Brentsville Tigers Aim to Break Long Losing Streak Against Strasburg Rams
Brentsville’s first-year head coach, Dean Reedy, faces a daunting challenge Friday night: breaking the Tigers’ long losing streak against the Strasburg Rams. Since 1983, Brentsville has failed to defeat Strasburg. Reedy, an 11-year assistant under former coach Mike Madison, aims to change this history and establish his own winning tradition.
The second full week of Bull Run play marks Brentsville’s return to the field. The Tigers have been sidelined since October 5th due to the Washington area sniper attacks, with no outside practice since October 9th. Despite these setbacks and a history of struggles with seven or more losses in five of the past six seasons, Brentsville has enjoyed an impressive start, boasting their best record in years.
This success comes despite returning only nine starters (five offensive) from last year’s 3-7 squad. The Tigers have been effectively led by their returning lettermen, particularly senior quarterback Sam Huff. Huff, who missed a significant portion of last season due to injury, previously played running back as a sophomore.
He is now joined in the backfield by junior Wes Basham, who takes over Huff’s previous role. Last year against Strasburg, Basham rushed for 46 yards on 16 carries (2.9 yards per carry). This season, Basham has surpassed the 500-yard mark with 583 yards on 86 carries (6.78 yards per carry). Together, Huff and Basham have been key contributors, accumulating 920 rushing yards, while the Tigers’ offense averages 26.2 points per game.
The Rams’ defense, which has allowed only one touchdown in their last four games, will aim to contain Brentsville’s potent option-oriented running attack.
Defensively, the Tigers return four starters. Despite their relative inexperience, the defense has performed well, holding opponents to an average of 16 points per game.
Offensive starters Huff and Basham contribute on defense, along with senior defensive end Aaron Godfrey, a 2001 second-team all-district player. Fellow lineman and all-district tackle John Jackson will be crucial in keeping the game competitive. In the past three weeks, Strasburg has averaged only 17.7 points per game.
As the largest Group A team, Brentsville will transition to Division 3 play next year.