By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C.
**Check back with DigitalSports throughout the week for video recaps of nearly every game in the Northern Region!!
Concorde District
Centreville (1-4, 0-2) at Robinson (2-3, 0-1) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
The Rams have won five of the last six games in this series, including playoff meetings in 2001, 2002 and 2004. The Wildcats hope to snap a three-game losing streak to the Rams tonight. Robinson’s three losses are to Stone Bridge, Westfield and West Springfield, all of whom partook in their respective regional final last year. No. 1 Stone Bridge and No. 4 Westfield are reigning VHSL AAA state champions.
The playoff aspirations of the loser are in serious jeopardy.
No. 7 Chantilly (4-1, 1-1) at No. 2 Oakton (5-0, 2-0) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
*Game will be covered by Jimmy Thomas — check back Saturday morning for a story, photos and highlights!
The Chargers have taken three straight games in this series, including a 23-14 win in the 2006 playoffs, but the Cougars won four of five before that. The annual playoff implications are obvious.
Last year at Chantilly, Oakton running back Trey Watts carried 13 times for 89 yards and three scores, while Chantilly running back Torrian Pace recorded 16 rushes for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Thanks to their deep supporting cast, the Chargers prevailed, 35-23, in a shootout. Expect less scoring this time around, but all the competitiveness — and all the consequences.
Fairfax (3-2, 1-1) at Herndon (3-2, 1-1) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
The winner of this clash of Concorde dark horses is guaranteed at least a share of third place in the district entering the second half of the regular season. The Rebels are 0-2 against teams with a winning record and – somehow – both of their losses came when scoring first. The Hornets only have one game left against a sub-.500 team, Week 9 at Robinson on the Rams’ Senior Night.
Since Fairfax joined the Concorde District in 2005, Herndon is 3-0 against them, average win: 40-6.
Liberty District
Madison (3-2, 2-0) at Langley (3-2, 2-0) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
The Warhawks enter riding a three-game winning streak, but it’s against opponents with a combined 3-12 record. But next three are against a combined 12-3 record. The Saxons’ only two losses came at No. 7 Chantilly and at No. 2 Oakton. Langley was without three-year starting quarterback Danny Pritchett and its leading-tackler, outside linebacker Austin Pritchett, in the latter.
Even if Madison falls for a fourth-straight game, the Vienna faithful need not lose hope. Despite having not had a sub-.500 record since 2000, Madison started 3-2 in both 2005 and 2006, recording a Week-6 loss in both seasons. And both times, the Warhawks won four of their final five games to qualify for the Division 5 playoffs.
McLean (0-5, 0-2) at Marshall (2-3, 1-1) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
These two teams have split the last eight games in this series, but the Statesmen have won three in a row against the Highlanders. This season, Marshall is 0-3 when scoring less than 13 points, 2-0 when putting up more than 13. It held Stuart to 64 total yards last week in a 28-0. McLean, although winless, has recorded double-digit points in every game.
The game is practically guaranteed to be close — five of the last six games have been decided by a touchdown or less, including Marshall’s 28-21 win last year.
No. 1 Stone Bridge (5-0, 2-0) at South Lakes (1-4, 0-2) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
Every season these teams have met, the Bulldog point output has progressively increased – 35 points in 2005, 42 in 2006, 54 in 2007. The South Lakes has one of the best collection of athletes around, but Stone Bridge is appearing to be a once-in-a-decade team. The Bulldog offense is scoring just less than 46 points per first half and last week senior running back Daniel Allen carried four times for 167 yards and four touchdowns.
Although one can’t anticipate 42 yards per carry from Allen again, the 8.9 average Stone Bridge held as a team may well be repeated. There is a shortage of adjectives to describe this team. Oh, by the way, the defense has four Division I-A signees in its front seven.
National District
No. 3 Edison (5-0, 2-0) at No. 10 Yorktown (4-1, 2-0) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
En route to a state title game appearance in 2006, the Patriots defeated the visiting Eagles, 22-14. That game stands as Edison’s only loss to a National District opponent in its last 18 games and its only loss to Yorktown in the last five meetings in the series, including an Eagle win in the 2006 Northern Region semifinals.
To repeat the success from two seasons ago, the Patriots must slow the two-headed Edison monster at running back. Seniors Stephon Robertson and Angus Harper have combined for 860 yards on just 84 carries – 10.2 per attempt – and 12 touchdowns in five games. The Eagles also have six special teams’ touchdowns, so the Patriot punt unit should probably aim for the snack bar to be safe.
Mount Vernon (3-2, 1-1) at J.E.B. Stuart (1-4, 0-2) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
The Majors are poised for a second-consecutive playoff run. At 1-1 in the National District, they only have one opponent in their last five games with a record better than 1-4 overall. Standing in their way is a Raider team coming off its worst offensive output of the season, when they totaled just 64 offensive yards in a 28-0 loss at Marshall on Friday.
