Ryan recognizes athletes from around the Shenandoah Valley who committed to play football at the collegiate level during last week’s National Signing Day. The solo Sports Dog also discusses some of the area’s top uncommitted prospects from this year’s senior class. Then Skyline High School’s Isiah Maxwell and Heath Gilbert reflect on his accomplishments during Skyline’s NSD event.
Ryan chats with Skyline Head Coach Heath Gilbert ahead of the Hawks Region 3B VHSL playoff game against Brentsville.
Tonight’s Game of the Week features the River Rivalry matchup between Skyline (6-3) and Warren County (2-8) 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.
Skyline is soaring into the matchup with five straight wins, four of which were on the road.
The offense and defense are now firing on all cylinders after a slow start for Skyline.
The Hawks offense will take advantage of whatever the defense gives them with one of the most balanced attacks in the Valley.
Senior quarterback Nate Ballard has improved throughout the season and is the area’s leader in passing yards at 1,259 and passing touchdowns with 17.
If defenses drop back to key in on the pass, sophomore running back Zayden Burks will eat up yards on the ground and is one of just three area backs to go over 1,000 yards this season.
Burks and Ballard have been rolling lately with Burks coming off a career high 260 yard performance two weeks ago followed by a 191 yard outing on offense to go with two interceptions on defense against Brentsville.
Last week against the Tigers, Ballard racked up 216 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air.
Senior wide receiver Isiah Maxwell and junior tight end Marques Lockhart-Wright have proven to be reliable targets this season for Ballard combining for over 900 yards and 12 touchdowns (11 from Maxwell).
Defensively, the unit went on a 3 game stretch during the winning streak where they allowed a total of just 8 points and are coming off a 7 turnover showing against Brentsville.
The group will be tasked with slowing down Warren County’s talented backfield of Senior Gavin Dodson and Junior Blaise Skube.
The last time the Wildcats were our featured Game of the Week, Skube ran for over 100 yards against a stingy Handley defense.
Dodson put the Cats on his back last week during his Senior Night with three touchdowns including two in the 4th quarter to bring Warren County back and the game winning two point conversion.
The Wildcats defense is led by, yup, you guessed it, Gavin Dodson with 76 tackles and the sensational sophomore Frank Nelson with 68 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 interception.
In the secondary, freshman defensive back Kaiden Abell has stepped up after starting his season with the JV squad and has added 23 tackles and 2 interceptions in his short time on varsity.
Warren County has been forced to look for reinforcements after the already small roster dwindled down to just 16 players against Kettle Run.
Warren County’s small group has battled like the Spartans in 300 all season long, but Skyline may be the Persians emerging through the pass of Thermopylae.
Skyline’s explosive play potential with Burks, Maxwell, and Co. along with a fast and physical defense will be too much for the Cats to contain.
Skyline will hold on to the River Rivalry trophy for the second consecutive year and win their 6th straight against Warren County and tie the school record with 6 wins in a row to close out the regular season, 34-21.
To listen to my interview with coaches Josh Breeden and Heath Gilbert, click here.
For breakdowns of all the weekend’s games, a look back at last week, and much more, check out the latest Sports Dogs podcast here.
The Duke chats with Skyline and Warren County head coaches Heath Gilbert and Josh Breeden ahead of the River Rivalry game 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.
UPDATE: Friday’s broadcast has been cancelled. Skyline and Kettle Run will play on Saturday at noon. The rescheduled game will not be broadcasted.
Skyline (1-2) welcomes Kettle Run (3-0) to Front Royal for Homecoming in Friday night’s 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.
The Hawks are flying high after their first win of the season last week over Millbrook, 23-14.
Skyline jumped out to an early lead thanks to an 81 yard running back pass from Zayden Burks to Isiah Maxwell for a touchdown.
Those two playmakers and a solid defensive effort helped Skyline to a 23-0 advantage heading into the 4th quarter.
Burks finished with 188 yards rushing to go with his touchdown pass and Maxwell led the game in receiving with 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Millbrook’s fourth quarter rally was stalled thanks to a time consuming Skyline drive (see what I did there) that resulted in no points but took nearly 10 minutes off the clock.
