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In that 2013 game at Sherando ... if you recall ... Salem came out passing and was moving the ball at will BUT for some unknown reason ... the Salem staff thought they could run the football vs. Sherando and it resulted in ZERO points being scored.

WHY did they abandon the pass after the 1st series of success?
 
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Salem is Salem. They are going to run the ball between the tackles come hell or high water. This has been passed down from legendary coaches beginning with Merrill Gainer, the Willis White. Coach Mags is from that coaching tree and though he has added more to the offense than Gainer and White, the basics are the same. Been pretty successful. Gainer won two Stare Championships in West Virginia and one at Patrick Henry Roanoke. White won four at Salem and Coach Mags has won four at Salem.
 
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Sherando looks to dethrone two-time defending champs in Class 4 semifinals
  • By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI THE WINCHESTER STAR | The Winchester Star

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Sherando junior quarterback Hunter Entsminger, who has thrown for a school-record 2,566 yards and 31 touchdowns, plus has rushed for 370 yards and four scores, leads the prolific Sherando offense against two-time defending state champion Salem in the Class 4 semifinals at 2 p.m. today at Salem Stadium.

Ginger Perry/The Winchester Star


STEPHENS CITY — The last time the Sherando football team played Salem, the Warriors experienced one of the greatest moments in the program’s 25-year history with a 7-0 win at Arrowhead Stadium in the state semifinals.

Today, Region 4C champion Sherando (11-2) and Region 4D titlist Salem (11-2) meet again in the state semifinals, and the Warriors might make an even bigger statement than they did in 2013 with a victory.

For starters, today’s 2 p.m. will not be at home, but instead will be at Salem Stadium.



Secondly, when the Warriors and Spartans met in 2013, Salem hadn’t won a state title since 2005. This year’s Spartans are two-time defending state champions, and Salem showed last week just how badly it wants a third title.

The Spartans rallied from a 32-21 fourth-quarter deficit to win the Region 4D championship game 33-32 over Blacksburg, a team it lost to 49-12 during the regular season. Salem hasn’t lost since that drubbing, winning eight consecutive games in the process.

“They’re the best of the best,” Sherando quarterback Hunter Entsminger said on Tuesday. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.”

No, Sherando’s not daunted by the challenge. Given what the Warriors have accomplished this year, they shouldn’t be.

Winners of seven straight since suffering a 31-28 loss to Martinsburg — which is playing for its second straight Class AAA West Virginia state title today — the Warriors have been particularly impressive in the last month.

In that time Sherando has twice defeated Millbrook — which started the year 9-0 before running into the Warriors — knocked off Dulles District champion Dominion, and beat Liberty 33-21 in Bealeton in the Region 4C final last week to avenge a 31-28 regular-season loss on Sept. 22.

Now they’ve got a chance to advance to their fifth state championship game in school history. The winner of today’s game will take on the winner of the Lafayette-Louisa game on Dec. 9 at either Salem Stadium, the College of William & Mary or Hampton University. Sherando activities coordinator Jason Barbe said the time and location should be announced on Sunday or Monday.

Salem is led by 14th-year head coach Steve Magenbauer. The Spartans average 41.2 points and 436 yards per game (278.5 rushing) primarily out of an I-formation look, and surrender 20.2 points per game while primarily using an even-front defense with man coverage.

“When you turn on the film, it’s the same team we saw in ’13,” Sherando coach Bill Hall said. “They have very similar characteristics from the scheme they run and the way they play the game.”

Led by quarterback Jack Gladden (94 of 155 for 1,826 yards, 24 TDs and seven interceptions) and 2016 first team all-state wide receiver Viante Tucker (34 catches, 748 yards, seven TDs), Salem is more than capable in the passing game. But that’s not what makes the Spartans so dangerous.

“I think offensively, I think their identity is the way they run the ball,” Hall said. “Not that they don’t have wrinkles in their game plan, but they want to establish a very physical run game, whether that be through iso, belly lead or toss. Those are kind of the staple plays that they run. The reason why they’re successful isn’t because of the scheme as much as the way they run it and the attitude they run it with.”

Senior D’Angelo Ramsey (6-feet, 210 pounds) leads the way. Ramsey rushed for 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns on 113 carries last year before leaving the Salem football program after eight games. He’s having another stellar year as a senior, with 1,814 yards and 23 TDs on 162 carries for an 11.2 average.

