Training Camp Day 10: Herndon Hornets
HERNDON, VA - Remember that little scrappy kid on the playground who could always tough it out with the big kids? Well, that little scrappy kid is just like Herndon. Placed in the Concorde District where their student population is significantly lower than other competing schools, Herndon has managed to somehow continually remain competitive. They don't care that Westfield has more than 1,000 kids than them or that they are the only school in the Concorde to not win a region title. They have yet to play intimated and every Friday night, they have the potential to win. Yet this program's main downfall is that they've been snake bitten by the district juggernauts. Nearly all of Herndon's losses during the season come at the hands of the district powers, which have led many to believe that Herndon would be crowned district champs in any other district.
With that being said, many prognosticators thought 2006 would be different. Herndon had 43 seniors and a star-studded cast that were among the best in the region. Yet what looked like a promising season resulted in a 6-4 record with no playoffs as longtime head coach Tom Meier resigned after the season to be closer to his family. With 43 graduated seniors and a new head coach, there are now suddenly a lot of question marks facing this program.
How will the loss of head coach Tom Meier affect Herndon?
Not too much. In all of Meier's 17 years of coaching, this program has only had two losing seasons, not to mention he also won 115 games. That kind of success doesn't come over night in the Concorde District. He had successfully built up this program to a point where they are always in a position to win. For the school to hand over the reigns to Meier's understudy Joe Sheaffer was the perfect thing to do. Sheaffer knows this district as good as anybody, but more importantly, he knows what it takes to win in this district. Add to the fact that he's been around the school just as long as Meier and you have yourself as smooth a coaching transition as possible.
With the likes of Zay Lopez, Matt Seeger, and Chris Thompson all gone, who is there to pick up the slack?
Running back Dezmond Seifu. Last year, Seifu split carries with Thompson but this year expect to see him featured extensively in Herndon's offense. He's versatile, but more importantly, he's battle tested. Seifu is one of the few starters on offense returning for Herndon, so expect him to take hold of this team and offense.
How will the Wing-T offense impact Herndon?
This is a great move on coach Sheaffer's behalf. With a traditionally small offensive line, using the Wing-T nullifies the need for size. The offense is run entirely on angle and zone blocking, which takes away the need for having monster linemen that can bully the defense. So while having bigger linemen is great, the Wing-T only necessitates the easy block that all linemen under 200 pounds can make. The faster the Herndon players understand this offense, the better off they'll be.
How can Herndon finally beat the top-tier Concorde teams consistently?
Okay, it might be impossible to ask Herndon to win all of their district games. But in order to win a majority of them, they need to get some momentum. The Hornets always get off to a great start, but in almost every year you can point to one game that shows where this team went on a downward spiral. Last year it was Park View, and the two previous years it was Robinson. Once they lose that initial game, it seems it is very hard for this team to bounce back. If Herndon can pull off an early upset, that might be all that they need to make a dangerous run.
Key Match Up
As mentioned above, momentum seems to be a big thing for this team. So that's why their game at Centreville on September 20th is huge. If they can win on the road versus a tough Centreville squad, that would sure give them plenty of momentum before they face Chantilly the following week. In all fairness, Herndon is outmatched by Chantilly, but with that ever-so important momentum on their side, who knows what could happen.
Extra Point
Herndon has always fell victim to playing in a tough district, but they caught a huge break now that the playoffs have expanded to eight teams. For the coaching staff at Herndon, that's like lifting a silverback gorilla off of their back. They can now all breathe a little easier as the margin for error is much wider. Also, seeing Herndon in the first round of the playoffs is something that no coach wants to see. If there was ever a team capable of pulling off an upset, it would be the Hornets.
