Peninsula Game of the Week Preview - Bishop Sullivan (1-0) vs. Bishop Ireton (0-0) – Fannon Field, Alexandria, VA, Thursday, Sept. 1 @ 4 PM

New Ireton coach Kevin Barger and the Cardinals will have their hands full in this year's
opener against a new look powerhouse in Bishop Sullivan (photo by Jim McGrath)

In late July, recently hired Ireton Coach Kevin Barger was asked about the challenge of opening the 2016 season against Bishop Sullivan.

“You hear things like they have 11 Division I caliber players. But you can’t believe everything you hear,” said Barger.

And he’s right. In fact, it may be more than 11.

In reality, Barger is not at fault. To look at Bishop Sullivan’s team in 2015 was to see a 4-6 Crusader team trying to hold its own in the VISAA Division 2 classification. On the other hand, Ireton went 8-3 and made the VISAA Division 1 state final for a second straight year under Coach Tony Verducci.

What a difference a year has made.

It all started when Ocean Lakes coach Chris Scott, who had gone 86-10 with a 6A Virginia state title in 2014, abruptly left the Dolphins program, and was hired by Bishop Sullivan. What followed was a migration of star players to the tiny Catholic school (approximately 425 students) in Virginia Beach, such as Khalan Laborn (over 2,000 rushing yards and 32 TD’s in 2015), Tylan McElhenie, and Tahj Capehart (VA Tech commit) from the Dolphins program, followed by other transfers, such as all-state linebacker Teradja Mitchell from Bayside (Virginia Beach). An apparel partnership was formed with Under Armour, followed by a renovation of the Crusaders’ Finch Field. Quickly, a powerhouse was born.

Meanwhile at Ireton, the tide turned the other way. Verducci was not rehired under questionable circumstances. The official announcement stated that he had accepted an SES position with the Military Airlift Command (Verducci is a retired USMC Lt. Colonel) in Norfolk and would be unable to continue as coach. In fact, Verducci’s position had him commuting to Norfolk on Monday and Tuesday since last year, and the coach had no intention of resigning his position at Ireton. This led to an uproar from some Cardinal parents and alumni, which eventually led to an article about the circumstances surrounding Verducci’s dismissal by Mark Giannotto in the Washington Post last week.

Enter Barger, who spent the past seven seasons as an assistant coach at Catholic University. He brings a sense of patience to the cauldron on Cambridge Road, despite being hired late in the spring.

“I’m taking the time to get to know the players and figure out their strengths,” said Barger. He plans to install a Pistol offense, which should inject some life into the passing game.

Several key players will play both ways this season, including seniors Sam Smith (WR/CB), and Joseph Wenger (OT/DT). Otherwise, there are a number of question marks for Bishop Ireton, with the hope that many roles will be figured out quickly as a tough slate of games lies ahead.

Bishop Sullivan rolled past Liberty Christian 33-13 in its opener, which was not as close as the score indicates. Laborn ran for three touchdowns (40, 41, 49) of over 40 yards before halftime, as the Crusaders jumped to a 33-0 lead, which held until the game’s final eight minutes. McElhenie added an eight-yard touchdown run, while quarterback Tyler DeSue threw a 26-yard touchdown to Jamir Hudson.