Langley High School | Archive | November, 2007

By Angela Watts
Content Editor

With her teammates gathered around her — many of them wiping tears away themselves — Langley senior setter Megan Shifflett remained crouched down low, her hands covering her face, weeping. She was still there as officials prepared to start handing out Virginia AAA runner-up medals to the Saxons after their 25-23, 25-16, 25-22 loss to defending champion Deep Run at VCU’s Siegel Center Saturday night in Richmond.

“Pull it together, Megan,” Langley Coach Sue Shifflett said.

But an instant later it was the mother, not just the coach, who walked over, pulled her daughter up and held her in a long embrace.

This wasn’t just any season-ending loss. It was Sue an Megan Shifflett’s last competitive game together.

“I can’t even talk,” Megan Shifflett said, still overcome with emotion long after the awards had been handed out. “It’s both. It’s losing this match … and it’s knowing I’ll never play for my mom again. My mom has always been my best friend growing up, and playing together like this just made us even close, even stronger.”

There may very well be a state title in Langley’s future — and even in Sue Shifflett’s. But the remarkable run the Saxons made to this year’s title game will always hold a special place in her heart.

“Certainly it would mean a whole lot to get that first state title,” Sue Shifflett said. “But
obviously, I think I’d be lying if I didn’t say that this was a little
more important than anything.”

Though the ending to this season was far from perfect, the accomplishments this group of Saxons made will go down in the schools’ record books. They are the only Langley team to advance to the state final four.

“When I think back on the season, the best moments are a combination of so many,” Megan Shifflett said. “The wins over Mills Godwin and Princess Anne, and the Northern Region tournament, especially beating Centreville in that semifinal match to get into the state tournament. All four of those things are something that had never happened before in our years at Langley.”

The Saxons (23-2), though, were not at their best Saturday night against the Wildcats (24-5). Langley struggled to handle Deep Runs’ powerful and precise serves, and fell behind quickly in Game 1 (14-5) and Game 2 (12-6). The third and final game was a much closer, back-and-forth affair, but the Wildcats took the lead for good at 21-20 and proceeded to put the finishing touches on their second consecutive state championship.

Deep Run, which also finished as the runner-up in 2005, is the first team to claim consecutive titles since Hylton of Prince William County did it in 1993 and 1994.

“I really don’t know what it was tonight because they seemed very relaxed, but
not too relaxed,” Sue Shifflett said of her team. “But today we couldn’t pass the ball. We couldn’t pass
the ball and so we couldn’t get our offense going, and that got us
down. Deep Run is so tough, there’s no doubt. But I think if we could
have passed the ball better we could have maneuvered things around and
opened that block up, because they were just camping on our outside. And
that’s difficult to contend with.”

Still, the Saxons’ senior class of Caitlin Ayoub, Michelle Bredehoft, Christina Bumpas, Elizabeth Chin, Rebecca Lee, Sarah Maines, Lisa Scott and Megan Shifflett have much to be proud of.

And the underclassmen — freshmen Katherine Caine, Audrey Dotson and Taylor Nelson, sophomores Lainey Le Blanc, Carlie Owen, Stephanie Plunkett and Elysse Richardson and juniors Mattie Gray and Logan Sebastian — have much to look forward to.

“This has been an awesome year,” Sue Shifflett said. “It was just a fortunate, fortunate thing.
The good Lord was looking out for us and we were able to enjoy it. It’s
been great … and tonight’s loss doesn’t change that.”

** To
see photos from Tuesday’s state quarterfinal win over Princess Anne,Thursday’s state semifinal win over Mills Godwin and Saturday’s state final against Deep Run taken by Angela Watts, go to http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=dsmvp&gallery_id=912082

**
Also, check the video player on the home page, or click on the “Volleyball”
sports central link at the top of the page to watch video highlights from all three state playoff games taken by Jimmy Thomas, as well as
video interviews with several Langley players.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

By Angela Watts
Content Editor

Langley volleyball Coach Sue Shifflett is not a fan of the movie “300,” a fictional telling of the Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartans fought to the last man against Persian King Xerxes and his army of more than one million soldiers.

In fact, she called it “a horrible movie” Thursday night.

But Shifflett will also readily admit to a new love-**** relationship with the film.

