By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C.
**CLICK HERE FOR FINAL FRIDAY NIGHT SCORES FROM ACROSS THE NORTHERN REGION!
Division 5 Playoffs
No. 8 Lee (3-7) at No. 1 Edison (10-0) — November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
This is a rematch of the Week 1 game at Edison, an Eagle win could not have been more one-sided.
Junior returner Chris Washington took the opening kickoff 86 yards to the crib and his older brother Corey Washington returned a low, bouncing punt 71 yards for a score.
Even without running back Angus Harper in the backfield, the Edison ground game thrived. Senior Stephon Robinson, er um, Robertson carried nine times for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
But the Lancers would be the first to tell you that was one of their worst showings of the season. And this secondary is still amongst the most underrated in the Northern Region.
That secondary, however, is going up against junior quarterback Levi Barber, who is showed serious veteran leadership in last week’s last-minute drive to beat Chantilly on the road, something his older brother, Ben Barber, could not do last year at home.
If Lee is going to stand a chance — Edison backfield health notwithstanding — Patriot District Player of the Year Anthony Nsekela must raise heck on his pass rush and the Lancers will have to win the turnover margin… comfortably.
No. 7 Jefferson (3-7) at No. 2 Stone Bridge (10-0) — November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Two weeks ago at Jefferson, Stone Bridge broke the school scoring record for the third time this season, hitting the 70-point plateau with 4 minutes, 22 seconds left in the third quarter. Or 4:21… or 4:20… it was hard to tell with the running clock.
The Bulldogs haven’t had their starters play a full 48 minutes all season and have a possible — read: probable — fourth-straight Northern Region final against Edison looming in two weeks. It makes you wonder if coach Mickey Thompson will begin keeping his starters in longer than usual to maintain complete-game conditioning.
According to Article XII, Section B of the VHSL football guidelines a 35-point mercy rule results in a running clock during the second half “only during regular season games.”
So, with a true 48 minutes to be played and the potential for extended time for its starters, Stone Bridge will break the single-game scoring record for the fourth time this year.
No. 6 Washington-Lee (5-5) at No. 3 Mount Vernon (8-2) — November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Generals, congratulations on reaching the playoffs for the first time in 33 seasons. We cordially invite you to a most-expenses-paid trip to Old Town Alexandria to face the hottest Division 5 team not named “Bulldogs” or “Eagles.”
Mount Vernon has won eight of the nine meetings this decade, including a 12-10 victory through driving rain at Washington-Lee on September 26.
Expect the Majors to key on General senior running back/ quarterback/ return man Charlie Fuller, whose speed generated 162 yards and an 82-yard touchdown run in that mid-season meeting.
If Washington-Lee can strike early, Mount Vernon will be on upset alert.
No. 5 Yorktown (6-4) at No. 5 Madison (6-4) — November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
The Patriots’ only win this decade over the Warhawks came this season, 23-7, in Arlington.
In that game, Yorktown brought its big stick, recording all four scores from over 40 yards away.
Senior athlete Kyle Toulouse scored an 80-yard run on the game’s first play and threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Mike Veith later in the first quarter. In the second quarter, junior quarterback Sam Nottingham connected with junior running Charles Banks for a 50-yard score. Then, in the fourth, junior kicker C.J. Bartholomew drilled a 40-yard field goal.
Madison sustained several drives, but only netted one touchdown. Increased offensive efficiency from the Warhawks would offset the constant Patriot big-play threat and assuredly breed the most hotly-contested game in Division 5 this week.
Division 6 Playoffs
No. 8 South County (6-4) at No. 1 Oakton (10-0) — November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Last week, in a 38-13 win over Herndon, undefeated Oakton secured its first perfect regular season in the 41-year history of the school. This week, the Cougars will face the man who led them in 11 of those 41 seasons, fourth-year Stallion head coach Pete Bendorf.
