Football: Week 3 - Weekend Preview - Yorktown High School

By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

*Games are listed alphabetically. District games are listed first, followed by out-of-district match-ups.

Email pmurphy@digitalsports.com with scores.

NORTHERN REGION WEEK 3: BY THE NUMBERS
504 – Passing yards for Woodson quarterback Connor Reilly last week, a school record.
4 – First-half interceptions by the Herndon and Langley defenses last week against McLean and Chantilly, respectively.
13 – Receptions last week for Langley senior receiver Artie McGonigal.
489 – Rushing yards through two games for McLean senior Riley Beiro on 71 carries. He has six touchdowns.
32, 76 – Length, in yards, of two interception returns for scores by Lake Braddock senior defensive back Thomas Stickford in first two games.

LIBERTY DISTRICT
Langley (0-2) at Madison (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
The Warhawks have won the last four games in this series and seven of the last eight, but only two wins came by more than 10 points.

Last week, Langley intercepted Chantilly four times in the first half — two by junior cornerback Nick Amano-Dolan — and led, 20-14, after two quarters. But the Chargers outscored the Saxons 28-0 after half time to drop the hosts to 0-2. Saxon senior wide receiver Artie McGonigal exploited the Charger Cover 2 for 13 catches — the best single-game total in the region this year — and 127 yards.

Madison, meanwhile, rebounded from a season-opening Outback Bowl loss to defending Division 6 champion Oakton with a dominant, 21-3 win over Yorktown. The Warhawks grabbed the lead early and choked the game away with their patented power running game. Senior running back Tavin Thomas carried 21 times for a game-high 123 yards and two touchdowns, with 85 yards coming after half time.

Last year, the Saxons led the Warhawks, 14-3, early in the third quarter, but Madison quarterback Will Clarkson went 9-for-9 passing in the second half en route to a come-from-behind, 18-14 road victory.

For Langley to avoid an 0-3 start, it needs to force notoriously responsible Madison into turnovers, as it did to Chantilly in the first half last week. The keys to the Warhawks earning their fifth-straight win in the series are getting an early lead — thus enabling the run-happy offense to milk the clock late — and keeping speedy Saxon sophomore Marcus Harvey inside the tackles.

NATIONAL DISTRICT
Mount Vernon (0-2) at Edison (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
Since Mount Vernon beat Edison, 22-21, in Week 10 of the 1999 season to eliminate it from playoff contention, the Eagles have won eight of the last nine games. The average margin of victory is over 14 points per game.

Last week, Edison rebounded from a season-opening loss with a thrilling, 31-30 win over Centreville on a 28-yard field goal by senior Bill Arnez with :05 seconds left.

Senior athlete Chris Washington did it all in the win. He caught a 40-yard pass from senior Levi Barber on 4th-and-19 to keep the game-winning drive alive in the final minute, took an interception 31 yards to pay dirt and somersaulted for a sideline fumble recovery that was incorrectly disallowed.

Mount Vernon suffered its second-straight lopsided loss, falling at home, 33-0, to T.C. Williams. The Majors had to replace their entire offensive line in the offseason and are still feeling the growing pains. They are the only team in the Northern Region — and one of two AAA teams in the state (Princess Anne) — still without a touchdown.

Last year, Edison feel behind early on a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown by then-junior Dannish Decardi-Nelson. The Eagles, though, scored the next 47 points en route to a 47-21 road win.

But, of the 47 points scored, only six are still on the roster. Senior running back TreVaughn Lincoln scored the final Edison touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Washington-Lee (0-2) at Hayfield (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

This is the first meeting between the Generals and Hawks in over a decade, but these two teams have one thing in common: This season is nothing like last year.

Washington-Lee fell to McLean and South County in succession at home, accounting for just 60 yards on 41 offensive plays in the latter. Despite not allowing the Stallions to run an offensive play in the third quarter, the Generals failed to prevent the shutout.

Hayfield, for its part, appears as one of the early-season dark horses to challenge Edison for the National District championship. The Hawks — winners of just two total games in the previous three seasons — have scored 70 points in two games this year. That outburst is the highest production in back-to-back games since Weeks 7 and 8 of 2004.