Langley — spurred on by the fighting spirit they witnessed in a showing of 300 on the bus ride down to VCU’s Siegel Center for Thursday night’s Virginia AAA Semifinal against Mills Godwin — rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Eagles, 26-24, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-9 and advance to Saturday’s state title game against defending champion Deep Run at 7 p.m. in Richmond.

“Sparta!” Shiffllett screamed when a reporter asked what was said after the Saxons’ had dropped Game 3 and faced elimination. “I am not lying to you! They are in love with it. That is a horrible movie — but they made me watch it on the bus on the way up.”

On cue, as Shifflett continued to speak, her ecstatic players jumped in a huddle in front of the fans who had traveled to cheer them on and shouted “Sparta! Woo woo woo!”

“And that’s exactly what I said,” Shifflett continued. “You are Spartan women, now’s the time to do it and show it! And they gave it a ‘woo woo woo!’ in the huddle, and there we were.”

Langley jumped to a quick 5-2 lead in Game 4, returning to the confident, more error-free form that had served them so well in the first game of the match. Because of that, even when Mills Godwin knotted the score at 8, 9, 10 and 13, there was no panicking by the Saxons.

Instead, leading by a slim 17-16 margin, Langley took control behind the powerful serving of senior left-hander Michelle Bredehoft, who ran off four consecutive points to give them a more comfortable, 22-16 advantage. The Saxons also got big plays down the stretch by junior outside hitter Logan Sebastian, senior outside hitter Elizabeth Chin, senior middle blocker Lisa Scott and senior setter Megan Shifflett to close out the match and force a deciding, fifth game.

“We didn’t want our season to be over, not like that,” said Scott, who will play for the University of Maryland next year. “We said that if we were going to lose, we wanted to lose playing our best and we were not playing our best. So we just wanted to finish strong; we didn’t want it to be over. I knew we could pull it together … we all knew it. And that’s what carried us, being connected with each other and just feeling the spirit.”

The Saxons kept the momentum going in the fifth game, opening a 3-0 lead on a crafty tip by Chin, a powerful **** by Scott from the right side on a beautiful back-set by Megan Shifflett and a left side **** by Chin. The Eagles kept it close, but they also never tied the score or took the lead.

After Mills Godwin had trimmed Langley’s lead to 10-8, the Saxons scored five of the last six points, including a huge block and a blistering middle hit by Scott on back-to-back plays to end the match and ignite a Spartan-inspired celebration.

Scott paced the Saxons with 17 kills and 11 blocks, with Chin and
Sebastian adding 10 and nine kills, respectively. Shifflett, for her
part, totaled 37 assists and seven kills on perfectly-timed and
perfectly-placed dumps. And while senior Christina Bumpas made several spectacular diving defensive stops, it was sophomore libero Elysse Richardson who paced the defense with 26 digs.

“It’s one of those things where you never feel comfortable,” said Megan Shifflett, who was bombarded by phone calls and text messages at games’ end by interested Langley students. “We got a run going, but we knew we still had to keep fighting to the very end. This is states, and you can never give up and you can never take anything for granted. So we just kept trucking.

“I can’t … I can’t even explain how much this means to us. So many people care and so many people are cheering for us and supporting us. Langley volleyball has never been like this before.”

Her coach — and mom — couldn’t have agreed more.

“Is this awesome or what?” Sue Shifflett shouted. “This is so awesome! Wow. They’ve got … I don’t know … heart. Big heart. They’re fighters … it’s like nothing we’ve ever had before at Langley.”

** To see photos from Tuesday’s state quarterfinal win over Princess Anne and Thursday’s state semifinal win over Mills Godwin taken by Angela Watts, go to http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=dsmvp&gallery_id=909916

** Also, check the video player on the home page, or click on the “Volleyball” sports
central link at the top of the page to watch video highlights from all five games between Langley and Mills Godwin taken by Jimmy Thomas, as well as video interviews with senior setter Megan Shifflett and the defensive duo of Michelle Bredehoft and Elysse Richardson.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

By Angela Watts
Content Editor

When Langley Coach Sue Shifflett called the first time out of the Saxons’ Virginia AAA Quarterfinal against visting Princess Anne, runner-up in the Eastern Region, things weren’t looking good for the Northern Region champions.

“They were being tentative,” said Shifflett, whose team trailed the visiting Cavaliers 15-8 when she had seen enough. “They were in all the right places, but they they weren’t hitting the ball down and they weren’t going up strong on the blocks. They were playing weak. So I called a time out, looked them in the eyes and told them it was time to be aggressive.

