Big Game Friday in Strasburg. Strasburg vs Clarke County.
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After seeing both, I think the Rams may have the advantage, especially if Rutherford is still out for Clarke.
Question on the Rams. I see their QB Hart has committed to William & Mary. Yet it looks like they don't throw a lot is there a reason for that?
Rams focused for key district matchup with rival Eagles
STRASBURG — Strasburg is facing a familiar rival tonight when it hosts Clarke County in a key Bull Run District contest.
The Eagles use the single-wing offense and Strasburg coach Mark Roller said that even though they have played Clarke County many times, it’s still a tough offense to stop.
“I think it’s just the number of people they get to the point of attack,” Roller said of what makes the single-wing so hard to stop. “You put four or five guys where you’re wanting to run the ball and that’s pretty difficult to stop, no matter how many guys you put there.”
For the second straight game Clarke County will be without senior running back Peyton Rutherford, who has rushed for 1,005 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, due to injury. Last week in a 46-0 win over Stonewall Jackson, the Eagles ran for 302 yards. Senior Danny Lyman led the way with 125 yards on four carries and three touchdowns.
“He’s pretty good,” Roller said of Lyman. “He runs the ball well. He stays behind his blocks and he does a good job for them. He’s one of those guys that we’re going to have to keep an eye on.”
Not only can the Eagles run the ball, but they can also throw it. Clarke County senior quarterback Colby Childs threw for a school record 261 yards against Luray earlier this season. Childs has thrown for a school record 2,771 yards in his career. In the past, the Eagles have mostly relied on the run but Roller said they are much more balanced this season.
“They’ve actually thrown the ball a lot more this year than they probably have in the last 10, 15, however many years,” Roller said. “(Childs) has done a good job for them. I don’t see why they’re not going to throw the ball 10, 15 times, maybe more than that.”
Strasburg’s defense has been strong all season, especially against the run. The Rams are allowing only 126.3 rushing yards per game. Strasburg senior linebacker Da’Neil Holliday leads the team with 65 tackles and one sack.
Roller said he’s been pleased with how the defense has performed.
“We got a good nucleus in there,” he said. “The linebacking corps has done a good job all year and those front five have done a good job and the secondary is starting to come around, and we’re playing better back there after the first weeks. I’m pleased with it. I know (Strasburg defensive coordinator) coach (Tripp) Lamb is pleased with them. And we’re just looking to get better each week.”
Strasburg’s offense has been productive all season as well. Strasburg’s trio of running backs in its straight-T formation has combined for 1,115 yards. Senior Jalen Bray leads the way with 411 yards and eight touchdowns. Strasburg senior quarterback Chase Hart has thrown for 444 yards on 26-of-52 passing with seven touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Trey Stinnette has caught nine passes for 158 yards and three scores.
The Rams (6-1, 3-1 Bull Run) switched to the straight-T formation this season and Roller said he believes the players are starting to grasp the offense.
“I think this will be a good test,” Roller said. “East Rock (a 39-6 win on Oct. 11) was a good test. We’re doing some things right and we’re actually executing better than we were at the beginning of the season, but that was to be expected. And the more these guys run this offense, the more they’re understanding the whys to why we’re doing it.”
Roller said Clarke County’s defense will be a challenge for the Strasburg offense. He said that they fly around to the ball and it will be difficult to run against them.
“What stands out to me is they get around to the football,” Roller said. “And I think that’s a key, especially when you run the ball. They’re putting six, seven, eight guys around the football — and that’s pretty good.”
The Rams and Eagles (5-2, 3-1 Bull Run) are tied for second place in the Bull Run District, one game behind first place Luray. Roller said he believes his players are excited for the opportunity they have in front of them.
“They know what’s at stake,” Roller said. “They know there’s an opportunity there for us. And we’re taking it one game at a time. It’s Clarke County — they’ve been on top of the district for a long time. And it’s an opportunity for us to kind of share some of that excitement.”
Strasburg and Clarke County have been rivals for years and Roller said it’s a good rivalry for both schools in all sports.
“I think being the closest (Class 2) school to Clarke County is what has made that such a rivalry,” Roller said. “We’ve kind of been the pioneers of the Bull Run District. And we’ve both been in it for so long. And it’s just one of those things that we’ve always competed — it didn’t matter what sport it was. And there’s back and forth and some dominance and those types of things. So I think that it’s just a well-rounded rivalry.”
Clarke County coach Chris Parker agreed that it’s been a good rivalry through the years.
“They are a well-coached team and they are solid,” Parker said. “Playing down there, it will probably be a hard-hitting game. There’s a lot of history between Clarke County and Strasburg as far as rivalry. There’s quite a few teams that are rivals now, but I think Strasburg is probably one of the oldest and goes back a few years.”
Parker said the Rams will present a big challenge to his team this week.
“We’re going to have to be able to sustain drives, which you would in any game, but especially in a game like this,” Parker said. “We have to be able to run our offense and be balanced. We certainly need to establish the running game, but we’ll throw when we have to. Defensively, we have to stop their power game, but be very aware we can’t bite on things when they throw it. They have a pretty good play-action passing game. … We certainly can’t leave people open because that quarterback will hit them.”
The Rams are coming off a 53-16 victory over Madison County, a game in which Strasburg was able to get a lot of players playing time. Roller said he has been pleased all season with how the bench players have performed when given the chance.
Against the Eagles, Roller said he wants to see his team continue to progress and execute on both sides of the ball.
“I just want to be able to see us go out and execute and play for four quarters,” he said. “I think if we do that and we don’t turn the ball over, then I think good things will happen for us.”