Ramsey’s 39-yard TD run with 4:26 left proved to the winning points against Blacksburg. Ramsey rushed for 187 yards and two TDs on 29 carries overall against the Bruins.

“He’s a physical runner and has good speed,” Hall said. “He’s definitely a downhill runner. Not that he can’t make you miss, but he’s fine with just running over you. He’s got good speed once he gets in the open field.”

Ramsey is aided in the backfield by senior fullback Tae Hale (6-0, 200 — 75 carries, 302 yards, nine TDs) and senior running back Luke Owen (5-10, 185 — 87 carries for 860 yards, 9.9 average, 8 TDs).

The “attitude” that Salem runs with can also be found on its offensive line. The Spartans weren’t particularly big up front last year when they rushed for 332 yards (and picked up 504 total) in a 59-14 playoff win against Millbrook, and Hall said this year’s Salem line doesn’t have the size of teams like Liberty and Dominion. Hall said the right side of the line features players who weigh 260 and 270 pounds, but the other three starters all weigh in the low 200s.

Salem is going to provide a big test for a Sherando defense that has been much better against the pass (69 total yards) than the run (636 total yards) in its past two games.

The Warriors — who were giving up 95.6 rushing yards per game through 11 games — have played almost the entire last two games without star linebacker JoJo Doleman because of an injury. Since Sherando does not discuss injuries, Doleman’s status for today is unknown (he did not practice Tuesday).

“We’ve just got to be more physical,” Sherando safety and wide receiver Aaron Banks said. “It’s more of just everyone on the field wanting to compete. You’ve got to have the want-to to stop the run. We’re definitely working on that in practice, going hard.”

Hall said he has to give credit to what some talented teams have been able to do against them the past couple of weeks.

The main thing is that the Warriors have been making the critical stops when needed. Liberty twice couldn’t punch the ball in from inside the Sherando 10 despite running for 272 yards last week. The week before, the Warriors forced two turnovers inside its own 30 against Millbrook.

“It’s about playing assignment football, and executing and doing our job,” said Hall about today’s game.

Sherando will also have to be wary of Gladden.



“They run a lot of play-action things, and he does a good job of putting the ball where it needs to be,” Hall said. “They take their shots when they want to. They do some motion and things like that, and he does a good job with the timing of that stuff.”

On defense, Salem has given up at least 30 points in four games (one in a 70-34 regional quarterfinal victory over Charlottesville).

The Spartans will be tasked with slowing a Sherando offense (43.2 points per game) that no team has been able to keep in check on a consistent basis.

The Warriors’ playmakers include Entsminger, who has set single-season school records for completions (153, on 216 attempts), passing yards (2,566) and TDs (31, against five interceptions). Junior running back T.J. Washington has set a school single-season record for points (192) while accumulating 1,536 yards and 18 TDs rushing and 41 catches for 597 yards and 10 TDs receiving. Banks has 55 catches, 12 TDs and 960 yards receiving.

“They’re an even-front defense by nature,” Hall said. “They do some zone, but they show a lot of man. They get a lot more people in the box, so that puts a lot of pressure on you to execute.

“There’s give and take with that. When there’s a lot of people in the box and the play breaks, it usually breaks long. You just have to do a good job being consistent. Things will happen as long as you can be consistent and just execute.”

Entsminger said Salem is “probably one of the best run defenses we’re going to see all year.” The Spartans aren’t particularly big on the defensive line either, with three players who weigh 200 pounds or less. End Van Richardson (5-10, 180 pounds) has 59 tackles and seven sacks.

“They’re a good defense, but I think our offensive line should really take over and just give T.J. those lanes to run through,” Entsminger said.

Both Entsminger and Banks attended that 2013 game against Salem. Entsminger’s older brother Reid was the quarterback and a defensive back for the Warriors and he scored the game’s only touchdown on a two-yard run with 1:35 left in the third quarter after he made a fumble recovery at the Salem 27.

They were there to see the joyous smiles and screams from Sherando’s players that day, and they’d love nothing more to experience that for themselves today.

“[Today’s] one more step to the main goal,” Banks said. “We’re definitely looking forward to this game.”

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1
 
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