The Duke’s Playoff Preview: Strasburg vs Poquoson

12/5/25, Poquoson, VA- Strasburg heads back to the Tidewater to take on Poquoson for the VHSL State Semifinal Saturday at 2 pm with coverage of the Dave’s Diversified Services Game of the Week starting at 1:15 pm for an extended edition of the Tana Hoffman Pregame Show on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.

This game is a rematch of last year’s State Semifinal which saw Strasburg hold on for a 14-13 win.

The Rams took a 14-7 lead into halftime after Takhi Coates’ 2nd first half touchdown and interception.

Then held off a late Poquoson surge thanks to a Brady Knight tipped pass into the arms of Hunter Williams.

While both teams have a few personnel changes like the graduation of Takhi Coates for Strasburg and Quarterback Eli Tyndall for Poquoson, the nucleus and identity of these teams remains unchanged.

Both the Region 2A and 2B champions build their teams along the trenches and pride themselves on dominating the line of scrimmage.

Strasburg returns every starter from last year’s State Runner-Up offensive line.

Three of the five earned All Region Selections earlier this week (1st Team: Jacob Britton and Gage Gutierrez, 2nd Team: Jacob Stickley).

Along the defensive front, the Rams boast the Region 2B Defensive Player of the Year and game-wrecker Hutson Conrad.

Gutierrez and Britton joined Conrad to make up 75% of the 1st Team All Region selections for the position.

Poquoson echoes those accolades and may have a checkmate with OL/DL 4-star prospect Carter Jones.

Jones (6’6″ 285 lbs) is considered one of the top OL in Virginia and has offers from powerhouse programs like Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and 32 others.

He most recently took an in-person visit to Texas and left with an offer.

Joining Jones along the jumbo o-line are center Preston Bundy (6’3″ 290 lbs) and RT Gavin Coffman (6’3″ 285 lbs) and two smaller guards in Brayden Agnese and Grayson Powell.

The guards smaller size is by design as their speed makes a huge impact on pulling plays which are prevalent in the Flexbone offense.

What Agnese lacks in D-1 size, he makes up for with his play and outshined Jones for Regional Defensive Player tallying 18 tackles for loss and 4 sacks in regular season play.

Austin Conley is also a force for the Bull Islander defense and earned 1st Team All Region All-Purpose and Linebacker.

Like Strasburg, Poquoson relies on many two-way players, and Conley delivers home-run plays for the offense as well.

In the Regional Semifinal, he led the way with 154 yards and 4 touchdowns on just 9 carries.

Cody Little does the hard-nosed running between the tackles (like Strasburg’s Linkyn Bosworth) and went over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns this year.

While Little and Conley are a talented duo, Strasburg will once again have the best running back on the field in Quincy Williams.

Williams has been lethal behind the Rams line and can turn any run into a big play with his vision, strength, and acceleration.

He should be rested after he played less than two quarters against Stuarts Draft yet still totaled 200 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries.

For Strasburg to win this game on the road in a hostile environment, they will need to play clean football and leave no doubt.

As we saw last year, the Rams can not put the game into the hands of the chain gang, an official, or play looking for calls that may never come.

Coach Lamb and Co. will have to do it on their own.

In previous Duke’s Previews, I haven’t needed to mention QB Brayden Hough, but the senior may need to do more in this game than he’s ever been asked to do in his playing career.

Teams have seen success passing against the Bull Islanders including Armstrong in the Regional Championship game.

Armstrong’s QB Anthony Hasom passed for over 300 yards and two touchdowns to lead Poquoson until a late 4th quarter touchdown provided the game winning score.

Strasburg won’t abandon its identity and start airing it out every play, but the Rams may take a few more shots to Harper Sherman or Williams out of the backfield.

If the Rams can execute a few play action passes, eliminate turnovers while forcing one (or more), and maintain composure when plays go the other way, they will be playing in Salem next week.

Strasburg goes down to Poquoson and knocks off the Bull Islanders in a defensive slugfest, 13-7.

Check out the Sports Dogs Podcast for more on the State Semifinal matchup and a look back at the Regional Championship games for Strasburg and Skyline.

The Duke’s Playoff Preview: Strasburg vs Central

11/21/25, Strasburg, VA– Strasburg High School hosts Central High School in the Region 2B Semifinals for 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 the Tana Hoffman Pregame show starting at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm kick-off.

