Leizear, Metheny, Take Center Stage
# 2 SHERANDO VS # 6 PARK VIEW
KICKOFF: 7:00PM
AT: SHERANDO HIGH SCHOOL
BROADCAST MEDIA:
GAMEDAY RADIO NETWORK
LIVE COVERAGE STARTS ONLINE
AT 6:15PM AT WWW.GAMEDAYMAGAZINE.COM
STEPHENS CITY, VA - When Park View travels to Sherando on Friday night for the regional championship game, the Patriots will bring to town one of the most prolific offenses in the state. Likewise, the Warriors can light it up too, which should make for a very exciting game. Leading the way for both teams are two experienced quarterbacks with outstanding leadership qualities, and plenty of wins under their belt.
The Patriots are led by Dulles District player of the year C.J Leizear. Leizear has thrown for an amazing 29 touchdowns in his senior campaign. Since taking over the helm 3 seasons ago, Leizear has compiled a record of 24-9 as a starter. His impact on the Park View program has been immense, but his leadership is what stands out to his head coach Andy Hill.
"The thing I'm most proud of about C.J is his lowest throwing totals of the season were the last two weeks, but you couldn't tell," said Hill. "This time of the year, you are remembered by how you win in the playoffs, but C.J just wants to be on the field with his teammates for 3 more weeks."
The Park View offense has averaged nearly 400 yards of offense per game this season, and if the Patriots are going to be successful against Sherando's defense, they may need score in the 30's.
Leizear has had plenty of help putting up over 3,000 yards of passing offense this year with receivers Ryan Pick, Tommy Sedeski and tight end Danny Foley catching the majority of his passes. Sedeski has 10 touchdown catches and so does Foley, and Pick is the most clutch of the three on converting third downs. He also has 6 touchdown catches on the season. All three receivers should benefit greatly from a running game on Friday night if Park View can get tailback Eric Johnston going. Johnston rushed for 118 yards last week against Broad Run and because Sherando struggled against the James Wood running game, the Patriots might have some luck riding Johnston to a win.
However, don't be fooled, the Park View offense is firmly in the hands of Leizear. When he plays at a high level, the Patriots are hard to beat. Mistakes have been his nemesis in the passing game this season in the form of 18 interceptions. If he can avoid those mistakes on Friday, Park View's chances to win will rise dramatically.
For Sherando, junior quarterback Ross Metheny is the emotional leader of the 11-0 Warriors. Metheny has been destroying opposing defenses since his freshman year, where he led Sherando to the state semi finals. His 1,797 yards passing is not a stat that compares to Leizear's 3,000, but considering Metheny barely played 4 quarters in several lopsided games this season, they are still impressive. Throw in the fact that Sherando has developed a power running attack behind seniors Markeith Brisco (20TD's) and David Hoopengarner (7TD's), and it paints a much different picture as to how Metheny's numbers stack up. The one stat that separates him from the rest of the quarterbacks in the region is how many wins he has a starter. Through his first 33 games as a starter, his record is 31-4. Not too shabby considering he still has another year left.
Metheny has thrown 21 touchdown passes this season and none was more important than last week's 4th quarter toss to receiver Derek Crosen. With less than a minute to play, Metheny connected with his favorite target to win the game and help Sherando pull out a victory that didn't look like it was going to happen for nearly 3 quarters.
Metheny finished the game with 3 touchdown passes and more importantly his 3rd playoff win in 3 years. His favorite targets are receivers Crosen (7TD's) and Derrick Dehaney (5TD's), and tight end Brian Barlow (7TD's). When the game is on the line, Metheny usually looks to Crosen first, and for good reason. The two have hooked up for several big touchdown plays to win games over the years.
In just three seasons, Metheny has already shattered most of the Warrior passing records, but what makes him one of the state's best is his understanding of Bill Hall's offense.
"People don't understand this, but Ross usually goes up to the line of scrimmage with two plays called and nearly every time gets us into the right play depending on what the defense gives us," said head coach Bill Hall.
Metheny is playing at a different level than most high school quarterbacks because of his intellectual grasp of opposing defenses. This should come in handy on Friday night when he faces one of the better defenses he has seen this season.
If the Warriors are going to advance to their second state semi final game in the last 3 years, they are going to need their talented signal caller to play his best. Either way, fans attending this game will be in for a treat with these two outstanding quarterbacks.
