TCC Sports Honors its 4th All Gameday Team
On Sunday, December 18, 2005, TCC Sports honored its 4th annual All Gameday team at the National Conference Center, at Lansdowne. Among the attendees were the 34 players selected and the three finalists for the All Gameday Coach of the Year award presented by Applebee’s. The All Gameday Banquet honors the top high school football players in Loudoun County at the conclusion of the football season.
The All Gameday team was created by TCC Sports in 2002, and has been an annual tradition since. Sunday’s All Gameday banquet had the best following yet. In addition to the players and coaches, roughly 150 family and friends of those honored, attended. The evolution of the All Gameday team’s popularity among the local football players and their families is something that TCC Sports President Andy Hayes is very proud of.
“When we started the All Gameday team, we wanted it to be similar to how John Madden selects his All Madden team in the NFL. After four years of honoring the All Gameday players and coaches, it’s neat to see the excitement that is generated about the team each year,” Hayes said.
What’s the Difference between All Gameday and All District? In addition to being named to the team, all 34 players receive a steak dinner, trophies, All Gameday Warm-ups, All Gameday Nike hats, and a DVD copy of the All Gameday Selection Show produced by TCC Sports. This year’s All Gameday selection show will appear on ESPN2 in Loudoun County for the next three weeks at 11:30am. (See All Gameday Broadcast Schedule.) The selection show features highlights from each player’s best games in 2005, and also includes some spectacular graphics from EA Sports. Each player selected to the All Gameday team was customized in the EA Sports 2006 NCAA football game.
This year’s 2005 All Gameday team featured several outstanding performers. Leading the way on the offensive team was Potomac Falls running back Jay Branom. Branom rushed for 1,769 yards and 17 touchdowns during his senior season. The All Gameday defense was highlighted by two time All Gameday linebacker, Steven Harvey. Loudoun Valley’s Steven Harvey finished his senior season with 97 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, and a blocked punt.
The All Gameday Team is selected each year based on input from coaches, media members, and the TCC Staff. The nominees are also evaluated with a heavy emphasis on character and off-the field behavior.
At the conclusion of the banquet on Sunday, TCC Sports handed out its big awards. The player of the year finalists were Loudoun Valley’s Tommy Schonder, Stone Bridge’s Terence Glenn, and Potomac Falls’ Jay Branom. Branom won the 2005 All Gameday Player of the Year award presented by Verizon.
The three coach of the year finalists were Loudoun Valley’s Bruce Sheppard, Stone Bridge’s Mickey Thompson, and Heritage’s Wes Driskel. For the 4th consecutive year, Stone Bridge’s Mickey Thompson won the All Gameday Coach of the Year award presented by Applebee’s. Thompson led his Bulldogs to the state championship game and its third regional championship in four years. His legacy continues to grow as one of the best coaches in the state of Virginia.
The All Gameday Team is heavily supported by local businesses in the area. Bob Miller of Severn Mortgage, Moskey Title and Escrow, Dynamic Sports Performance, The Bungalow Billiards, Crown Trophy, Dixie Sporting Goods, Applebee’s of Sterling, Verizon, and the National Conference Center all stepped up to help make this year’s All Gameday banquet the best ever.
With the addition of two more schools (Freedom and Briarwoods) to the Dulles District next season, the All Gameday Team will naturally get tougher to choose. But Hayes isn’t worried about it too much.
“My theory is, is the best players always rise to the top, and when they do, we’ll be able to make the right decisions. We take a lot of pride in finding guys who deserve to be honored for their great play and team contributions,” Hayes said.
TCC Sports will be launching a new website devoted to the All Gameday team in the coming weeks. The website address is www.AllGameday.com . The site will feature player bio’s and video clips from the All Gameday Selections Show. Prior All Gameday teams will also be featured on the site. The All Gameday issue of Gameday Magazine is also out in the community at local grocery stores and businesses.
For more information on the All Gameday Team, or information on how your company can support the All Gameday Team in 2006, please contact TCC Sports at 571-233-8696.
