Millbrook plays tough and physical football, but has been plagued by injuries this season and were missing 16 student-athletes against Sherando last week.

Most notably, the losses have came in the backfield with leading rushers Kyler Jackson and Cameron Clark missing multiple games this season.

Clark returned last week against the Warriors but was unable to finish the game.

The running game will be crucial to maintain possession of the ball and keep Handley’s high-powered offense off the field.

The Judges average 49.6 points per game without even playing the starters for the majority of second halves this season.

The backfield combination of senior running back Hassan Akanbi and freshman quarterback Triston Darling have taken the Valley by storm this season.

Akanbi averages 13 yards per carry and joined Skyline’s Zayden Burks as the lone running backs in the 1,000 yard club this season.

Darling and Akanbi both have reached the endzone 17 times a piece on the ground with Darling adding another 9 passing touchdowns to his total.

Handley’s explosive offense has allowed them to build leads quickly like the 49-0 advantage at halftime against Liberty last week.

If the Judges jump ahead of Millbrook early, the heavy rushing style of the Pioneers has had a difficult time overcoming leads.

Coach Jake Smith will have his team ready to avoid the “look ahead” game and set up a winner take all matchup with the Warriors next week, Judges 49-16.

To listen to my interview with Handley’s Coach Jake Smith, click here.

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