By Craig Juer — Daily Staff Writer

FRONT ROYAL — Thanks to Handley's surprising win over Sherando last week and an unexpected 5-0 start to the season by Skyline, the Judges-Hawks tilt tonight in Front Royal (for Skyline's homecoming) has blossomed into one of the more compelling games of the season.

Handley coach Tony Rayburn said his team hasn't shown any signs of lingering on the Sherando win and failing to focus on Skyline.

"I think they respect what they've done, so I think it would be easier for them to focus knowing they've got another big game this week," he said. "We've had, really, two practices, and they've been pretty good."

Skyline coach Heath Gilbert isn't worried about his team resting on its laurels, not with Handley, James Wood and Sherando left to play.

"They're the teams that have shown that they're better than us," he said. "So no matter who they played the week before, what they did, it doesn't matter to us. We know that they're the top dogs."

Skyline's 28-21 win over Millbrook a week ago did earn the Hawks, at least in their eyes, a modicum of acceptance among the Frederick County schools that dominate the Northwestern District.

"I don't know if they think that, but our kids do, and that's the most important thing," Gilbert said. "Our kids have confidence."

Handley hopes tonight to have defensive lineman Warren Pink, who separated his left shoulder against Sherando.

"He's not hitting yet," Rayburn said on Wednesday, "but when they re-evaluate him, there's a chance he could play."

Lineman Derek Dowrey will miss the game, and perhaps another few weeks, with a leg injury, according to Rayburn.

Gilbert expects quarterback Kieren Caison to be over a hip injury in time to play tonight, and hopes running back Cliff Woodard returns from a calf injury.

"Cliff got dinged up a little bit, and he hasn't been able to go full tilt this week," he said.

* TIME TO REGROUP: Sherando lost its first game in 28-straight regular season contests on Saturday, 21-19 to Handley, and will try to get back on track Saturday against Central for homecoming.

"I think we've responded very well so far," Warriors coach Bill Hall said. "Obviously, we'll be able to tell more on Saturday."

The Warriors were behind the eight ball against the Judges because of a failed extra point last Saturday, as starting kicker Lukas Stump sat out with a knee injury. Hall was characteristically opaque when asked if Stump would be back to take over for Justin Haines this weekend.

"We'll have to see," he said coyly. "I don't know."

Central is also hoping to rebound, coming off a 34-6 thumping by James Wood.

"Two really cheap pass plays and they blocked a punt, and we give them 21 points in the first half — the score was 21-7 at halftime," Central coach Mike Yew said. "And we missed a wide-open receiver for a touchdown. So we could have very easily went into halftime 14-6, 14-7, or even 7-6. I'm not trying to take anything from James Wood, but our kids, we're trying to stress 'One man, one play,' and it seems like whenever we have our problems, it's because one man takes a play off or does this one play and we don't do it the way we're supposed to do it."

The Falcons will return running back Hoyle Laughlin (hip injury), but will be without linemen Leo Santoyo (concussion) and Andrew Poniris, who had a blood clot on his knee.

* Contact Craig Juer at cjuer@nvdaily.com