Westfield's Eugene Asante is RecruitNoVA.com (Northern VA) Offensive Player of the Year

As if being the featured running back for the two-time defending state champion wasn’t cause for enough pressure, Westfield running back Eugene Asante started his off-season training for the 2017 season with one more responsibility added on his to-do list.

The way the rising junior handled the pressure, coupled with a season that saw the Bulldogs pull off the three-peat for the 6A state title, with Asante’s 1,866 rushing yards playing a large role in their perfect 15-0 season are grounds for his selection as this season’s Northern Virginia Player of the Year.

Asante’s rise to a leadership role started in 2016, soon after Westfield had defeated Oscar Smith 35-28 for its second championship.

Photo by Joe Barnes

“We were into off-season workouts, and Coach (Kyle) Simmons said that he was looking for someone to step up.,” recalls the 6’1” runner, who bulked from 175 to 202 as part of his own personal training. “Every team that I have been on has a coach that has looked for leaders on the team.”

It was a role, and a challenge, that the young back eagerly accepted.

“I felt like it was my responsibility to hold everyone accountable.”

The Westfield offense, in particular, was going to be much younger. Rehman Johnson graduated and was going to be replaced by a sophomore, Noah Kim, who had seen limited playing time as a freshman. Receivers Sean Eckert and Ivory Frimpong were also college-bound, and would be replaced by a pair of fellow juniors in Taylor Morin and Bizzet Woodley. Senior linemen, such as Harmon Saint Germain and tight end Nolan Cockrill were returning, but the Bulldogs were going to be young at the skill positions, and Kim needed a veteran back to rely on while he adjusted to the starting role.

But as the winter turned into spring, another event, this one tragic, gave Asante a new outlook on what it meant to be a team player and a leader.

On April 13th, Samuel Kwarteng, a 20-year-old VCU student, who majored in electrical and computer engineering, was shot and killed during an altercation in the Carver neighborhood of Richmond, adjacent to the campus. The assailant, Emmanuel Jordan, was charged with involuntary manslaughter as he had never met his victim before the incident, and the gunfire was deemed to be accidental. Kwarteng, an Alexandria resident and graduate of Mount Vernon High School, was more than Asante’s friend – the two were cousins, and the older cousin was someone he looked to for advice and encouragement.

“I was able to do what I did because of my dedicated cousin,” said Asante, in a thoughtful recollection. “I’d see him at church, and he was surprised that we had already won two (titles). He motivated me to go out (to train) last year. Sometimes, it’s hard to get motivated for an 8 AM workout.”

Asante decided to dedicate the season to his late cousin, and he continued to train, with the assistance of another cousin, Nana Marfo, a personal trainer, and assistant football coach at Hayfield. As the season started, Westfield got off to another good start, but not without challenges. In Week 2, South County took the Bulldogs to the hilt, before Westfield escaped with a 28-27 decision. A 46-33 win in Week 5 against a tough Patriot team saw Asante gain 195 yards with two touchdowns, but it was in their next game that the junior realized his team might be in contention for the 6A title once again.

It was the following week, with a hard-fought 10-6 win over Madison, that he began to see the possibilities.

“It was after the Madison game that we knew we could complete. They were similar to us, and a tough defensive team. After that game, I realized that we could be special.”

The Warhawks defense did hold strong, keeping Asante out of the end zone, but he gained 130 yards on 31 tough carries.

“The defense had our backs,” said Asante. “Coach (Defensive coordinator, Jon) Shields plans some vigorous stuff during the week for them.”

West Potomac provided a scare in week 9, but Asante’s 184 yards and a score helped the Bulldogs eke out a 21-14 win. Entering the playoffs, Westfield carried a perfect 10-0 record, and the realizations of another 6A crown started to take form.

There would be some stiff competition along the way. The first two wins against Battlefield (28-14) and Patriot (35-6) led to a matchup against the powerful offense of South Lakes, led by Spencer Alston and Albert Mensah, one which was accustomed to scoring 40 points a game. Against the Bulldogs, they only managed a single touchdown, as Westfield rolled to a 27-7 win. With the region championship in hand, it was on to the state semifinals, and Woodbridge, a team that had held USA Today Virginia Player of The Year Ricky Slade to just 34 rushing yards the week before.

