By Harrison Weinhold
MaxPreps.com
Here’s the Week 1 recap from Virginia’s Northern Region, plus a look ahead to the key games of Week 2, as well as some predictions:
No. 4 Chantilly 21, Langley 14
Overview: Last year Chantilly blew out Langley by 35-13 but this meeting was a different story. Fumbles, penalties and stalled drives on both sides of the ball could have allowed the game to go either way. The Saxons had the first score in the game from senior fullback Derek Eklund after a Charger fumble. Chantilly turned the ball over on their first two possessions. Chantilly’s junior quarterback Roger Strittmatter found junior Mike Farris for the Charger’s first touchdown. Chantilly scored for the second time when running back Torrian Pace took it in from 7-yards out give the Chargers a 14-7 lead at half time.
The second half scoring started with Torrian Pace again reaching the end zone on a 20-yard run to make the game 21-7. On the ensuing drive the Langley Saxons scored with a four-yard strike from senior quarterback Danny Pritchett to senior tight end Chris Sievers. Langley’s defense stopped Chantilly on two drives in the fourth quarter but the Saxons were unable to put up a scoring drive.
Game Ball – Chantilly’s Torrian Pace: 135 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
No. 8 Edison 35, Lee 14
Overview: Edison’s speed and talent across the board was too much for Lee’s young team. The Eagles of Edison opened up the game with junior Christian Washington’s 85-yard opening kick-off touchdown return. Linebacker Stephon Robertson, who has played some running back over the past two years, filled in for junior Angus Harper, who was unable to play in the season opener due to personal reasons. Robertson scored two touchdowns and ran for 175 yards in only the first half of the game.
With a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown by senior Corey Washington (brother of Christian Washington) that started out as a muffed return, the Eagles ended the first half with a 28-0 lead. The second half saw plenty of new faces for the Eagles as Lee junior Jazmier Williams and sophomore Donovan Taylor both broke for touchdowns in the final quarter. The Edison quarterback, junior Levi Barber, benefited from a conservative game plan and Stephon Robertson’s running, going 4-of-4 for 40 yards.
Game Ball – Edison’s Stephon Robertson: 175 yards and two touchdowns on nine touches, plus five tackles and one interception.
No. 6 Robinson 27, No. 9 Lake Braddock 7
Overview: Lake Braddock’s single-wing offense was still not enough to shake off the history of Robinson domination in this match-up. Robinson gained 175 yards to Lake Braddock’s 65 in the first half. Robinson quarterback Timmy Meier connected with Mike Creighton for the games first points in the first quarter. Running back Alex Murray scored Robinson’s second touchdown in the second quarter from one-yard out.
Defensive back Johnny McDevitt returned an interception in the third quarter for another Robinson score and running back Alex Murray finished off the Lake Braddock Bruins with another one-yard run in the fourth quarter. Scoring for Lake Braddock was quarterback Michael Neibrich on 10-yard pass to Mike Resetar in the third quarter.
Game Ball – Robinson’s Alex Murray: 112 yards for two touchdowns on 18 touches.
No. 1 Stone Bridge 42, No. 3 West Springfield 28
Overview: West Springfield’s defense was again no match for Stone Bridge’s offense in this powerhouse clash. On the first three offensive plays for the Bulldogs, they scored three touchdowns. Twenty-eight points came from running back/receiver Michael Prince for Stone Bridge, 14 of which came from passes by quarterback Patrick Thompson, whose status was questionable due to a throwing-hand injury. A 42-7 halftime margin kept the clock running in the second half, when West Springfield quarterback Bryn Renner and running back Brandon Bailey were both able to score a couple touchdowns each.
Stone Bridge solidified itself as an unstoppable force in the state of Virginia and will have to prove its worth against Robinson, which beat them last year by double digits.
Game Ball: Stone Bridge’s Michael Prince: three receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns, 64 yards and two touchdowns on three carries.
Mount Vernon 23, T.C. Williams 20 (OT)
Overview: T.C. was able to carry this win in 2007, but with an improved Mount Vernon team and playoff spots closer to every team’s grasp, this meeting was a close win for the Majors. The first score of the game by Mount Vernon back Kyle Ricks, a run from three yards out, didn’t happen until the second quarter. A field goal at the end of the second quarter put the Majors up 10-0 going into the half.
Midway through the third quarter, T.C. Williams running back Abu Karmara scored on an eight-yard touchdown run. Again in the fourth, Karmara found pay dirt on a nine-yard scamper to cap a 54-yard drive and give the Titans their first lead, 14-10. Mount Vernon’s quarterback, Brian Green, answered back quickly with a seven-yard touchdown run to take the lead again in the fourth. Kicker Brian Franks kicked through a game tying field goal for the Titans to ensure overtime. After a stalled drive and field goal by the Titans in overtime, Green ran in a 10-yard touchdown to seal the win.
