By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, DigitalSports.com
**Teams are listed alphabetically.
EDISON
Last Year: 12-1 (7-0), Division 5 Northern Region runner-up
Coach: Vaughn Lewis, 15th year, 109-52 career record
Returning Starters: 8 offense/3 defense
Key Losses: RB/LB Stephon Robertson (JMU), ATH Corey Washington (Shepherd), OL/DL Frank Figueroa
(Penn State), OL/LB Kenny Clessas, OL/DT Josh Blair, DE Josh Page
In the last five years, no team is as synonymous with Division 5 success as Edison.
The Eagles have reached the Northern Region championship five-consecutive times and have amassed a district record of 36-2 since the final week of the 2003 regular season. Edison has won its last 17 district games, dating back to Oct. 20, 2006, a 22-14 loss to Yorktown, which it avenged, 27-7, that year in the playoffs.
“Good Lord. It’s been how many years without a district loss? That’s a
program right there,” one district coach said. “They’re going to win the district. You could put
that to bed right now, unless they have some catastrophic party or
something that gets everybody suspended.
“I don’t know who they’ve got,
but they’re big, they’re athletic and they’re fast.”
And, on offense, they’re back.
The Eagles return eight starters, including senior quarterback Levi Barber, senior running back Angus Harper and senior wide receiver Christian Washington.
Last season, Barber threw for 1,179 yards, had a 12-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio and rushed for 420 yards. Harper split time in the backfield, but still managed 897 yards on 86 carries and eight touchdowns, while adding 106 receiving yards, taking two of his three total receptions for scores. Washington led the team in receiving yards and yards per reception, 426 and 25.4, respectively, and tied for the team-high with five touchdowns. He also had two special teams touchdowns.
Edison’s three offensive graduates were all major contributors — running back Stephon Robertson, athlete Corey Washington and two-way lineman Frank Figueroa — and all received scholarships to play at the next level.
Robertson, now at James Madison, had 24 rushing touchdowns last season and led the team in tackles in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons at linebacker. Corey Washington takes five receiving touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, three special teams scores, two forced turnovers and a partridge in a pear tree to Shepherd University. Figueroa accepted a full ride to Penn State.
The Eagles, though, have significantly higher turnover on defense. Its top seven tacklers graduated. Coach Vaughn Lewis expects increase contribution from senior linebacker Rodney Colley, senior defensive end TraVaughn Lincoln, senior free safety Mark Krisak and junior linebacker Jameson Hart, a standout on junior varsity last year.
Also, back is senior defensive back and return man Jerrell Haywood, who returned a punt for a score against West Springfield.
“We have numerous people that have the ability to make big plays,” said Lewis, in his 15th season. “We
think special teams is going to be a big part of our success this year.”
Edison will be tested early. It faces West Springfield, Centreville, Mount Vernon and Oakton before the midway point of the season.
Game to Watch: Week 5: Oct. 2 at Oakton
FALLS CHURCH
Last Year: 1-9 (1-6)
Coach: Anthony Parker, 8th season, 24-46 career record
Returning Starters: 7 offense/7 defense
Key Losses: WR/LB Jeremy Jones, QB/FS Sam Gerima, OT Rich Evans (injury)
In 2005, 2006 and 2007 summer passing league, Falls Church lost a would-be starting skill player to a season-ending injury each summer. In 2008, for the first-time in three years, the Jaguars entered the season healthy.
They fixed that quickly.
By the third game last year, Falls Church had seven starters out. This year, it has already lost starting senior tackle Rich Evans to a season-ending rotator cuff injury that sidelined him all of 2008.
It goes without saying the the Jaguars are overdue for a healthy season. With 14 starters back — after returning 15 in 2008 — eight-year coach Anthony Parker said the team is further along at this point in the season than in any of his previous seven.
They had all five linemen back before Evans’ injury and Parker said the strength of this team will be running the football. Returning is senior running back Marcus Hughes, senior offensive tackle Patrick Williams and senior center Kyle Ruttkay.
Out wide, seniors Christian Eusebio and Matt Renn will again be favored targets. Under center, junior Ajay Kashyap takes over for Sam Gerima, but does have starting experience. Last year, he was called up from junior varsity for three starts while Gerima was injured and surpassed 200 passing yards each game.
Defensively, Eusebio and Renn will patrol the secondary while Williams and Ruttkay apply pressure in the trenches.
Senior linebacker Alex Lazcano transferred to Falls Church from Woodson and will immediately be called on to make an impact.
