Northern Virginia Week 11 High School Football Recap - Six Teams Finish Unbeaten

The final week of the high school regular season saw the coronation of all district champions, the distribution of playoff matchups, and the successful season finale for six undefeated Northern Virginia teams.

Only one previously unbeaten team lost over the weekend, and that was a guaranteed fate, as Stone Bridge and Broad Run, both 9-0, clashed with the Bulldogs grinding out a 21-13 win.

In other games, Colonial Forge, Westfield, Eastern View, Freedom-Woodbridge and Flint Hill all easily dispatched their opponents to finish 10-0, or in the case of the Huskies, 9-0. Only Colonial Forge had an opponent within 30 points, as would be expected against a strong North Stafford squad.

Freedom’s A.J. Felton may have qualified for the outstanding performance of the weekend, accounting for six touchdowns – four by air, and two on the ground. Yet for a few teams with playoff aspirations, this weekend was all about getting more players into the game and allowing the game-changers to take a few reps off. That is, the teams that had already punched their playoff ticket and did not have to worry about bumping up a seed or two.

This week’s recap will take a look at each perfect team, and also the highlights from other key matchups.

Stone Bridge 21, Broad Run 13

This game had the earmarks of a classic, but Stone Bridge was a slight favorite, especially after the Spartans almost dropped a game in Week 10 to 1-8 Briar Woods before sneaking away with a 16-14 win.

On Friday night, the Bulldogs offense was focused on 215-pound running back Nick Mell. Mell scored all three of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns, and rushed for 182 yards on 31 carries, many of which came on a final time-eating drive, replete with 13 straight running plays, that the Bulldogs used to run out the game’s final nine minutes. In all, the Bulldogs ground out 261 yards.

The drive came after Kesean Dyson recovered a Stone Bridge fumble deep in their territory and returned it five yards for a touchdown, putting the Spartans within eight points.

Stone Bridge will host Lee (4-6) next weekend, while Broad Run will clash with Wakefield (3-7), both in Region C.

Freedom-Woodbridge 64, Colgan 34

Meanwhile in Woodbridge, the Eagles (10-0) secured the Cardinal District title and a perfect regular season with an offensive show led by its star quarterback A.J. Felton.

Felton completed 15 of 21 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns to lead his team to a pedestrian win over a Colgan Sharks team that showed a lot of offensive firepower in its initial year as a varsity team. He also rushed for 105 yards with two TD’s.

Tyquan Brown added 115 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, while Zack Person had two touchdown receptions and Jeremy Ford (5 catches, 111 yards) added another.

Freedom will host South County next weekend in a Class 5, Region C matchup. Colgan finished its inaugural season at 3-7.

Colonial Forge 34, North Stafford 14

Colonial Forge will be one of the few teams in Virginia to enjoy a bye week in Round 1 of the playoffs, which commence next weekend. North Stafford, a team that topped the Eagles in the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star pre-season poll, was expected to provide more of a challenge, but Colonial Forge used a pair of first quarter pick-six interceptions by Ian Ector and Johnnie Walker to build a quick 14-0 lead which it never relinquished.

The Eagles had nine different rushers, but Ernesto Bowen gained 153 of his team’s 305 to pace Colonial Forge (10-0). Ethan Garwood passed for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Jadon Redding booted field goals of 41 and 31 yards.

Devyn Ford paced the Wolverines (7-3) with 81 yards rushing and a short touchdown.

Flint Hill 38, Maret 7

The Huskies clinched the MAC title and an undefeated (9-0) regular season with an easy win over their D.C. private school rival.

Jordan Houston rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskies. Miles Thompson completed 11 of 14 passes for 224 yards for a touchdown and also ran for a score. Mark Lewis added a rushing and receiving touchdown for Tom Verbanic’s team, which clinched the #1 seed for the upcoming VISAA Division I playoffs where they will host the Potomac School (6-3) in the opening round next Saturday at 1 pm.

