(Nov. 30, 2009) - Dominion High School grad Tommy Kowalick had quite a sophomore season at Salisbury University as the kicker was named Atlantic Central Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week three times and earned All-Conference honors for the second straight season.
Kowalick went 33 of 35 on extra point attempts on the season, had a 60-yard average on kickoffs and went 5 of 7 on field goals including making a pair of season-long 37-yard field goals in the first two contests of the season. The Sterling native also nailed a 22-yard game-winning field goal in the 19-16 win over Union (N.Y.) College in the Homecoming game on Oct. 24 at Sea Gull Stadium.
For his efforts Kowalick was ACFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 8, Oct. 26. and Nov. 17. Kowalick's kicking helped the Sea Gulls to a 5-5 regular-season mark and an invitation to this year's ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) Division III Southwest Bowl, which Salisbury dropped to Lebanon Valley, 37-21, on Nov. 21.
Kowalick's numbers in the maroon and gold's 34-19 Regents Cup victory over Frostburg State University on Nov. 14 helped the Sea Gulls' chances in being selected to play in the Southwest Bowl for the second consecutive year. Kowalick booted the ball five times for a total of 259 yards against the Bobcats, averaging 59 yards per kickoff. He was 4-for-4 in extra point attempts on the night.
(Nov. 30, 2009) - The county's two oldest basketball rivals -- Loudoun County which opened in 1954 and Loudoun Valley which opened in 1962 -- will face each other in a boys/girls doubleheader on Dec. 22 with a twist as the Raiders and Vikings will play at the Verizon Center prior to a Wizards home game.
In cooperation with Home Care for the Cure, an organization which works to eliminate deaths resulting from hemophilia, students and parents are being offered a marathon day of hoops with a $40 fee covering transportation to and from the Verizon Center and entry into the 1 p.m. girls games, 3 p.m. boys game and then the 7 p.m. Washington Wizards game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
On the Valley itinerary, buses will depart Purcellville at 11 a.m. and return at 11 p.m.
(Nov. 29, 2009) - Stone Bridge High School grad Devon "Y'Lou" Brown wrapped up an impressive redshirt sophomore campaign at Wake Forest with eight receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns in the Demon Deacons season-ending 45-34 win over Duke on Saturday.
Wake Forests ends with a 5-7 record that easily could have been 10-2 as the team lost two overtime games (Boston College, Georgia Tech) and three games by three points or less (Baylor, Navy, Miami). Brown was second on the team in all purpose yards with 1,039 total including 150 rushing and 671 receiving. He led the team in receptions with 61 and he averaged 5.1 yards per punt return and 23.1 yards per kickoff return.
Brown's former Stone Bridge teammates, Mike Olsen and Zach Thompson redshirted this season for Wake Forest and Thompson's brother Patrick will make it four former Bulldogs at Wake when he enrolls in January.
At William and Mary, Potomac Falls grad Adrian Tracy has led The Tribe to a 10-2 record and a 38-0 win over Weber State Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA playoffs. William and Mary advances to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in school history and will play at Southern Illinois next Saturday.
Tracy, am All-CAA defensive end, has 68 tackles on the season, including a team-leading 20 for losses and 11 sacks. Thanks to Tracy, WM has one of the top rush defenses in the nation and he ranks in the Top 10 in the nation in TFL and sacks. The senior is a serious contender for the Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (aka Division I-AA).
Another SB grad, Ryan Moody, had his promising season with The Tribe halted after two games after he broke his ankle. Moody, a redshirt freshman, was later injured in a car accident that will lengthen any comeback. There are two other Stone Bridge products, freshman linemen Dexter Strong and Trevor Springman are also on The Tribe roster.
Yet another Stone Bridge grad, Andrew Nuss, is a junior offensive lineman at Notre Dame. Nuss has been in a back-up role for the Fighting Irish that has four seniors starting on the 0-Line this season.
And finally, one more Stone Bridge grad, Brian Slay, has played in 10 games as a defensive tackle for North Carolina State as a true freshman with one tackle, three assists and two quarterback hurries.
And congrats again to Heritage grad Nick Cadwell, who as a walk-on for West Virginia, earned the right to dress out for the Pitt game which the Mountaineers won in an upset, 19-16, on a last-second field goal.
Click on any photo to view the gallery with 350 total photos (hey, we had sun today so I shot a lot of photos!) ... and if you purchase any photos ... the VivaLoudoun Fox will personally thank you!
Winchester (Nov. 28, 2009) - Park View High School football coach Andy Hill didn't want to make any excuses for his team's 33-7 loss to undefeated Handley Saturday in the AA Region II Division 3 title game but the Patriots, missing some of their big play weapons, simply weren't able to match the Judges firepower.
Park View (8-4) advanced to the finals on the strength of its three-headed monster of a running attack -- quarterback Brandon Lee, running back Daryus Beale and wing Tommy Sedeski combining for 2,214 rushing -- but on Saturday Sedeski (557 yards rushing, 408 yards receiving, 14 TDs on the season) was unable to carry the ball or make any receptions due to an ankle injury that kept him out of practice all week and Beale took the field after a bout with the "Swine Flu".