Central is coming off a first round win over Fort Defiance which eliminated former Head Coach Mike Yew.

Fort took an early 7-0 lead before Central settled in and separated themselves at the beginning of the second half.

The Falcons offense continued to show one of the most balanced attacks in Class 2 led by Noah Moss at QB with 209 yards and two total TDs while Chris Brown went over 75 yards with two TDs.

Central’s defense adjusted to the power run game of Fort Defiance well after the early score and will need a similar performance against Strasburg to knock-off the #1 seed in Region 2B.

The Rams have had the benefit of a first round bye due to the new format of the Region 2B playoffs and will be rested for Round 2 against their Shenandoah County foe.

While Strasburg has looked like a team on a mission since the early loss to Broadway, these two teams always find ways to play each other tight.

Since 2022, the squads have played six times with half of those games played within one possession.

Central and Strasburg have split those recent six games 3-3, but Central is 2-0 in playoff matchups in the stretch.

The most recent addition came just 14 days ago and saw the game go down to the wire before a late Brady Knight touchdown.

Central did not go out quietly as they responded with a Kyle McCabe kick-off return for a touchdown to pause the Strasburg celebrations for a moment.

Strasburg was led in that game by the backfield of Knight with 128 yard and 2 TDs and the Bull Run District Offensive Player of the Year Quincy Williams who added 165 yards and a TD.

The Rams defense is anchored by Williams Player of the Year counterpart in Hutson Conrad and the Strasburg D-Line.

Conrad joins Gage Gutierrez and Jacob Britton as 1st Team All-District selections, and the front has wreaked havoc all season long.

The Rams rode their defense to a trip to Salem and the State Title game in 2024, but this year’s version actually has given up 8 less points during the regular season and allowed 13 less total yards per game.

While Central’s balanced attack and big play potential through WRs Sean Stead and Vincent Charity will make them a tough out for any team in Class 2, Strasburg’s ability to run the football and play elite defense along the frontline is a seemingly winning recipe for playoff football at any level.

The Rams will clean-up some of the mistakes seen in the regular season finale but so will Central.

I predict the game will add to the total of single score contests in recent years but Strasburg will finally tally their first playoff win against the Falcons in over 20 years (according to records available on MaxPreps), Strasburg 14 – Central 8.

For a look back at Round 1 of the playoffs, a preview of all Round 2 matchups and more, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast here.

Strasburg’s Hiserman named AD of the Year

The VIAA selected Strasburg High School’s Matt Hiserman as Class 1/2 Athletic Director of the Year during the Association’s annual conference in Richmond.

Hiserman has spent the last 19 years as the Ram’s AD and 26 years total at the school.

He also serves on the VIAA Board of Directors, the VHSL Executive Committee, and as the Chairman for the Bull Run District and Region 2B.

In the announcement, he received praise from Strasburg Principal Melissa Foltz for his “exceptional leadership, vision, and dedication to the development of student-athletes, coaches, the athletic department, and the community as a whole.”

Honored by the award, Hiserman said, “The selections are made by the past presidents of VIAAA, so that’s a great feeling to be recognized by them for not just what you do at your school, but also across the state.”

To view the full announcement, click here.

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

The Duke’s Hoops Preview: Strasburg vs Amelia County

Strasburg hosts Amelia County in the VHSL Girls Basketball State Quarterfinals tonight on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com and the Tune In Radio App with coverage starting at 6:50 pm.

The Rams earned homecourt in this matchup by defeating Page County for the Regional title on Saturday at Shenandoah University, 63-47.

Strasburg sprinted ahead in the first quarter with red-hot shooting from the floor, scoring 29 points and shooting nearly 65%.

Page battled back to make it a two point game in the 4th quarter before Strasburg closed the door with a 15-1 run.

Macy Smith has continued her tear through the Regional Playoffs with 23 points against the Panthers to follow up her 26 point performance against Central in the Regional Semifinals.

Smith was recently named the Regional Player of the Year as she continues to add to her trophy case before departing to Division I St. Bonaventure.

Sophomore guard Emily Gorrell has also looked strong throughout the playoffs and finished the Regional Championship game with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Strasburg will meet a defensive minded Amelia County team that fell to the juggernauts of John Marshall in their Regional Championship game, 75-23.