As per custom, each team exchanged six or seven films from previous in-season games, but Asante was only interested in one.

“I didn’t watch any of the other films, except their game against Hylton. I wanted to see if there was any way we could exploit their defense. They are very fast and have some athletic guys, who are physical against the run. I figured that I’d be OK with four or five-yard gains, and just hoped I could break one.”

Asante didn’t break any long runs, but provided both touchdowns in the second half on ten and one-yard runs to propel the Bulldogs from a 7-6 halftime deficit to an 18-7 win. For the game, he gained 140 yards on 23 carries, 106 more than Slade had gained the week before. Still, Asante gave credit to the Penn State commit.

“Ricky is the best running back in the state,” said Asante of Slade, who scored a receiving touchdown in the Under Armour All-American game on Wednesday.

The opponent for the championship game would be a familiar one – Oscar Smith, the same team Westfield had defeated in both previous title games. The Tigers had beaten previously unbeaten Colonial Forge to earn their third berth to the final, and now had a collective chip on their shoulder.

It’s hard enough to beat the same opponent twice, but three times? Proper planning would be the key.

“We have great coaching and great preparation,” said Asante, who also noted that while the Bulldogs didn’t stray far from the conservative and methodical game plans that had helped Westfield win 42 of their previous 44 games, there was always room for a tweak. “Playing against Woodbridge was a big help because they are like Oscar Smith on defense. Looking at the film, I saw some things I could use.”

That information didn’t help immediately, as the Tigers contained the back, who gained only 11 yards on seven carries in the first half. However, Kim’s two touchdown passes – one to Morin and the other to Joe Clancy, gave Westfield a 14-7 lead. More importantly, establishing the passing game started to open up the Smith defense.

“We made an adjustment at halftime. Their corners were in man coverage and they put an extra guy in the box.”

Less than four minutes into the second half, Asante got his break, taking a Kim handoff and rambling 44 yards into the end zone, to give the Bulldogs a 20-7 lead. Although the Tigers retook the lead, an 88-yard pass from Kim to Gavin Kiley, followed by a two-point conversion provided the winning points at 28-21 with 3:42 left in the game.

“Two years ago, we won in triple overtime. Last year, it was double overtime. I was really happy that it didn’t go to overtime this year,” added Asante in a classic understatement.

Recruiting has been a slow process for the Bulldog runner so far, but several schools do have Asante on their radar, including ODU and West Virginia. Army and Navy have also expressed initial interest. Rutgers appears to be the early front-runner, as Asante’s cousin Kofi Marfo currently plays for the Scarlet Knights, and the family has made the trip to New Brunswick on several occasions for games.

“I’ve met most of the coaching staff, and plan on heading up there again this winter.”

For now, there will be more work with his trainer, as Asante looks to improve on his 4.59 40-yard speed and bench press of 325. Soon, the questions about a possible four-peat will vocalize and with Kim, Morin, Woodley and himself returning, the challenge will begin again.

Asante, and the Bulldogs, plan to be ready. Again.

Flint Hill RB Jordan Houston is the RecruitNoVA.com Private School Player of the Year

Flint Hill RB Jordan Houston is the recruitNoVA Private School Player of the Year
by Jim McGrath, recruitNoVA

For Flint Hill running back Jordan Houston, the 2017 season was about more than comeback
and redemption. For the all-NoVA Private School Player of the Year, it was a chance to prove once and for all that the high expectations cast upon him as a freshman were fulfilled and that his first college offer had not been a fluke offering.

Houston’s case is unique. Many high school players wait until their junior or senior year to receive a first offer from perhaps a Division III school, followed by a Two, and then maybe an FCS school. More often than not, the offers get better as time passes. However, the first school to reach out to Houston did so in his freshman year and sent their request from Pennsylvania. It wasn’t from Susquehanna or Gettysburg, or even Lehigh. No, in fact, the first team to express interest in the 5’9”, 155-pound back was none other than Penn State.