Eastern View 56, King George 0

D’Ago Hunter scored three different ways to lead the Culpeper school to an easy win over the Foxes, clinching its own undefeated season at (10-0).

Hunter returned a kickoff 85 yards for his first score, ran for a two-yard touchdown and caught a 45-yard scoring pass from quarterback Matt Lowey, to earn the third scoring trifecta of his prep career.

Trey Holmes rushed for 226 yards and three touchdowns, and Zack Thomas caught two scoring passes.

In spite of their perfect record and 54 point-per-game offense, the Cyclones earned only a #4 seeding in next week’s Class 4, Region B playoffs as Dinwiddie, Monacan and Louisa also finished with 10-0 records, and edged Eastern View in power points.

Westfield 46, Chantilly 7

Eugene Asante ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns, and Noah Kim tossed for 200 yards and a pair of scores as the Bulldogs finished the regular season 10-0 with the #1 seed in 6A Region D.

Taylor Morin added three catches for 114 yards with a touchdown, as the Dogs tallied 535 yards against a Charger team that finished the season winless.

Westfield will host #8 Battlefield in Round 1 next weekend.

Centreville 31, Madison 7

Keenan Anunay caught a touchdown pass and returned an interception for a touchdown as Centreville overwhelmed the Warhawks on Friday.

The Wildcats gained only 280 yards, but 47 came on a touchdown run by Jordan Wright, wo totaled 87 on six carries. Presley Egbers stuck to his short, accurate passing game and completed 12 of 16 passes for 133 yards.

Centreville finished the season at 8-2 while Madison is 7-3. The teams will meet again in Centreville for Round 1 of the playoffs next weekend.

Patriot 14, Battlefield 7

Ike Onwuka gained 134 yards rushing and Chris Sonnenberg threw for 138 yards and a touchdown as Patriot won in a defensive battle to clinch the Cedar Run championship.

Both teams will be on the road next weekend. Patriot (8-2) will travel to Falls Church to face Marshall in a #4 - #5 game, while Battlefield (7-3), as the #8 seed will be in Chantilly to face top-ranked Westfield.

Other weekend scores

Briar Woods 37, Rock Ridge 20

Bullis 57, St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes 13

Champe 51, Freedom-South Riding 16

Colonial Forge 34, North Stafford 14

Dominion 55, Park View 6

Fairfax 15, W.T. Woodson 14

Hayfield 42, Oakton 31

Hylton 49, Forest Park 18

John Paul the Great 23, Bishop Ireton 15

Lake Braddock 28, South County 21

Landon 27, Episcopal 26

Langley 34, McLean 10

Lee 33, Edison 21

Loudoun County 10, Heritage 7

Marshall 29, Wakefield 14

O’Connell 30, Paul VI 0

Osbourn Park 28, Osbourn 14

Potomac School 41, Sidwell Friends 12

Robinson 49, West Springfield 21

South Lakes 42, Herndon 6

Stuart 21, Falls Church 14

T.C. Williams 40, Annandale 7

Tuscarora 21, Potomac Falls 0

West Potomac 34, Mt. Vernon 20

Woodbridge 35, Gar-Field 0

Woodgrove 35, Loudoun Valley 28

Yorktown 55, Washington-Lee 28

Northern Virginia Week 10 High School Football Recap - Alston Scores 6 TD's in South Lakes' 52-14 Win Over Yorktown

Week 10 saw the crowning of several district champions, as well as the solidifying of playoff rankings for some teams. With one week to go, many squads have concluded their regular season, while others have opted for a Week 11 game. In the next six days, all of the seedings and matchups will be determined, and our playoff coverage will commence.

One team, T.C. Williams, cemented its position for a playoff spot, with a 38-31 win over Mount Vernon. At 6-3, Jimmy Longerbeam’s Titans’ are now concerned with their final contest, an away matchup at Annandale, but at least the post-season looks like a certainty for the team that entered the weekend seeded eighth in Class 6 Region C.

