Northern Virginia HS Football Recap - Week 4

Playing a little catch up here, and will post Week 5 in a couple of days!

Unlike its counterparts further south in the state, the Northern Virginia teams were able to complete all of their games last weekend, although in some cases, it required playing a day or two earlier or later than originally scheduled.

And while some of the game dates and times ended up being a surprise, the results were less so, as most favored teams went about their business and cranked out victories.

There were a few surprises. Gar-Field, a team that had won only one of its previous 32 games, easily defeated Osbourn 27-6, giving coach Tony Keiling his first win as the Indians’ head whistle. And Woodgrove, which had lost two of its first three games, upended 2017 5A state finalist Tuscarora 42-28.

Gar-Field 27, Osbourn 6

Sophomore quarterback Bishop Fitzgerald threw for 190 yards and added 80 on the ground as the Indians snapped an 18-game losing streak.

Jalen Byers (4 rec., 78 yds.) caught Fitzgerald’s lone touchdown pass, while brother Monty added five catches for 102 yards.

Running back Jordan Sovay matched his quarterback with 80 rushing yards, and sophomore linebacker Mason Woods keyed the defense with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Woodgrove 42, Tuscarora 28

Nick Lockhart’s 33-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown helped Woodgrove open up a 35-14 lead over the favored Huskies.

Woodgrove led 21-14 at the half, but scored on a 15-yard run with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. On Tusky’s next possession, Lockhart scooped up a loose ball and ran it in for the game-clinching touchdown.

Leron West had a 65-yard run and reception for scores for Tuscarora (2-2), while Ethan Gick threw for a pair of scores and added a 40-yard rushing TD.

Broad Run 21, Champe 13

Mitch Griffis tossed two touchdowns as the Spartans upped their mark to 3-1 with a gutsy win over John Champe.

The Knights got on the board first, courtesy of two Jacob Morrill field goals. But Griffis found Miner twice, the first for a 41-yard gainer, and second for a seven-yard touchdown connection, giving Broad Run a slim 7-6 edge at the half.

Griffis found Luke Lindenfeldar for a 25-yard score to extend the lead to 14-6 through the third period, and Tim Baldwin (23 carries for 79 yards) culminated a fourth quarter drive with four straight carries, busting free on the fourth for a 13-yard TD.

Westfield 31, Stonewall Jackson 13

The Bulldogs ran their winning streak to 27 games, although this one was tougher than usual as Stonewall Jackson were within a point at 14-13 in the third quarter.

Westfield scored first as tight end Joe Clancy scored on an eight-yard pass from Noah Kim. Isaiah Daniel (19 carries, 154 yards) scored on a pair of one-yard runs, with the second pushing Westfield back to an eight-point lead at 21-13. A short Riley Nugent bumped the lead to 11, and Sean Goodman finished the scoring with a 25-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

Woodbridge 34, Battlefield 7

Lamonte James ran for 203 yards and two TD’s as the Vikings remained unbeaten at 3-0 with a convincing win over the previously undefeated Bobcats.

Taylor Harris forced a fumble midway through the first quarter with Battlefield readying to score the game’s first points. James recovered the loose ball and turned the momentum in Woodbridge’s favor.

Harris also ran for 121 yards and two TD’s while adding a third on a punt return for Woodbridge (4-0).

Colonial Forge 42, Hylton 14

Defense ruled the day for the undefeated Eagles, who improved to 4-0 with the win over the Bulldogs in a game that was pushed back to Wednesday.

In the opening quarter, Avery Johnson-Edmonds picked off a Keyshawn Copeland pass and rambled 53 yards for the game’s first touchdown. Oliejah Louissant’s four-yard TD run, opened the lead to 14-0, and Forge entered intermission with a 21-7 lead.

The Eagle defense held Hylton to 103 yards while churning up 281. Madden Lowe threw for 193 yards on 15 of 24 passing and delivered passing scores to Johnson-Edmonds and Paten Rodier. Zack Kindel and Elijah Sarratt combined for nine catches for 110 yards, while Nico Lee scored on a 33-yard run with his only carry.

Edison 35, McLean 21

In one of Wednesday’s other games, Edison, behind John Logan’s 153 rushing yards, gained its first victory of the year over a winless Highlander squad.

