Pioneers, Falcons Ready For Battle Friday
Clayton Rodney and the Millbrook Pioneers head into Ashburn to take on the Briar Woods Falcons..Our live radio coverage starts at 7pm on the Gameday Radio Network...
Charlie Pierce and the Briar Woods Falcons split with Millbrook last season, and this game means something to both teams....
BRAMBLETON, VA - The high school football playoffs are almost three months away, but there certainly will be a post-season atmosphere in Ashburn Friday night when Millbrook visits Briar Woods in the season-opener for both squads.
The Pioneers and Falcons are no strangers to one another, as the teams split a pair of contests last year in Winchester. Briar Woods rolled to a 40-14 win August 31, but Millbrook returned the favor when it mattered more, posting a come-from-behind 27-24 victory (scoring the winning touchdown with just under five minutes left in the game) in the Division 4 Region II semifinals November 16. The playoff game was the first for each school, and both teams look to make return to the post-season - and advance further - in 2008.
To do so, each squad will have to overcome key losses to graduation, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Millbrook took some major hits with the graduation of bruising running back Butch Kaczmarzewski (1,201 rushing yards, 16 TDs) and starting wideouts Wayne Seipel and Levon Williams (the duo combined for 31 catches, 529 yards and five TDs). The Pioneers also lost three starting offensive linemen.
Third-year coach Reed Prosser, who guided the Pioneers to a school-record 9-3 finish last season, will lean on several different players to pace the offense this year, including senior twin brothers Calvin and Clayton Rodney.
Calvin was the team's second-leading rusher a year ago, carrying 77 times for 343 yards and four touchdowns, and will be the primary back this year. Clayton will be a passing target from the tight end spot after catching a team-high 24 passes for 269 yards and two scores last season.
Senior Neil Bishop (10 catches, 206 yards, 2 TDs) is the top receiver, while junior Bryon Tavers will be another threat.
Millbrook certainly has the edge in experience at the quarterback position, as senior Andrew Oates returns for his second year as the full-time signal caller.
Oates, who started a handful of games as a sophomore in 2006, was 112-of-201 passing for 1,393 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions a year ago. While he had a game to forget in the first meeting against Briar Woods (11-of-30 for 83 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions), he made excellent progress through the course of the season and helped Millbrook roll to eight straight wins following the season-opening loss to the Falcons.
Oates looked like a different quarterback come playoff time, completing 15-of-21 passes for 255 yards and two scores in the rematch with Briar Woods and throwing for 243 yards and four scores in a 56-34 loss to Monticello (the eventual state champion) in the Region II championship game the following week.
Returning starting right tackle Douglas Murrell and right guard Michael Warr anchor the offensive line, but how the rest of the front unit takes shape is the key to the Pioneers' success. Prosser readily admits his team is always run-oriented, and how the big guys up front block dictates Millbrook's success.
Briar Woods would seem to have the upper hand in Friday's matchup, considering it returns 18 of its 22 starters from a year ago. However, those four losses involved critical components to last season's offense that averaged nearly 29 points per game.
Second-team all-region quarterback Alex Munro (2,000 yards passing, 25 TDs - now at Campbell University), first-team all-region wide receiver Tim King (54 catches for 826 yards and 14 TDs), first-team all-state center John Maghamez (walk on at Virginia) and second-team all-region do-everything player Devin Barber (Virginia State University) graduated, and filling those spots will certainly be a challenge.
Junior Austin Fratelli inherits the offensive reigns after serving as Munro's back-up last year. Fratelli has impressed coaches with his ability to make plays with his legs in the pre-season, and his arm strength (he's also a started on the Falcon baseball team) is also a plus.
Fratelli, who will be asked to simply manage the game and avoid the key mistake, will certainly benefit from a stable of outstanding running backs in seniors J.T. Bailey (571 yards, 6 TDs), Andrew Davidson (320 yards) and Matt Eisenmann (160 yards, 2 TDs) along with junior Billy McDonald (343 yards, team-high 8 TDs). Few teams in the area boast such a deep and talented corps of ball carriers, and fresh legs in the fourth quarter could be the difference throughout the season.
Pierce knows well that games are decided in the trenches, and he will be counting on Jamie Caldwell and Aaron Kakol - both all-district selections a year ago - to anchor an experienced offensive line that welcomes back four starters.
Senior Jeremy Gray is expected to replace King as the team's primary receiving threat. Gray, the son of Washington Redskins secondary coach and former Los Angeles Rams All-Pro cornerback Jerry Gray, snagged 40 passes for 451 yards and four touchdowns a year ago (including a 21-yard score against Millbrook in the playoffs). He possesses 4.5-speed to go along with great hands and excellent leaping ability.
The Briar Woods defense, which held opponents to 16 points per game last season (down from 21 the previous year), boasts a formidable interior that should force teams to work the edges of the field.
