Thompson and Lewis Pulling the Right Strings
ASHBURN, VA - As two fleets equipped with All-State arsenals collide on a cold Friday afternoon in Ashburn, the crowd should brace their eyes for an intense display of sheer speed and power. Though what may not be visible from the Stone Bridge bleachers is the chess match being played between the two coaches who've brought Stone Bridge and Edison to a third consecutive regional final showdown.
Stone Bridge's Mickey Thompson and Edison's Vaughn Lewis have not only dominated the Northern Region, but are two of the most accomplished coaches in the state of Virginia. Lewis earned Redskins High School Coach of the Week honors this past October, while Thompson received the same accolade last year.
Lewis has notched five district, one region, and one state title appearance under his belt. The equally venerable Thompson has accumulated five region titles and two state runner-ups. Under his coaching, Stone Bridge has ripped off the most wins of any high school football team in Virginia over the past six years.
Both took over at their respective schools near the turn of the century-- but lets fast forward to 2007, with their programs perhaps at their most potent.
Edison (10-2) soared into this season fresh off a state championship appearance while retaining the Northern Region's best receiver. However, they faced a colossal void at the quarterback position.
Lewis' solution? ...Just move All-Region senior Ben Barber to quarterback. The controversial move turned gold, as the National District Offensive Player of the Year has posted Tebow-esque numbers--throwing for 14 touchdowns while rushing for 19.
Perhaps that should be phrased as Tyrod-esque, as Barber's committed to play at Virginia Tech next year, where he may both back up and receive passes from freshman phenom Tyrod Taylor.
Thompson also knows how to use his assets wherever and whenever he can. Senior Jeron Gouveia, who will join Barber in Blacksburg this summer, miraculously won both Libery District Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Gouveia has compiled 19 touchdowns, but, in Thompson's prolific single-wing/spread offense, there's still plenty of scoring to go around. Receiver Ryan Moody has scored 15 total touchdowns and running back Kareem Alexander has scored 13 this season.
To reiterate it bluntly, these two know how to coach. They also know how each other coaches fairly well, having faced off in the regional finals the past two years. Thompson's squad took the '05 bout by a score of 29-21, while Lewis' Eagles reaped vengeance in '06 to the tune of 31-17.
With the deep history of this intellectual battle, it'll be interesting to see how Lewis and Thompson move their pawns at 1:30 p.m. on Friday and, come fourth quarter, how each protects the queen.
