Football Top 10 — Week 9

Centreville’s Win Over Chantilly Monday Night Secures Westfield the 2007 Concorde District Title; Bulldogs Must Now Battle Wildcats Themselves With Hopes of Completing an Undefeated Regular-Season

1. Westfield (9-0)
    Previous ranking: 1
    Last week: defeated Oakton, 35-0
    Up next: at No. 9 Centreville, 7 p.m. Saturday
2. Stone Bridge (8-1)
    Previous ranking: 3
    Last week: defeated Thomas Jefferson, 49-0
    Up next: at W.T. Woodson, 7:30 p.m. Friday
3. Edison (8-1)
    Previous ranking: 4
    Last week: defeated Washington-Lee, 39-0
    Up next: versus No. 4 Chantilly, 7:30 p.m. Friday
4. Chantilly (7-2)
    Previous ranking: 2
    Last week: lost to Centreville, 19-6
    Up next: at No. 3 Edison, 7:30 p.m. Friday
5. West Springfield (7-2)
    Previous ranking: 7
    Last week: defeated Lake Braddock, 33-20
    Up next: at Lee, 7:30 p.m. Friday
6. Madison (8-1)
    Previous ranking: 6
    Last week: defeated McLean, 24-0
    Up next: versus Marshall, 7:30 p.m. Friday
7. West Potomac (7-2)
    Previous ranking: 9
    Last week: defeated Annandale, 20-6
    Up next: at T.C. Williams, 2:30 p.m. Saturday
8. Lake Braddock (7-2)
    Previous ranking: 5
    Last week: lost to West Springfield, 33-20
    Up next: versus Hayfield, 7:30 p.m. Friday
9. Centreville (6-3)
    Previous ranking: 10
    Last week: defeated Chantilly, 19-6
    Up next: versus No. 1 Westfield, 7 p.m. Saturday
10. Langley (5-4)
    Previous ranking: NR
    Last week: defeated W.T. Woodson, 21-6
    Up next: at Marshall, 7:30 p.m. Friday

* DigitalSports’ Top 10 is chosen by staff members Angela Watts, Jimmy
Thomas and Phil Murphy.

 Boys-Liberty District
1-Evan Heflin  15:32  Thomas Jefferson
2-Brian Landry  15:32 Thomas Jefferson
3-Aaron Bernstein  15:50  Thomas Jefferson
4-Alex Witko  15:52  Thomas Jefferson
5-Brian Davenport  15:55 Thomas Jefferson

1-Thomas Jefferson 15pts
2-W.T. Woodson 55pts
3-Mclean  109pts
4-Langley 112pts
5-Marshall 123pts

Girls-Liberty District
1-Lauren Shaw  18:22 Langley
2-Stephanie Paradis  18:24  Stone Bridge
3-Brigid Byrne  18:27  James Madison
4-Connor Fleming  18:27  Thomas Jefferson
5-Lisa Junta  18:28 Thomas Jefferson

1-Thomas Jefferson 40pts
2- W.T. Woodson 67pts
3-Langley 70pts
4-Stone Bridge 101pts
5-Mclean 113pts

Boys-Concorde District
1-Joe LoRusso  15:24 Oakton
2-Neal Hendricks  15:26  Oakton
3-Brian Hendricks  15:32  Oakton
4-Chris Weil  15:45  Oakton
5-Christopher Foley 15:51  Chantilly

1-Oakton 23pts
2-Robinson 58pts
3-Chantilly 99pts
4-Westfield 101pts
5-Herndon 138pts

Girls-Concorde District
1-Lia DiValentine  17:38   Chantilly
2-Frances Dowd  18:02  Fairfax
3-Hiruni Wijayaratne  18:11  Herndon
4-Becca Kassabian  18:12  Oakton
5-Hallie Eilerts  18:15  Oakton

1-Oakton 48pts
2-Herndon 72pts
3-Robinson 86pts
4-Westfield 90pts
5-Centreville 107pts