Game Ball: Mount Vernon’s Brian Green: 74 yards and two touchdowns on 19 touches.
No. 2 Oakton 21, No. 10 Madison 14
Overview: Last year, Madison was able to capitalize on Oakton’s youth and win a close 14-7 victory. This year, the game was close again, with Oakton edging the Warhawks in the annual Outback Bowl. The first score of the game came on the ground from Madison junior running back Sasha Vandalov on a 12-yard run in the second quarter. Oakton turned the ball over on its first three drives but answered the Warkhawks score with their own from senior running back Trey Watts on a six-yard run.
After a botched kick return by the Warhawks, the Cougars took over on the Madison five and scored three plays later with a run by senior Jonathan Meadows. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Madison senior quarterback Will Clarkson hit junior Mike McCool on a 42-yard strike to tie the game at 14. To answer Madison’s tying score, Oakton’s senior quarterback Chris Coyer, on fourth-and-one, ran in a 52-yard touchdown to seal the deal at 21-14.
Game Ball: Oakton’s Chris Coyer: 110 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, as well as a few key passes to keep Oakton alive.
Other Key Games:
No. 4 Westfield 9, South County 7
Overview: The Westfield Bulldogs opened their season with a 9-7 win over South County. South County came out with a solid-looking spread attack led by Aaron Andrews, and moved the ball nicely on the ground. Westfield’s defense was solid but their young offense had trouble moving the ball consistently.
The first quarter was dominated by defense and only Westfield was able to only score a field goal by A.V. Lawless. The second quarter saw a 10-yard touchdown run by South County senior running back Eric Dorsey and a 10-yard touchdown run by Jordan Anderson for Westfield. The second half was again a defensive battle and a fourth quarter last-gasp effort by South County ended the hopes of a monster upset.
Game Balls: Westfield’s Jordan Anderson: 14 touches for 123 yards and one touchdown; South County’s Aaron Andrews: 23 touches for 136 yards.
West Potomac 35, No. 7 Centreville 28
Overview: Monster upset right here. West Potomac lost 13 starters from 2007 but still had key offensive players and enough speed and intensity on defense to catch Centreville off guard. West Potomac senior quarterback Cole Walter, who had a stellar 2007 season, threw for four touchdowns in the first half to put the Wolverines up by 28-7 at halftime, shocking the Centreville crowd. Centreville would score three more times to bring the game within seven points but could not stop West Potomac’s key players on offense, namely receiver Kristian Rodriguez.
Game Balls: West Potomac’s Cole Walter 15-of-27 passing, 265 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions; West Potomac’s Rodriguez: four receptions, 113 yards, three touchdowns.
Games to Watch in Week 2:
Edison at West Springfield, 7:30 p.m. – West Springfield scored a touchdown in the last minutes of the game to beat Edison 27-20 in 2007. Edison had several costly turnovers and key injuries in this matchup last year. Edison returns a solid defense and some of the best speed they have had in years on offense, which is saying something about a program known for speed. West Springfield is reeling from a blowout suffered against Stone Bridge in Week 1 and will have to solidify its defense if it want to compete with Edison. Edison will have to be strong on defense in order to stop Bryn Renner and his spread offense.
Prediction: Edison 31 West Springfield 28
Robinson at Stone Bridge, 7:30 p.m. – The Bulldogs suffered their only loss of their 2007 championship season to the Robinson Rams. Robinson is coming off a solid win against Lake Braddock, which runs the same single-wing offense as Stone Bridge. Returning many of the key defensive players that held the Bulldogs to 14 points a year ago, Robinson has a chance to upset the best team in the state. On the other hand, Stone Bridge is better than it was last year and returns multiple Division I college-bound players. While a 41-14 repeat loss of last year is very unlikely for Stone Bridge, it must take Robinson seriously.
Prediction: Stone Bridge 35 Robinson 21
Centreville at T.C. Williams, 1 p.m. – The score of this game last year was 10-3, with Centreville squeezing out a victory in a defensive battle. After a shocking loss to West Potomac last week, 35-28, Centreville will have to wake up and play at the level it’s capable of. The Titans, who just came off an overtime loss to Mount Vernon, will have to continue their tenacity of 2007 to deal with the Wildcats’ anger of a Week 1 loss. Centreville is much bigger across the board but T.C. has some great skill players.
Prediction: Centerville 14 T.C. Williams 7
Harrison Weinhold covers Northern Virginia for MaxPreps. He may be reached at harrisonweinhold@gmail.com.
