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
No. 2 Oakton (6-0, 3-0) at Centreville (1-5, 0-3) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
The team in sole possession of first place in the Concorde District meets the team in sole possession of last, with the latter being the indisputably more-surprising standing. The Wildcats’ 27 points last week against Robinson were the most they have tallied all season in district play, but the 34 points allowed were also a season-high in conference. That defensive mark will likely need to improve as Centreville’s final four opponents have a combined record of 20-4.
The Cougars have won five straight in this series, but their margin-of-victory is barely three points per game. And no win in the stretch has been by more than seven points. But as hot as Oakton has been in 2008, Coach Joe Thompson‘s crew hopes to have this one locked up by half time.
No. 6 Chantilly (4-2, 1-2) at Robinson (3-3, 1-1) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
The Chargers previous three opponents have had a combined record of 16-2. Their next three are 7-11, so the Purple Platoon ought not be discouraged by their 1-2 conference record. Plus, the two losses are to No. 2 Oakton (6-0) and No. 4 Westfield (6-0). Mix in a stunning first-round, 17-14 playoff elimination at the hands of the Rams last season, and there is a certain recipe for Chantilly tenacity in south Fairfax on Friday.
Robinson, at .500, is entering a telling stretch of schedule. All four of its remaining opponents are .500 or better, with a 17-7 combined record.
No. 4 Westfield (6-0, 2-0) at Fairfax (3-3, 1-2) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Bulldog Coach Tom Verbanic is 5-0 all-time against his former school — average spread: 40-8 — and has won 64 of his last 66 regular-season games. In the two games he has coached against at Fairfax, the Bulldogs are 2-0, outscoring the Rebels 58-6.
Fairfax is 2-0 when yielding the first points, but just 1-3 when scoring first. That stat might work in their favor on Friday, though. Westfield senior running back Jordon Anderson has 53 carries for 433 yards and nine touchdowns — in the last three weeks. Six of his nine scores came in the first half.
Liberty District
No. 10 Madison (4-2, 3-0) at W.T. Woodson (4-2, 2-0) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
The Warhawks enter riding a four-game winning streak, none bigger than last week’s 18-14 victory at Langley. Senior running back Sasha Vandalov has established himself as Madison’s go-to ball carrier, an accomplishment in a backfield littered with downhill runners.
The Cavaliers, historically, have suffered from severe post-Westfield trauma. They are just 7-12 after facing the Bulldogs in the last three seasons, including a 1-4 stretch last season that pushed them out of the postseason.
Madison has won the last three meetings in this series, with only one win by less than 18 points. But if Woodson can find its form of two weeks ago, the Cavaliers may show all these stats where to go. They need just two more wins to ensure their first above-.500 record since 2004, the season they last won the Northern Region title.
South Lakes (1-5, 0-3) at McLean (0-6, 0-3) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Looking at their records, it is apparent the Seahawks and Highlanders are both desperate for a win. But neither has had much help from the schedule makers through six weeks.
South Lakes defeated the only opponent it faced with a losing record (Falls Church) and all five losses are to teams at .500 or better — those teams’ combined record is 21-8. None of its final four opponents have a winning record.
McLean, similarly, has only played one team with a losing record and three of its final four opponents are .500 or worse. Despite still having a goose egg in the win column, McLean is one of just six Northern Region teams to have scored in double digits every week — alongside Stone Bridge, Oakton, Edison, West Springfield, and West Potomac. But they allow 37.5 points per game.
The
last three games in this series have been decided by a combined 16
points, with the Seahawks’ only win coming last year, 21-14. But over those
three seasons, South Lakes boasts only one more overall victory than
McLean; these teams — despite having vastly contrasting offensive
styles — are almost dead even.
Langley (3-3, 2-1) at No. 1 Stone Bridge (6-0, 3-0) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
The Saxons have effectively fed the ball to senior running David Helmer throughout the season. But against a defensive front seven that features four Division I-A signees and yielded 0.13 yards per carry to South Lakes last week, Langley might want to mix in some short passes to keep the Bulldogs honest.