Boys-National District
1-Leoule Degfae  15:55 Edison
2-Tihut Degfae  15:59  Edison
3-Abiy Mohammed 16:01 Stuart
4-Spencer Rodriguez 16:26 Edison
5-Jonathan Iredell  16:35 Edison

1-Edison 19pts
2-Yorktown 75pts
3-Washington-Lee 80pts
4-Mount Vernson 94pts
5-Falls Church 123pts

Girls-National District
1-Lindsey Hunt  19:30  Yorktown
2-Myah Hicks  19:34  Edison
3-Cynthia Carson  19:40 Washington-Lee
4-Lakayla Hughes  19:57 Mount Vernon
5-Andrea Ferri  19:59  Stuart

1-Yorktown  45pts
2-Stuart  68pts
3-Edison  71pts
4-Mount Vernon  96pts
5-Washington-Lee  100pts

Boys-Patriot District
1-Brad Kenimer  15:28  T.C. Williams
2-Devin Edgell  15:56  Lake Braddock
3-Paul Devar  15:58  West Potomac
4-Alex Clark  16:00  Lake Braddock
5-Kelly Carmichael  16:03 West Potomac

1-West Potomac  49pts
2-Lake Braddock  53pts
3-South County 80pts
4-Annandale  92pts
5-T.C. Williams  120pts

Girls-Patriot District
1-Liana Epstein  18:01  Lake Braddock
2-Elizabeth Heath  18:09 West Potomac
3-Alex Watt  18:17  West Springfield
4-Madeleine Willner  18:18  South County
5-Kelsey Rosenberg  18:25 West Potomac

1-Lake Braddock 47pts
2-West Springfield  58pts
3-West Potomac  62pts
4-South County 130pts
5-T.C. Williams  132pts

Field Hockey District Tournament Championships

Woodson Sophomore Shelly Montgomery Scores With :14 Left in Double Overtime to Give the Cavaliers a 2-1 Victory Over Previously Unbeaten Langley; Chantilly, Lake Braddock and Edison Also Capture Its Respective District Tournament Titles

As her teammates hooted and hollered and high-fived behind her, W.T. Woodson sophomore midfielder Shelly Montgomery declared the end of Tuesday night’s, 2-1 overtime victory over Langley in the Liberty District tournament championship game the best part of her life.

Then the giddy teenager paused for an instant — just to make sure she got it right.

“The best part of my life, yeah,” Montgomery said again, nodding her head and smiling broadly. “It was so great.”

With less than 30 seconds remaining in the second overtime session at Madison High, Montgomery picked herself up after a fall and went racing toward the goal, unaware, she said, of just how few seconds remaining before the game would have gone to penalty strokes. Her eyes weren’t on the clock, but on junior forward Mary Beth Barham, who was trying desperately to sneak a shot past Langley senior goal keeper Kelly Germain. But Germain, who Woodson Coach Becky Preston called “phenomenal” in the second overtime period, was rejecting one shot after another off her pads. Her last save of the game was made when she dove to the ground in the right front corner of the goal and took a Barham shot off her mid-section. The move was spectacular — but it also left the back left corner of the goal vulnerable.

W.T. Woodson’s players piled on sophomore Shelly Montgomery in celebration of her championship-winning goal in the closing seconds of double overtime Tuesday night against Langley.

“I
was running down and I saw Mary Beth Barham,” Montgomery said. “And she
just kept on trying to get it in but the goalie just dove right down.
So I just brought it around reverse and flipped it right over her. Oh
my gosh, it was the most amazing feeling in the world.”

The ball hit the back of the goal with just :14 seconds left in the second overtime, and Montgomery and Barham were instantly swarmed and tackled as each Woodson player piled on in celebration.

“When she shot it, it was an amazing shot,” Barham said of Montgomery. “I was just so happy. It feels like being on top of the world. So amazing.”