Skyline’s offense was their best defense by keeping a Millbrook offense that entered the game averaging 39.7 ppg off the field and limited the Pioneers to just three first half drives.
That will need to be the recipe against Kettle Run who boasts a high-flying offense with a strong passing game and an All-State running back.
Kettle Run knocked off Skyline in the regular season and playoffs last year by a combined score of 103-13.
The first game saw the Hawks keep it close early on with a 7-0 score through the first quarter before Kettle Run’s offense got hot and never cooled off.
Skyline’s lone score in that game came via a botched snap to the punter recovered for a touchdown.
In the playoff matchup, the Cougars were without All-State running back Colton Quaker so Haydyn Bell stepped up and simply scored a school record 5 touchdowns on his own.
Quaker, Bell, and All Region QB Jacob Mulhern return for the Cougars who appear to have picked up where they left off last season, averaging 42 ppg and allowing just 16.3 ppg.
Skyline must jump on Kettle Run early and Coach Heath Gilbert and Co. will need to dig into their bag of tricks once again to get things started like they did against Millbrook.
Another potential equalizer could be tonight’s field conditions as the area has received substantial rain this week.
A chance of rain remains in the forecast for the duration of tonight’s game so maintaining possession of the football and a solid running game will be amplified.
Skyline will carry some momentum into tonight’s game coming after the win and with the fanfare of Homecoming week so I do anticipate a closer matchup than recent years.
Kettle Run’s depth and veteran talent will help them take home the victory on the road, 47-17.
To listen to my chat with Skyline Head Coach Heath Gilbert, click here.
To hear the latest Sports Dogs Podcast looking back at last week’s games and ahead to tonight’s action, click here.
Skyline Head Football Coach Heath Gilbert chats with Ryan Rutherford ahead of the Hawk’s Homecoming matchup against Kettle Run. Tune into the broadcast starting at 6:30 pm for pregame coverage followed by the kick-off at 7 pm on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com, and the River 95.3 App.
Skyline hosts James Wood in their home opener for 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 95.3 app with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for a 7 pm kick off.
This will be James Wood’s second trip into Front Royal this year after knocking off Warren County 21-0 in week 1 thanks to some great defense and special teams.
Last week, the Colonels defeated Brentsville in a 16-15 thriller.
The defense once again held strong when it mattered most and senior defensive lineman Jordyn Sweetser secured his second fumble recovery of the season but this one he took to the house.
Special teams shine once again with a clutch kick by Aidan Bell to take the lead and then a host of Colonels bursting through the line to block Brentsville’s potential game winning kick.
James Wood sophomore quarterback Owen Neal has the ability to keep his team in any game and has shown tremendous arm talent in just his second year of high school action.
Against the Tigers, he connected with junior wide receiver Xander Manzo for two deep balls including a 91 yard touchdown strike.
Skyline has the team speed to contain players like Manzo and rip off a few big plays themselves.
Six different Hawks recorded explosive plays of over 20 yards in the week one battle against Strasburg.
Skyline fell behind two scores before halftime after two back-breaking personal foul penalties cleared the way for the Rams.
The Hawks made some adjustments after the half and first year varsity contributor Day’shawn Haley took the edge and scored from 32 yards out on the opening possession, but Strasburg squashed the rally with back-to-back touchdown drives.
After an early bye week, Skyline has had plenty of time to study James Wood’s film and work on the miscues of week 1, but James Wood’s defense combined with the talented arm of Neal make them a dangerous opponent for any team.
Both offenses have explosive potential, but James Wood’s defense appears to have an edge based on their performance over the first two weeks.
Linebacker Vincent Salvati already has 22 tackles and a sack through his first two games while Sweetser leads the area in sacks with five.
That defensive core will help the Colonels to improve to 3-0 for just the second time since 2009, 31-26.
To listen to my interview with Skyline Head Coach Heath Gilbert, click here.
To hear the latest Sports Dogs Podcast previewing all of the Week 3 matchups and looking back at week 2, click here.Â
Skyline High School Head Football Coach Heath Gilbert joins Ryan Rutherford ahead of the week 3 matchup between his 0-1 Hawks and 2-0 James Wood Colonels. Join Ryan and Randy for the High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com, and The River App at 6:30 for pregame coverage before the 7 pm kick-off.