Stone Bridge’s lowest first-half output this season is 28 points. Langley has scored more than that in a game once this year, a 35-12 win against Marshall. The Bulldogs are 3-0 all-time in the series, the last two wins with 42-14 margin.
Marshall (3-3, 2-1) at Jefferson (1-5, 0-2) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
The Statesmen have exploited the patches in their schedule that they needed to do, recording a 3-0 record against teams with losing records. Five of their 10 overall opponents are currently 1-5 or worse, so Marshall is in line for a second-consecutive playoff run, provided it continues its success against those teams.
The Colonials may offer the most substantial challenge in that regard after its loss last week. Jefferson led Wakefield, 10-9, entering the final quarter, only to have the Warriors run up 28 unanswered points and coast to a deceptively one-sided win. The Colonials had two interceptions returned for scores, so keep an eye on Marshall senior defensive back Jamie Cleer.
Marshall has beaten Jefferson each of the last three seasons.
National District
J.E.B. Stuart (1-5, 0-3) at No. 3 Edison (6-0, 3-0) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
The Eagles have won 18 of their last 19 district games, including the postseason, and are 11-0 against the Raiders in Coach Vaughn Lewis‘ second stint as head coach. The last seven wins are by a combined — wait for it — 285-40.
Edison seniors Stephon Robertson and Angus Harper have combined for 1,071 yards on just 105 carries – 10.2 per attempt – and 15 touchdowns in six games, a stat to be updated weekly as it gets no less amazing. And although the Eagles did not have any special teams touchdowns in last week’s 38-0 win at Yorktown, they had four returns of 20 yards or more. Two were by junior Jerrell Haywood.
The last time these teams met at Edison, the Eagles scored 42 points — in the first quarter.
Falls Church (0-6, 0-3) at Mount Vernon (4-2, 2-1) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
The Jaguars have only beaten the Majors once since the 1990s — 36-0 in 2005, a year in which Mount Vernon finished 1-9.
Mount Vernon appears bound for a first-round, home playoff game. At 4-2, only one of its final four opponents has a record better than 2-4. Combined, those teams are 7-18.
Wakefield (2-4, 1-1) at Washington-Lee (3-3, 1-1) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
If the playoffs started today, the Warriors would own the tie-breaker over Robert E. Lee and be the No. 8 seed. The Generals would stand alone with the No. 7 seed.
So the implications are obvious for these teams that have not tasted the postseason in — literally — decades. The strength-of-schedule advantage after this game leans slightly towards Wakefield, whose opponents are 9-9. Washington-Lee’s road will be slightly tougher, as they are yet to face either Edison or Yorktown.
Washington-Lee senior running back Charlie Fuller‘s connection to Wakefield — he grew up in the Warriors’ district and would have gone there if not for a transfer — only adds the makings of a potential classic.
The Generals have taken five of the last six games in the series.
Patriot District
No. 8 South County (4-2, 3-0) at No. 5 West Springfield (4-2, 3-0) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
The Stallions provided one of the biggest upsets of last season, knocking off the then-one-loss Spartans, 35-31. In the game, West Springfield took a 31-28 lead with
two minutes remaining, only to have South County senior running back Titus Pennington take an
inside hand off and go 80 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
In
the previous two meetings between the schools, the Spartans had outscored the
Stallions, 111-50.
This time around, West Springfield could not enter the game any hotter, having won four games in row and scoring 48.8 points per game in that stretch. And its defense forced 13 total turnovers last week against West Potomac (see below). South County enters as winner of four of its last five, though, with losses only to No. 3 Edison (22-3) and No. 4 Westfield (9-7).
But the bitter taste of last season has not left the mouth of West Springfield and its quarterback, Bryn Renner, who lives in the South County school district. The
Spartans were 10-1 against non-state champions in 2007. The lone loss
came on October 12 at South County.
