Gameday Power Poll - Week 2
Trey Watts and #7 ranked Oakton rolled on past Annandale on Friday to move to 2-0 on the year
Photo By: Barry deNicola/ Gameday Magazine
Edison is flying high following their exciting 35-34 victory over West Springfield, which keeps them at #8 in the Power Poll...
Photo By: Marc Gold
Once again, there's not too much activity going on inside the Power Poll except again for the number ten slot. For the second week in a row, the tenth team in the Power Poll went down, and the victim this time was Robinson. They drop out of the poll following their 49-7 loss to Stone Bridge, but taking their place are the upstart Handley Judges. A relative surprise so far, they've proven to be a serious contender. As if the Northwestern District didn't need another very competitive team in the district, it looks like they found one in Handley.
For this week, some teams open up with district play, but Week 4 is when all the teams truly start to tangle, starting with the Westfield and Chantilly rivalry which is where we'll surely start to see a lot more fireworks going on within the Power Poll. For now, though, here is how they stand following Week 2.
1. STONE BRIDGE (2-0)
Previous: 1
Last Week: 49-7 win over Robinson
This Week: at Marshall
Another week goes by and it's another rout of a Power Poll team. This time Robinson was Stone Bridge's latest victim and they left no doubt of which team was better during their 49-7 win. Unfortunately for the rest of the team's in the Power Poll, Stone Bridge has already passed through the toughest part of their schedule, so they may very well hold the #1 spot for the rest of the regular season.
2. WOODBRIDGE (2-0)
Previous: 2
Last Week: 13-0 win over Highland Springs
This Week: vs. Loudoun Valley
Woodbridge is considered a top contender for the Division 6 title this year and it showed last Friday night when they traveled down to Richmond to beat the highly touted Highland Springs Springers. While De'Antwan Williams shined in their first game, it was the defense flexing their muscle last week, which is a great sign for head coach Keith King and Woodbridge at this point.
3. CHANTILLY (2-0)
Previous: 3
Last Week: 42-0 win over Washington-Lee
This Week: at Annandale
One thing we know about Chantilly is that if Torrian Pace and his offensive line are in high gear, then the Chargers have a real good shot at winning. That showed after Pace ran for three touchdowns and a two point conversion, which ultimately resulted in a 42-0 victory over Washington-Lee. The Chargers must travel out to Annandale this week, who always prove to be a tough opponent every year and then it's another monumental clash with #6 Westfield on the 19th of September.
4. BATTLEFIELD (1-0)
Previous: 4
Last Week: BYE
This Week: at Gar-Field
Battlefield looked like a strong region title contender during their first game against Potomac but now have another test when they travel out to Gar-Field later this week. Despite losing against North Stafford, Gar-Field has been considered a contender for the Cardinal District crown, making this an intriguing matchup and test for Battlefield.
5. SHERANDO (1-0)
Previous: 5
Last Week: 37-10 win over Musselman (W.Va)
This Week: vs. Hedgesville (W.Va)
Sherando started out their defense of the Region II crown in a big way following their 37-10 win over Musselman. Maybe more impressive in the win was the play of Roger Smith, who appears to have picked up right where Markeith Briscoe left off as he ran for over 200 yards last Friday. The Warriors will again be tangling with another West Virginia team this week when they meet up with Hedgesville, a team which lost last week to Potomac Falls 68-0.
6. WESTFIELD (2-0)
Previous: 6
Last Week: 26-13 win over Lee
This Week: vs. Hayfield
After facing a scare against South County in their opening game, the Westfield Bulldogs made things a bit easier for themselves as they won by two touchdowns over the Lee Lancers last Friday night. They have Hayfield this week, but in the very near horizon are the #3 Chantilly Chargers, which should prove to again be one of the better games of the year.
7. OAKTON (2-0)
Previous: 7
Last Week: 37-7 win over Annandale
This Week: at T.C. Williams
Despite coming out of the gates a bit slow, the Oakton Cougars eventually rolled to their second win on the year as they steamrolled over Annandale by the score of 37-7. They'll be matched up against the Titans of TC Williams this week, but then they'll be kicking off their Concorde District schedule. Standing at 2-0 right now, the Cougars have a great shot to start off 5-0, which was their entire win total for last year.
8. EDISON (2-0)
Previous: 8
Last Week: 35-34 win over West Springfield
This Week: vs. South County
In what was arguably the most thrilling game last week, the Eagles upended the West Springfield Spartans by a score of 35-34 in a game that came down to the final second and very last play. Things don't get much easier for Edison as they'll have to face South County, who showed in Week 1 they were fully capable of beating powerhouse Westfield.
9. BROAD RUN (2-0)
Previous: 9
Last Week: 54-14 win over Ballou
This Week: BYE
The Broad Run Spartans put things on cruise control during their 54-14 beating of visiting Ballou, a team which hails from the city of D.C. They'll have the week off, but huge games against Briar Woods and Heritage loom large for Broad Run in the coming weeks.
10. HANDLEY (2-0)
Previous: NR
Last Week: 49-21 win over Loudoun County
This Week: vs. Park View
The new team joining the ranks of the Power Poll are the Handley Judges and they've definitely earned their spot. Almost coming out of nowhere, this team is looking scary thanks in part to Jeremiah Wilson, who rushed for a whopping 283 yards and six touchdowns last week against Loudoun County. They get to test themselves again this week when they'll be going up against Park View, a team that is in unfamiliar territory at 0-2 so far on the year.
HONORABLE MENTION
11. West Potomac- Another week goes by for West Potomac to prove their worth in a crowded field of Division 6 Northern Region powers as they easily dismissed of Mount Vernon, a team expected to possibly contend with Edison for the National District title.
12. South County- The Stallions have a tough contest coming up against #8 Edison, but a win would certainly catapult them into the Power Poll.
13. Briar Woods- Moving up several spots are the Falcons of Briar Woods. They had the week off, but now get back to action this week against Manassas Park.
14. Herndon- Head coach Joe Sheaffer said his team couldn't afford another slow start and he certainly got what he was looking for. Off to a 2-0 start, this is a team that is looking very sharp right now and could find themselves with potentially seven wins this year.
15. Potomac Falls- Don't look now, but something big is going on at Potomac Falls. Not only did they beat on West Virginia powerhouse Martinsburg, but they did a number on Hedgesville earlier this week. Probably one of the more fascinating teams to keep your eye on for now has to be the Potomac Falls Panthers.