“And they heard me; they got it.”

After a pair of failed serves — one by each team — Langley senior setter Megan Shifflett went back for one of her patented jump serves.

Ace.

That single play re-energized the Saxons and sparked what proved a 25-20, 25-12, 25-18 victory over the Cavaliers.

With the win, Langley advances to play Mills Godwin, a 25-18, 18-25, 30-28, 25-17 winner over Forest Park, in the semifinal round at 7 p.m. Thursday at VCU’s Siegel Center in Richmond. Langley (23-1) and Mills Godwin (20-6) scrimmaged in late August at a Showcase Tournament in Richmond, and the Eagles swept the Saxons in three games.

“All season we’ve continued to get better individually and to get better as a team,” Megan Shifflett said. “We have a better awareness of where each other is on the court, and we do a better job of responding to what the other team is doing, too. The growth this year, for all the girls, has been incredible.”

That growth — and maturity — showed when the Saxons were down early Tuesday night. After Shifflett’s ace Langley proceeded to rattle off five more quick points on a **** by senior outside hitter Elizabeth Chin, a blistering block by senior middle Lisa Scott, another Shifflett ace, a Princess Anne error and a well-placed tip by Shifflett where she faked out the entire Cavalier defense and dropped the ball right in the middle of them before they knew what happened.

Another time out was called — this time by Princess Anne — with the score knotted at 16.

“We knew we couldn’t give them one more point until we got a run going,” said junior outside hitter Logan Sebastian, who led the Saxons with a match-high 12 kills. “Megan’s jump serves got us back in it, and we ran with that momentum the rest of the game.”

Langley took its first lead of Game 1 at 17-16 on another Princess Anne error and trailed only once more the entire match — at 2-1 in the third game. The Saxons’ improbable comeback in the first game not only added fuel to their fire, but left the Cavaliers visibly frustrated.

“You could see in their faces they were getting mad,” Sue Shifflett said. “And volleyball is such a game of momentum, if you get like that you’re done.”

It didn’t help the Cavaliers’ cause that the Saxons, once they hit their stride, never let up. Megan Shifflett played with savvy and immense confidence, mixing well-timed tips with one perfect set after another to her array of powerful hitters. Sebastian and Chin (six kills) were superb on the outside, while the 6-foot-3-inch Scott (eight kills, five solo blocks) combined with junior Mattie Gray (three solo blocks) and freshman Audrey Dotson to overpower Princess Anne in the middle.

The Saxons also benefited from the solid defensive play of sophomore libero Elysse Richardson (29 digs) and senior defensive specialist Christina Bumpas (nine digs).

“That’s one of the best teams we’ve seen,” Princess Anne Coach Craig Dooren said. “They really are a team, from top to bottom. And they have good leadership and great size. They can easily hang with any team in the state.”

** Check the video player on the home page, or click on the “Volleyball”
sports central link at the top of the page to watch video highlights from all
three games between Langley and Princess Anne as well as an interview with senior middle Lisa Scott.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

By Angela Watts
Content Editor

So much attention is paid to Langley standout senior setter Megan Shifflett and standout senior middle blocker Lisa Scott that it is easy to overlook how good the rest of the Saxons are themselves.

And even better: Together they’ve proved nearly unstoppable.

Langley earned its first Northern Region championship since 1998 with a 25-14, 25-19, 25-20 victory over Chantilly Saturday night at Centreville High School. The three-game sweep was certainly fitting. The Saxons did not drop a single game in any of its four Northern Region tournament victories over Fairfax, Yorktown, Centreville and Chantilly.

“I can’t put into words how much this means to me,” said Shifflett, who added tournament MVP honors to her list of post-season accolades, which includes Liberty District and Northern Region Player-of-the-Year awards. “It’s amazing. As soon as we hit the regional tournament it really sunk in that this is the last time I get to play with these girls and get to play for my mom [Coach Sue Shifflett] ever … and so one slip up and it’s over and I never get it back again.

“This is my last chance and I want so badly to make the most of it.”