Winchester Star Sports Editor Walt Moody contributed to this story
– Contact Tommy Keeler Jr. at tkeeler@nvdaily.com
- By Tommy Keeler Jr. The Northern Virginia Daily
- 13 hrs ago
STRASBURG — Strasburg is facing a familiar rival tonight when it hosts Clarke County in a key Bull Run District contest.
The Eagles use the single-wing offense and Strasburg coach Mark Roller said that even though they have played Clarke County many times, it’s still a tough offense to stop.
“I think it’s just the number of people they get to the point of attack,” Roller said of what makes the single-wing so hard to stop. “You put four or five guys where you’re wanting to run the ball and that’s pretty difficult to stop, no matter how many guys you put there.”
For the second straight game Clarke County will be without senior running back Peyton Rutherford, who has rushed for 1,005 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, due to injury. Last week in a 46-0 win over Stonewall Jackson, the Eagles ran for 302 yards. Senior Danny Lyman led the way with 125 yards on four carries and three touchdowns.
“He’s pretty good,” Roller said of Lyman. “He runs the ball well. He stays behind his blocks and he does a good job for them. He’s one of those guys that we’re going to have to keep an eye on.”
Not only can the Eagles run the ball, but they can also throw it. Clarke County senior quarterback Colby Childs threw for a school record 261 yards against Luray earlier this season. Childs has thrown for a school record 2,771 yards in his career. In the past, the Eagles have mostly relied on the run but Roller said they are much more balanced this season.
“They’ve actually thrown the ball a lot more this year than they probably have in the last 10, 15, however many years,” Roller said. “(Childs) has done a good job for them. I don’t see why they’re not going to throw the ball 10, 15 times, maybe more than that.”
Strasburg’s defense has been strong all season, especially against the run. The Rams are allowing only 126.3 rushing yards per game. Strasburg senior linebacker Da’Neil Holliday leads the team with 65 tackles and one sack.
Roller said he’s been pleased with how the defense has performed.
“We got a good nucleus in there,” he said. “The linebacking corps has done a good job all year and those front five have done a good job and the secondary is starting to come around, and we’re playing better back there after the first weeks. I’m pleased with it. I know (Strasburg defensive coordinator) coach (Tripp) Lamb is pleased with them. And we’re just looking to get better each week.”
Strasburg’s offense has been productive all season as well. Strasburg’s trio of running backs in its straight-T formation has combined for 1,115 yards. Senior Jalen Bray leads the way with 411 yards and eight touchdowns. Strasburg senior quarterback Chase Hart has thrown for 444 yards on 26-of-52 passing with seven touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Trey Stinnette has caught nine passes for 158 yards and three scores.
The Rams (6-1, 3-1 Bull Run) switched to the straight-T formation this season and Roller said he believes the players are starting to grasp the offense.
“I think this will be a good test,” Roller said. “East Rock (a 39-6 win on Oct. 11) was a good test. We’re doing some things right and we’re actually executing better than we were at the beginning of the season, but that was to be expected. And the more these guys run this offense, the more they’re understanding the whys to why we’re doing it.”
Roller said Clarke County’s defense will be a challenge for the Strasburg offense. He said that they fly around to the ball and it will be difficult to run against them.
“What stands out to me is they get around to the football,” Roller said. “And I think that’s a key, especially when you run the ball. They’re putting six, seven, eight guys around the football — and that’s pretty good.”
The Rams and Eagles (5-2, 3-1 Bull Run) are tied for second place in the Bull Run District, one game behind first place Luray. Roller said he believes his players are excited for the opportunity they have in front of them.
“They know what’s at stake,” Roller said. “They know there’s an opportunity there for us. And we’re taking it one game at a time. It’s Clarke County — they’ve been on top of the district for a long time. And it’s an opportunity for us to kind of share some of that excitement.”
Strasburg and Clarke County have been rivals for years and Roller said it’s a good rivalry for both schools in all sports.
“I think being the closest (Class 2) school to Clarke County is what has made that such a rivalry,” Roller said. “We’ve kind of been the pioneers of the Bull Run District. And we’ve both been in it for so long. And it’s just one of those things that we’ve always competed — it didn’t matter what sport it was. And there’s back and forth and some dominance and those types of things. So I think that it’s just a well-rounded rivalry.”
Clarke County coach Chris Parker agreed that it’s been a good rivalry through the years.
“They are a well-coached team and they are solid,” Parker said. “Playing down there, it will probably be a hard-hitting game. There’s a lot of history between Clarke County and Strasburg as far as rivalry. There’s quite a few teams that are rivals now, but I think Strasburg is probably one of the oldest and goes back a few years.”
Parker said the Rams will present a big challenge to his team this week.
“We’re going to have to be able to sustain drives, which you would in any game, but especially in a game like this,” Parker said. “We have to be able to run our offense and be balanced. We certainly need to establish the running game, but we’ll throw when we have to. Defensively, we have to stop their power game, but be very aware we can’t bite on things when they throw it. They have a pretty good play-action passing game. … We certainly can’t leave people open because that quarterback will hit them.”
The Rams are coming off a 53-16 victory over Madison County, a game in which Strasburg was able to get a lot of players playing time. Roller said he has been pleased all season with how the bench players have performed when given the chance.
Against the Eagles, Roller said he wants to see his team continue to progress and execute on both sides of the ball.
“I just want to be able to see us go out and execute and play for four quarters,” he said. “I think if we do that and we don’t turn the ball over, then I think good things will happen for us.”
Winchester Star Sports Editor Walt Moody contributed to this story
– Contact Tommy Keeler Jr. at tkeeler@nvdaily.com
Strasburg came out flat and never recovered. This was a worse performance that the page game. The passing game Clarke has is very good. A really good performance by the Eagles and a poor effort by the Rams.
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