Lee (1-5, 0-3) at Annandale (3-3, 2-1) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Last year, a Lancer team still searching for its first win fell by three points to the Atoms at home. Lee has felt similar fourth-quarter heartache this season, but Annandale is much-improved from a year ago.
The Atoms are allowing fewer points and scoring more than they were at this time last season. But Lee seems destined for its second win sooner rather than later.
The X-factor will be the match-up of Atom wide receiver Melvin Robinson and Lancer defensive backs Jameel Pitt and Anton Bowman. Robinson may be second only to West Potomac’s Kristian Rodriguez as a big-play threat in the Northern Region. But Lee’s secondary has nine interceptions in the last three games, six by Pitt and Bowman. Pitt had three against the Wolverines alone.
No. 7 West Potomac (5-1, 2-1) at Lake Braddock (3-3, 1-2) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
After a surprising home loss to T.C. Williams, Lake Braddock returned to form with a 12-0 win over Lee for its first Patriot victory.
West Potomac, meanwhile, is coming off a loss for the first time in 2008. At West Springfield last Friday, the Wolverines coughed up possession 13 times to the Spartans — four fumbles lost, four interceptions thrown and five turnovers on downs.
Last year, West Potomac lost its first game in Week 6 to West Springfield, and went on to fall to the No. 5 seed in Division 6 due to losses in three of its last five games.
And in
this growing Patriot District rivalry, the teams have alternated wins
over the last eight games, including a split last year. Lake Braddock
trounced West Potomac, 41-0, in the regular season last year only to
have Wolverines eliminate the Bruins from the playoffs, 14-9, at Lake
Braddock. The home team is 7-1 since 2001. The lone exemption was last
year’s opening-round playoff victory by West Potomac.
T.C. Williams (1-5, 1-2) at Hayfield (1-5, 0-3) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
Despite their less-than-attractive record, the Titans have played great football three of the last four weeks. If they can repeat that quality of play, they will have little trouble dispatching the scrappy, but young and undersized, Hawks.
However, any Titan lapses in ball security and tackling will allow Hayfield junior quarterback Anton McCallum and freshman running back Steven Lynch to have a field day on T.C. Williams’ first Friday night game of the season.
The Titans have won the last two games in this series, average score: 30-14.
Non-District Games
No. 9 Herndon (4-2, 2-1) at Yorktown (4-2, 2-1) — Friday, October 10, 7:30 p.m.
This is annually one of the best non-district games all season and the 2008 edition should be no different. These two dark horses find themselves with quite realistic postseason aspirations. But it is the Hornets that may be in more need of a win.
They have yet to face Westfield or Oakton and, including Yorktown, Herndon’s last four opponents are a combined 19-5. That’s second only to district foe Centreville in schedule difficulty in the entire Northern Region. The Patriots’ final four opponents are a much more manageable 13-11.
Although Herndon has won all three meetings this decade, only one game was decided by more than a touchdown.
NORTHERN REGION WEEK 7: BY THE NUMBERS
6 – There are six teams to have scored in double digits every game this year: No. 1 Stone Bridge (6-0), No. 2 Oakton (6-0), No. 3 Edison (6-0), No. 5 West Springfield (4-2), No. 7 West Potomac (5-1) and McLean (0-6).
0.13 – Last week at South Lakes, the Stone Bridge defense held its opposition to 24 carries for 3 yards, an average of just 0.13 yards per carry.
20-4 – Centreville (1-5) has the most difficult final four weeks of any team in the Northern Region. It’s final four opponents, No. 4 Westfield, Mount Vernon, No. 6 Chantilly and No. 2 Oakton are combined 20-4.
42 – The last time Edison and J.E.B. Stuart met in Alexandria, Eagle senior running back Kevin Carter scored three touchdowns in the opening period. Edison posted 42 points in the first quarter that night.
9 – Westfield senior running back Jordon Anderson has 433 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns in the last three weeks.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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