Shifflett had plenty of help from all sides in this one. Scott (6-feet-3) and freshman middle Audrey Dotson (6-0) were downright relentless on both quick sets in the middle and beautifully-placed back sets to the outside. Outside hitters Elizabeth Chin, a senior, and Logan Sebastian, a junior, fired shot after shot that even Chantilly’s stout defense could not get under. Scott and junior opposite Mattie Gray continually harassed the Chargers’ offense with well-timed blocks. Sophomore libero Elyse Richardson, along with defensive specialists Christina Bumpas, made one perfect pass after another. And seniors Michelle Bredehoft and Rebecca Lee came in off the bench to spark the Saxons’ service game.

“We really are a complete team,” Megan Shifflett said. “When people focus too much on me and Lisa they miss so much. They miss Logan, who has been incredible this season and has come through for us so many times in the clutch. They miss Elyse, our libero, who has just been a gift. I can’t put into words how much our defense has changed having her back there. They miss Audrey, who is just a freshman but things started clicking for her early on and it never stopped. … And just so, so much more. They miss us.”

Chantilly, led by sophomore middle Allison Williams and senior libero Vicki Chung, stayed with Langley early in Game 1 until Lee came in and rattled off six straight service points to turn a mere 16-13 lead into a 22-13 advantage. Game 2 followed suit, with the Saxons jumping to a 12-3 lead on the strength of Richardson’s serves and Sebastian’s power on the outside. The third and final game proved the most competitive — Chantilly took its first lead of the match in Game 3 at 14-13 on an ace by sophomore Joanna Powers and led again at 15-14 on a tip by sophomore Samantha Reeves — but that’s when Langley pulled away.

The Saxons (22-1) closed out the match on back-to-back kills by Chin from the left side and a Charger error to earn both the regional title and a home game in the quarterfinal round of the Virginia AAA state tournament. Langley will host Eastern Region runner-up Princess Anne (17-9) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Chantilly (17-5) must travel to face Cox (26-0), which won its fourth consecutive Eastern Region title by defeating Princess Anne, 25-23, 25-17, 25-17.

Winners will advance to the state semifinals, which will be held at 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday at VCU’s Siegel Center in Richmond. The state title game is

“It’s fantastic to win the Northern Region and to be able to leave this legacy for everybody else coming through the program to show them what Langley volleyball can really do,” Scott said. “But we’re not about to stop. We really want to push it hard now. We know it’s going to be a challenge, but it’s a challenge we welcome. We really hope to show everybody in the state what we can do.”

2007 Northern Region All-Tournament Team
L Vicki Chung, Sr., Chantilly; L Jackie Moot, Sr., Centreville; MB Lisa Scott, Sr., Langley; OH Logan Sebastian, Jr., Langley; S Megan Shifflett, Sr., Langley; S Lily Vera, Jr., Stone Bridge; MB Allison Williams, Soph., Chantilly.
Tournament MVP: Megan Shifflett.

** To see a complete photo gallery taken by professional photographer Jesse Neider, go to http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=dsmvp&gallery_id=904793.

** Also, check the video player on the home page, or click on the “Volleyball” sports central link at the top of the page to watch video highlights from all three games between Langley and Chantilly.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

By Angela Watts
Content Editor

As her players whirled in circles, screaming in wild celebration Thursday night at Centreville High, Langley Coach Sue Shifflett was bombarded by well-wishers. She moved from one elated parent, friend, student and player to the next, passing out hugs to anyone who came within arms’ reach.

“This is huge!” Shifflett nearly whispered, her voice having failed her long before the end of the Saxons’ 26-24, 25-16, 25-19 victory over the Wildcats to earn a berth into Saturday’s Northern Region championship game against Chantilly and next week’s Virginia AAA state tournament. “It was 1999 when we last went to states, and I don’t even know what to say. This is just so exciting.

“I don’t want to go home. I don’t want to go to school. I just want to go to practice!”

The Saxons were near flawless against the host Wildcats, with senior setter Megan Shifflett (committed to Penn State) and senior middle blocker Lisa Scott (Maryland) setting the pace with a great rhythm at the net. Langley also got significant contributions from senior starters Christina Bumpas and Elizabeth Chin, juniors Mattie Gray and Logan Sebastian and sophomore Elyse Richardson, each of whom was at the top of their game.

“Langley played the best match I’ve ever seen them play,” Centreville Coach Ken Moser said. “And when someone comes in and plays the match of their program, what are you going to do? I think we could have played the match of our lifetime and still not beaten them.”

