STRASBURG — Strasburg is coming off a bye week and feeling good as the Rams start their Bull Run District schedule this week.

The Rams play at Page County on Friday and Strasburg head football coach Tripp Lamb said the team had a good bye week last week.

“We didn’t really have any injuries, so it was a pretty physical week,” Lamb said. “It was a tough week for the guys, and we came out of it kind of how everybody wants to do (after a bye) week and that’s coming out of it better than they were going in. We focused on us, cleaned up some things and we had a good physical week. We had a lot of fun with the guys.”

Lamb said in a lot of ways the bye week was like August again with a lot of energy and excitement from his players.

The Rams (4-1) are coming off an impressive 49-14 win over Class 3 powerhouse Turner Ashby, and Lamb said he was really proud of his team’s performance against the Knights.

“We challenged the guys when we went down to TA,” Lamb said. “We challenged them right before the game to come out fast and to come out not sluggish like we kind of have been. And the guys answered the bell. That was a big win for the program. Obviously, they’ve got one of the best programs in the area, especially in the Valley. And to go down there and win like we did, it was pretty special. The kids really enjoyed it. But that’s in the past now, so we’ve got the Bull Run District opening up this week. So we’re all in on that.”

Lamb said that the play of the offensive line was once again a key to the victory.

“I thought up front is really where we won the game,” Lamb said. “Those guys up front do such a good job firing off the ball and staying on their blocks. And what I think is most special about that group is how good they get to the second level, and even third level in some cases to bust some really long runs. We’ve got plenty of backs in the backfield that we feel like we can hand the ball to and have success. So when you’ve got an offensive line like that and you’ve got some good running backs, you’re going to score some points, and that’s kind of what we’ve been doing.”

Lamb said he feels like the non-district schedule has helped prepare his team for the upcoming Bull Run District schedule.

“The Bull Run’s obviously very tough and very competitive week in and week out,” Lamb said. “So we’re hoping that a tough out-of-district schedule with some bigger schools, and some schools with some bigger names than ours is really going to help us close it out. Hopefully, we can be where we want to be to have a chance to win the district.”

Strasburg is led by its offensive line, which has paved the way for 1,775 rushing yards this season. Junior Quincy Williams has rushed for 742 yards and 12 touchdowns, despite missing one game due to injury. Senior Brady Knight has 267 rushing yards and one score, and senior Linkyn Bosworth has 228 rushing yards and three touchdowns for the Rams. Senior linebacker Nate Turner has 48 tackles and two sacks to lead Strasburg on defense.

Page County (2-3) is an improved team, coming off of back-to-back wins with a young team and a new offense.

“They run a version of the single-wing (offense),” Lamb said. “We’ve been playing Clarke (County) running the single-wing for years. So we’re pretty familiar with it. They’re big up front. They come off the ball well. So it’s going to be a challenge for us, but I think it’s one that we’re up for.”

Lamb said the Panthers are also solid on defense this season.

“They fly around to the ball really well,” Lamb said. “So we’re going to have to make sure that we’re staying on blocks, because they’ve got some runners that will run you down and catch you if you don’t. So I’ve got to make sure that we’re doing that.”

The Rams have some strong momentum right now and Lamb said he wants to see his team continue to play at a high level this week.

“I want to see us come out right from the beginning,” Lamb said. “That’s going to be what I want every week is just trying to play four full quarters starting from the very beginning and not letting off in the first half at some point and then coming out in the second half trying to be heroes. We want to be playing ball for all four quarters.”