Hayes: Title Hopes Hinge On The Quarterbacks
Westfield's Danny Fenyak has put together a solid first season under center for the Bulldogs, throwing for 17 touchdowns and leading the Bulldogs to the regional semi finals Friday against Chantilly. He will be under the microscope in a highly anticipated rematch with the Chargers.....
Photo By: Dave Bernhardt / Gameday Magazine
STERLING, VA - As we put both feet into the Second Season this week on all levels, one storyline I'm keeping my eye on is the play of the quarterbacks. We have rematches in the Northern Region with Edison hosting Madison, and Westfield hosting Chantilly. A preseason scrimmage rematch between Oakton and West Springfield, and some highly anticipated match-ups in Group AA.
It is win or go home time for everyone, and that puts the bulk of the pressure on the shoulders of the guys that run the huddle. It is the single most important position on the field when on offense, and I would argue that if you are in the second season, your quarterback has played well.
One of those solid quarterbacks is Edison's Levi Barber. Barber is emerging quickly to be a star in the making, completing 61 of 115 for 1,123 yards and 12 touchdowns. His play in recent weeks has given the Eagles home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and hopes of much bigger things to come.
Barber will take center stage again on Friday, as will several of the signal callers of the various teams now playing for a championship. When you think about it, the teams that have solid play at quarterback are the ones that have a legit chance to win it all. It starts and ends behind center for many reasons.
Take the Westfield vs Chantilly rematch on Friday night. The first bout between these two rivals showcased the skills of Danny Fenyak, the junior quarterback for the Bulldogs. Fenyak has had a solid season, completing 109 of 186 for 1,709 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has rushed for another 3 scores this fall. When Chantilly stacked the line of scrimmage to limit the talented Jordon Anderson, Fenyak took control early, and the Bulldogs never looked back. That could be the case again on Friday night.
Charger quarterback Roger Strittmatter hadn't been in a game of that magnitude, but the 32-7 loss to the Bulldogs made him better that night. Strittmatter has led the Chargers to a 8-3 mark heading into Friday's game, and Chantilly has improved greatly in the passing game since that miserable showing against Westfield. Strittmatter will be a key player to watch in the rematch, as the Bulldogs will once again focus on stopping Torrian Pace.
In the Oakton vs West Springfield playoff match-up, two of the best quarterbacks in the region will be under the microscope. The talented Bryn Renner will lead his Spartans into Vienna to take on Chris Coyer and the Cougars. After a rough start, Renner has proven to be as good as advertised, throwing for 31 touchdowns. The most impressive stat may be how few times he has thrown it to the wrong team. Renner only has 3 interceptions this season in 281 attempts. That means Oakton may not get many chances to get their hands on the football from the defensive side of the ball.
In the final preseason scrimmage, Oakton pressured Renner and forced 4 interceptions, and the Cougars rolled to an impressive win over the Spartans. However, that was in August, and it is more than safe to say that Renner and the Spartans are much improved.
Both players force the opposing defense to account for their playmaking abilities at all times. Coyer has completed over 65% of his passes this year, but his impact is felt most in the running attack. Coyer has rushed for 933 yards and 10 touchdowns, and also has thrown for 9 scores. His big play ability has won several games for the Cougars, and will be needed again on Friday.
The Oakton defense must stop Renner through the air, something they have at times struggled to do with other signal callers this year. Renner can also run it, having rushed for 378 yards and 8 touchdowns this season.
Word out of Ashburn is that Stone Bridge senior Patrick Thompson will make his return, but may see limited action against Mount Vernon (9-2) based on how the game progresses. Head Coach Mickey Thompson is wary about putting his son Patrick back in the lineup too quickly with a less than 100% high ankle sprain, so expect to see the single wing and senior Johnny Bladel behind center early. With limited action, Thompson has put up some gaudy numbers this fall, throwing for 1,714 yards and 22 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs will try to win this one without putting their star quarterback in the line of fire too much, but that may be easier said than done. That storyline will be interesting to watch.