The Saxons will square off against Chantilly at 6 p.m. Saturday in the regional finale
after the Chargers’ 25-19, 25-18, 25-19 victory over Stone Bridge in the
second half of Thursday’s semifinal double-header. Both teams, by virtue of advancing to the regional title game, have already secured a berth in next week’s state tournament. But there is still much on the line. Not only does Saturday’s winner earn a regional championship, but a home game in the quarterfinal round of the upcoming state tournament as well.

“We’ve been to the state tournament once before in 2004, so this is only the second time,” Chantilly Coach Charles Ezigibo said. “But it’s especially nice to be going back after just three years. With this group of kids, anything is possible, I think.”

The Chargers jumped to a big lead in each of its three games, starting off with 10-4, 10-3 and 7-1 leads, respectively. The catalyst of each early burst was the jump serving of sophomore Joanna Powers, but she got a considerable amount of help from senior libero Vicki Chung, a trio of middle blockers — Jessica Cooper, Haley Rauch and Allison Williams — as well as sophomore setters Andrea Linte and Emily Wright and sophomore outside hitter Samantha Reeves.

“When we get behind there’s more pressure and then we don’t play our game, so jumping ahead was important,” Powers said. “We definitely have learned to work together on that. We’ve become such a great team and all of our talent just blends together really well now.”

While Langley and Chantilly move on, Thursday’s losses marked the end of the high school career for six standout players, including Stone Bridge seniors Natalie Driskill and Meghan DeMartino and Centreville seniors Kelly Brugger, Sammy Hunt, Jackie Moot and Allie Vandivier.

“It’s not about this match or any other one,” Brugger said. “Not for me. This isn’t the way I wanted it to end, but when I look back what I’ll remember is just how much I loved playing with everyone. Centreville is just awesome. Coming out here with the fans and everyone you know and just having the time of your life on the court. That’s what I’m going to miss the most.”

** Check out the video player on our home page, or go to the “Volleyball” sports central link at the top of the home page to see more than a dozen video clips from Thursday’s two matches as well as a video interview with Saxon seniors Megan Shifflett and Lisa Scott.

** Photos courtesy of Sue Spencer of Perfect Shot Photos. For more information, please go to http://web.mac.com/perfectshot.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

AAA Liberty District Championship

By Jimmy Thomas
DigitalSports.com

The Langley women’s volleyball team defeated Stone Bridge Thursday night, 3-1, to capture the Liberty District Championship.

“Its been a long time coming” Saxons head coach Susan Shifflett. “Its been four years, its good to get it back from Stone Bridge. Iit feels really good!”

Langley took the first two games of the match 25-20 and 25-19. Stone Bridge answered, taking the third game 25-22.

But the Saxons closed the deal in the fourth game, winning 25-17 behind the strong play of all-District and tournament MVP Lisa Scott (committed to Maryland). Senior setter Megan Shifflett and Logan Sebastian were also named to the all tournament team.

The Bulldogs had Lily Vera and Meghan DeMartino named to the team as well.

The first round of the Northern Region Tournament will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, with the higher seed hosting. Langley will host Fairfax next week and Stone Bridge will face the third seed from the Concorde District. The remainder of the Northern Region tournament will be hosted by Centreville.

AAA Concorde District Championship

By Phil Murphy
DigitalSports.com

Maybe Centreville Coach Ken Moser doesn’t put out nationally syndicated instructional videos, but he and Tom Emanski, acclaimed AAU baseball coach, now have something in common after the Wildcats’ 25-13, 25-22, 26-24 win over Chantilly Thursday locked up back-to-back-to-back Concorde District Championships.

The Wildcats got out of the gates white hot, taking 13 of the final 15 points in the first game. Moser was quick to tab the reason behind that fast start as more defensive than offensive.

“We were being aggressive on serve-receive,” he said. “Chantilly is a great serving team and that’s what we had problems with the last time we played them. And we worked on addressing that serve-receive, and their ability to serve, and we really did a great job. I think our ability to pass kind of kept the rhythm in our favor and that’s what got us off to such a great start.”

The sailing was not quite as smooth in the second game as the margin was only two after a **** by Chantilly sophomore Samantha Reeves cut the Wildcat lead to 15-13. Centreville, then, regrouped coming out of a timeout, as has been characteristic of this team all season, and claimed seven of the next eight points.