Game to Watch: Week 4: Sept. 25 at Washington-Lee
HAYFIELD
Last Year: 1-9 (0-7)* Patriot District
Coach: Billy Pugh, 11th year, 40-61 career record
Returning Starters: 7 offense/5 defense
Key Losses: C Taylor Kewer, LB/P Laurent Newsome
The most intriguing offseason district realignment is Hayfield’s move to the National District. It was in the Patriot District since the division’s inception in 1995, but was one of just two Division 5 schools remaining there through last season (Lee).
And the Hawks had almost 300 fewer students than Lancers.
“I think the kids know — but I don’t think they really know — there
are some good football teams in the National District,” said Pugh, whose team has the most difficult schedule, statistically, in the district. “We were ahead
in four ball games that we lost last year in the second half because we
had lack of numbers, lack of strength and lack of that physical
mentality.
“They have no excuses anymore. With South County being
built, the school being downsized, yadda yadda yadda, we have no
excuses anymore.”
According to most of its new competition, Hayfield does not need them.
While the Hawks returned just three total starters in 2008 — by far the lowest total among Division 5 programs — they bring back 12 starters in 2009. Pugh said there is a night-and-day difference in game experience between last year and this one.
“Last year, we knew where two or three people might play. This year,
I’ve got 18 or 19 in the right play already. What does that tell you?,” said Pugh, whose school is still third-smallest in its new district.
“For the last four years, we’ve been struggling to put 11 on the field.
“This year it’s a totally different set of circumstances.”
Leading the Hawks this year are two-way senior lineman Justin Somers — primarily an offensive lineman — and a duo of talented, powerful running backs, senior Rayshawn Rigans and sophomore Steve Lynch. Lynch added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame over the summer.
Headling Hayfield, though, is senior athlete Anton McCallum, still awaiting his first Division I scholarship offer. At quarterback last year, McCallum threw for 1,030 yards and 10 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. He also carried for 1,050 yards on 9.6 yards per carry with 11 touchdowns.
McCallum, who was clocked at 4.46 in the 40-yard dash, will line up at free safety on defense and return kicks for the Hawks.
“He’s just a blur,” Pugh said. “He’ll never set foot off the field.”
Game to Watch: Week 6: Oct. 9 vs. Mount Vernon
MOUNT VERNON
Last Year: 9-3 (7-1)
Coach: Tom Glynn, 5th year, 20-23 career record
Returning Starters: 3 offense/3 defense
Key Losses: OL/DL Zach Quigley, RB/LB Kyle Ricks, QB Brian Green, OL/DL James Garren, OL/DL Chris Crocket, OL/DL Josh Edmonds, OL/DL Marcus Jones, RB/LB Branden O’Clisham
Mount Vernon graduated all five of its massive offensive linemen last year’s team that beat every National District opponent not named “Edison.”
So to say the Majors will look different in the trenches is a huge understatement.
Last year, their average offensive linemen stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 270 pounds. This year, the five new starters average about two inches and 45 pounds less than that.
But fifth-year coach Tom Glynn is not hiding behind a shrunken offensive front by lowering expectations.
“We’re looking to be right where we were last year,” he said. “We’re thinking we can get right back where we were.”
To do so, a leader is needed to replace three-year starter Brian Green under center. Currently, senior Andrew Sable and junior Trey Cooke are vying for that responsibility.
Out wide, senior Sean Stewart should play a significant role in the offense and senior Dannish Decardi-Nelson will be a jack of all trades in the backfield.
Two deciding factors for Major success are how they perform in out-of-conference games and how they perform in close games.
Last season, Mount Vernon was 3-1 in its four regular-season games outside of the National District. And it has the same out-of-conference schedule last year, minus Jefferson.
Also, in 2008, the Majors were 4-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less, 6-0 in games decided by 11 points or less. With so many starters gone, Mount Vernon needs to get all it can out of games decided in the final quarter.
Game to Watch: Week 9: Oct. 30 vs. Yorktown
STUART
Last Year: 1-9 (0-7)
Coach: Roy Ferri, 2nd year, 8-42 career record
Returning Starters: 7 offense/5 defense
Key Losses: RB/LB Anthony Champ, WR Terrill Hawkins, OL/DL Dragos Matei, DT Brian Saravia
Through two games last year, things were looking up for Stuart. It fell by a point, 14-13, to city rival George Mason and beat McLean decisively, 30-14.
But injuries and players departing the program caused the foundation to crumble and the Raiders lost their last eight games.