Logan scored on runs of 60 and 80 yards, and the Eagles opened up a 35-6 lead after three quarters. Bryant Jenkins scored on an eight-yard run, and Chase Shelton caught a 15-yard TD pass from Peyton Jones. The Eagles (1-2) also excelled on special teams with Mustafa Hafeez recovering a blocked punt in the end zone.

Mountain View 24, Potomac 12

The Wildcats ran for 427 yards on just 50 carries to blast through a Panther team still seeking its first win of 2018.

Quarterback Tyler Haskins led the charge with 219 yards on 23 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Ronald Robinson added 176 with a score that opened up a 21-0 lead for Mountain View early in the third quarter.

With the win, coach Lou Sorrentino’s team raised its record to 4-0, and the Cats will face Stafford this coming weekend.

Mt. Vernon 54, Washington-Lee 10

Quarterback Fonnae Webb ran for 180 yards and four touchdowns, while Kofi Kwarteng caught two touchdowns as the Majors ran their record to 4-0 for the second straight year.

Kwarteng had 125 receiving yards, including 80 on a touchdown pass and catch from Asa Fitch-Laviree. Daniel Danzo added 97 rushing yards on eight carries, and the Majors tallied 493 total yards while building up a 47-7 halftime lead.

Episcopal 21, Gilman (MD) 17

Jamal Mensah caught two touchdown passes from sophomore John Moses as the Maroon won its season opener over Gilman of Baltimore.

Moses threw for 111 yards, and running back Juanell Walker added a 35-yard rushing score as new coach Mark Moroz won his first game with Episcopal.

Other scores

Bell (DC) 14, Falls Church 12

Bishop McNamara 36, Bishop Ireton 0

Briar Woods 39, Rock Ridge 3

Centreville 45, Forest Park 14

Collegiate 37, O’Connell 7

Eastern (DC) 37, Wakefield 20

Eastern View 45, Brentsville 0

Flint Hill 50, Blue Ridge 14

George Mason 48, Nelson County 0

Hayfield 27, Fairfax 14

Highland Springs 42, Riverbend 0

Justice 42, Lee 35

Loudoun County 48, Freedom-South Riding 0

Marshall 31, Herndon 10

North Cross 25, Fredericksburg Christian 9

Paul VI 28, Potomac School 14

Potomac Falls 27, Langley 16

Riverside 28, John Paul the Great 3

Robinson 45, T.C. Williams 19

Sherando 56, Loudoun Valley 14

South Lakes 35, Dominion 7

St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes 51, Phelps (DC) 0

Stone Bridge 49, Madison 21

W. T. Woodson 42, Yorktown 20

West Potomac 34, Chantilly 26

Northern Virginia HS Football Recap - Week 3

Since most of the local sports are on hold, it seems like a good time to recap the first three weeks of Northern Virginia football, as encapsuled on recruitNoVA.com

As Florence, the newest tropical storm, introduced itself to the Mid-Atlantic coast, many games were postponed, cut short, or played over the course of two days.

Perhaps even stranger than the weather was the seven days of drama endured by the Broad Run team. Early last week, their opening day win over Potomac Falls was nullified due to the use of an ineligible player. However, they bounced back in fine form, whacking a Woodgrove team 33-7 on Friday and Saturday.

Lake Braddock also had an unusual weekend, following up Week 2’s 50-28 win over West Potomac with a 70-3 beatdown loss at the hands of Stone Bridge.

Broad Run 33, Woodgrove 7

In spite of their contention that the ineligible player used by Broad Run was a mistake and that the player, who was used sparingly toward the end of the game, had little factor in Week 1’s win, the Spartans lost their appeal and dropped to 1-1 before the Woodgrove game.

The disappointment from the loss did not show on the field. Tim Baldwin scored early on a 37-yard burst through the middle, and Mitch Griffis added a one-yard sneak into the end zone, as the Spartans tallied 211 rushing yards. Luke Lindenfeldar added a 44-yard score late in the game as Broad Run improved to 2-1.