Via its triple-option attack, Hayfield carried 25 times for 318 yards and four touchdowns in its season-opening, 35-0 win over Marshall. Last week, the Hawks took to the air, as senior quarterback Anton McCallum completed 17 of his 32 passes for 230 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

That came in against one of the area’s best secondaries at Lee.

For Washington-Lee to slow Hayfield, it must keep an eye on senior running back Rayshawn Rigans, who is averaging 17.1 yards per reception and 12.4 yards per rush this season.

But that doesn’t mean eyes off McCallum. He posted a 71-yard rushing touchdown last week, showcasing every millisecond of his 4.46 40-yard speed.

PATRIOT DISTRICT
Annandale (2-0) at South County (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
In four all-time match-ups, the Atoms and Stallions have each won twice. But only once was a game decided by less than 16 points.

This season, both squads are off to impressive starts and show every indication that this season’s meeting will break the historic trend of one-sided results.

Annandale beat upstart Centreville at home before traveling to beat Falls Church, 42-12, last week. Utilizing a two-quarterback system, the Atom offense spread the ball around against the Jaguars, having four different players score their first four touchdowns.

South County opened with a sensational win over Chantilly before shutting out Washington-Lee, 35-0, last week. The Stallions yielded one first-half first down — on a pass interference call — and gave up 60 total offensive yards on 41 plays from scrimmage.

The secondary held the Generals to 3-for-14 passing for 11 yards and two interceptions. Senior defensive back Gabe Jackson took an interception 85 yards for a score to seal the win.

The most intriguing individual match-up is between Annandale junior receiver Melvin Robinson — the No. 2-ranked recruit in Virginia from the class of 2011 — and South County senior safety Andre Simmons, who holds over a half-dozen Division I scholarship offers. That makes the production of Atom senior receiver Rob Potts that much more pivotal Thursday. Stallion senior defensive lineman Anthony Carabali will wreak havoc in the backfield, so the short passing game — a la Potts — will be key.

W.T. Woodson (2-0) at Robert E. Lee (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
DigitalSports Game of the Week
Woodson and Lee played annually until 2004 — with the Lancers taking four of the last five — but neither Trey Taylor or Rob Everett were coaching their respective teams back then.

Both teams enter riding strong waves of momentum.

Woodson beat Lake Braddock, 43-42, on an amazing two-point conversion toss from senior quarterback Connor Reilly to senior tight end James Hogan with 1:06 left in the fourth quarter. That only came after senior running back James Johnson took a screen pass 89 yards for the score that set up the winning point-after.

Oh, by the way, Reilly threw for a school record 504 yards on 34-for-53 passing in the win.

Lee, meanwhile, beat Hayfield, 40-35, in a track meet last Friday. Lancer senior running back Idreis Augustus carried 13 times for 281 yards and three touchdowns, bringing his total to seven scores in two games this season. Senior quarterback Greg Lopez went 4-for-7 passing with 97 yards and touchdown and senior running back Jazmier Williams carried 15 times for 71 yards and a score.

Lee struggled against the Hayfield passing attack, though, allowing 220 yards and four touchdown passes, while intercepting one.

The key to victory for the Cavaliers is keeping Augustus in check — good luck — and using Johnson out of the backfield in the passing game, something the Hawks found success with via Rayshawn Rigans.

The Lancers need Augustus’ former Paul VI running mate, senior linebacker Eric Wright, to raise heck like he did last week against the running game, allowing 55 yards on 25 rushes sans a 71-yard score by Anton McCallum.

Also, the secondary needs to force turnovers, unlike last week. If Reilly’s passing yards approach my SAT Reading score again, Woodson is walking out with a win.

This one is guaranteed to be more competitive than the offseason pick-up basketball games between Taylor and Everett at Lifetime Fitness in Fairfax — maybe.

OUT-OF-DISTRICT
Herndon (2-0) at South Lakes (2-0), 7:30 p.m.

The Hornets have won six straight games in this series and eight of the last nine, average score: 30-9.

Through two weeks, Herndon is still unbeaten, but not unblemished. It
lost four fumbles against McLean last week and struggled to slow
Highlander running back Riley Beiro,
who carried 44 times for 199 yards and three scores. The Hornets
survived, 28-21, but needed a late-game, 10-yard touchdown run by
senior quarterback Zack Ozycz to do so.

McLean led, 14-7, at the half.

