Strasburg Overpowers Skyline in Wet Conditions
FRONT ROYAL, VA – Cool and rainy weather is perfect for a team that plays smash-mouth football, and Friday night in Front Royal provided just those conditions for Strasburg (3-0, 0-0 Bull Run). It wasn’t always easy, but a steady downpour, two fumbles, and an interception thrown in scoring position couldn’t keep the Rams from pulling out a convincing 28-14 win over Skyline High School.
The Hawks gave Strasburg a scare early in the game, however. Skyline’s (2-1) starting running back, Nathaniel Jackson, showed why he’s the area’s leading rusher as his team marched down the field. After picking up 14 and 15 yards on his first two runs, the drive stalled due to multiple holding penalties.
Strasburg took over on their 38-yard line after a punt and showed they too have weapons in the backfield. Senior running backs Josh Kibler and Michael Prince combined for 62 yards, including rushes of eight and 17 by Kibler. He would cap the drive by going the last 16 for his first of three scores on the night.
Skyline’s second drive of the evening looked eerily similar to their first. After arriving on Strasburg’s nine-yard line, and with first and goal, the Hawks began their march backwards. A motion penalty set the team back five yards on first down. Quarterback A.J. Jackson was then sacked for a three-yard loss followed by a holding penalty on the very next play. Finally, an intentional grounding call capped things off.
The Rams took advantage of the missed opportunity even though they received the ball at the four-yard line. With the Hawks keying on Kibler, Strasburg used their misdirection running game to perfection. Prince was the key, gaining 74 of his game-high 133 rushing yards (16 rushes, 8.31 avg.) on this drive alone. His 32-yard touchdown run put the Rams up 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
The Hawks, however, didn’t back down, tying the game up before halftime with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Kierien Caison and capitalizing off of a Strasburg fumble to score once more.
In the third quarter, the Rams regained a two-touchdown lead. Their second-half opening drive was masterfully orchestrated, going 66 yards on ten plays. Kibler finished it with his second touchdown run, scoring from the one-yard line.
Late in the third quarter, he found the end zone for the last time, scoring his team-high seventh touchdown of the season. Kibler broke the hundred-yard mark for the third straight game, with 18 carries for 103 yards (5.72 avg.). He also caught two screen passes from sophomore quarterback Kaleb McKelvey for another 60 yards.
The second half wouldn’t be as kind to Skyline as Strasburg made several adjustments to their defense. Nathaniel Jackson, who already had 89 yards at intermission, failed to get on track in the third and fourth quarters. He would garner only two more rushing yards the rest of the way, and the Hawks would fail to threaten any further.
Sophomore Colin Barnes contributed an additional 81 yards on 12 carries (6.75 avg.) for the Rams, while McKelvey finished with 11 yards on the night. Altogether, Strasburg had their biggest offensive output of the season, churning out 388 total yards, with 328 of those coming from the ground game. Skyline had previously allowed only 12 points on the season but yielded four touchdowns to the Rams.