Stone Bridge 70, Lake Braddock 3

Zakias Moore scored four touchdowns as Stone Bridge bumped its record to 2-0 with a stunning display of offense against the Bruins, who fell to 1-2.

The Bulldogs ran up a 42-3 halftime lead, which extended as Will McKay ran for a 60-yard score to open the second half. McKay added a four-yard touchdown in the first half.

Centreville 26, South County 14

The Wildcats thrived on offense, as the running back tandem of Jordan Wright and Jaquan Price combined for 206 yards and all four Centreville touchdowns.

Wright (16 carries, 107 yards) started the scoring blitz with five-yard run in the opening quarter, and Price (12 for 99) followed with a one-yard smash in the second. The game was halted due to lightning, but Price held his momentum and scored against when play resumed on Saturday. Hanging on to a 20-14 lead in the fourth, the Wildcats sealed the win as Deondre Edmonds intercepted a Stallion pass, setting up the game’s final score, a 45-yard scoring jaunt through the middle of the South County defense.

John Champe 40, Heritage 6

John Champe found the win column for the first time this season, handily defeating Heritage (Leesburg) at home.

Quarterback Zack Jackson threw for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The first, a 33-yarder to Tyler Savage, helped the Knights opened up a 21-0 halftime lead, while the second, to running back Dalton Young, extended the lead to 34-0 as the final seconds of the third quarter ran out.

Champe’s David Harris led all rushers with 103 yards, and scored on a pair of two-yard touchdowns, while Jacob Morrill converted two short field goals.

Battlefield 36, Forest Park 7

The Bobcats ran their record to 3-0 with a 36-7 pasting of Forest park at home.

Savion Phinizy ran for two touchdowns, from eight and three yards, while Hunter Key and Sean McCarthy added third-quarter rushing scores. Battlefield was also solid on defense with Matthew Binkowski returning an interception 42 yards for a pick-six touchdown, one of his two thefts.

Woodbridge 35, Osbourn Park 0

In a game shortened by lightning, the Vikings improved to 2-0 with a decisive win against Osbourn Park.

East Carolina commit Taylor Harris ran for three touchdowns. Two came on runs of 25 and 94 yards, while Harris’ third came on a 52-yard punt return. Quarterback Antevious Jackson scored on a 20-yard run and Lamonte James added an 18-yard rushing touchdown before the game was called with 7:20 left in the third quarter due to lightning and the running clock set to be activated.

Lake Taylor 42, Freedom 28

Two local teams played foes from Hampton Roads with varying results. Colonial Forge easily defeated Grassfield (Chesapeake) 28-0, while Freedom fell victim 42-28 to a powerful Lake Taylor team from Norfolk.

Tyquan Brown ran for three touchdowns of five, two and 17 yards. However, the Eagles could not contain the high-flying Titan offense and fell behind 35-21 in the first half as Lake Taylor connected on three long scoring passes, including a 77 and 78-yarder.

Flint Hill 45, Paul VI 14

The defending VISAA Division I champions were in fine form at their season opener dispensing the Panthers 45-14.

Miles Thompson threw for four touchdowns, two to Justice Ellison (20 and 38 yards), and two to Trey Rucker, both for 15 yards, as the Huskies led by as many as 45 points. Jordan Houston rushed for 109 yards, including a 57-yard run to open the game. Virginia commit Justin Duenkel added a 31-yard field goal.

Defensively, Jaylin Hertz and Chris Hendrix had interceptions for Flint Hill, who has won 12 straight games.

Yorktown 48, Wakefield 0

Grant Wilson completed all eight of his passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots enjoyed a surprisingly easy win over its Arlington crosstown rival.

Wilson added 88 rushing yards, including scores from four and 76 yards, before Will Porter took over as the signal caller and added a TD pass of 36 yards to Will Cantwell. Liam Anderson and Jake McCool were the recipients of Wilson’s scoring passes.

Max Patterson returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and on defense, Yorktown held the Warriors’ start running back Rodney Lee to 62 yards.

Dominion 21, Fauquier 14

Steve Zegbe ran for 87 yards and a game-winning eight-yard touchdown as the Titans raised their record to 2-1.

Dominion quarterback AJ Darr opened the scoring with a one-yard sneak in the opening quarter. Trey Hayes added a two-yard scoring run.

