Strasburg vs Luray
- By BullRun66
- Class 2A (Fall)
- 4 Replies
Game of the Week: Rams ready for district showdown with Bulldogs
- By Tommy Keeler Jr. The Northern Virginia Daily
- Oct 20, 2022 Updated 10 min ago
- 0
Strasburg’s Takhi Coates finds hole to run through for a big gain as Warren County’s Michael Hooper, left, and Dagan Wayland, right, try to run him down during first-quarter action on Sept. 14 in Strasburg.
Rich Cooley/Daily
STRASBURG -- There will be much at stake when Strasburg's football team plays at Luray on Friday night. However, Strasburg head coach Mark Roller said he doesn't want his players to make too much of the game.
"I think they understand what's at stake, but we're treating it just like any other game," Roller said. "And you can't get too hyped over it, because your emotions get going and then all of a sudden something happens and those emotions really take over. So we're just playing it day-by-day."
Strasburg enters this week as the only undefeated team in the Bull Run District, while Luray suffered its first loss of the district and the season last week against East Rockingham.
The two teams are also the top two teams in the VHSL Region 2B power ratings, however Region 2B isn't going solely by those numbers this season to determine the playoffs. The place of teams in the Bull Run District will have the biggest impact on seedings for the Bull Run teams in the playoffs.
Strasburg senior quarterback Ryan Roller said he expects the very best effort from Luray on Friday after it lost last week.
"They came off a tough loss," Ryan Roller said. "So they're probably looking at us and they want revenge. It will be a game."
The Bulldogs (6-1, 2-1 Bull Run) are led offensively by their three running backs Brady Jenkins, Kenny Frye and Cason Bryant. Quarterback Sam Liscomb is also a threat in Luray's power running game.
Last week Frye and Liscomb suffered injuries, but Mark Roller said they will be prepared for everyone to be healthy and playing.
Mark Roller said the offensive line is big and physical and it will be a tough matchup for Strasburg's defense.
"They've got those big guys in there (on the offensive line) and then of course the running backs run really hard," Mark Roller said. "I think that's probably the biggest thing is they're in there so close, and you've got a lot of bodies flying around in there. And then all of a sudden they just pop out of a pile, and they have really good running backs. That's kind of what makes it tough, and the fact that they just run hard."
The Rams (6-1, 3-0 Bull Run) have been solid on defense all season. They are allowing only 150.5 yards and 5.5 points per contest.
Junior Colby Shaw has 64 tackles to lead the Rams, while junior Walker Conrad has 41 tackles and five sacks.
Strasburg has also been strong on the offensive side of the ball. The Rams are averaging 355.5 yards and 34.3 points per game.
The running game has been led by the tandem of senior Braden Stern (62 carries for 590 yards and eight touchdowns) and sophomore Takhi Coates (68 carries for 576 yards and six touchdowns). Ryan Roller has rushed for 240 yards and seven scores. He has also thrown for 357 yards on 17-of-29 passing with five touchdowns. Conrad has seven receptions for 129 yards and three scores.
Ryan Roller said he thinks a key to Strasburg's success this season has been team unity.
"I feel like we're meshing really well as a team," Ryan Roller said. "When one teammate does well we're all there to celebrate. When anybody does well we all come in there to celebrate. When anything goes wrong we pick them up. I think we're really coming together as a team."
Mark Roller said one thing that has helped his squad this season is the way they've taken things one opponent at a time.
"I think our guys are doing a great job of playing one week at a time and focusing on the opponent at hand," he said. "And we're executing on offense pretty well. And defensively we're doing the things that we need to do to stop people. So I'm pleased with where we are. We just need to fine tune some stuff offensively, defensively and special teams. So that's what we're kind of focusing on this week in order to prepare us for Friday night."
Mark Roller said penalties and turnovers will be key for the Rams on Friday night. He said they also have to play well on special teams. Luray's special teams played a key role in its 41-25 win over Central on Oct. 7, with an onside kick and another squib kick that Central couldn't handle.
"Central was toe-to-toe with them there, and special teams kind of put them ahead," Mark Roller said. "And when you do that, that kind of puts you behind the 8-ball when you're only getting four or five possessions for the whole game. They're so time-consuming on their offense -- but we are too. So it might be a fast game."
Article from the Northern Virginia Daily