South Lakes won a pair of lopsided game, beating Falls Church and Jefferson, 41-14 and 41-0, respectively. Junior running back Ja’Juan Jones has 23 rushes this season for 286 yards and five touchdowns. Running mate — and fellow junior — Darius Smith added 13 carries for 136 yards and two scores in those two wins.

Defensively, senior defensive lineman Matt Most had three sacks and two tackles for loss last week alone.

The Hornets promise to be the biggest test for the Seahawks, by a comfortable margin. Senior wide receiver Nick Impellizzeri
had eight receptions for 112 yards and a score last week, with seven
catches coming in the second half. The secondary, led by senior Devon Thompson, also a standout running back, is the best the Seahawks have seen by far.

The last time South Lakes started a season 2-0 was in 2002, when it
went 9-4 and won the Division 5 Northern Region title. But, after the
2-0 start, it was shut out, 30-0, by Robinson in Week 3. The Rams
finished as the Division 6 runner-up that year.

Jefferson (0-2) at Falls Church (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
Last season, the Colonials regained control of this series with a dramatic overtime win. The Jaguars scored the would-be game-tying touchdown in overtime and elected to go for two — and the win. Jefferson defensive back Adil Dittmer batted down the ensuing pass, lifting the Colonials to a 28-27 win.

Aside from a Falls Church win in 2007, Jefferson has won every meeting in this series since 2001.

Both teams are searching for something upon which to build momentum after a pair of tough losses.

Jefferson fell to Herndon and South Lakes by a combined 102-6. Falls Church lost to South Lakes and Annandale by a collective 83-26.

The key match-up is between the two quarterbacks: Colonial sophomore Kevin Karn and Jaguar senior Ajay Kashyap. Their season numbers to date have been strikingly similar — and impressive, despite their teams’ less-than-favorable results.

Karn is 24-for-41 passing with 292 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions through two games. Kashyap, meanwhile, is 24-for-51 for 305 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.

McLean (1-1) at Wakefield (0-2), 7:30 p.m.

The Highlanders and Warriors played a back-to-back-to-back, Tom-Emanski series
from 2002-04 with McLean winning twice. Its wins came by lopsided
margins — 38-7 and 63-0. Wakefield’s win was 17-14 in 2003.

Employing a more-simplified offense, the Highlanders have opened eyes
region-wide through two weeks.

They smacked Washington-Lee, 44-14, in
Week 1 before playing highly-touted Herndon close for 48 minutes last
week and led the game for over a quarter-and-a-half. In two games.
McLean senior running back Riley Beiro has carried 71 times for 489 yards and six scores.

But ESPN’s John Clayton is reporting that he is unavailable for tonight’s game, so adjust your fantasy lineups accordingly.

Wakefield opened the season with a pair of home losses — 38-6 to Lee
and 28-24 to Dominion. The Warriors are still seeking a replacement for
graduated all-district running back Romeo Goffney, who was used much like the Highlanders have deployed Beiro this season.

The obvious key to a Wakefield win is slowing McLean’s backfield replacement, junior James Ludwick — while not losing sight of Highlander senior tight end Jonathan Fremermann,
who has six receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns in two games, and will be relied on in Beiro’s absence.
It also needs to take care of the ball — McLean forced four fumbles
last week and recovered them all.

The Highlanders are forced to look outside of Beiro for scoring
options Thursday. He missed five games last season due to
injury, so they are familiar to that necessity. Still, he accounted for over two-thirds of the offense touches last week. He will be desperately needed once district play begins next
week against Madison.

Oakton (2-0) at T.C. Williams (1-1), 4:45 p.m.

Last year, the Titans appeared ready to shock the world, leading the
Cougars 10-0 at half time. But, as was commonplace for T.C. Williams in
2008, Oakton scored 39 points in a 13-minute, 39-second second-half
stretch en route to a 39-23, deceptively dominant win.

Almost none of the skill position players from that game remain, and apparently neither does the Titans’ propensity to fold.

Last week, it dominated Mount Vernon for 48 minutes en route to a 33-0 road win.

Oakton, meanwhile, won an overtime thriller over West Springfield,
35-34, in a rematch of last season’s Division 6 semifinal. The game was
decided on a blocked extra point by second-team all-state defensive
back Andrew Leonard, who also had an interception in the win.

In this series, the Cougars have beaten the Titans each of the last four years, never by less than 12 points.