The annual Warren County (1-8) and Skyline (3-6) football game has even more on the line this year with the addition of The River Rivalry Trophy which will be presented to the winner on the field following the game.
The broadcast for the Game of the Week will begin at 6:40 pm with Randy Woodward and Ryan Rutherford on The River 95.3, 1450 WFTR, streaming at theriver953.com and the Tune In Radio App.
This rivalry has fired up both teams.
Warren County has nothing to lose as they sit outside the playoff picture.
Coach Josh Breeden emphasized to his team in practice this week the importance of this rivalry and trying to get the senior class their first win over Skyline.
The Wildcats hope to have P.J. Dellinger back at quarterback as he returns from injury, but the offense will rely on the backfield of Gavin Dodson and Blaise Skube.
Skube has looked strong lately with a 37-yard touchdown last week and a kickoff return for a touchdown the week prior, despite being bogged down by an injury earlier in the season.
Dodson has been steady for the Wildcats with his best game coming against one of the toughest defenses they have faced at Sherando.
Dodson finished that outing with 15 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Last week, Warren County went to a “Wildcat” formation with both Dodson and Skube in the backfield and used a zone blocking scheme for their most successful drive against Meridian.
Last year, the Hawks contained the Warren County rushing game, holding the backfield to 72 yards on 28 carries.
This year, Skyline will rely on a defense that swarms to the ball carrier led by linebackers Marques Lockhart-Wright (73 tackles) and Andre Ford (71 tackles).
Offensively, the Hawks know their identity lies with the running game led by Aidan Vaught.
Vaught recently had one of the best games in state history against Meridian where he reached 452 rushing yards on 17.4 yards per carry with five touchdown.
In general, it has been a slower season for Vaught who certainly looks to end his regular season career at Skyline with a bang.
Vaught is back at his running back position this year, but last year as quarterback, he led the team with 112 rushing yards, 129 passing yards, and two rushing touchdowns against the Wildcats.
Skyline is currently in the playoffs, but Warren County would love to play spoiler of their cross-town rivals and put the first plaque on The River Rivalry Trophy.
Both teams will pull out all the stops and we may see a few exciting trick plays along the way.
Skyline has focused on accomplishing three goals this regular season:
They accomplished the first two and now look to check one more box before the playoffs.
Skyline will have more on the line tonight fighting for their playoff birth and a more experienced roster.
I predict that combination will help the Hawks secure the victory at Warren County and earn The River Rivalry Trophy in a thrilling 28-22 win.
Press play below for my interview with Skyline Head Coach Heath Gilbert and Warren County Head Coach Josh Breeden.
Last week, the Fauquier Falcons (1-3) travelled to Front Royal and Warren County stole their first win of the season on an insane finish.
This week our High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and the Tune In Radio App, will see the Falcons return to town to face the Skyline Hawks (0-4) as they continue to search for their first win.
Fauquier regularly plays Warren County, but this is the first time they have played Skyline since 2014.
Skyline has struggled out of the gates for a variety of reasons, some of which are self imposed.
The Hawks have suffered from penalties week after week including over 100 penalty yards against Millbrook and James Wood, while late penalties cost them a chance at the win Week 1 against Strasburg.
The ground game has also struggled as Aidan Vaught has been unable to find space behind the Hawks offensive line.
One of the leading rushers in the area the last few years has been to under 100 yards per game this season, a milestone that seemed a given every week last year.
Fauquier has struggled this season as well but when they saw success in their win vs Culpepper County, it came with an effective rushing attack.
Their F-1 backfield led by Aaron Lewis and Mason Hamilton, ran for 348 yards and six touchdowns.
Many of those carries came behind the blocking of their 6’5″ 275 left tackle Dillon Epperson, a future D-I athlete committed to the University of New Hampshire.
Skyline is going to come out hungry for that first win in front of their home crowd.
The Hawks have prepared to contain Fauquier’s run-heavy gameplan, featuring almost 50% buck sweeps.
I predict Skyline taking home their first win of the season behind 150 yards and 2 touchdowns from Aidan Vaught, 35-20.
Press play below for my interview with Skyline’s Head Coach Heath Gilbert.
For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.
