The Countdown to Kickoff: #43-41
A lot of coaches believe line play is the key to a teams success. If that's the case, then Fairfax has a major hole to fill this year as four of their top linemen graduate
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Of all the players Fairfax lost to graduation, losing linebacker/fullbacker Chris Regensburg will hurt the most. A dominant playmaker on both sides of the ball, he made it a priority to make his presence felt, as illustrated above on a goalline stand against Oakton.
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One blossoming star within the Fairfax program is rising junior Marcus Bailey. Serving as both running back and defensive back, expect Bailey to truly shine this year with the departure of three other running backs.
Photo By: Barry DeNicola / GamedayMagazine | VIEW GALLERY
Graduation is meant to be a time for rejoice and celebration, but for a football program, graduation can deal out devastating blows. Now, we're not anti-graduation (and of course, neither is anyone else), but graduation can really sting teams in the you-know-where.
Take for example the three teams we feature in our "Countdown to Kickoff." They're ranked where they are not because they don't have any potential, but because they witnessed the departure of so many talented players. Can they make some noise this year? You betcha, but it won't be easy...
43. FREEDOM EAGLES (WOODBRIDGE)
2008: 2-8 (1-4, Cardinal District)
VHSL-Reference RPI: .462
Points For: 138
Points Against: 306
Overview: For these Eagles, learning how to fly has been a little rough. Since the school opened in 2005, their collective record is just 6-34. Of course, playing in the ultra-tough Cardinal District doesn't help matters, but there are signs this program is moving in the right direction. With a solid 2011 class, there looks to be a bright future ahead for the Eagles.
Why 43rd?: Despite a young base of talent, there are a lot of unknowns about this team. When also considering their history, it's still tough to imagine this team finding its footing in 2009. Losing dominant lineman Joel Francis as well as counterpart Corey Carter, the Eagles lose a lot at one of the most important facets of the game, which is on the line. Quarterback Lamar Howard also departs as does Deon Jones, arguably Freedom's best skill position player. However, despite the loss of two very talented linemen and some of their best skill guys, there are two gems sitting in the class of 2011.
The Future is Now: It's said there's a lot of talent throughout the board in Northern Virginia in the class of 2011. That's certainly true in Freedom's case, as they possess arguably one of the best backs for that class in Lee Taylor. Already grabbing first-team all-district honors as a sophomore, people will likely be hearing a whole lot from Taylor in the upcoming years. Yet the budding star won't be alone in his pursuit to get Freedom to a winning record. Aiding in his successes will be two-way linemen Bryant Williams and Omar Hidalgo, both of whom were starters from a year ago. If Taylor can provide a powerful punch for the offense and a formidable defense can be created in training camp, then Freedom could really have the potential to sneak up on a lot of people.
42. FAIRFAX REBELS
2008: 4-6 (1-5, Concorde District)
VHSL-Reference RPI: .480
Points For: 173
Points Against: 255
Overview: 2008 really was a breakout year for Fairfax. Being in their fourth year since joining the Concorde back in 2005, Fairfax not only collected their first Concorde win last year, but they also obtained their best record since 2004 by going 4-6. To make matters even more favorable for Fairfax, they will be departing the Concorde and heading back to the Liberty District, where they will be facing considerably less stiff competition. However, don't think head coach Chris Haddock will be cruising down Easy St. just yet as he still needs to find a way to replace a lot of talent which graduated.
Why 42nd?: This team would be ranked a lot higher if it weren't for the fact that they have so many question marks entering this season. Among the many players Fairfax graduated this past year was fullback/linebacker Chris Regensburg, who served as Rebels' heart and soul. His tenacity will surely be missed, but what's also a concern is the departure of three other top running backs as well as quarterback Abdullah Amin. As if losing all of their top skill position players weren't enough, but Fairfax's top four offensive linemen have also departed, including two-way force Josh Patterson. Filling out so many open spots will be tough for Fairfax, but they will have the advantage of playing in a much easier district which could make all the difference.
Give Me Liberty: So just how big of a move is the switch to the Liberty for Fairfax? Well, consider that before Fairfax moved into the Concorde, Fairfax mainly hovered around .500. Yet when 2005 came about and Fairfax was moved to the Concorde, the Rebels posted just eight wins in four years. So if history tells us anything, it's that Fairfax will be right around .500. If you add in the strides this program has made from being forced to compete at an extremely high level in the Concorde, then they could do quite well for themselves in 2009, despite the graduation of so many of their key players.
41. STONEWALL JACKSON RAIDERS
2008: 3-7 (3-4 Cedar Run District)
VHSL-Reference RPI: .444
Points For: 173
Points Against: 261
Overview: Imagine having one of the best prospects in the state of Virginia on your team and putting nearly all your hopes of a successful season on his shoulders. Then, unexpectedly, he gets hurt. For Stonewall Jackson, that was the case last year as four-star prospect and nationally-ranked sprinter Damien Thigpen went down with an injury to start the year. A UCLA-commit, Thigpen was only available for the last five games of the regular season, a span in which they went 3-2. But what happened in the five games when Thigpen was injured? They limped their way to an 0-5 record. With Thigpen graduating and gone for good, wins might be even harder to come by this season.
Why 41st?: In addition to losing Thigpen, Stonewall also graduates a whole host of talent that will be hard to replace. Among those departed were their top two linemen in Bradley Helmick and C.C. Davis, who were both two-way players. Not only that, but arguably one of the district's best linebackers in Aaron Dial also leaves as does fellow linebacker Derrick Lett. With so many key departures in so many different facets of the game, finding appropriate replacements looks to be a tough task this summer for Stonewall head coach Mike Dougherty.
Familiarity: With this being just Dougherty's second year at Stonewall, there always figures to be an adjustment period. It may take one year, two years or even four years for a coach to steer a program in the right direction. A second year for Dougherty should help out tremendously and will hopefully counterbalance the loss of Thigpen. One other thing going in the favor of the Raiders is the return of Sean Blackman. A standout defensive back, Blackman will likely receive a large majority of carries this season as well. Quarterback/defensive back Brandon Simmons returns as well, which should greatly aid the Stonewall offense.
Complete Ranking (to date):
(click for preview)
55: Freedom Eagles
54. Falls Church Jaguars
53. Thomas Jefferson Colonials
52. J.E.B. Stuart Raiders
51. Marshall Statesmen
50. McLean Highlanders
49. Wakefield Warriors
48. Hayfield Hawks
47. Dominion Titans
46. South Lakes Seahawks
45. Heritage Pride
44. Loudoun Valley Vikings
43. Freedom Eagles (Woodbridge)
42. Fairfax Rebels
41. Stonewall Jackson Raiders