The most noteworthy injury came to 6-foot-4 quarterback Jason Friday, who missed the majority of his junior season. He returns to the spread single wing in his senior year, his first full year starting since leading the junior varsity to a 5-5 record as a sophomore. His favorite targets are likely to be senior tight end Ricarlo Bell and junior wide out Madhi Ibrahim.
Joining Friday in the offensive backfield are senior Chris Ventura and sophomore Chris Kirby. Stuart brings back three offensive linemen, averaging 237 pounds, center Tony Konjevoda and senior guards Danny Larence and Zyiad Mutawy.
On defense, second-year Stuart Coach Roy Ferri is emphasizing speed over size. Junior interior lineman Charles Holloway was a middle linebacker last year and junior nose tackle Tijani Musa was an all-district hurdler as a sophomore. A pair of sophomores bookend the line as Mike Harris and William Haynes are projected starters.
Ventura and Kirby, who will share time in the offensive backfield, will also share space in the Raider secondary. Juniors Omar El Basir and Ayman Sirhan move into the linebacking corps this year. Last season, El Basir began the year as a down lineman, while Sirhan was a defensive back.
Game to Watch: Week 10: Nov. 6 at Falls Church (Bell Game)
WAKEFIELD
Last Year: 3-7 (2-5)
Coach: Keith Powell, 3rd year, 5-15 career record
Returning Starters: 5 offense/5 defense
Key Losses: RB Romeo Goffney, QB/WR John Ford, QB/WR Andre Allen, K Roderick Likonko, C Tarek Aburish, OLB Curtis Smith,
FB/LB Isaiah Cruz (Chowan College)
Though its numbers were improved last year, Wakefield’s roster was still considerably smaller than the top-tier Division 5 teams. But it was only a single win away from its second playoff appearance in school history.
To thank for that, among others, were dual-threat quarterbacks John Ford and Andre Allen, as well as physical two-way transfer Isaiah Cruz and outside linebacker Curtis Smith.
But none equaled the impact of running back Romeo Goffney, a three-year starter.
“To be honest, you can’t replace a Romeo Goffney,” third-year Warrior Coach Keith Powell said. “Now we’ve got guys that can play… No egos here, but no playmakers. Everything we do, we’re going to have to earn
it.
“Like last year, we had the luxury of calling the wrong play or
something and Goffney would bail us out.”
This year, should the need arise, it will be senior running backs Naquan Jewett and Boubacar Diallo doing the bailing. Derrell Bell, Victor Leavell and Derek Davis will also have a hand in the offense, and Powell has very high hopes for 6-foot-4 junior kicker and tight end Luca Gagianesa, in his first year playing football. Center Patrick Deckland will anchor the offensive line.
Two quarterbacks are fighting for the starting spot, junior Vincent Robinson and sophomore Drew Powell.
Defensively, Diallo, Leavell and senior linebacker Tim Spicer should ball hawk and cause trouble for opposing offenses. Powell, now famous for the nicknames he puts on players’ helmets during two-a-days, knighted Spicer “Barack Obama,” because of Spicer’s involvement in extracurricular government activities at the school.
If Wakefield hopes to play extracurricular football, it can help itself greatly with early-season wins against Dominion and McLean. The only playoff berth in program history came in 1986, five to six years before current seniors were born.
The Warrior schedule is favorable for it to sneak into the postseason, too. In terms of opponents’ wins in 2008, Wakefield ties Mount Vernon for the easiest schedule in the Northern Region, with four of its 10 opponents having one win or fewer last year.
Game to Watch: Week 5: Oct. 2 at Stuart
WASHINGTON-LEE
Last Year: 5-6 (3-3)
Coach: Josh Sharipo, 3rd year, 9-12 career record
Returning Starters: 3 offense/4 defense
Key Losses: RB Charlie Fuller (Ferrum), OT/DT Conor Sharp, OL/DL Andrew McDaniel
In Washington-Lee Coach Josh Shapiro‘s first season, 2007, he led the Generals to a 4-6 record, a whisker from the playoffs. And he was stunned at the gracious response of the community.
“People were coming up and
congratulating me,” he said in the 2008 DigitalSports football preview. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute! We were 4-6 and we
got blown out in four games. Come on now!'”
After the Generals reached the playoffs last year — their first appearance since 1975 — Shapiro joked about possible responses of the Rosslyn community.
“There’s no statue built of me, I’m too **** and short,” he said. “But I love the school
and love the opportunity to be the coach here. And I love the kids we
have here.”
But Washington-Lee graduated the greatest source of Arlington adoration last year, running back Charlie Fuller (Ferrum), a game-changing athlete that also returned kicks and lined up in the Wildcat in select packages.