While the Nittany Lions offer put Houston on the map as a collegiate prospect, so did his ninth grade stats, which included over 1,600 rushing yards. He was well into gear through the first two games of his sophomore season, but his campaign was cut short suddenly in Week 3.

“I had two kids tackling me, and I fell in an awkward position,” recalled Houston. “Suddenly, I felt my leg crack, and I couldn’t get back up.”

The off-balance fall had broken his ankle and tibia, resulting in an injury that would keep him in a cast for 2½ months. Since the cast was removed with a game or two left in the season, Houston decided to practice on his newly healed leg.

The experiment was short. “I tried to practice and tweaked it again,” adding that “it was probably late spring or early summer before I was 100 percent again.”

In his absence, junior Mark Lewis emerged as a backfield force, gaining over 1,500 yards and leading the Huskies to the VISAA Division I playoffs and a 7-3 record.

Huskies coach Tom Verbanic was presented with an unusual situation as the team started practicing for the 2017 season. Should he find a way to utilize both Lewis and Houston at running back, or should he simply pick one back to carry the load?

Verbanic, who won two state championships with Westfield in 2004 and 2007, opted for the latter, putting Houston back in his featured position and moving Lewis to receiver. But Verbanic was faced with another dilemma, being that his quarterback was brand new, as Miles Thompson, another sophomore, had recently transferred from Woodberry Forest and was primed to become Flint Hill’s signal caller.

There was only one problem. To the Huskies offense, he was an unknown variable.

“I had never met him,” said Houston of Thompson. But he’s very smart with the ball and he knows the game. He’s a quick learner.”
Quickly, Houston could see the signs of a special team. “I knew before the season started that we weren’t going to lose, just based on how good we looked in the pre-season.”

He was correct. A 35-13 opening day win over Paul VI was followed by a four-game stretch that saw Flint Hill outscore Blue Ridge, Collegiate, St. Albans and Sidwell Friends by a 196-54 margin, as Houston ran for 896 yards and 12 touchdowns. After a 42-0 shutout over Bishop Ireton put Flint Hill at 6-0, the question turned not from whether the Huskies could return to the VISAA playoffs, but if they could go undefeated and beat last year’s champion, Collegiate, a second time.

The Huskies finished the regular season with easy wins over St. James, Potomac School and Maret to capture the MAC title, leaving only the elusive state independent school title as a challenge.

As the #1 seed, they hosted Benedictine, another recent two-time champion, in the semifinals. While the Cadets became the only team to hold Houston to under 100 yards rushing (10 for 93), he did score on the ground and added two long touchdown catches totaling 126 yards as the Huskies pulled away for a 35-21 win, setting up a rematch with Collegiate, who they had beat 41-28 in Week 3, as Houston rushed for a season-high 281 yards, with 107 more on receptions and four total touchdowns.

In the final, it was Houston’s four touchdowns, three on the ground and the fourth on a 75-yard passing play with Thompson that sparked the Huskies 33-21 win over Collegiate giving the Vienna school its first state title.

It was a great accomplishment for the team, nicknamed the “Dirty Thirty” because of its small team size. Flint Hill finished the season at 11-0 with 475 points (43.2 ppg), fueled largely by Houston’s 30 TD’s on the ground and through the air.

With 1,971 yards on 166 carries, and 11 catches for an unprecedented 38-yard average, Houston’s list of post-season accomplishments is growing. He was a first team Washington Post All-Met at running back, and second-team USA Today All-Virginia kick returner.

Houston has added seven more offers to his original, with Tennessee, Boston College, Michigan State and Virginia Tech adding their name to the suitor list. The Penn State offer still stands, and Houston was asked if he might change course on that offer now that the Nittany Lions have successfully recruited fellow Northern Virginian Ricky Slade of Hylton.

Bluntly, he replied, “No. I will train hard and work for my spot, regardless of where I go.” However, Ohio State and Michigan are on his own list of hopefuls, which could make for a most interesting recruiting chase if both schools become interested in Houston.

Tompkins, Schaefer Win Sleighbell 5K in the Burg

The 9^th Annual Sentara Sleighbell 5K proved to be a good run for a good cause, as hundreds of athletes covered the 3.1-mile course around the Sentara complex in Williamsburg with all proceeds benefitting area youth in after-school activities provided by the Williamsburg-James City County School Health Initiative Program (S.H.I.P.). The objective of SHIP is to get students out and moving.