But T.C. Williams has not had this athletic of a backfield in years, with running backs Cortez Taylor and Robert Carter, who were featured at quarterback, as well, last week.

That’s the lone change in the Titans’ favor.

While quarterback Chris Coyer graduated, junior signal-caller Jimmy Boone
stepped in and has not missed a beat. His average game this season is
9-for-17 passing with 124 yards with a touchdown, plus 13 carries for
83 yards and a rushing touchdown.

He has not thrown an interception this season and beat two playoff teams from last year.

Robinson (2-0) at Marshall (0-2), 7:30 p.m.

These teams have not met this decade.

Marshall was deflated last week at the injury of senior Jake Bennett,
a do-everything starter that suffered a painful lower-back strain in
the first half against Stuart. It never recovered mentally and lost,
34-14.

Robinson used 64-yard touchdown run by senior Jared Velasquez
to close the half, taking the lead for good in a 27-7 win over Fairfax.
Four different Rams scored touchdowns in the win, including junior Matt Zanellato, who returned a blocked punt 18 yards to the house.

To derail the Rams attack, the Statesmen need to force turnovers and have senior quarterback Justin Stalcup utilize every offensive asset to create first downs.

Expect a heavy dose of Velasquez, as well as senior bulldozer Connor Riley, with a touch of junior running back K.B. Musokotwane to spell the starters.

Robinson has not started 3-0 since 2004.

Stone Bridge (2-0) at West Springfield (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

In four all-time meetings, West Springfield has never beaten Stone
Bridge. The Spartans allow 38.3 points per game in the series — but
score 24.8 points per game to be fair. So, historically, expect
big-time numbers.

Since the changing of the guard at West Springfield, the Spartans have
shown promise. They beat Edison in the opener and fell last week to
Oakton, 35-34, in overtime on a blocked extra point. The
dual-quarterback system is still functioning, as senior Eric Schauder and junior Matt Prokop each led two touchdown drives in regulation last week.

Prokop, whose numbers were much beefier than Schauder, got the nod in the overtime and found senior receiver T.J. O’Connell (nine catches, 164 yards) for a touchdown on that bonus drive.

Stone Bridge beat Westfield, 21-18, in a high-profile opener, but
struggled against former Dulles District foe Heritage last week. The
Bulldogs trailed 8-0 at half time and 8-6 through three quarters before
taking control of the game late. Senior running back Marcus Harris carried 25 times for 125 yards and three one-yard touchdown runs.

Last season, Stone Bridge erupted for 42 first-half points at home
against West Springfield and led, 42-7, through three quarters. The
Spartans scored a trio of touchdowns late to close the gap to 42-28.

But, of the 42 points scored in the win, only six remain on the roster. Senior kicker Abdul Shaban was 6-for-6 on extra points in last year’s season-opener.

Stuart (1-1) at Fairfax (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
The Rebels and Raiders lack any recent history against one another, but both are coming off games they can build on.

Stuart snapped a region-long 10-game losing streak in emphatic fashion, beating Marshall, 34-14. It put the game to bed with a pair of defensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Both senior running back Chris Ventura and junior quarterback Jason Friday each cracked 100 yards rushing.

Fairfax had a would-be game-tying fourth-quarter touchdown against Robinson called back by a block-in-the-back penalty. Two plays later, the Rebels lost a fumble at the Rams’ 13-yard line. Robinson drove the length of the field, scoring twice in the final 3:35 of regulation to provide a 27-7 final.

For Fairfax to secure its first win before rejoining the Liberty District next week, it has to continue to ride its trio of running backs, who have accounted for all three of its touchdowns this season. They are senior Ife Oladapo and juniors Marcus Bailey and Anton Burns. The Rebels, though, need more offensive balance. They’ve only completed four passes this season, one longer than six yards.

Stuart needs to improve on its 2-for-19 passing performance against Marshall. Fairfax possesses too many talented tacklers in its front seven to be beaten by a run-only attack.

West Potomac (1-1) at Chantilly (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
The schedule makers did neither West Potomac nor Chantilly any favors with their respective early-season gauntlets.

Now, the Wolverines have to defeat the defending regional finalists to remain above .500, while the Chargers — who yielded 13 receptions to Langley’s No. 2 receiver — need to stop one of the most diverse aerial attacks to do the same.

