For the second time in three weeks, the Meridian High School football team traveled to Front Royal and came away with a loss to Skyline Hawks. This one eliminated them from the Regional playoffs.

The Mustangs were playing postseason football for the first time in two years, but earning their first playoff win since 2021 would be an uphill battle on the road. When they faced Skyline back on Halloween, All-State running back Zayden Burks had his way with over 300 yards from scrimmage in a 33-43 defeat for Meridian. Objective No. 1 was to hold him in check.

Meridian was able to deliver a promising defensive effort, with Burks rushing for only 5.3 yards per carry on 41 attempts. Keaton Grace had 17 tackles for the Mustangs while Jack Mossburg had 16, and Jack Moore collected an interception while Alex Jacobson had four tackles for losses and a sack. Duke Dawson hauled in a 61-yard touchdown to give the road team an 8-7 lead early in the fourth quarter after a successful two-point conversion, but the Mustangs ultimately fell 22-8.

Still, head coach PJ Anderson had plenty to be pleased with in a game and season that reflected considerable growth within the Meridian program. Specifically, he made sure to shout out the 19 seniors on his squad, many of which have been four-year contributors. 

“They came into a tough situation where they were thrust into Varsity roles as ninth graders, and they got better every year,” he said. “I’m lucky to have coached them and I’ve learned as much from them as I hope they’ve learned from me.”

Meridian finishes with a record of 5-6, the most wins for the Mustangs in four years. The squad had five players (OL Ryan McDonald, RB Oumar Thompson, RB/PR Duke Dawson, TE Rex MacAlester, and LB Keaton Grace) receive All-District First Team honors while five more (OL Finn Hauber, LBs Seth Hahn and Jetson Fitzpatrick, DB Jack Moore, and P Junior Martinez) made the Second Team.