However, neither T.C nor Mt. Vernon will win the Gunston District. That honor went to Hayfield (7-2), who snuck past Annandale 50-43 in an offensive clinic. With the win, Hayfield, seeded fifth in Region C last week, has also increased its chances to host a first-round playoff game.

None of the undefeated squads toppled over the weekend. Colonial Forge (9-0), Westfield (9-0), Eastern View (9-0), Freedom-Woodbridge (9-0), Stone Bridge (9-0), Broad Run (9-0) and Flint Hill (8-0) all won, although Broad Run was nearly upended by Briar Woods before escaping with a 16-14 win.

There were several notable performances from the weekend. South Lakes Spencer Alston, a leading candidate for RecruitNoVA.com’s player of the year, scored six touchdowns in the Seahawks 52-14 win over Yorktown, which starts this week’s game coverage.

South Lakes 52, Yorktown 14

This matchup between two 7-1 squads had all the markings of a nail biting, touchdown swapping, last team with the ball wins’ type of classic.

It wasn’t. Spencer Alston scored on runs of six and two yards, and caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Devin Miles – in the first quarter alone. Alston ended up rushing for 255 yards and five touchdowns, while catching six passes for 69 yards as the Seahawks romped Yorktown.

Alston scored South Lakes first six touchdowns, as the Seahawks built up an early 21-0 lead. Yorktown scored all of its points in the first half, with Davis Patterson’s 75-yard touchdown reception from Grant Wilson serving as the Patriots’ highlight for the evening. With the win, South Lakes enhanced its chances of hosting a playoff game as the #4 seed, while Yorktown appears likely to hang on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Class 6, Region D classification.

Woodbridge 23, Hylton 20

Meanwhile, in Woodbridge, a back-and-forth game between two Class 6, Region C teams battling for preferred position took place, and it wasn’t decided until the very end.

Jordan Mejia’s 20-yard field goal split the uprights as time expired to give the Vikings (8-1) a 23-20 comeback win. With Mount Vernon’s loss, Woodbridge will now take over the #2 seed in Region C.

Woodbridge was trailing 20-13 when Lamont James scored on a three-yard run to tie the game.

But Dashuan Jerkins picked off Keyshawn Copeland’s pass on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, setting up Mejia’s game-winning kick.

Ricky Slade (1,374 yards rushing, 19 TD in 2017) gained 136 rushing yards and two TD’s on 19 carries, while throwing a 40-yard scoring strike to Ra’Quan Johnson to give Hylton the 20-13 lead. In the end it wasn’t enough, as Woodbridge (8-1), behind Antevious Jackson (15 of 20, 154 yds., TD) pulled away with a game-winning drive, highlighted by a 38-yard strike from Jackson to Kurt Sanders.

T.C. Williams 38, Mount Vernon 31

Late last week, Majors’ coach Monty Fritts was asked what he expected to see from T.C. Williams, as the 5-3 Titans prepared to face Mt. Vernon.

“A very motivated team that is trying to make sure they get in the playoffs,” said Fritts, whose foreshadowing proved to be on-spot. The Titans bolted to a 28-6 lead to head to the intermission, but Mt. Vernon made a spirited comeback.

Tim Heltzel (202 passing yards, three TD’s) found Kofi Kwarteng for two passing touchdowns to cut the lead to 28-21. They wouldn’t get any closer, and when the Titans’ Kai Cole picked up a rolling punt deemed to be dead and sprinted through the majors’ punt coverage for a score, T.C. had built an insurmountable 38-21 lead.

Receiver/rusher hybrid Darrien Newton, who should pass the 2,000 total yards’ mark next week, had 11 receptions for 117 yards and added a short rushing touchdown for Mount Vernon (7-2), who will finish their season against West Potomac next week. 