The win gave the Cavaliers (15-4) their third consecutive Liberty District title, and put the first blemish on the Saxons’ (17-1) record.

“I think it just came down to that they lasted longer than we did,” said Langley Coach Jennifer Robb. “They played the entire second overtime, and we just ran out of juice.”

Woodson struck first in the game when senior defender Sarah Martin fired a shot off a corner with an assist from junior midfielder Becca Geist with 19 minutes, 31 seconds left in the first half. Langley then similarly knotted the score at the 22:25 mark of the second half on a shot by senior forward Katie Knapp off an insert corner pass by senior midfielder Faith Adams.

The Saxons dominated the first overtime period, but failed to capitalize on its numerous offensive chances. The Cavaliers turned it around and controlled the ball for most of the second overtime session, but had also struggled to finish until Barham started the final push down the stretch.

“It had been a back-and-forth game with Langley and I didn’t know which way it was going to go in the end,” said Preston, in her first season leading the Cavaliers. “They kept getting fast breaks down the field and I didn’t know if we’d get anything past their goalie. She was saving everything we shot at her. So just to get it past her … I don’t even know what to say.”

Concorde District Championship
Chantilly 3, Robinson 1

By Jimmy Thomas
DigitalSports.com

Chantilly defeated Robinson Tuesday night at Westfield High to capture the Concorde District tournament championship. The Chargers upset No. 1 seed Oakton to advance to the finale.

	Kaylie Wallace scored in the games’ opening moments to give Chantilly the lead. The Rams would answer, knotting the game at 1 with a goal by senior Erin Duffy assisted by captain Taryn Cutrona. Chantilly forward Rachael Payne then scored to give the Chargers back the lead, 2-1, headed into half time. The Chargers added one more goal midway through the second half for the game’s final margin.  Senior goal keeper Hayley Stewart made a number of outstanding saves leading the way as Chantilly held on for the win. “I kind of felt like we were overdue,” said elated Charger Coach Ralph Chapman. “We have been close before but we never quite got there.”
Chantilly poses with its Concorde District championship trophy after beating Robinson, 3-1, on Tuesday night.

NOTE:  Lake Braddock captured the Patriot District tournament title with a 3-1 victory over South County at Annandale High, and Edison topped Mount Vernon, 1-0, to claim the National District tournament championship at Washington-Lee.

All eight teams that played in their respective title games Tuesday night will be back in action Thursday for the start of the AAA Northern Region tournament. All games will be played on two fields at Oakton High. (Check Oakton’s hotline 703-749-8039 for updates about weather and field conditions.)  The quarterfinals will be held at 6 and 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 29, the semifinals at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31 and the finals at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2.

First-round Northern Region Tournament
Thursday, Oct. 25

3:30 p.m. Madison vs. Chantilly; Yorktown vs. Lake Braddock
5 p.m. Washington-Lee vs. South County; Marshall vs. Oakton
6:30 p.m. West Springfield vs. Mount Vernon; Robinson vs. Langley
8 p.m. Fairfax vs. W.T. Woodson; T.C. Williams vs. Edison

Bulldogs Down Saxons in Four Games

Westfield’s Kelsey Maloney and Sammy Spees Lead Young Bulldogs to Victory Over Langley in Showdown of Northern Region’s Elite

Westfield, the two-time defending Northern Region volleyball champions, had to replace five starters off last year’s title-winning team. Not an easy task, by any means, but one that the Bulldogs suddenly seem to have a very good grasp on.

And if Monday night’s 25-18, 25-23, 13-25, 25-23 victory over Langley was indication — other teams around the region had better take notice, too.