With the loss, Fauquier dropped to 0-2.


Other scores

Brooke Point 34, Briar Woods 6
C.D. Hylton 41, Osbourn 8
Chancellor 24, Riverbend 21, 2OT
Courtland 34, Stafford 0
Culpeper 21, Liberty-Bealeton 13
Dominion 21, Fauquier 14
Eastern View 49, Orange County 14
Fairfax 27, Lee 30Franklin 40, Colonial Beach 26
Fredericksburg Christian 41, Isle of Wight Academy 20
Handley 41, Clarke County 35
Hylton 41, Osbourn 8
Kettle Run 37, Brentsville 6
Loudoun County 51, Rock Ridge 13
Louisa 42, King George 12
Madison 35, West Potomac 7
Massaponax 51, Hanover 3
Mount Vernon 66, Falls Church 31
Mountain View 35, James Monroe 0
North Stafford 28, Potomac 14
Patriot 41, Colgan 13
Potomac School 28, John Paul the Great 0
Powhatan 21, Caroline 0
Riverside 18, Potomac Falls 0
Robinson 58, Annandale 21
Sherando 55, Broadway 0
South Lakes 60, Oakton 0
St. Christopher’s 17, St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes 7
St. James (Hagerstown, MD) 36, Bishop Ireton 14
Stonewall Jackson 28, Gar-Field 0
Tuscarora 30, T.C. Williams 7
West Springfield 28, Washington-Lee 21

Northern Virginia HS Football Recap - Week 2

The story of Week 2 was the weather as many games, particularly in Loudoun County, were cut short or completed on Saturday, although Rock Ridge and Heritage will finish their contest on Monday morning with Heritage leading 27-7.

The strain on the players and coaches will remain to be seen next weekend. But here is an itinerary posted by Mount Vernon coach Monty Fritts who followed up a 19-hour work day on Friday with four hours of rest before returning to Langley High to finish off a 28-21 win over the Saxons.

“730-330 normal work, 330-430 pregame meal, 430-530 drive to Langley, 530-700 pregame prep, 700-900 1st 3 quarters, 900-1030, lightning delay, 1030-1130, drive to MV, 1130- 200am, do team laundry, 200-230am drive home, 630-700am drive back to MV.”

Speaking of Mount Vernon, they are off to another fast start.

Mount Vernon 28, Langley 21

Junior Fonnae Webb, a transfer from D.C.’s McKinley Tech, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Majors bumped their record to 2-0 in McLean.

Kofi Kwarteng was the recipient of both touchdown passes, and Jordyn Reid, who rushed for 140 yards and caught a pair of passes for 84 more in the Majors 56-7 opener win against Edison, also ran for a score.

Lake Braddock 50, West Potomac 28

The Bruins built a 15-0 first quarter lead as Ben Dizon ran for a 43-yard TD, while Billy Edwards hit Joe Weidinger with a 32-yard scoring toss.

Edwards found Weidinger for another TD pass, this one for 56 yards, but the Wolverines drew to with two points at 22-20 as Nigel Okunubi rushed for two short touchdowns and followed with a 90-yard sprint for six points

Dizon followed with a 95-yard touchdown on the ensuing kickoff return and Edwards threw his third TD, to Quentin James, as Lake Braddock (1-1) nudged its lead to 36-21 at halftime. Early in the third quarter, lightning struck, and the game was completed on Saturday.

Westfield 24, South County 12

Westfield upped its winning streak to 26 games with a two-part victory over the Stallions.

Noah Kim, fresh off a five-touchdown performance against Lake Braddock, added three more, all to Bizzet Woodley. The first Kim-to-Woodley score, a seven-yarder gave the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead, which held until halftime and served as the score when the game was called for the evening with 6:25 left in the third quarter.

But the duo resumed business on Saturday morning, with Woodley grabbing a 12-yard score, followed by a 37-yarder off a flea flicker as Westfield pulled away in the third quarter.

Centreville 14, John Champe 0

Centreville’s Nate Goldammer picked off a John Champe pass and rambled 81 yards for the game deciding score as the Wildcats won its second game in a shutout.