West Potomac pounced on Mount Vernon for a decisive Week 1 win, but committed four first-half turnovers and had a punt blocked and recovered in its end zone in a loss last week at Westfield. The Bulldogs gave the Wolverines opportunities to pass the ball underneath, but made a determined — and admitted — effort to stop the deep ball.

Chantilly has experienced the reverse. After a heart-breaking loss to South County in the season-opener, it came from behind last week to beat Langley on the road.

The Chargers threw four first-half interceptions, but only trailed, 20-14, at the half thanks to a fumble return for a score by senior linebacker Danny Lauro. Senior Mike Farris scored three of his four touchdowns after the break as Chantilly was Paced to 28 unanswered second-half points and a 42-20 win.

The Chargers, though, allowed 18-for-30 passing for 230 yards and a score.

To have success against the stronger Wolverine passing game, led by senior Colin Mathewson, the Chargers need to take page out of the Bulldogs’ playbook and be opportunistic — as Westfield was — when the ball hits the deck.

West Potomac will find added success if it can minimize the mental errors that plagued it last week. And the Wolverines will find the bus ride to Alexandria more bearable if it can force early turnovers and keep the Charger defense off-balance by spreading the ball between senior receivers Deandre Essex and Shawn Lee, as well as senior running back Darel Layne.

Westfield (1-1) at Lake Braddock (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

Some experts — cough — pegged this a potential Northern Region
championship preview. Thanks to some tough early-season scheduling,
though, Lake Braddock and Westfield need to win this game to avoid
slipping below .500.

Westfield fell by three at Stone Bridge in Week 1, before rebounding
nicely last week, 35-14, against West Potomac. The Bulldogs held the
Wolverines’ aerial attack to 6.0 yards per attempt and churned up a
nice ground game for their own part, averaging 5.7 yards per carry as a
team.

Senior two-way starter Dylan Doty ran for a touchdown, knocked down two fourth-down passes in the red zone and blocked a punt that senior Vinny Caporossi dove on for a game-changing score.

Lake Braddock, meanwhile, was upset at home by Woodson, 43-42, on a
hair-raising two-point conversation in the final minute. Without
offensive guru Bill Renner on the sideline, the Bruin offense came and went in waves, at one point allowing the Cavaliers to post 28 unanswered points.

Still, junior quarterback Michael Nebrich
rushed for 156 yards on 18 carries, including a spectacular 19-yard
touchdown run, and went 18-for-33 passing for 246 yards, three scores
and two picks. Seven of those completions and 131 yards were to senior
receiver Ali Banihashemi, who had two of the touchdown tosses to his name.

The Bruin secondary, though, allowed the Cavaliers to break a school
record for passing yardage, which was surpassed on an 89-yard
screen-turned-touchdown with 1:06 to go.

These teams have not met since Evan Royster‘s junior season at Westfield, 2004, but the Bulldogs have never lost in the series.

Variables abound in this game, but it promises to be one of the best of the young season.

Yorktown (1-1) at Centreville (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
With Stuart’s win last week, Centreville now has the longest current losing streak in the Northern Region at 10 games. Only one other team has lost more than three in a row — Washington-Lee (five).

That statistic alone does not do the Wildcats justice. They were five seconds from a win at Edison last week and lost to Annandale on the road on a touchdown with 1:38 remaining in Week 1.

Yorktown’s spread worked to perfection in its season-opening win over Wilson (D.C.), but it had no answer for Madison’s running game last week in a 21-3 road loss. While the Patriots had possession, senior receiver Mike Veith proved a trusty target (five receptions, 49 yards), but the Warhawks milked away the final two quarters with their downhill running game.

For Centreville to snap its skid, senior quarterback Cam Walter could use another passing performance like he had last week — 11-for-20, 199 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions — and the Wildcats would be well-served to keep their offensive diversity. Four different receivers caught more than three passes.

The special teams were also exquisite. Sophomore Connor Coward was 3-for-3 on field goals, two over 30 yards, and Centreville was flawless on extra points.

Yorktown needs to take advantage of early possessions for points, because physically larger opponents do not bode well for teams trying to stop late-game running plays.

The Patriots also need to find a play maker. In their first two games, they have had two total plays of over 20 yards — one a 35-yard recovered fumble advancement.