On Saturday, the final 24 teams across the commonwealth battled on the gridiron for an opportunity to play in their respective classes' state championship.

Class 2 Region A champion Poquoson hosted Region B champion Strasburg at Poquoson Middle School in an atmosphere most high school football players dream of. Both teams’ stands were filled with spectators and the overflow filed along the fence line as the Islanders sought a visit to the championship contest after being crowned state champions in 2010 while Strasburg looked to make an appearance in the final game of the season for the first time since 1995.

As expected, both teams played physical on offense and defense and utilized their rushing attacks, which was an integral part of their success until this week. In a game that it felt either team could win, Strasburg led by a single point with Poquoson attempting to drive for a score in the final minutes. It was the Rams' defense, however, that made the play when they needed to as they had all day to propel Strasburg to a 14-13 victory and end the Islanders' season.

One play after Poquoson quarterback Eli Tyndall connected with Dominic Galacgar for an eight-yard gain on fourth and eight to keep the Islanders offense on the field is when Strasburg’s defense made the play that sealed the win. From his 41-yard line, Tyndall dropped back and heaved a pass toward his receiver on the left sideline.

Rams’ linebacker Brady Knight leaped into the air and tipped the pass that fell into junior teammate Hunter Williams's arms. The defensive back returned the interception to the Islanders' 42-yard line and from there the Strasburg offense ran out the final 1:18 on the game clock.

It was a fitting end for the Rams unit that forced three turnovers on the day and allowed the Poquoson offensive attack a total of 221 yards on the day. The first turnover came on the opening drive of the game and ended a drive that seemed certain to end in a Poquoson score. The Islanders opened the game with a 12-yard pass reception by Ryan Burke and then proceeded to run the ball six consecutive times to find themselves inside the Rams' 10-yard line.

Poquoson attempted to run up the middle on the next play, however, and the ball was jarred loose from running back Khaleo Smith’s hands and the Rams pounced on the football ending the Islanders' drive. Despite gaining momentum early, Strasburg was unable to convert the turnover into points before being forced to punt.

The Islanders' offense went back to work moving the ball effectively on the ground with Cody Little, Austin Conley, and Owen Cupp moving the chains. Cupp took his fourth run of the drive into the endzone from 11 yards out to put Poquoson on top 7-0.

Not to be outdone, Strasburg took over after the kickoff and went 69 yards on nine plays, all rushing attempts, and evened the score on a Takhi Coates five-yard rush.

The Rams' defense came up with their second turnover on Poquoson’s next offensive drive. After being unable to gain any yards on their first two plays, the Islanders went to the air on third and 10. Coates picked off the errant pass from Tyndall and was pushed out of bounds near midfield at the Islanders' 49-yard line.

Once again, Strasburg used their rushing game to reach the endzone. Four different Rams carried the football out of the backfield as Strasburg reached paydirt in 11 plays on a Coates six-yard run to give Strasburg a 14-7 advantage with less than a minute remaining before intermission.

The Poquoson defense forced Strasburg’s offense to turn the ball over on downs when the two teams came out of the break. After the Islanders' offense returned to the field, the Islanders methodically moved the ball against their opponents with Cupp and Heath Reynolds carrying the ball on six of the team's 10 plays during the drive.

Tyndall seemed to find some rhythm in the passing attack with two completions for 22 yards on the drive before running into the endzone himself on a seven-yard scamper. The extra point attempt failed, leaving Strasburg ahead on the scoreboard 14-13 after the Islanders touchdown.

With his team ahead slightly, Rams defensive lineman Jacob Britton made a pair of monumental sacks that helped determine the outcome of the game.

Poquoson’s offense appeared in sync on their next drive but the team had a first down conversion negated by a holding penalty to set up third and 13 near midfield. In the passing situation, Tyndall dropped back to pass but was taken down by Britton as he attempted to scramble resulting in a five-yard loss and effectively ending the drive.

Then, on the game's final drive, two plays prior to the first down pass, Britton dropped Tyndall for a twelve-yard loss forcing the Islanders to abandon their rushing attack altogether and setting up the final sequence of events.

Strasburg 0 14 0 0—14

Poquoson 0 7 6 0—13

SECOND QUARTER

P—Owen Cupp 11 run (Nolan Hinson kick), 11:11

S—Takhi Coates 5 run (Pablo Mora Hernandez kick), 7:06

S—Takhi Coates 6 run (Pablo Mora Hernandez kick), 0:41

THIRD QUARTER

P—Eli Tyndall 7 run (kick failed), 2:41

Takhi Coates, Strasburg…Entering the contest, Coates was leading Strasburg in rushing with 1,228 yards and was certain to be an integral part of the Rams’ offensive attack. Just a week earlier, Coates scored two rushing touchdowns, had two interceptions, and a kickoff return for a score. On an even bigger stage, the Region 2B offensive player of the year shone bright once again as he scored both touchdowns for the Rams offense while carrying the ball out of the backfield 25 times for 132 yards. Coates also pulled down an interception on defense in the second quarter of the contest that set up his second offensive score of the game.

Jacob Britton, Strasburg…A part of the Rams offensive attack that rushed for nearly 4,000 yards entering the contest with Poquoson, Britton and his fellow offensive linemen knew they were facing one of the toughest defenses they had all season. The Islanders had allowed 151 yards on average per contest to opponents entering the game and Strasburg’s offense found success with 234 yards of offense all on the ground. Britton’s biggest impact on the stat sheet, however, came on defense as he recorded a pair of sacks to add to his team-high and helped lead a unit that forced three turnovers that ended Poquoson's drives allowing the Rams to stay in control of the game, and complete the victory.

Rams' Defense Should Not Be Overlooked

When looking at the stat sheet, the yardage totals are not necessarily what stands out. Yes, Strasburg held Poquoson under their average of 274 yards per game but the Islanders offense found success on several drives during the day. Even more so, the Rams defensive unit could come up with the big play when they needed it. A turnover on the opening drive of the game thwarted the opportunity for the Islanders to gain the edge momentum-wise early. Then on what may have been the tensest moments of the game, the Rams unit stopped Poquoson twice from taking the lead in the final quarter and forced an interception to claim victory. The Rams have had final scores decided by a single point in three games this year and Strasburg has been able to pull out victories in two of those, thanks to their relentless defense.

Strasburg’s Offensive Line Gets It Done

Offensively it was no secret what Strasburg was going to do. The Rams accumulated 3,898 yards rushing this season while attempting just 42 passes in 13 games played, an average of just over 3 attempts per game. Against a Poquoson defense that had allowed opponents to rush for 81 yards per game on average, Strasburg nearly tripled that with 234 total yards on the day. With multiple players contributing to that success this season, the Rams' offensive line takes the majority of the credit for the ground games’ success. With Graham on the horizon, the front six/seven will need to put together one more outing of executional excellence to allow Strasburg to hoist the state championship trophy for the first time in school history.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Rams are headed to the Class 2 State Championship under first-year head coach Tripp Lamb to face Graham next Saturday in Salem, VA. Strasburg will face Graham who knocked off Glenvar 28-24 on Saturday with a touchdown in the final five minutes of the game. The good news for Strasburg is that the defense of the G-men gave up 295 offensive yards to the Highlanders but only 64 in the second half. Graham’s defense forced three turnovers in the victory.

Poquoson’s season comes to an end just short of the destination they had hoped for. Despite several injuries this season, the Islanders blasted through the Bay Rivers District and the postseason, only losing one game. The Poquoson defensive unit pitched four shutouts this season and gave up an average of nine points per game.

Offensively, the Islanders rushed for over 3,000 yards and had multiple players contribute to the success of their Wing-T approach. Losing 12 seniors to graduation this year means that many players from this year’s roster will be back on the gridiron setting the expectation that Poquoson will have the opportunity to make a deep run in the postseason in 2025.

Strasburg / Poquoson Preview Here

Graham Tops Glenvar 28-24 in Class 2 State Semis

Strasburg Wins Region 2B Crown, Routing Buckingham

Robert Edmonds has been contributing to Virginiapreps.com, part of the Rivals.com network, since 2013. Follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) @bigrob2523 and subscribe to his YouTube channel

for sports-related content. You can read his work in the Daily Progress
and occasionally in other journalism publications. He began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state with a focus in the Central Virginia area. He currently lives in Keswick with his wife and has seven children and two grandchildren. To contact Robert, please email him at bigrob2523@gmail.com.