“The middle [of a game] is always a big momentum builder, like running a quick set in the middle and slamming the ball down,” Wildcat senior libero Jackie Moot said. “When either side does that, that’s when the momentum is able to go to either side of the court.”

However, after having the flow of their game clearly in their favor, the Wildcats had five game-point opportunities before they were finally able to put the Chargers away, 25-22, and take a two games to none lead.

“We were kind of taking it easy and that’s when you need to bring back some intensity,” Moser said. “When you get ahead some times, you think you can just coast to the finish and against a team like Chantilly you can’t do that. You have to bring it every point and Chantilly showed us that.”

The clinching game was airtight for its entirety. Neither team had more than a two-point lead at any point and it took an extra point to decide. Centreville senior hitter — and tournament MVP — Kelly Brugger was paramount to the Wildcats success in the final set, recording blocks on three separate occasions when the Chargers threatened to spread their lead to a third point. Senior outside hitter Allie Darling was absolutely mistake free in the final frame as well, garnering props from her captain.

“We were playing from the bottom the entire time,” Brugger said. “We kept trying to get on top and [Chantilly] kept putting it back on our side. But once we got the consistency going, Allie Darling was playing very well on the outside, once she got that consistency with her hits, that’s how we won.”

Tied at 23 in the final set, Moser called a time out and stressed aggressiveness in the huddle, pointing out the team’s success in the first game when they played with their trademark tenacity.

Tied at 24, junior Kari Owens was pulled off the bench without time to get warm and brought into the game to serve.

“I don’t think she was warm,” Moser said after the game. “I think her report to me was ‘Don’t ever do that to me again.’ “

But Owens successfully served out the final two points, propelling the Wildcats to the three-game win and their third Concorde District Championship in as many seasons.

The other side of that coin: Despite having won the previous two district titles, Westfield went on to win the Northern Region Championship both seasons. Moot felt confident that this Centreville team has something the previous two did not.

“We have so much enthusiasm on the court all the time, which is huge,” she said. “\When we come together, even when someone misses a serve or shanks a ball, we’re back in the middle of the court regrouping. And that’s huge. We didn’t have that as much the last two years.”

If Centreville is to, themselves, prevent Westfield Coach Jim Bour and his team from pulling the “Tom Emanski” in Regionals it would not be until the championship game, slated for Saturday November 10 at Centreville, as the two teams will be on opposite sides of the bracket. The tournament, which has four representatives from each district, kicks off Monday.

Concorde All-Tournament Team
Theresa Harvey, Jr., Fairfax; Kelsey Maroney, Sr., Westfield; Allison Williams, Soph., Chantilly; Delaney Penney, Sr., Oakton; Vicki Chung, Sr., Chantilly, Suzie Marrett, Sr., Robinson, Kelly Brugger, Sr., Centreville — MVP

