Strasburg vs James Wood

Posted: September 21, 2013

By GREG BRILL

Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Strasburg senior tight end/defensive end Jonathan Kloosterman is what opposing coaches might call a “load.”

Listed at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Kloosterman was quite a matchup nightmare for James Wood on Friday night.

When he latched on to the many balls thrown his way by junior quarterback Mark Smoot, Kloosterman was hard to bring down and got plenty of YAC (yards after the catch). When he lined up across James Wood’s offensive line, he was usually in the backfield just after the handoff.

Kloosterman even found time to deny one of the few opportunities the Colonels had to score — blocking a field goal.

An early touchdown catch by Kloosterman set the tone and the Rams, who had not played in two weeks, looked like the fresher team as they handled James Wood with ease, 32-0, at Kelican Stadium.

“[Kloosterman’s] a college [level] football player,” said James Wood coach Mark McHale, who should know, having had many stops on the collegiate level during his long coaching career. “I was real impressed with him on both sides of the ball there. He blocked the field goal, he was in the backfield blitzing and getting [tackles] for loss.

“I think he caught every pass but one that they threw to him. He’s a good blocker, a good tight end, and a good physical athlete.”

On the night, Kloosterman made seven catches for 164 yards and was on the receiving end of two touchdown passes thrown by Smoot.

If James Wood was determined to take the run away, and also showing the blitz, Smoot was ready to read the defense quickly and make plays.

A left-hander, Smoot was productive when it was needed, passing for 248 yards (he completed 12 of 20 passes) and three touchdowns in the romp.

“It worked out that way,” Strasburg coach Mark Roller said of Smoot’s ability to pick James Wood apart. “Watching the Warren County game last week [a 41-20 loss by the Colonels], they played a lot of man-to-man coverage and we figured we’d kind of take advantage of that a little bit.

“They didn’t play as much man tonight, but when you play a cover-two, you leave the middle open and leave some gaps on the side. We took advantage of what they gave us.”

The Rams (2-1) were determined to come back and play a lot better after getting shut out at home two weeks ago by East Rockingham.

By halftime, Strasburg led James Wood 22-0 and had outgained the Colonels (0-4) 257-126.

“We had a tough loss [last time out] and we had to get back on track,” Smoot said. “They’re a way bigger school [4A] than us [2A].

“... It was nice to bounce back. I mean, that was our goal, to get this win and get back on the upside. We wanted to go 2-1, not 1-2. We thought we’d beat them.”

The Rams held James Wood to a three-and-out on the game’s first series, then went to work to take the lead.

Smoot kept the Rams’ first drive going with a 14-yard completion into the right flat to Colt Cowgill on fourth down, and two plays later found his most trusted receiver for six.

Breaking off coverage down the near sideline, Kloosterman won the ball on a fade route from James Wood’s Dakota Orndorff and went 39 yards for a touchdown.

Smoot then went to Cowgill with the a two-point pass and an 8-0 lead with 7:33 left.

“We split [Kloosterman] out and I told him to run a vertical [route],” Smoot said. “I just told him to bump out, and it was one-on-one.”

Said Kloosterman: “There was no safety help, he just lobbed it up and I came down with it.”

James Wood came right back and had a golden opportunity to get back in it. Hunter Rutherford burst off-tackle for a gain of 52 all the way to the Strasburg 2. But four straight running plays only got the Colonels just inches from the goal line and coming up empty.

“If you don’t punch the ball in from the one-yard line, it sets the tone for the game,” McHale said.

Strasburg went up two touchdowns in the second quarter on a drive that featured a lot of Kloosterman. Then on a play from the James Wood 26, Smoot handled a blitz by finding Kloosterman open over the middle. Kloosterman made the catch at the 15, turned, and headed to the end zone.

Kloosterman also made a catch that gained 33 yards (with at least 20 after the catch) that keyed a third-quarter drive that saw Smoot throw his third touchdown (a 14-yarder for running back Colton Funk) and another gain of 25 (with at least 10 yards after the catch) on a drive that stalled at the 4.

Smoot’s 1-yard run with 38 seconds left in the first half was huge for momentum (it capped a 94-yard drive), but the overall play of Kloosterman — and his pass-catching skills and ability to break numerous tackles — sparked this win.

“I try to run hard after the catch,” Kloosterman said. “I’m bigger than most cornerbacks. If they go high [with the tackle], it doesn’t bring me down.

“[Smoot] was reading the defense really well. Their line backers were blitzing just about every play, so we knew the middle was open.”

Ryan Smoot — Mark’s twin brother — was a standout on defense all night, and he wrapped up the win for Strasburg by tackling Rutherford in the end zone for a safety with a little more than a minute left in the third quarter.

Strasburg produced over 400 yards in its win, getting 156 on the ground and 248 through the air.

On the other side of things, James Wood had just a net of 245 yards, a chunk of that coming late when the reserves were in for both teams.

“I was encouraged by what I saw from our defense,” Roller said. “They were big up front. Overall, it was a great effort from our guys. And it was a very physical game.”

The Colonels, who have had trouble stopping teams from scoring, know they still have work to do.

McHale can see it and he hopes something positive can turn around the fortunes of a program that has now lost 13 straight dating back to last season.

“We have to keep working at it and the kids have to believe that football can always change,” McHale said. “If we don’t give up the big play [early] and go down and punch it in, then [perhaps] it’s a different ball game.

“That’s the way football usually goes. We’ve got to get that 1-9 [2012’s record] mentality out of us and get some confidence.”

James Wood’s leading rusher on the night was backup Connor Rhodes, who netted 88 yards (all in the fourth quarter) on 13 carries.

James Wood again leaned heavily on the run (34 of 42 plays were runs).