Proctor Enters 40th Season with New Faces
Coming into this year’s opening game against East Hardy, Strasburg will look like an entirely new team; literally. Only one full-time starter from last year’s 8-3 club returns. With 21 spots up for grabs, Glenn Proctor was pleasantly surprised to see the number of new athletes vying for these positions.
Along the 49-man roster are players from the basketball and baseball squads, and 13 sophomores from the junior varsity team. Inexperienced and young would be an understatement, but one seasoned veteran still remains; Glenn Proctor. Proctor – who begins his 40th year season Friday night – will try to instill the winning tradition in yet another group of young Rams. A tradition that includes a 22-year streak of opening season victories.
For the past six years the Rams and Cougars have battled it out on the gridiron. Strasburg has had the upper hand each time, out scoring their West Virginia rival 219-73. Will this year be any different? East Hardy hopes so. With vital starters returning, Ram fans could be more familiar with their opponent then their own team.
Leading the Cougars for the second straight year will be junior quarterbacks Gabriel Brill and Jacob Hackett. Through Brill and Hackett had only one completion in last year’s outing, they both hope to receive support from their returning cast.
Senior Daniel Sine and sophomore Alex Foltz once again line up in the backfield. Sine and Foltz rushed for a combined 60 yards during the 2002 game, with Foltz having the team’s only score. Senior tight-end Mickey Jenks provides another threat in the offensive personal department.
On Strasburg’s side positions have yet to solidify. One that has though is at quarterback. Sophomore Parker Neal has wrapped up the spot. Neal has never taken a snap at the varsity level, but has experience with big games having pitched as a freshman on the baseball team.
Behind him the team has a plethora of tailbacks with some experience. Though none were full-time starters, last year the grouped rushed for a combined 849 yards and seven touchdowns.
Leading the way will be junior Brandon Holbert, senior Aaron Barnes, and senior Joe Stout. Stout also hopes to produce on the defensive side at an outside linebacker spot. He has bulked up his 5-7 frame with an extra 12 pounds of muscle during the off-season.
Joining him at the inside linebacker spots will be junior Max Gardner and senior Jason Wilkins. Wilkins is the lone returnee for the team. From there things become murky.
Though experienced playing-time from the rest of the starters is lacking, two things that aren’t are weight and height. Strasburg – usually not known for its size – finds itself with 14 players weighing in at 200 pounds, and 19 towering at least six feet tall.
The running game hopes to benefit the most from the increase of girth. Three projected offensive lineman – seniors Mat Cox, Sean Pieffer, and junior Brian Foley – average 223 pounds. Along with new tight-end Bobby Hendricks (6-2, 200) the line hopes to improve on last season’s 175.3 rushing yards per game. Hendricks with any luck will add some dimension to the passing attack as well. Only two returning players had catches last year.
Still far less questions remain unanswered as when pre-season practice opened. The Ram’s now have a quarterback, a stable of running backs, a solid linebacker corps, bulk at lineman, and most importantly a VHSL Hall of Fame coach roaming the sidelines.
With only 22 victories away from the 300 win mark – an achievement held by only three other Virginia coaches – Glenn Proctor keeps rolling on, and along with him Strasburg tradition.