Broad Run's Chris Jessop has been steady this fall, but his numbers aren't flashy with just 8 touchdown passes, but the only stat that matters is the 10 wins he has led the Spartans to this season. Jessop's job is simple, get the ball to the many playmakers that Broad Run features in its spread offense. With an energized Loudoun County coming to town, look for Jessop to toss the ball around some, but the running game with T.J Peeler was enough for the Spartans to win the first match 37-17, and should be again on Friday.
The day will come soon however when Jessop will have to lead the Spartans to a playoff win with his arm, and the question still remains if he is ready to do it. I believe he is, but the proof will be in the pudding as they say.
Two signal callers that will be in the spotlight on Friday will be James Wood's Trae Tinsman, and Potomac Falls senior Greg Woodlief. Woodlief leads an explosive offense for the Panthers that led the Dulles District in scoring this season. He threw for 16 touchdowns in the regular season, completing 78 passes for 1,481 yards.
Tinsman doesn't put up flashy numbers, but he just wins week in and week out. Both can make the throws, and both can be dangerous with the game on the line.
Tinsman and Woodlief will have to play well if they hope to live to play another day in the Second Season, and that should make Friday's game featuring the Colonels and the Panthers very exciting to follow.
The bottom line is, quarterback play is key, and when you get into the playoffs it becomes even more important. You won't find many state champions with sub-par play behind center.
Last year we saw the likes of Mike Glennon (Westfield), Patrick Thompson (Stone Bridge), and Peter Rose (Amherst) lead their teams to titles. The question is, who will do it this year? The answer to that question starts this Friday.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
PATRICK THOMPSON - Stone Bridge QB
95 for 153, 1714 yards, 22 TDs, 5 INTs
50 carries, 219 yards, 9 TDs
CHRIS COYER - Oakton QB
72 for 111, 915 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs
93 carries, 933 yards, 10 TDs
LEVI BARBER - Edison QB
61 for 115, 1123 yards, 12 TDs, 4 INTs
75 carries, 399 yards, 1 TD
DANNY FENYAK - Westfield QB
109 for 186, 1307 yards, 17 TDs, 9 INTs
18 carries, 82 yards, 3 TDs
BRYN RENNER - West Springfield QB
172 for 281, 2700 yards, 31 TDs, 3 INTs
78 carries, 378 yards, 8 TDs
CHRIS JESSOP - Broad Run QB
53 for 124, 855 yards, 8 TDs, 2 INTs
49 carries, 354 yards, 2 TDs
GREG WOODLIEF - Potomac Falls QB
78 for 152, 1481 yards, 16 TDs, 11 INTs
97 carries, 519 yards, ? TDs
GAMEDAY RADIO NETWORK LINEUP
The Second Season Presented By: Moe's Southwest Grill
#1 OAKTON VS vs #4 WEST SPRINGFIELD
- Bubba Purcell (Play By Play)
- Mitch Rogers (Color Commentary)
#2 WESTFIELD vs #3 CHANTILLY
- Grant Paulen (Play By Play)
- Andy Hayes (Color Commentary)
- Ken Kincaide (Color Commentary)
#1 EDISON vs #4 MADISON
- Derek LeComte (Play By Play)
- Bruce Hanson (Color Commentary)
#2 STONE BRIDGE vs #3 MOUNT VERNON
- Richard Colven (Play By Play)
- Sean Griffin (Color Commentary)
- Glenn Wooten (Color Commentary)
#1 BROAD RUN vs #4 LOUDOUN COUNTY
- Bob Vlasic (Play By Play)
- John Murphy (Color Commentary)
- Gary Evans (Engineering)
#2 POTOMAC FALLS vs #3 JAMES WOOD
- Bruce Bornarth (Play By Play)
- Tom Whipple (Color Commentary)
#1 BATTLEFIELD vs #4 OSBOURN
- Justin Waddle (Play By Play)
- Bill Hall (Color Commentary)
SATURDAY GAMES
#4 LIBERTY vs #1 WILLIAM FLEMMING
- Derek Goode (Play By Play)
- Miller Bennington (Color Commentary)
#1 HANDLEY vs #4 MILLBROOK
- Justin Waddle (Play By Play)
- Tom Whipple (Color Commentary)
- Kevin Reed (Color Commentary)
Gameday's Helene Shain Contributed To This Story:
