Jean Plauger recognized with John Marlow Legacy Award

The Hike Kidz Foundation recognized local business leader and philanthropist Jean Plauger with The John K. Marlow Memorial Love Wins Legacy Award during a ceremony last week.

The award was presented by Chairman of the John Marlow Award, Michael Williams, at the Stone Branch Center for the Arts.

A group of Plauger’s family, friends, and other local leaders gathered to celebrate her contributions to the Front Royal community over the past 30 years range from co-hosting the Hike Kidz Foundation’s Dueling Disco fundraiser and support of other integral community efforts like Barks and Bags supporting the Humane Society of Warren County to assisting in the creation of The River Rivalry Trophy presented to the winners of the annual Skyline and Warren County football game.

During the award’s presentation, Plauger said she is constantly guided by John Marlow’s guiding principal, “Is it good for Front Royal?”

She was nominated for the award by River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450 owner Andrew Shearer and other local leaders for her community service.

The ceremony was held during the unveiling of the Hold My Heart Gallery at the Stone Branch Center for the Arts in Downtown Front Royal.

The gallery will remain on display and sponsorship of hearts is still available with 100% of donations supporting local students in need.

For more information the Hold My Heart campaign, click here.

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

The Duke’s River Rivalry Preview: Skyline vs Warren County

The River Rivalry resumes tonight when Warren County hosts Skyline 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.

Skyline has claimed the first two River Rivalry trophies and leads the All-Time series vs Warren County 14-7.

The Wildcats last win came in 2018 and was the final of four game winning streak.

Just like any other great rivalry, you can throw out the record books when these teams take the field and upsets can emerge when least expected.

Warren County has shown improvement over last year’s squad and displayed great perseverance when bouncing back from a five game losing streak to start the season to win there next two in a row to get back in play-off positioning.

While equaling last year’s win total, the Wildcats have already out scored the 2024 iteration and allowed 161 less points.

Injuries have started to accumulate for Warren County in the later stages of this season and former leading rusher Blaise Skube is no longer on the roster.

Junior QB Bryce Bergmann has looked solid and recently eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark on the season with over half of those going to SR WR Nick Harlow (45 rec 552 yds 7 TDs).

Warren County’s offense must string together drives and prepare to answer Skyline, which has averaged 43.2 points per game during its six-game win streak.

The Hawks AND THE STATE OF VIRGINIA are led by Jr Running Back Zayden Burks.

Burks currently sits at 1,894 yards rushing and should easily surpass the current leading rusher for The Commonwealth, Anton Carter.

Carter currently sits at 1,932 yards but Nottoway High School’s regular season is over.

With the single season school record behind him, the next milestone for Burks is the 2,000 yard mark which was last seen in Warren County by Wildcat Alum H.B. Banjoman.

Like Burks, Banjoman’s squad was also led by Heath Gilbert, Skyline’s current head coach.

Reaching the 2,000 yard threshold would be another feather in the cap for the future All-State back but an even bigger source of pride for one of the best offensive lines in Skyline history led by seniors Barrett Stephens and Isaiah Caton.

Injuries have pushed Warren County’s LB Frank Nelson to take more snaps at running back, so fatigue for the team’s leading tackler could lead to an even bigger day for Burks.

Skyline’s defense is also led by the linebacker position in the duo of Andre Ford and Marques Lockhart-Wright.

Both basketball standouts fly around the field forcing turnovers, tackles for loss, and delivering punishing blows while eliminating offensive mismatches due to their size and speed.

In addition to The River Rivalry Trophy, these teams are playing for crucial playoff positioning.

Skyline is clinging to the #2 seed which would provide a couple home playoff games and keep them away from reigning State Runner-Ups Kettle Run a little longer.

Warren County is fighting for the chance to play Kettle Run as the #8 seed and gain valuable playoff experience for a young roster.

When these teams take the field, don’t be surprised to see some early trick plays as both coaches dig a little deeper in the playbook for the final week of the regular season.

As the dust settles, I anticipate the Hawks will pull away thanks to a few huge runs from Zayden Burks as he eclipses 2,000 yards and leads the way for his third straight River Rivalry win, 46-12.

For a preview of all of the regular season finale matchups, listen to the latest Sports Dogs Podcast here. 

The Duke’s River Rivalry Preview: Skyline vs Warren County ft Heath Gilbert and Josh Breeden

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 Sports Dogs’ Top 5 for 2023

As 2023 comes to a close, The Sports Dogs reflect on their Top 5 sports stories of the year.

For a full breakdown of Randy and Ryan’s Top 5, check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast here.

Randy’s Top 5:

  1. The sale of the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder to Josh Harris, Magic Johnson, and their group.
  2. The Orioles stun the MLB to win the AL East and over 100 games.
  3. The Bob Huggins Era comes to an end in Morgantown after using homophobic slurs on a radio interview and then arrested for drunk driving.
  4. Martinsburg High School secures their 10th WV state championship since 2010
  5. Alderson Broaddus, Randy’s alma mater, closes it’s doors in Philippi.

Ryan’s Top 5:

  1. The debut of The River Rivalry trophy for the Warren County-Skyline football game.
  2. Millbrook High School alum Nazeeh Johnson plays a crucial role in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl run.
  3. James Madison University’s final transitioning year to the FBS features Top 25 rankings, College Gameday, and after threats of lawsuits and litigation, the first bowl appearance in school history.
  4. Local schools earn state championships including Clarke County girls’ soccer and basketball teams and James Wood volleyball’s second consecutive title.
  5. Skyline basketball’s 26-1 season featuring the school’s first state semifinal appearance, a regional championship, and Zack Diggs becoming the first 1000 point scorer in Skyline history.

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

1450 WFTR presents The River Rivalry Trophy to Skyline and Warren County High Schools

1450 WFTR proudly presents The River Rivalry Trophy.

The winner of the annual football matchup between Skyline High School and Warren County High School will receive the trophy to hoist and display for the following year.

Inspiration from the trophy came from other local rivalries like the Barr-Lindon Crimson Apple, which is awarded to the top high school football team in Winchester and Frederick County, and the Shenandoah County Championship.

1450 WFTR worked with Jean’s Jewelers to select a high quality trophy with a classic look that measures nearly three feet high and features a traditional gold cup design at the top.

Each year, the winning school will add a plate to the base with their name, final score, and year.

From when the school’s first began competing against each other in the 2007-2008 school year, the series has stayed close with Skyline currently holding an edge 12-7.

Skyline has won the last four matchups in a row by a combined score of 123-27, but all time, the series has provided some instant classics with eight games decided by one score or less.

The schools played each other twice in 2007, 2008, and 2017.

1450 WFTR coincides the inaugural trophy presentation with the station’s celebration of 75 years of serving the Front Royal and Warren County community.

The latest installation of The River Rivalry will begin Friday, November 3rd at 6:40 pm on 1450 WFTR, The River 95.3, theriver953.com, and the Tune In Radio App with Randy Woodward and Ryan Rutherford.

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