	“That was really exciting because Langley and Centreville are probably our two biggest games this year,” said Westfield senior middle blocker Kelsey Maloney, whose team will visit the Wildcats on Thursday. “So for everyone to come out and play their hardest and do their jobs, it means a lot. We’re still a young, inexperienced team. But we wanted this one.” The Bulldogs, led by Maloney (17 kills, 12 digs) and junior outside hitter Sammy Spees (match-high 20 kills, 11 digs), outplayed the visiting Saxons in nearly every area. They served with more consistency, provided much more resistance in serve-receive, made less mental errors and finished plays with authority. But it was Langley’s lack of energy — even in a third game in which they dominated on the scoreboard — that troubled coach Susan Shifflett most. “We didn’t get in a rhythm all night long,” said Shifflett, whose team is ranked an area-best No. 5 by The Washington Post. “I felt like we didn’t have any energy on the court. We were just dead, and I don’t know how you don’t have energy when you’re coming into this stadim and you know you’re playing Westfield. And that’s what we talked about in our huddle after the match was over. “Even in that third game that we won and beat them [handily] we still didn’t have any energy. So we’ve got to figure that out, that’s for sure.” With the win Westfield improved to 9-3 overall this season and snapped Langley’s seven-match win streak. The Saxons, the area’s top-ranked team at No. 5 by the Washington Post, fell to 7-3 overall.
Westfield junior middle Kelly Murray (14) and junior setter Kat Lanigan (9) go up for a block against Langley.

“We’re still a pretty new team, so we’re still getting to know each other,” Spees said. “But we’re gaining confidence, and that’s huge. We can beat teams if we put our minds and hearts to it.”

Langley jumped to an early, four-point lead in the first game, but
that’s when Spees took over. The hard-hitting, right-hander scored on
three consecutive possessions from the left side, first going
cross-court and then down the line before catching the Saxons
off-balance with a well-placed tip over the hands of two blockers to
give Westfield its first lead of the game, 9-8.

The Bulldogs did not trail again the remainder of the first game. “She chooses her shots very well … when to hit the line and when to cross,” Shifflett said of Spees. “She reads blocks well, and she has a very fast arm swing. We’ve seen harder hitters … but Sammy played us a little smarter tonight. We’ve got to figure out how to block her.” After falling again in the second game Langley rallied in the third, using seven straight service points by senior Rebecca Lee to jump to a big 16-4 lead. But Westfield regained control in the fourth, holding off a furious run by the Saxons that tied the score at 21 to take the lead for good on a hard middle hit by junior Kelly Murray. In addition to Maloney and Spees, Westfield junior setter Kat Lanigan totaled 41 assists and 10 digs for the Bulldogs, while junior Julie Stevener added 10 digs and sophomore Emma Stewart totaled six kills. “We have so many players that can really play multiple positions,” said the 6-feet-3-inch Maloney, who has been invited to walk-on at national powerhouse Wisconsin next season but has not yet committed. “So that’s a nice advantage for us.” Langley was paced by Lee (seven aces), senior setter Megan Shifflett (33 assists), junior outside hitter Logan Sebastian (team-high 13 kills) and senior middle blocker Lisa Scott (12 kills). “You’d like to think, ‘Well, Logan’s back in for the first time after a week so maybe out chemistry was out-of-whack,’ ” Susan Shifflett said. “But Westfield just beat us. I told the girls they’ve got to start coming to practice — and leaving practice — better than they were when they walked through the door. I think they’ve been kind of coasting here.

Westfield junior outside hitter Sammy Spees (12) led the Bulldogs with a match-high 20 kills and 11 digs.

“I told them, if this turns out at the end of the season that we win districts and we win regions then we’ll look back and call this a really good loss. But right now, it [stinks].”

*Photos courtesy of Sue Spencer of Perfect Shot Photos. Perfect Shot is accepting limited shooting assignments for the Fall to make sure all who want pictures are covered. For more information, please go to http://web.mac.com/perfectshot.

** To see complete highlights from Monday’s match, as well as a video interview with Westfield Coach Jim Bour, click on the “Volleyball” sports central
link at the top of the home page.