Gameday Notebook - Week 11 (Loudoun)
STERLING, VA - Wow! Is it really play-off time already? Where did the season go?!? This is a banner year for Loudoun County football. Of the 10 teams, it looks like 4 will make their respective play-offs! Those being Stone Bridge, Park View, Broad Run, and Briar Woods. There is an outside chance that a 5th team, Heritage, could make the play-offs, but I don't have my slide rule to help figure out all that has to happen, but if it does, that makes things even better! The Bulldogs open their "2nd Season" this Friday, and will host R E Lee, while the rest still have one game remaining in their seasons. The BIG game will be in Ashburn, where the "Battle Of The Unbeatens," Park View and Broad Run, meet in the much anticipated Dulles District championship game. Get there early...this place will be packed!
The Bulldogs, Patriots, and Spartans, are not new to the play-offs, but the Falcons are making their 1st trip! Congratulations to Coach Pierce and his team, and to the rest of the play-off bound teams!
Gameday Rewind...
What? No rainy Friday night? What a nice change of pace! The Stone Bridge Bulldogs completed their undefeated run through the Liberty district, by dispatching W.T. Woodson 45-7. The Bulldogs fell behind late in the 1st quarter, after a Woodson interception led to QB Gabe Thomas' 14 yard touchdown scurry. But Stone Bridge RB Kareem Alexander quickly answered on his next carry...a 62 yard sprint to the end zone to tie the score. This would be the 1st of 3 touchdowns for the senior, adding scores from 26 and 8 yards, on a 137 yard night. Also contributing to the Bulldog's scoring was Jeron Gouveia (52 yard run), Daniel Allen (39 yard run), Ryan Moody (57 yard pass reception), and Ronnie Shaban added a 28 yard field goal.
The Broad Run Spartans traveled to South Riding in hopes of keeping their undefeated streak in tact against the Freedom Eagles. They did not disappoint, coming away with the 49-7 victory. 6 different Spartans found the end zone on the night, with So. RB Breon Earl scoring twice. The Eagle's lone bright spot was So. RB Jeff Pugh, who rushed for 124 yards, on 19 carries, and he scored the lone Freedom touchdown of the night, in the 3rd quarter.
The Loudoun County Raiders made it 2 in a row Friday night, handing the Dominion Titans a 14-3 loss, in Sterling, on Senior Night. So. RB Adam Yesuf scored both times for the Raiders, and totaled 115 yards on the night. The Raider defense also held Dulles rushing leader Deandre Reaves to 62 yards.
In Cedar Run action, the Loudoun Valley Vikings traveled to Liberty, and fought the Eagles hard, but came up short in the 28-21 loss.
"Just Win, Baby..."
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis coined the phrase, meaning it doesn't matter how you do it, "Just win, baby!" Former Maryland basketball head coach Left Driesell also once said, "A "W" is a "W," meaning pretty much the same...Just win. In a game that had many twists and turns, and plenty of turnovers and penalties between the 2 teams, the Park View Patriots outlasted the Heritage Pride, in a game with playoff implications for both teams. The Pride needed to win this game to lock up their entry into the AA playoffs, but 7 interceptions, and numerous costly penalties would be their downfall. The Patriots weren't without their shortcomings in protecting the ball, either. But the difference this night was Park View's ability to turn picks into points, whereas Heritage couldn't get close to the end zone in the 2nd half. Park View kept their undefeated streak in tact, coming away with the 33-15 victory, and the Pride's playoff hopes are all but over.
Falcons Soar Over Panthers...
After trailing 7-0 in the 1st quarter against the Potomac Falls Panthers, the Briar Woods offense would get on track, thanks in large part to the arm of Alex Munro. Once they did, it was all Falcons in this game. Munro accounted for all 3 touchdowns for the Falcons, hitting favorite target Tim King for 2 strikes, and plunging one in on his own. Munro finished with 283 yards, on 15-25 attempts. King caught 5 passes for 182 yards, and the Falcons soared, 21-13.
Gameday Radio Broadcast Schedule....
It's play-off time in the AAA Northern Region this Friday night, and the Gameday Radio Network is bringing you the action, plus the big game in Ashburn between the Spartans and the Patriots, for the Dulles District title. Don't forget to tell your family and friends that if they can't make the game, to log on, and tune in, to Gamedaymagazine.com. If you are at a game or out and about, and you want to catch up on all the scores around Northern Virginia, you can visit www.tccscores.com on your mobile phone to get the latest score updates. The scores refresh every 60 seconds. Below is a schedule for this weekend's games, and the broadcast team that will bring them to you, on the Gameday Radio Network.
Friday, November 9, 2007
(Coverage begins at 6:45 pm)
Park View @ Broad Run
Andy Hayes, Bruce Bornarth, John Murphy, Bob Vlasic
Robinson @ Chantilly
Justin Waddle, Ken Kincade
South County @ Westfield
Grant Paulsen, Mitch Rogers
Centreville @ West Springfield
Tom Whipple, Bubba Purcell
R. E. Lee @ Stone Bridge
Chris Starke, Sean Griffin
Fauquier @ Liberty
Derek Goode, Miller Bennington
Other games being played in Loudoun County
(All games begin at 7:30 pm)
Heritage @ Loudoun County
Dominion @ Potomac Falls
Freedom @ Briar Woods
Battlefield @ Loudoun Valley
Chick-Fil-A Players Of The Week
Alex Munro - Sr. Quarterback, Briar Woods
Munro threw for 283 yards, and 2 touchdowns against Potomac Falls, and added a 3 yard touchdown run, to account for all Falcon scores on the night.
Eric Johnston - Sr. Running Back\Defensive Back, Park View
Johnston had 19 carries for 142 yards and a touchdown. He also added 2 interceptions that lead to 2 Park View scores.
The Picks-Of-The-Week
Due to some editorial and technical difficulties, last week's picks were not able to be published. You'll just have to take my word for it that I was nearly perfect in my picks, and that those other 3 guys are still in awe of my prognostication abilities! This week's "Challenger" is Stone Bridge head football coach Mickey Thompson. Thompson is a weekly listener to Gameday All Access and wants to show everyone that none of us so-called experts know what we are talking about. Let's see if he can hang with the "experts"......and Bruce Bornarth!
Do you think you can beat the Crew in predicting the outcome of 5 games each from high school, college, and pro's, in our "Picks Of The Week?" Send us an email at Gamedaymagazine@AOL.com, and we will select one lucky guest each week. This week's Picks from the guys are.....
