GAMEDAY POWER POLL: Week 1
Chantilly's Torrian Pace had a strong showing on Monday as his team finds itself at #3 in the Power Poll...
Photo By: Marc Gold/ Gameday Magazine
Quarterback Timmy Meier and Robinson make an appearance into the Power Poll following their 26-7 win over Lake Braddock on Thursday...
Photo By: Marc Gold/ Gameday Magazine
It took over five days for the first week of Northern Virginia football to be played out, but when everything was all said and done, our first installation of the Power Poll didn't change a whole lot. We'll take that as a positive sign, as that meant we correctly picked the majority of our teams, but we did see some major movement with West Springfield.
It was decided that they would drop out of the Power Poll following their 42-28 loss to #1 Stone Bridge, as Robinson now fills their place. That now makes for four Concorde teams to enter into the Power Poll, but the real excitement starts with the teams in the honorable mention category. A lot of them made huge statements last week, and it's surely landed them on our radar screen...
1. STONE BRIDGE (1-0)
Previous: 1
Last Week: 42-28 win over West Springfield
This Week: vs. #10 Robinson
Stone Bridge sure flexed their muscle this past week after pounding our former number three ranked team in West Springfield by a score of 42-28. At one point in the game, they were up 42-7 and had done an excellent job of keeping the highly vaunted Spartan offense at bay. For right now, it's fairly safe to say this is a team very deserving of our number one ranking. They'll get another test this week when they square off against Robinson, a team who beat them last year 42-14 and served as their only blemish on the year.
2. WOODBRIDGE (1-0)
Previous: 2
Last Week: 40-9 win over Riverbend
This Week: at Highland Springs
Despite only being up only 13-3 at halftime last week against Riverbend, head coach Keith King's squad rallied big time to notch a decisive 40-9 victory. Once again it was De'Antwan "Rocket" Williams stealing the show as he ran for an impressive 239 yards and four touchdowns. As our top-ranked prospect in the area, we doubt many teams--if any--will be able stop Williams this year. Right now this is a Woodbridge team that looks to be in very good shape heading into Week 2.
3. CHANTILLY (1-0)
Previous: 4
Last Week: 21-14 win over Langley
This Week: at Washington-Lee
With West Springfield losing to Stone Bridge on Friday, that paves the way for Chantilly to move into our third spot in the Power Poll. Running back Torrian Pace was his usual dominant self as he rushed for two touchdowns, which is a good sign so far for the Chargers. This week they'll be facing a Washington-Lee team who shut down the highly touted Deandre Reaves and Dominion for a dominating 41-6 win.
4. BATTLEFIELD (1-0)
Previous: 5
Last Week: 41-0 win over Potomac
This Week: BYE
Battlefield sure didn't disappoint us last week after their 41-0 drubbing of the defending Northwest Region champs in Potomac. Rising star Bo Revell was 7 for 9 on the night with 156 yards and an incredible 22.3 average yards per completion, lending us further proof that he really could be the next great quarterback to emerge from the area. They get the week off, but return to action next week against a very talented Gar-Field squad, which should prove to be a big test for this team.
5. SHERANDO (0-0)
Previous: 6
Last Week: BYE
This Week: at Musselman (WV)
Sherando may have not played anyone this past week but move up simply by the teams above them dropping. We're still high on this team based on their coaching, the return of Ross Metheny and their line play, and we'll get a good gauge on this team after they head out of state to take on Musselman (WV).
6. WESTFIELD (1-0)
Previous: 7
Last Week: 9-7 win over South County
This Week: vs. Lee
Winning last week against South County didn't come too easy for Westfield as they just squeaked by the Stallions of South County, but nonetheless, they still move up one spot in our Power Poll. They'll face-off against Lee this week, who is coming off a loss to #8 Edison 35-14. They're still breaking in 17 new starters and it should be interesting to see how they progress between now and their date against rival Chantilly on September 19th.
7. OAKTON (1-0)
Previous: 8
Last Week: 21-14 win over Madison
This Week: vs. Annandale
The Oakton Cougars exacted a little revenge over their cross-town rivals last week after they beat the Madison Warhawks 21-14 in the Outback Bowl. They'll get the chance to once again dish out a little payback when the Cougars host Annandale, a team which they lost to last year and sent them to a 0-2 start. Contrast that to this year where Oakton now gets the chance to start out 2-0 and be able to hit the ground running.
8. EDISON (1-0)
Previous: 10
Last Week: 35-14 win over Lee
This Week: at West Springfield
Head coach Vaughn Lewis's crew took care of business last week after they easily dismissed their rival, the Lee Lancers, by a score of 35-14. What other teams should take note of in that game, though, is the sudden use of star linebacker Stephon Robertson at running back. He rushed for 167 yards on an astonishing nine carries, which is suddenly making this Edison seem much more scary to face. Yet their game against West Springfield this Friday will be a much greater test as the Spartans will surely be hungry after their 42-28 loss to #1 Stone Bridge.
9. BROAD RUN (1-0)
Previous: 9
Last Week: 31-6 win over Wakefield
This Week: vs. Ballou (DC)
It took awhile for Broad Run to get started, but when everything was all said and done, they finished with a solid 31-6 win. They stay put in the number nine spot in the poll for now, but their upcoming games against Heritage and Briar Woods in late September will surely tell us a lot more about this team and the Dulles District. They have a matchup with Ballou this week, a team they handled last year with ease during a 41-0 win.
10. ROBINSON (1-0)
Previous: NR
Last Week: 26-7 win over Lake Braddock
This Week: at #1 Stone Bridge
Entering the Power Poll for the first time are the Robinson Rams. They peaked last year at #3 before dropping off entirely, but last week's sure-handed win against Lake Braddock has many believing Robinson is still a force to be reckoned with. They'll be able to truly prove their worth with this week's big matchup against the #1 ranked Stone Bridge Bulldogs. Last year, the Rams beat Stone Bridge with relative ease during a 41-14 victory, so it should be quite interesting to see how this one plays out.
HONORABLE MENTION
11. West Springfield (0-1)
The Spartans drop considerably following their 42-28 loss to Stone Bridge. Things don't get any easier for head coach Bill Renner's bunch as they now have to gear up for the #8 Edison Eagles.
12. Gar-Field (1-0)
If there was going to be a team to challenge Woodbridge in the Cardinal District, then this is the team to do it. They're loaded at the skill positions and could certainly develop into a very dangerous team down the stretch.
13. South County (0-1)
Not many people were talking about South County before last week, but after nearly toppling the Westfield juggernaut, they suddenly appear to have the makings of a district championship team.
14. West Potomac (1-0)
After losing so many key playmakers, many considered West Potomac a non-factor for this year. But after beating Centreville 35-28, it's worth giving this team another look.
15. Briar Woods (1-0)
Briar Woods showed signs last week that this team can compete with the very best after their 27-13 win over a very talented Millbrook squad. They have the week off for now, but are certainly a team to keep an eye on down the road.
