Point After: Coaching Key To No.Va Supremecy
STERLING, VA - 2007 marks the 7th football season I have followed closely in Northern Virginia since graduating from Virginia Tech in 2000, and I have to say, it has been the best yet for me. I've spent my entire life watching football, living football, and experiencing football from behind the scenes with my father coaching in college and in the NFL for over 30 years. When you spend as much time around some of the best coaches in the business at the next level as I have, you develop an ability to recognize a great coach when you see one.
The reason Northern Virginia football is on the rise is simply because athletic directors are hiring tremendous coaches. It's apparent in every district we've covered this season. While you can't win without good players, great coaches find a way to win by teaching the little things, the fundamentals, and more importantly, the mental side of the game.
Stone Bridge's Mickey Thompson and Westfield's Tom Verbanic continue to field top flight teams in Group AAA. Nobody has won more games than these two programs over the past 5 years in the state of Virginia. While Verbanic and Thompson are without a doubt Hall of Fame coaches, the number of great coaches in the region is on the rise.
Staying on the Group AAA level, West Springfield's Bill Renner has done a tremendous job this season. Renner sent his 2006 quarterback Peter Lalich to UVA and had to fill his shoes this fall. Enter Bryn Renner, his son, and the Spartans have rolled all the way to the regional title game against top seeded Westfield. Renner's ability to improve on the production his team showed last year is remarkable. With Bryn Renner returning next fall for his senior season, the Spartans could be the class of Division 6 football in 2008.
Edison's Vaughn Lewis continues to impress with his always fast and athletic teams. This year's Edison team once again played Stone Bridge for the regional championship, and Lewis has the Eagles year in and year out knocking on the door of winning a state championship. Battlefield's Mark Cox has also put in one of the best jobs of coaching this season after leading his Bobcat team to a 9-2 record. The Bobcats finished 4-6 a year ago.
Chantilly's Mike Lalli proved to the rest of the Northern Region that his Charger program will be a playoff contender every year from here on out with a solid 8-3 season. The same can also be said for Madison's Gordon Leib, who coached his Warhawk team to the same 8-3 mark in 2007. The Warhawks fell one game short of the regional title game, but they are definitely getting better and better every season.
On the Group AA level, three young coaches in their 30's have emerged as the area's finest. Sherando's Bill Hall led his Warriors to their 2nd straight 10-0 season, and his club has won 23 of its last 24 games heading into the title game against Amherst. The Patriots Andy Hill has a similar streak going as well. Hill's Park View team finished the regular season 9-1, but advanced to the regional championship game with a big 16-12 win over rival Broad Run in the first round of the playoffs. Since taking over at Park View, Hill has won two district titles and is 24-10.
In just his second season at the helm, Broad Run's Michael Burnett led the Spartans to the school's first 10-0 record and only its 3rd playoff berth. Like Hall and Hill, Burnett is a young energetic coach who believes in having fun first, and playing smart fundamental football. With several starters returning next season, the Spartans should be the favorite to win the Dulles District again.
Briar Woods' Charlie Pierce took his young Falcon team to the post-season for the first time in just the school's second season playing varsity football. Pierce has Briar Woods on the rise and don't be surprised to see the Falcons in the mix from here on out.
Millbrook lost its first game of the year and then rattled off 8 straight wins to finish 8-2 after a tough loss to Sherando at the end of the season. The Pioneers advanced to the second round of the playoffs after beating Briar Woods in the first round, a team they lost to by 4 touchdowns in week one of the season. Reed Prosser's coaching has been impressive to say the least.
Heritage head coach Wes Driskill took a team that was picked to finish 5-5 to a school best 7-3 record. While the Pride missed the post-season by a slight margin, Driskill has the program moving toward consistency, and they return several talented players next season. Heritage should be a factor again in the playoff race in 2008.
This column would go on and on if I could write about how Loudoun County's Todd Hill helped his program break an 18 game losing streak, and then led them to a 2 game winning streak with a big 14-3 win over the Dominion Titans. Unfortunately, I don't have the space.
The bottom line is, if you want your football program to win every year, follow the lead of the programs mentioned above and hire the type of coach that builds an entire program. Winning is not a one time thing, it is an attitude that must be present 365 days a year from everyone in the program. It starts with the head coach and trickles down from there.
The greatest trait that every coach mentioned in this article possesses is the one every parent cares the most about, a desire to make the experience of every player the best it can be. Life lessons, individual growth, and teamwork are what the game of football teaches you, but a great coach can help mold a young person for success for decades to come. While only a handful of players and teams will experience a state championship, every player will remember his football coach for the rest of his life.
The level of competition in Northern Virginia football has increased dramatically this season because of these outstanding coaches. They should all be commended on a job well done, and based on what I have seen this season; I'm already looking forward to next fall.....