If Stuart can put together the game it had against McLean, or the first half it had at Lake Braddock in Week 3, the Raiders may surprise the National District’s most physically overbearing team. If not, Mount Vernon may repeat its historical success against Stuart, which gave them eight straight wins. The average final in that span is 41-9.
The last time the Raiders beat the Majors – 29-6 in 1999 – they forced nine fumbles. Mount Vernon started 0-7 that year.
Washington-Lee (2-3, 0-1) at Falls Church (0-5, 0-2) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
The Generals are coming off an emotional home loss to the Majors in
their first district game of the year. But last season, Washington-Lee
beat Falls Church for the first time since the mid-90’s. So there is no
team the Jaguars would rather get their first win against than the
Generals, who are looking for their first winning season since 1993.
Patriot District
No. 5 West Potomac (5-0, 2-0) at No. 6 West Springfield (3-2, 2-0) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
*Game will be covered by Phil Murphy — check back Saturday morning for a story, photos and highlights!
The Spartans have taken three of the last four games — and five of the
last seven — from the Wolverines, with an average score line of 39-29
in favor of West Springfield. The last time these teams met
on the Springfield Field Turf was one of West Potomac’s two wins, an 81-74 triple-overtime track meet in 2006.
The game tied a national record for most points in a loss and was the
second-highest scoring game in the 93-year history of the Virginia High School
League — Kingsport, Tenn. defeated Norton, 173-0, on Sept 25, 1925.
Since West Springfield opened the season with losses at No. 1 Stone
Bridge (5-0) and to No. 3 Edison (5-0), they have won three in a row in
impressive fashion, averaging 49 points per game. Meanwhile, the Wolverines, although unbeaten, have sputtered in
recent weeks.
West Potomac took two overtimes to beat Lee (1-4), needing a
blocked would-be game-winning 22-yard field goal in the first extra
period. Then last week, the Wolverines trailed Hayfield (1-4) for much
of the game before taking control and escaping, 17-7.
This match-up of Patriot District favorites has immense playoff
bearing, even this early in the season. And despite a degree of
uncertainty, there is one guarantee: Points.
Annandale (2-3, 1-1) at Hayfield (1-4, 0-2) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
The Atoms have beaten every sub-.500 team they’ve faced, a stat that will be put to the test over the next three weeks as their next three games are against teams with losing records. Annandale’s three losses are to No. 2 Oakton, No. 7 Chantilly and No. 6 West Springfield.
The Hawks have not beaten the Atoms since their reclassification to Division 5. Their last victory over Annandale came in 2005, a season in which the Atoms won their first of two straight Patriot District titles.
Lake Braddock (2-3, 0-2) at Lee (1-4, 0-2) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
The Lancers rocked the Bruins, 31-17, in 2005, their first season in the Patriot District. But since then, Lake Braddock has controlled the series, winning the last two meetings by a combined 55-6.
Last year at home, the Bruins scored all three of their touchdowns from further than 45 yards away, but nearly every contributor from that game has graduated. But, with how Lake Braddock lost at home to T.C. Williams last Saturday, it is just as desperate as Lee – who blew a 10-point lead to South County last week with :46 seconds left – to notch its first Patriot win and avoid a dreaded 0-3 district start.
No. 9 South County (3-2, 2-0) at T.C. Williams (1-4, 1-1) — Saturday, October 4, 1 p.m.
Last season, the both teams were 2-3 when they met in Week 6. Senior QB Chris Mitchell carried 26 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns in a 22-18 Stallion win. Then-junior defensive back Karlos Morgan added a 53-yard, fake-punt-pass-interception-return touchdown to close out the scoring. But both teams scored three times; the four point difference was solely from PATs.
The Titans looked like a new team last week in a 20-3 road win at Lake Braddock, but they are 0-4 at their new home stadium, the location of this game.
Non-District Games
No. 8 W.T. Woodson (4-1, 2-0) at No. 4 Westfield (5-0, 2-0) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
In the fourth year of this mid-season, non-district series, the
Bulldogs hold a 95-16 scoring advantage and have swept the three
previous meetings. And after all three games, the Cavaliers have looked
somewhat shell-shocked, recording an aggregate 7-12 record for the rest
of the season after playing Westfield.
Last year, Woodson entered the Week-5, Homecoming Game with a 4-1
record, only to fall 31-0, lose four of its final five games and,
consequently, miss the postseason.
Jefferson (1-4, 0-2) at Wakefield (1-4, 1-1) — Friday, October 3, 7:30 p.m.
The Warriors have played their best football of the season in their
last two games. Wakefield beat Falls Church two weeks ago for its
first win, then hung close to perennial power Edison last week,
trailing by just two scores at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Colonials have owned this series, winning the last five meetings.
But Jefferson has lost four in a row after opening the season with a
one-point, overtime home win over Falls Church. Four of the Colonials’ final five
games are against teams with a losing record.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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