Jordan Wright opened the scoring with a four-yard run in the second quarter. Wright also caught three passes for 37 yards.

Potomac Falls 34, Dominion 13

Potomac Falls became the first 5A Potomac District team to reach 2-0 as they completed their Friday night game on Saturday morning and won by three touchdowns,

The Panthers benefited from a 13-point run in the final quarter to pull away with the win.

Steve Zegbe led Dominion with 101 yards rushing and a touchdown on 13 carries. A.J. Darr also scored on a rush for the Titans.

Broad Run 23, Tuscarora 7

Luke Lindenfeldar scored on a 57-yard catch and run touchdown reception from Mitch Griffis to propel the Spartans to a win over last year’s 5A state champion game participants.

Lindenfeldar grabbed Griffis’ pass and outsprinted the Husky defense down the left sideline to boost Broad Run to an early 10-7 first quarter lead. As the game continued on Saturday, the Spartans score on two more Griffis TD passes, one for 70 yards to provide the final margin of victory.

Massaponax 27, Woodgrove 6

In a game that was called after one half, the Panthers dominated the lines and rushed for 231 yards and three touchdowns as Massaponax raised its record to 2-0.

Taking advantage of an offensive line led by stalwarts Jonathan Beaver and Teagan McDonald, Massaponax blasted holes in the Woodgrove line while averaging almost nine yards per carry. Elijah Christopher, Jacob Romero and quarterback Evan Schickel all ran for touchdowns, and Schickel opened the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Luke Morley.

North Stafford 55, Briar Woods 14

Justin Rutkowski threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to give Briar Woods an early 7-0 lead; however, North Stafford stormed back to decimate the Falcons 55-14.

Jamir Boyd threw for three first-half touchdowns as the Wolverines built a 21-14 halftime lead before the game was postponed due to lightning. On Saturday, Joe Mangano’s team finished business with all five touchdowns scored on the day.

St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes 51, Paul VI 14

The Saints avenged a 14-6 defeat to Paul VI last year with a crushing blow in their season opener, beating the Panthers 51-14.

SS/SA will receive a strict road test next weekend when they challenge another Saints team, this one from St. Christopher’s, in Richmond.

Bishop Ireton 28, St. Albans 10

The Cardinals, 0-10 in 2017, quickly rebounded with a convincing opening day win over the Bulldogs in D.C.

With the win, Ireton gave coach Chip Armstrong a win in his first game back as the Cards’ head coach, a program he led to a 22-10-1 record from 1991 to 1993.

Ireton will open its home season next Saturday against St. James of Hagerstown, MD.

Other scores

Battlefield 26, Colgan 6

Bishop Ireton 28, St. Albans 10

Brentsville 14, Fauquier 7

Brooke Point 30, King George 3

Colonial Forge 45, Albemarle 7 (CF: Z. Kindel 3 TD recs.)

Courtland 28, Liberty 17

Eastern View 66, Turner Ashby 14

Forest Park 31, Osbourn Park 6

Fredericksburg Christian 53, Fuqua 6

Freedom 34, Stonewall Jackson 19 (F: T. Brown 222 rushing yards)

Hayfield 35, Edison 0

Herndon 17, Lee 12

James Monroe 45, Charlottesville 20

Justice 28, James Wood 21

Kettle Run 33, Warren County 7

Loudoun County 49, Millbrook 28

Louisa 45, Chancellor 20

Madison 41, Fairfax 7

Manchester 75, Riverbend 0

Marshall 31, McLean 7

Mountain View 43, Patriot 35

Orange 30, Culpeper Co. 28

Patrick Henry-Ashland 51, Caroline 6

Riverside 19, Freedom-South Riding 0

Robinson 40, Chantilly 13

Sherando 42, Jefferson (WV) 6

South Lakes 28, Falls Church 0

Spotsylvania 21, Fluvanna 14

Stafford 41, Potomac 35

Stone Bridge 42, Loudoun Valley 6

T.C. Williams 34, Gar-Field 13

Wakefield 33, Washington-Lee 20

West Springfield 37, Oakton 0

Wilson (DC) 37, Yorktown 29

Woodbridge 61, Osbourn 0

W.T. Woodson 39, Annandale 2