Because of the partnership with WJCC Schools, a separate race category was run for employees of the system. Regardless, it was Williamsburg’s Mark Tompkins, a special education teacher, who coaches cross-country and track at Jamestown High who paced the field with a winning time of 17:25.9, nipping Warhill High’s Kameron Schaefer (17:27.6), who teaches social studies, while coaching the Lions’ cross-country squad and track distance runners. Sophomore Jamestown runner John Vogel took third place in 17:52.8.

For the women, Vogel’s teammate Thorin Jean was the first female to cross the finish line in 19:31.7. She was followed by Emily Honeycutt (20:56.7) and younger sister Sorenna Jean (21:25.4).

Steve Chantry continues to defy time and gravity and the 62-year old was the first Master (40-and-over) to finish with his fourth-place overall clocking of 18:11.9. Robert Whitaker, 59, of Yorktown provided a stiff runner-up challenge with his 18:24.6 time, while Jason Miller was third (18:43).

Annie Gilbride of Providence Forge won the women’s masters race in 22:05.4, with Rose Crist of Lanexa in second (23:03), and Katrina Fuller in third (23:59).

Three-Peat in 6A Football!! Westfield Defeats Oscar Smith for 3rd Time; Kim Throws Three TD's, Asante Rushes for Other in 28-21 Win

HAMPTON -- – It didn’t take multiple overtimes, but in the end the result was the same. Westfield, behind three touchdown passes from Noah Kim, and 109 yards rushing and breakaway touchdown from Eugene Asante, won their third straight 6A championship, holding off a stingy Oscar Smith squad 27-20 on Sunday at Armstrong Stadium.

Like the other two games against Oscar Smith, this one did not appear to be decided until the game’s final minute when junior cornerback Taylor Morin intercepted Dominique Brooks in the end zone as the Tigers were attempting to tie the game.

However, Kim fumbled on third-and-three from midfield, and Oscar Smith’s Tyon Nicholes recovered to give the Tigers a last chance to tie or win the game.

The Tigers managed to gain 15 yards and move the ball to the Bulldog 36, but Saadiq Hinton picked off Brooks’ final pass with 27 seconds remaining and Westfield ran out the clock.

Taylor Morin almost got Westfield going with an early interception, but it was Oscar Smith who struck first. Cam’Ron Kelly, who started the game at quarterback, took the snap from his own 29 and zigzagged through the Bulldog defense for a 71-yard touchdown. Tyler Smith’s extra point gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 2:50 left in the opening stanza.

Keeping momentum was a problem for both teams.

“It was like a heavyweight fight with both teams taking big shots and throwing haymakers,” said Westfield coach Kyle Simmons. “It could have gone either way.”

Westfield struck back immediately, with a six-play, 67-yard drive capped by Kim’s 46-yard pass to a streaking Morin who took the pass down the left sideline for the final 15 yards and the game-tying touchdown. Russell Steinhilber’s extra point knotted the game at 7.

A costly fumble deep in Tiger territory by Kelly gave the Bulldogs the ball at Oscar Smith’s 22. Kim went to the air again, this time with a dump off pass to Joe Clancy, who rumbled in to the end zone for a 17-yard score, giving the visitors a 14-7 edge which held until intermission.

“It’s a simple play we run in practice,” said Clancy, a 220-pounder better known for his linebacker abilities. “The secondary keys on Bizzet (Woodley, 6-4 receiver) and I sneak in behind him.”

Kelly and Dominique Brooks alternated at QB during the first half, but both struggled to move the offense. The Tigers had 127 first-half rushing yards, but 71 came on Kelly’s touchdown run. Otherwise, the Bulldogs stymied the Smith passing attack as both signal callers combined on five of 13 passing for just 30 yards.

But the Bulldogs could do little when they had the ball. Kim’s 20-yard run was the only one of Westfield’s 16 first-half carries to net more than three yards. In all, the Dogs carried the ball 16 times in the first half for four yards. Kim, in spite of his two touchdown passes, completed only four of 11 for 81 yards.

