7 locals earn All-District, Bulldogs face Stuarts Draft in quarterfinal

~ PVN staff report

LURAY, Nov. 10 — Four Bulldogs and three Panthers were among the All-District selections in football announced earlier this week. Bull Run District regular-season champion Clarke County (9-1, 6-0) took the top individual honors this fall, as the Eagles’ Kyler Darlington was named the Offensive Player of the Year and Cordell Broy was named the Defensive Player of the Year.

Luray junior Brady Jenkins was the only local athlete selected as a first-team honoree on both sides of the ball — all-purpose on offense and linebacker on defense. The Bulldogs’ senior lineman Landen Dahnert earned first-team honors as a defensive end and second-team honors as an offensive lineman.

Page County senior Blake Turpen was selected as a first-team running back despite injuries that kept him out of a few games. Classmate Dylan Hensley earned second-team honors on both sides of the ball, as both a tight end on offense and a linebacker on defense.

Among other second-team All-District selections in football were Page County senior Brandon Dawson at defensive end, Luray junior Alex Runyan at defensive back, and Luray junior Kenny Frye as an all-purpose defensive player.

Clarke County finished as the Bull Run regular season champions with a district record of 6-0 and an overall mark of 9-1. The Eagles earned 16 All-District selections, including 12 first-team honorees.

Region 2B Playoffs

Due to Luray’s 26-20 loss on the road at Madison Friday night, the Page County Panthers (4-6) were knocked out of the Region B playoffs and will miss the post-season this fall after making it to the Region B semifinals in the spring. Page was projected to potentially win the district after their strong spring showing and a lot of returning players, but after several tough losses and then key injuries to junior quarterback Hayden Plum and senior running back Blake Turpen, the Panthers faded down the stretch. The Panthers dropped their final regular season game 44-7 on the road at Clarke Friday night.

The Bulldogs (4-5) have dropped five straight after starting the season at 4-0. On Friday night at Madison, Luray fumbled the ball a total of 14 times. They lost seven of those fumbles, and three of the turnovers resulted in a Mountaineers’ score. Despite the mishaps, the game was tied 6-6 at the half and 12-12 early in the fourth quarter. The 26-20 win gave Madison enough power points to pass Page in the rankings and take the final eighth seed in the Region B playoffs.

No. 8 Madison (3-7) travels to No. 1 Central of Woodstock (8-1) on Friday night in quarterfinal round action. Central re-entered the Bull Run District this fall after dropping back down to 2A classification and leaving the 3A Northwestern District. Central’s only loss this season came on the road at Clarke 13-7 on Sept. 17.

No. 7 Luray (4-5) travels to No. 2 Stuarts Draft (8-2). Draft’s only two losses this season came to Shenandoah District-rival Riverheads. The last two seasons, Draft has finished as the state runner-up behind two-time, 2A champ Appomattox.

No. 6 East Rockingham (4-5) travels to No. 3 Clarke (9-1). Clarke went undefeated in the Bull Run District at 6-0, but East Rock is the most improved team in the region, playing its best ball late in the fall after a 0-3 start.

No. 5 Buckingham (6-2) travels to No. 4 Strasburg (8-2). The Knights are the toughest team in the James River District, but Strasburg is the defending Region B runner-up and their only losses this season have been to Clarke and Central.

Central looks to be one of the favorites to win a Region B title after dropping down a classification this fall. However, Clarke has only missed the playoffs once in the last 14 years and won at least a share of a district title in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021. And then there’s Stuarts Draft…as we mentioned earlier, the two-time defending state runner-up. The battle for a region title and two tickets to the state playoffs — Region B champion and runner-up — will likely be among these three teams. Strasburg could also get on a roll and should be a tough opponent for anyone.

The only potential upset in the first round could be pulled off by East Rockingham. Their explosive passing game can catch an opponent off guard. But Clarke’s well-rounded attack and balance on both sides of the ball will be hard for the Rams to overcome.

Region B semifinals are set for Friday, Nov. 19.

To check schedules, rosters, results and standings for local high school sports,

see the Bull Run District website.

•••

RELATED ARTICLES

Turnovers spoil LHS homecoming in tough 14-0 loss to Clarke

Bulldogs drop second straight with 20-0 loss at Strasburg

Page drops heartbreaker to East Rock, 34-27

Luray postpones matchup with Central after canceling game at Stuarts Draft

Luray now 4-0 after beating Skyline, 45-27

Madison forfeits to Page after post-game celebration, Panthers alter homecoming plans

Luray scores 21 unanswered to overcome early deficit and beat Page, 21-12