10/2/26, Front Royal, VA- It’s Homecoming Week at Skyline High School as the Hawks host the Central Falcons in the Hike Kidz Foundation Game of the Week c/o Brickhouse Bar and Grill with coverage starting at 6:30 pm for the Tana Hoffman Pregame Show followed by the kick-off at 7 pm on The River 95.3, Fox Sports 1450, TheRiver953.com, and The River 95.3 app.
Skyline enters the matchup at 1-3 while Central is 0-4, but both teams still have plenty of time to make a playoff push as they reach the midway points of their seasons.
Skyline faced an early gauntlet including a reigning State Champion, State Runner-Up, and a Class 4 opponent on the road.
The Hawks faced a similar path last year which left them battle tested and ready to rattle off 9 straight wins before falling in the Regional Championship game.
In addition to the tough path, early season injuries left them without key contributors like All State Running Back Zayden Burk, starting OL Ryan Held, and up-and-comer James Hopkins.
Injuries have plagued Central since the beginning of the season as well, and the Falcons just got back RB Chris Brown last week against North Hagerstown.
After missing the first three games, Brown emerged following Central’s bye week and took his first carry 81 yards to the house.
The senior running back and linebacker rushed for 181 yards on the night, while North Hagerstown was held to just 129 total yards.
Eventually, turnovers and special teams mistakes piled up to allow the Hubs to score 21 unanswered second half points, often on short fields.
North Hagerstown also adjusted well to the Central offense and limited Brown’s production in the second half.
As the Falcons have struggled to open up the passing game following the departure of Noah Moss (graduation), Central must find a way to create a more balanced offense down the stretch to keep the running lanes available for Brown.
Skyline appears to have found their quarterback of the future and right now in Brently Grindle.
As he continues to improve each week, defenses will have to account for the passing game on top of Burks game-breaking ability.
Grindle is the only underclassman in the area to rank in the top three in passing yards (775), passing touchdowns (8), and completions (46/77) and throwing just 2 INTs.
He trails just Owen Neal (James Wood) and Bryce Bergmann (Warren County) in those categories.
Central’s passing attack on the other hand has accumulated just 94 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.
Skyline’s more balanced approach will help them keep the Falcons defense guessing and don’t be surprised to see Zayden Burks have his first BIG game of the year tonight.
Burks ran wild 260 yards and 3 TDs in last year’s 42-40 win over Central, while all of the Falcons biggest contributors in that game have moved on.
Skyline pulls away in the second half to start the Homecoming Weekend with a win, 42-26.
For a preview of all the Week 6 matchups and a look back to Week 5, check out the Sports Dogs Podcast HERE.