Amelia County boasts a Big Three of All-District selections in Tasia Rather, Zhikia Wiggins, and Leah-Marie Marshall.

The Lady Raiders’ stingy defense has allowed 38.4 points per game this season, but that has ballooned to 54.6 points per game against the tougher competition in the Regional playoffs.

On the other hand, Strasburg has increased their scoring output during the playoffs from 52.9 points during the season to 61.3 points per game in Regional action.

Strasburg has lost just two of their last 18 games and both were to Page County before defeating them in the Regional Championship game while Amelia enters the evening after losing three of their last five games.

The Rams are peaking at the right time and should advance past the Lady Raiders in front of a rowdy home crowd, 63-46.

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

The Duke’s Playoff Preview: Strasburg vs Luray

Tonight’s high school girls basketball game of the week features Strasburg (1st seed) hosting Luray (8th seed) in the VHSL Region 2B Playoffs on Fox Sports Radio 1450, theriver953.com, and the Tune In Radio App.

Luray is still rebuilding from the State Championship runs in 2021 and 2022 while Strasburg has high hopes for this year’s postseason.

The Rams earned the #1 seed for the Regional Tournament following a 19-3 regular season.

Strasburg fell in the Bull Run District Tournament to Page County but the Rams were without star senior guard Macy Smith.

Smith, a D-I commit of St. Bonaventure, was named the District Player of the Year last week after another strong season where she led the area in points per game with 19.5.

She is expected to return to action tonight for Strasburg.

Luray has struggled this year but the Bulldogs are excited about the future with sophomore Ella Parlett and freshman Chloe Gochenour.

The pair led the team in scoring for their final regular season game and have continued to progress throughout the season.

Strasburg has already defeated Luray twice this season by scores of 20 and 14, and I anticipate a similar Rams edge tonight.

Luray lacks a true post presence which will allow Strasburg to get to the basket and potentially force Luray into foul trouble.

I predict Strasburg to advance to the next round of the Regional Playoffs with their championship aspirations intact, 54-34.

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

Mike Yew resigns as Central football coach

ryan lingle

Mike Yew has resigned as head coach for Central High School’s football program.

Yew led the program for the last 17 years and has coached football at various levels in the Shenandoah Valley for over 25 years.

He helped build Central into a powerhouse in the region and the state level, winning two regional titles in the last three seasons and advancing to the Class 2 State Championship game in 2022.

His Falcons earned the second undefeated regular season in school history last year.

Before Yew took over, Central had not won a playoff game or regional title.

He finished his first two seasons with a 2-18 record before building up the program and going 119-53 the rest of his career.

The Falcons advanced to the playoffs 7 of the last 8 years with the only exception being the COVID shortened season.

Yew continues to serve as the interim athletic director.

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

The Duke’s Preview: Central vs Page County featuring Coach Mike Yew

Central (8-0) hosts Page County (1-7) for their Senior Night in the penultimate regular season High School Football Game of the Week on The River 95.3, Fox Sports Radio 1450 WFTR, theriver953.com and the Tune In Radio App.

Central has continued their great success from last season which ended in a State Championship game appearance into an undefeated regular season so far this season.

They have used the same formula including a bruising rushing attack led by an experienced offensive line and a battering ram at running back, senior Tyler Forbes.

Forbes leads all area rushers in Region 2B with 1,172 yards and 19 touchdowns.

The Central defense has remained stout all season long, allowing only 7.8 ppg with only two opponents scoring more than once all season.

Page County and Coach James May continue to try to build up their program and the offense has been able to produce points at times.

Quarterback Hunter Petit has been dangerous on the ground and in the air.

Last week against Madison County, he had a passing touchdown and a highlight 51 yard touchdown run.

He has two young weapons that he has formed a great connection with including tight end Isaac Foltz and wide receiver Dawson Richards, both of who are sophomores.

Defensively, Page County has struggled, allowing 46.6 points per game and 69 points last week against Madison County.

Central will need to avoid looking ahead to a potential, de-facto Bull Run District Championship Game against Strasburg.

The Falcons should be able to stay focused on their game plan and get the win due to their experience and control over the line of scrimmage, 56-8.

Press play below to hear my interview with Central Head Coach Mike Yew.

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