Luray outscores opponents 109-0 in last two games; Jenkins records 5 TDs in Homecoming victory and averaging almost 14 ypc in last three games
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Sept. 18 — On Friday night, the Luray Bulldogs completely dominated a struggling Rock Ridge program from Ashburn during Homecoming at Bulldog Field.
In the first half alone, Luray scored six touchdowns on just 12 plays, while the visitors gained only 13 yards on 26 plays (and five of those yards were due to a Luray penalty). A running clock was initiated midway through the second quarter and continued throughout the second half, as the Bulldogs easily rolled to a 54-0 non-district victory.
Quality of the opponent aside, LHS Coach Skip Hamilton felt like his team executed well on both sides of the ball.
“That’s one of the things we strive for every week…We had a good game tonight, but we’re gonna find where we made mistakes and we’re gonna look at those mistakes and we’re going to try to eliminate them,” Coach Hamilton said. “Cause I know you’re never going to play a perfect football game, but by God, if you keep striving for perfection you’re going to be petty darn good.”
In what seems to be a special season brewing for the Bulldogs, they have been more than “pretty darn good.” Through four games, Luray has outscored their opponents 164-40, including two Class 3 schools. In the last two games, they have shown complete dominance by outscoring opponents 109-0.
In the last three games, senior quarterback Ryan Jenkins is averaging nearly 14 yards per carry, while amassing 515 yards on 37 carries and 12 rushing touchdowns. Jenkins has thrown for three more TDs, while going 8-for-20 through the air for another 233 yards. That’s a total of 15 touchdowns and a combined 748 yards of total offense in just three games (not counting the season-opening loss at East Rockingham).
And the season is not even at the midway point yet. If not for two holding penalties that called back two touchdowns on the road in Week 1 at East Rock, the Bulldogs would be perfect on the 2026 season.
“This is a special group of guys,” Coach Hamilton said. “They’ve worked hard to get here.”
Friday night’s Homecoming bout was a complete mismatch. Luray scored on all six first half possessions — four of them on a single play. Jenkins had three touchdowns and 84 yards on just five carries. He also threw a 66-yard touchdown to junior Chester Jeffries. Junior Caleb Cyphert added two touchdowns and 51 yards on just three carries. In total, Luray had 200 yards of offense in the first half, compared to Rock Ridge’s 13 yards (with five coming from a Luray penalty). The Bulldogs lead 41-0 at the break.
A running clock was started with seven-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter. It continued throughout the second half, and the last two quarters were reduced from 12 to 10 minutes.
Luray committed two turnovers in the third quarter, after losing a successful onside kick by Rock Ridge to open the second half and then losing a fumble on their third possession. Jenkins scored his last touchdown in the third quarter off a 47-yard run, and sophomore Johnny Cooks added the game’s last score in the fourth off a three-yard touchdown run.
Rock Ridge ran four plays and gained 17 yards after the successful onside kick that opened the second half. It would be their most successful drive of the night. The Bulldog defense racked up enough tackles for loss to end the opponent’s second half with negative (7) yards of offense. Rock Ridge ended the night with a game total of six yards. Their top two runners had an identical 12 yards on 10 carries. The visitors suffered a fumble, a bad snap on a punt, and a blocked punt in the second half that added to the negative yardage.
Luray finished the Homecoming game with just under 300 yards of offense, with 228 yards on 18 carries (12.7 ypc as a team) and another 66 yards through the air on 1-for-5 passing. Jenkins had a game total of 131 yards on six carries (21.8 ypc) and four TDs on the ground, while also connecting through the air to Jeffries for a fifth touchdown. Cyphert finished with 51 yards on three carries (17 ypc) and two touchdowns. Senior Joseph Taylor got action in the second half, carrying the ball seven times for 32 yards (4.6 ypc).
Despite scoring eight touchdowns in just 23 plays on Friday night, the Bulldogs know the schedule gets much tougher. Up next, Luray (3-1) closes out non-district action at Perry Mccluer on Friday, Sept. 25, before taking a week off on Oct. 2 and then opening up Bull Run District action by hosting the defending Class 2 state champions from Strasburg on Friday, Oct. 16. With Central struggling a little this year, the game against the Rams should be the toughest game remaining on the schedule before entering the VHSL Class 1 playoffs.
Out of the Shenandoah District, Riverheads is already 2-2 on the season, not showing their dominance of previous years. Buffalo Gap, who ended Luray’s 2025 campaign in the first round of region, is currently 3-1. Sussex Central and Surry, out of the Tri-Rivers District, are among the seven undefeated teams in Class 1, which also includes Craig County (Pioneer), Northumberland (Northern Neck), Rye Cover (Cumberland), and Northwood and Chilhowie (Hogoheegee).
Coach Hamilton is building something at Luray, and 2026 could be a special season for the Bulldogs.
“These seniors were in ninth grade when I took over, so we had to go through our lumps…2-8…and 2-8….and then they came up as sophomores and juniors, and we got to 6-4, and that just made them hungry for more,” he said.
“They worked in the off-season, and they did what we asked them to do…and they’re doing what we ask them to do in practice,” Coach Hamilton continued. “They accept coaching…these days if you can find a kid that’s going to accept a little bit of coaching and not get their feelings hurt about it….that’s rare, so this is a special group. They can see what we’re doing.”
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