“Charlie is definitely the biggest piece of the puzzle that’s gone,” Shapiro said. “Without Charlie, last year we probably go 1-9. He was such a big
reason for our success. He really was our offense.”
Hoping to replace that athleticism is first-year General, junior defensive back and running back Keyshawn Braithwaite, an athletic change of pace back. Washington-Lee will be running its offense out of an ace back set, hoping to open options for junior quarterback Richard Lewis. Lewis, a pocket quarterback, was the junior varsity starter last year.
Senior Karl Lendenmann moves out from under center to wide receiver and will also play free safety. Joining Lendenmann atop Lewis’ list of favored targets is senior tight end Eric Needles.
The heart and soul of the defense is senior linebacker Rock Battle, an eccentric, bulky presence in the middle that Shapiro hopes will energize a defense that graduated eight starters. Battle may also see time as a short-yardage back on offense.
Shapiro hopes to two-platoon on the lines to give his players more rest over the course of games. He pegged fourth-quarter fatigue as the deciding factor in two pivotal losses: 12-10 to vastly bigger Mount Vernon in Week 5 and again to the Majors, 17-10, in the regional quarterfinals.
Size will be more of an issue for the Generals than in years past, as they average only 185 pounds across.
Still, Shapiro is confident he can build on the successes of last season and take another step in developing student excitement for the football program.
“People are happy we’re winning, but we’re still trying to catch the
culture up,” he said. “We’re still trying to work on generating more community and
school spirit.”
Game to Watch: Week 5: Oct. 2 at Jefferson
YORKTOWN
Last Year: 6-5 (4-2)
Coach: Bruce Hanson, 25th year, 182-133-2 career record
Returning Starters: 5 offense/4 defense
Key Losses: ATH Kyle Toulouse (Holy Cross), DE Derrick Stotler, RB/LB Kenny Bailey
Last preseason, 25th-year Yorktown Coach Bruce Hanson was asked the most significant on-the-field change he’s noticed in his tenure, the longest in the Northern Region.
Hanson said it was the diversity of schemes, that when he started leading the Columbia and White, everyone ran a Wing-T. Now he had to game plan for different offenses every week.
Apparently, times have caught up to Hanson and the Patriots.
This year, he’s switching from the Wing-T to spread attack, the first time he’s changed his offense in his career.
“This is the first time we’ve changed our offense in 24 years,” said Hanson, 182-133-2 all-time at Yorktown. “This
is the first time in the spread without a doubt. We’re going to give it
a shot. We think we’ve come a long a way, but whenever you change
things there are question marks.
“We think that we’re on the right page
for the team that we have.”
A peek at the roster confirms his assertion.
Senior quarterback Sam Nottingham is a shifty, hybrid-type passer with a good arm and senior wide receiver Mike Veith received all-region honors last season. Joining Veith out wide are a pair of juniors that starred on junior varsity in 2008, David Bernhardt and Kyle Bailey, who was the JV quarterback and corner. The experienced offensive line is anchored by senior two-way starter Lucas Aldefore and senior offensive tackle John Schwartz.
In the backfield are a pair of battle-tested seniors in Charles Banks and Eric Cardillo, the starting tight end last year. Both Banks and Cardillo will start at linebacker, anchoring a front with 5-foot-9 senior Henry Dixon, who Hanson expects to be among his leading tacklers. Patrolling the defensive backfield will be senior safety C.J. Bartholomew, who will also see time at wide receiver and punter.
While Bartholomew will be a Renaissance Man of sorts, he is no Kyle Toulouse, a statement that is anything but an insult.
Toulouse, on scholarship at Holy Cross, was a three-year starter that defined the athlete position, earning first-team all-region honors. He also was a first-team all-region baseball player.
“He did everything for us last year,” Hanson said. “He was our everything. He was our
punter, our returner, our cornerback, our receiver, our quarterback,
our defensive back, our safety, he did everything for us.
“He was
all-region, the athlete of the year. And he was the best athlete in
Northern Virginia last year in my opinion.”
The X-factor for the Patriots, though, is catalyzing their adaptation to the spread. Hanson, whose team was the fourth-highest scoring in the region in 2006 out of the Wing-T, is confident the new scheme is a far better system for this set of personnel. Going forward, he insists the system will not be reverted back, growing pains notwithstanding.
“They can run every play we ran last year,” he said. “But we’re not running any of those plays. There will definitely be a learning curve.”
Game to Watch: Week 6: Oct. 9 at Edison
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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