The Tigers did a good job on Eugene Asante in the first half, holding the junior to 11 yards on seven carries. At halftime, Asante found inspiration from a group close to him.

“I was feeling down on myself, but my offensive linemen pulled me aside and said, we got your back, and we’re going to open up some holes.”

Their prophecy came true in the first minute. Asante finally broke free down the sideline and scored from the 44-yard line. Now with a 20-7 lead after the missed extra point, it looked like the Bulldogs had opened up a solid lead.

But the Tigers were not ready to fold. Brooks found Kelly, now playing receiver, in stride down the middle of the field for a 52-yard TD pass, and Azeez Attar’s extra point helped put the Tigers back in the thick of the game at 20-14.

On Westfield’s next drive, the Bulldogs failed to gain a first down and sent Russell Steinhilber out to punt. But Keshon Artis, the Ohio State commit, burst through the line to block the punt and send the ball bounding toward the sideline. Although Westfield’s Richie Aguilar fell on the loose ball, the Tigers took possession at the Bulldog 19. Five straight Wilson runs pushed the ball to the 1, and from there Brooks pushed into the end zone with a run similar to Cam Kelly’s winning touchdown plunge the previous week against Colonial Forge. This time, Azeer’s extra point gave Oscar Smith a razor-thin 21-20 lead with 4:37 left in the third quarter.

However, the Bulldogs had one more trick up their sleeve. With third-and-nine from the 12, Kim delivered a flare to Gavin Kiley on the right side. But Smith’s defense was caught off-guard and had no one in front of the speedy receiver who proceeded to outsprint the Tiger defense 88 yards to the end zone.

“It was an adjustment we made at halftime,” said Kiley. “We had (the play open) in the first half, but didn’t use it. On that down, we knew they would be keying on Eugene.”

Joe Clancy’s two-point conversion pass bumped the lead to 28-21, and opened the path for Westfield’s third consecutive state title.

Said Johnson, whose Bulldogs have gone 43-2 over the past three seasons, “You come into a game, and you want to find out if you can play with those guys. They’re (Oscar Smith) so athletic and so big. There were a few times when I had to talk myself off the ledge, and you feel like it’s slipping away. But that’s the way a game like this should be.”

Nolan Cockrill, a senior tight end and defensive end, who played in all three state championship games, could only smile when asked how the Class of 2018 represented itself.

“We have great feelings. The coaches bring us up through the system from the time we are freshmen. It’s pretty amazing, and the younger guys now have a lot to do.”

WESTFIELD 28, OSCAR SMITH 21

Westfield     (15-0)   7, 7, 14, 7  -- 28

Oscar Smith (12-3)   7, 0, 14, 0  – 21

1^st Quarter

OS – Cam’Ron Kelly 71 run (Tyler Smith kick)

W – Taylor Morin 46 pass from Noah Kim (Russell Steinhilber kick)

2^nd Quarter

W – Joe Clancy 17 pass from Kim (Steinhilber kick)

3^rd Quarter

W – Eugene Asante 44 run (kick failed)

OS – Kelly 52 pass from Dominique Brooks (Azeez Attar kick)

OS – Brooks 1 run (Azeer kick)

W – Gavin Kiley 88 pass from Kim (Clancy pass)

                      West       OS

First downs;      12, 14

Rushes-yards;  35-102, 40-207

Passing yards;   205, 97

Comp-att-int;   8-22-1, 7-19-4

Penalties-yards; 6-40, 10-77

Punts-avg;       7-30.7, 5-31.8

Fumbles-lost;  3-1, 1-1

Rushing: Westfield: Asante 19-109, Cirillo 3-10. Oscar Smith: C. Kelly 9-106, K. Wilson 22-101. Passing: W: Kim 8-21, 205 yds. 3 TD, OS: D. Brooks 5-13, 89 yds. TD, 3 INT, C. Kelly 2-5, 8 yds. INT. Receiving: W: Morin 5-82, Kiley 1-88, Woodley 1-18, Clancy 1-17. OS: Wilson 2-7, Kelly 2-52, Watson 1-18, Harrell 1-15.