Hayfield 50, Annandale 43

Brian Cobbs put on one of the most impressive offensive displays that Northern Virginia has seen this year, helping the Hawks (7-3) clinch the Gunston District title.

Cobbs threw for 309 yards on 21 of 27 passing and four touchdowns, while rushing for 151 yards and two more scores. Travis Williams (8-88) had two TD receptions, while J.J. Pailin (2-83) and Rayjuon Pringle (4-66) added catching scores.

Colonial Forge 37, Mountain View 7

The Eagles jumped to 30-0 halftime lead, tacked on another touchdown in the third quarter and cruised to an easy win against Mountain View.

Ethan Garwood threw for 216 yards and a pair of touchdown passes, one to Josh Sarratt and the other to Paten Rodier. Jadon Redding added an area-best 52-yard field goal for Colonial Forge (9-0) who holds a #1 state ranking.

Brooke Point 23, Stafford 13

The Black-Hawks will bump into the #1 seed in Class 5, Region D after beating the previous #1 Stafford on Friday.

Josh Lawrence (five catches, 115 yards) caught a 68-yard touchdown from Paul Pierce in the first quarter while Tre Russ had the game-deciding TD catch. Pierce finished with 12 of 18 passing for 196 yards for Brooke Point (7-3). Stafford who will also finish the regular season at 7-3, were led by Lovell Armstead’s two rushing scores.

Flint Hill 54, Potomac School 21

Miles Thompson threw for 216 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Huskies to an easy win against their McLean opponent. Jordan Houston (108) and Mark Lewis (91) combined for almost 200 rushing yards, with Lewis’ 73-yard run serving as the Huskies’ longest play. Flint Hill (8-0) will retain its #1 ranking in VISAA Division I.

Washington-Lee 21, McLean 0

The Generals earned their second win of the season with a shutout over the winless Highlanders. Ryan Dodds (13-24, 208 yards) threw for two touchdowns, both to Liam McBride, while Will Murphy added a six-yard scoring run. Daquoi Moore led W-L with 74 rushing yards.

Wakefield 34, Stuart 28

The Warriors (3-6) broke a five-game losing streak with a National District win over rival Stuart. Rodney Lee rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, while KeSean Deshazer add a pair of TD runs to go with his 107 ground yards. Cason Poythress completed 16 of 199 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns – to David Baron and Lamont McDowell.

With the win, the Warriors keep their playoff hopes for Class 5, Region C alive. Wakefield entered the game with the #9 seed, just behind Edison and Lee.

Other weekend scores

Battlefield 28, Stonewall Jackson 0

Brentsville 22, Skyline 21

Broad Run 16, Briar Woods 14

Centreville 35, Chantilly 7

Chancellor 30, Spotsylvania 14

Clarke Co. 42, George Mason 7

Colgan 20, Osbourn 0

Colonial Beach 40, Lancaster 6

Courtland 48, Caroline 0

Culpeper 35, Manassas Park 33

Dominion 41, Loudoun Valley 31

Eastern View 58, James Monroe 0

Essex 35, Washington & Lee 0

Flint Hill 54, Potomac School 21

Fork Union 30, O’Connell 7

Freedom 58, Woodbridge 6

Georgetown Prep 14, Episcopal 10

Herndon 35, Langley 6

Lake Braddock 49, West Springfield 31

Landon 42, St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes 13

Loudoun County 42, Woodgrove 33

Madison 31, Oakton 10

Marshall 44, Edison 20

North Stafford 28, Riverbend 10

Paul VI 17, Bishop Ireton 7

Potomac 30, Forest Park 27

Potomac Falls 40, Rock Ridge 14

Robinson 28, W.T. Woodson 8

Sidwell Friends 14, John Paul the Great 7

South County 49, Fairfax 28

Stone Bridge 59, Freedom 20

Tuscarora 34, Champe 29

Wakefield 34, Stuart 28

Washington-Lee 21, McLean 0

Westfield 21, West Potomac 14