High School Fall Sports
Best 703/571 Public School Football Games (Week 5)
Autumn has arrived in week five of the football season. The temperature around here is noticeably lower, but the stakes get even higher, with non-district games wrapping up during these next couple of weeks! Here are three matches involving 703/571 public schools you should be watching.
#8 Stone Bridge vs. #12 Woodgrove
Stone Bridge comes into this game with its ranking unchanged despite falling 20-6 for their first loss of the season against Quince Orchard last week, while undefeated Woodgrove comes into this game ranked 7 spots higher than last week following their 49-13 domination over Tuscarora, as they ride the waves of 4 straight blowouts. Stone Bridge is of course one of the best teams in all of the whole state, and they’ve appeared on these previews in three of the last four articles before this week. But what hasn’t appeared much is their prowess on special teams and defense, with linebacker and fullback Zane Hutchinson among a high class of very solid defenders in Virginia, with 40 tackles already. On the special teams side, Kaden Golston averages 15.9 yards on punt returns and has a total return yard of 159, while Joey Magliocca has a punt average of 37.38 yards. Woodgrove has really stood out to be a surprise inclusion in the statewide rankings despite their Class 4 status, but their roster includes some of the best public school underclassmen in the DMV in terms of statistics. Three sophomores make up a crucial part of the success they’ve had so far this year, including quarterback Colton Dabkowski who’s averaging 201.2 passing yards per game, wide receiver Griffin Allman who’s averaging 77.2 receiving yards per game, and defensive back James Van Der Post is among one of the team’s best defenders. Junior Joey Ridolfi is one non-underclassman that makes up a huge part of this young core, averaging 149 rushing yards a game. It’s a matchup between the establishment and the young turks, if you like. The Bulldogs and the Wolverines play on Woodgrove’s campus this Friday at 7:00pm.
West Springfield vs. South County
West Springfield enters this game at 3-1, with all three wins being blowouts against West Potomac, Chantilly, and Robinson respectively, with their sole loss being a 9 point loss against Madison. South County comes in 2-1 after being beaten by one of the best teams in all of Virginia in Highland Springs, after beating Gainesville and Hayfield the weeks prior. This is a matchup between the top two playoff seeds from the Occoquan Region last season, and both of these teams are maintaining reasonable levels of competitiveness to live up to such standards and expectations. For the standout players to look out for, in West Springfield’s case there is no one more deserving than senior running back Dillon Wickham, averaging 121.8 rushing yards per game, but you also can’t look out the likes of senior quarterback Kyle Lewis who’s averaging 110.3 passing yards per game and senior wide receiver Evan Graumann who’s averaging 54 receiving yards a game. When West Springfield blows out a team, they blow them out so badly that even junior quarterback Issa Owens is getting significant on-field time, averaging 42 passing yards a game despite being a backup. South County brings in as good a talent pool as anyone, with standouts including the record-breaking senior quarterback Dylan Miller, who so far has averaged 243.7 passing yards per game, and who of course last season became the highest single-season pass completer in Virginia high school football history. Other offensive standouts include sophomore running back Amare Achaempong who averages 54.7 rushing yards per game, and sophomore tight end Chaz Samuel who averages 94.7 receiving yards per game. On the defensive end, Junior linebacker Uriah Martin has so far registered 42 tackles this season, while sophomore linebacker Josh Brooke has registered 4 sacks already. The Spartans play the Stallions on South County’s campus this Friday at 7:00pm.
Independence vs. Battlefield
This is the game of the week in the Cedar Run District, where district play has already begun. Independence are underway in just their second season in Class 6 where they currently stand at 2-1 after beating Potomac Falls and Briar Woods by 19 and 23 points respectively, after having been blown out 42-13 by Woodgrove on Week 1. They’ll take on a team that’s playing in their last season in Class 6, Battlefield. Battlefield has been able to rebound off that 34-12 humiliation at the hands of South Lakes with a 38-23 win over Gar-Field. Independence is led by prowess from offense, defense, and special teams. For the offense, Independence has been more than competent, with the likes of sophomore quarterback Nick Jackson averaging 105.3 passing yards per game, junior running back Robert Kellen being the most prominent member, averaging 144.7 rushing yards per game, as well as junior wide receiver Victor Tirondola averaging 70.3 receiving yards per game. On the defense standpoint, senior linebacker Marcus Crivelli leads the team in tackles, with 34. In terms of special teams, Independence have been prominent on punting and kickoffs as well, with junior punter Jack Patrick punt averaging 36.25 yards, and senior kicker Jonah Ramey tallying 648 kickoff yards in just 13 kickoffs. For Battlefield, Bobcats that have really started to break out this year in particular include the likes of senior wide receiver Tyler Kurre averaging 93.3 receiving yards per game, and sophomore quarterback Maddox Noles averaging 220.3 passing yards per game. Rushing yards per game seem to have been almost evenly split between junior running back Connor Kwitkin and senior Nathaniel Pawlak, who have averaged 27.5 and 24.5 rushing yards per game respectively. The Tigers play the Bobcats on Battlefield’s campus this Friday at 7:00pm.