Bendorf’s Oakton team won a Northern Region title in 2002, his final season in Vienna before becoming assistant athletic director at Madison, an office he held until the South County head coaching position opened.
The Stallions secured the eighth seed in Division 6 for the second straight season. Last year, South County fell to eventual state champion Westfield in the first round, 40-13.
South County and Oakton have never met before. In fact, this game, along with Woodson at West Springfield, is one of just two first-round playoff games that is not a rematch of a regular season meeting from earlier this year.
The Stallion mantra all year has been “Tough Starts Now.” That mindset will not be needed more than on Friday night, as South County is set to face the most physical team in Divison 6.
No. 7 Herndon (6-4) at No. 2 Westfield (8-2) — November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
In what was not only the upset of the year, but also the most thrilling game of the season, the Hornets snapped the Bulldogs’ VHSL-high 22-game winning streak in Week 8 on Herndon’s Homecoming Saturday, 29-28 in double overtime.
The Bulldogs had a touchdown pass by senior back-up quarterback Mack Spees called back for a correct, but likely inconsequential block in the back late in regulation. They scored the would-be game-tying touchdown in the second overtime, but elected to go for go two points and the win.
But the Hornets batted down the decisive pass attempt and, in an instant, shifted the balance of power in the Concorde District from Westfield to Oakton.
Herndon, though, has failed to win a game since defeating the reigning Northern Region and state champions. In fact, it is allowing 39.5 points and over 320 rushing yards per game in back-to-back losses at Robinson and Oakton.
Confidence ought not be a concern for the Hornets, but Bulldog senior running back Jordon Anderson should be. Anderson narrowly missed his tenth 100-yard rushing performance of the season in as many games in last Friday’s season finale.
Still, he has 1,483 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns this year, totals that both comfortably lead the region.
No. 6 Annandale (7-3) at No. 3 Chantilly (7-3) — November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
These teams have met six times this decade, with the Chargers winning five games, but the last four meetings have occurred in early September. But both teams are perennial playoff participants, so you just had a feeling a postseason meeting was inevitable.
Last season, Chantilly was unceremoniously bounced by red hot Robinson, 17-14, at home to abbreviate the Chargers’ honeymoon year following its state championship game run in 2006.
But they run into an Annandale team that has hit its stride. The Atoms have won five in a row overall and have not lost a road game since September 5 at unbeaten Oakton. Last week, Annandale locked up a share of its third Patriot District title in four years with a dominant 28-7 home win over South County.
Atom senior everything Cason Kynes threw for four touchdown passes and intercepted two Stallion attempts while lined up at safety.
In the teams’ Week 3 meeting, a 31-20 Chantilly win, Annandale sophomore wide receiver Melvin Robinson held his coming-out party, scoring a 65-yard touchdown in the first quarter en route to a five-grab, 136-yard night. Stopping him will assuredly be a top priority for the Charger defense.
No. 5 W.T. Woodson (7-3) at No. 4 West Springfield (7-3) — November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Oh, man.
Scanning the first-round match-ups as projected final Power Points were being calculated late last Friday night, this is the game that stuck out — well, outside of Westfield’s chance for revenge against Herndon.
This is the poster child for why an eight-team playoff format works. Two teams with regular seasons deserving of bonus football that never would have met otherwise, squaring off with both of their promising seasons on the line.
Just by reading style of play, Woodson should win the time-of-possession battle by a substantial margin. But can they slow West Springfield’s passing attack and newly-found backfield gem, Dan Collins, who torched Lee for 269 yards and three second-half touchdowns in a 46-12 home win in the regular season finale?
The Spartans are second in the Northern Region in scoring with 41.2 points per game; the Cavaliers are ninth with 30.0 points per game.
This game, along with South County at Oakton, is one of just two first-round playoff games in either D-5 or D-6 that is not a rematch of a regular season meeting from earlier in the year.
For what its worth, the teams last met in 2000, a 19-17 Woodson win.
E-mail: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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