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

By Angela Watts
Content Editor

There was so much excitement and drama during Wednesday’s Northern Region field hockey quarterfinals at Oakton that it was easy for everyone to forget they were missing trick-or-treat night at home.
Sure, there was the subtle reminder of a few costume-clad fans. But they were far overshadowed on this chilly Halloween night by first Langley, then W.T. Woodson and Chantilly and, finally, Oakton.
Each quarterfinal game seemed to one-up the next.
The Saxons were the first to move to the semifinal round, defeating Edison, 3-0, in the only shut out of the night. Langley got goals from junior forward Katy Wingo, senior midfielder Faith Adams on a penalty stroke and senior forward Skye Lu off a corner. It was an impressive performance for a team that seems to have rebounded nicely from its only loss of the year in its district championship game.
“My kids realized after that loss that they needed to step it up, that now their goal was the regional tournament title and they had to come out here strong and do something about it,” Langley Coach Jennifer Robb said. “We definitely started off a little bit slow tonight but then when we got things together I thought that we just got better and better as it went on.”
Then it was the Cavaliers’ – the lone team to defeat those Saxons – turn to take center stage. W.T. Woodson trailed Mount Vernon, which scored on a gal by junior forward Grace Valentine, as time expired in regulation. But a penalty was called at the final buzzer, and since the game can not end on a defensive penalty the Cavaliers were allowed to execute one corner after time had expired.
Senior defender Lyndsey Butler inserted the ball to junior Becca Geist, who quickly tapped it to sophomore Shelly Montgomery for the shot. She fired cleanly and found the back of the cage to send the game to overtime. The Cavaliers’ did it again with only 1 minute, 12 seconds left in the second overtime period as Butler inserted a corner to Geist, who this time went right to senior defender Sarah Martin for the shot – another goal – and a 2-1 victory.
“Every second of every practice we practice our corners,” said Geist, who said both scores came off designed plays. “My job is to stop the ball, and then depending on the play either to either shoot it or fake a shot and pass it to one of my teammates on the side. On Shelly’s, I was so scared. When I was passing it to her I thought I passed it too hard, but she hit it as hard as she could and it went it. She started crying immediately; it was an awesome feeling.
“And then with Sarah’s, I was so tired that I just kind of flung it out there and she just happened to hit it and it was good. I couldn’t believe it.”
Next up was the Chargers, who continued their best season Coach Ralph Chapman’s 17-year career with a hard-fought, 2-1 victory over South County. Tied at 1 at half time after Charger senior forward Lauren Gural and Stallion sophomore forward Megan Wears had traded goals, Chantilly rallied in the second half with a goal by senior midfielder Kaylie Wallace with 20:32 remaining and held on for the victory.
“We played kind of iffy in the first round and I chalked it up to jitters,” Chapman said. “But tonight, [South County was] good. I want to give them all the credit in the world, they played a great game. … We didn’t get the corners that we needed tonight, we just didn’t do it.
“We played hard tonight, but we miss-hit a lot of balls. We were in a big rush to get something done and we didn’t take time and patience. I know we’re capable of playing a lot better and hopefully we’ll do that on Friday night. But
they still have heart. Even when they’re not playing well they make
things happen.”
After the Chargers won the Concorde District tournament for the first time in Chapman’s tenure last week the long time coach paid up on a 17-year old promise: If his team won the district title he’d come to school in a field hockey kilt. He kept his word, and now the girls say that a school administrator has promised to shave her head if they win the regional title. But Chapman is convinced his players don’t need those kind of stakes anymore.
“These girls have heart and they want this for themselves and for each other,” Chapman said. “That’s all the motivation they need.”
Last to earn a berth into the semifinal round was the host Cougars, who made the wait well worth the while for their fans as they pulled out a 2-1 victory over a solid Lake Braddock team.
Oakton senior defender Devin Grimm will deservedly be the player everyone is talking about at tournament’s end for her gutsy performance in the night’s final game. Grimm left the field about 10 minutes into the opening half with a gash to the left side of her chin. Trainers on scene used butterfly bandages to stop the bleeding, but told her the wound would need stitches.
Grimm was on her way out to the hospital, but stopped when she reached the far corner of the field and turned around.
“I just couldn’t keep walking,” Grimm said. “I decided I needed to stay and finish out the game and then go to the hospital after. I grew up with my dad [former Redskin Russ Grimm] being a really tough guy and he always put a lot of pressure on me and my three brothers to stick it out as long as we could. When it first happened I thought I had to leave because there was blood everywhere, but as soon as I calmed down I knew I had to stay.”
She not only stayed, but came back to Oakton’s sideline and quickly traded her blood-stained No. 21 jersey with teammate Megan McHie (a junior goalie who wears No. 20) for a clean one. Almost as soon as she was ready to play a penalty stroke was called for the Cougars.
Grimm took it — and made it.
“We had been practicing strokes all week and she’d been putting every single on in,” Oakton Coach Lizzie McManus said. “When she got injured it was bad enough not to have her on the field, but we were hoping to God she wouldn’t go to the hospital because injured or not she’s the toughest girl out there. And the stroke … it was almost like a golden opportunity. She had to do it.”
Grimm later assisted on Oakton’s second-half goal by junior forward Danielle Filipponi to give the Cougars a 2-0 advantage. Lake Braddock got on the board with 4:25 to play on a goal by junior Annie Stephens, but would get no closer.
“This is so bitter-sweet,” said McManus, whose sister, Molly McManus is an assistant coach for the Bruins. “My sister is the assistant coach and because they’re … they’re awesome. And I know every single one of their players. It’s just sad to see a good team go. I’m sad that we had to hit them so early, but I’m glad we won. We played a good team and won.”

** To see video highlights from all four games, as well as a video interview with Chantilly’s Katie Stillwell and Kaylie Wallace, click on the “field hockey” sports central link at the top of the home page.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)