As a result the Patriots normally explosive big-play offense sputtered against the tenacious Handley defense and the Judges with 275 yards on the ground, led by senior Jeremiah Wilson's 118 yards on 19 carries, wore down Park View's defense which showed a lot of heart but fought poor field position all day, giving up three scoring drives that were 41 yards or shorter.
The start of each half probably sealed Park View's fate as Lee was intercepted on the third play of the game and on the next snap, Wilson glided around the right side and went 22 yards to make it 7-0 with just 75 seconds elapsed. In fact, the score happened before the Park View cheerleaders or pep band were able to make it into the packed Handley Bowl.
It was just 13-0 at the half -- with Handley's second score coming on a short field after Park View had to punt from its own end zone -- but Handley took the second half kickoff and went 71 yards in eight plays to make it 20-0.
Park View was unable to get its passing game untracked with just minus-1 yards passing after 13 attempts. The Patriots also hurt themselves with penalties, especially punting situations, racking a face mask, roughing the kicker and fair catch interference calls.
The Patriots last chance came trailing 20-0 at the end of the third quarter on 4th-and-16 from the Handley 43 with Nathan Santanta looping around for a carry that netted 14 yards. Handley then took the ball 71 yards on eight consecutive rushing plays to go up by four scores.
On the next Patriot possession, PV fumbled the ball away on its 30 and Handley scored on a 4th-and-11 32-yard pass from Geremi Long to David Carter for a 33-0 margin with 8:34 left in the contest.
Park View, held to just 92 total yards until the final two series of the afternoon, ruined the shutout with Lee engineering a 77-yard drive that included a conversion on 4th-and-10 on a pass from Lee to J.R. Shooks that netted 32 yards after a late hit flag. Lee scored from eight yards out with 4:17 left.
Handley 33, Park View 7 Game played Nov. 28, 2009 in Winchester
Park View 0 0 0 7 - 7
Handley 7 6 7 13 - 33
1: H - Wilson 22 run (Sharples kick) 10:45 (drive: 1 play, 22 yards, 0:11)
2: H - Long 6 run (kick blocked) 4:46 (drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, 1:34)
3: H - Wilson 7 run (Sharples kick) 9:18 (drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 2:42)
4: H - McDaniel 8 run (pass failed) 11:48 (drive: 8 plays 71 yards, 3:35)
4: H - Carter 31 pass from Long (Sharples kick) 8:34 (drive: 4 plays, 30 yards, 2:31)
4: PV - Lee 8 run (Flamenco kick) 4:17 (drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 4:17)
Rushing
Park View: Lee 15-42, Beale 13-39, Santana 3-24. Totals 31-105.
Handley: Wilson 19-119, Long 9-56, Grant 6-38, McDaniel 5-26, Carter 2-20, Sloane 2-9, Griffin 2-7. Totals 45-275.
Passing
Park View: Lee 5-20-1 70.
Handley: Long 3-7-1 59.
Receiving
Park View: Shooks 2-44, Santana 2-27, Absher 1-(-1).
Handley: Carter 3-59.
Broad Run senior T.J. Peeler rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns Friday in the Spartans regional title win over Sherando
By Dan Sousa VivaLoudoun.com Editor
Ashburn (Nov. 27, 2009) - Last week the Broad Run High School defense that led the Spartans to a AA Division 4 state title in 2008 gave up 27 points to Liberty in the first round of the playoffs. On Friday the Spartans on defense were once again, well Spartan like, with Broad Run's first unit allowing Sherando just eight total yards and one first down before exiting the night with a 36-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
Broad Run brought home the 36-13 victory on the chilly late November evening for a second straight Region II title. The Spartans (12-0) have now won 26 straight games and 36 of 37 dating back to the start of the 2007 season.
T.J. Peeler was the workhorse for Broad Run Friday, carrying the ball a dozen times in the first quarter alone and 22 times in the first half. Peeler finished with 161 yards on 26 carries and three scores. Even though Peeler rushed just four times in the second half, he had the play that essentially ended the game as Broad Run recovered an onsides kick to start the third quarter and Peeler sprinted 45 yards on the next snap to make it 28-0 Broad Run.
Despite controlling the game, Broad Run led just 7-0 late in the first half -- the score coming on Peeler's up and over leap on 4th-and-1 from the 2 in the first quarter -- after two Spartan drives ended on downs, one at the Sherando 35 and the other at the Warrior 13.
Broad Run took the ball 72 yards on eight plays and scored on a Connor Jessop to Adrian Flemming 9-yard pass with 1:43 to go in the half to make it 14-0 and then the Spartans recovered an onsides kick. Flemming took a screen and went 39 yards to set up a 1-yard Jessop score with 27.7 seconds to go in the half.
With Peeler scoring just 15 seconds into the third quarter, Broad Run had found the end zone in a span of less than two minutes to turn the game from 7-0 to a 28-0 blowout. Josh Nappier's interception gave Broad Run the ball back and nine plays later Peeler scored from 10 yards out and a two-point conversion made it 36-0 with 5:56 still left in the third quarter.
Sherando recovered a Jessop fumble and scored a defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter to break the shutout and the Warriors tacked on another score with less than two minutes left in the contest.
Broad Run senior Frank Foreman and the Spartans first team defense held Sherando to just eight total yards and one first down in the 36-13 win
Broad Run 36, Sherando 13 Game played Nov. 27, 2009 in Ashburn
Sherando 0 0 0 13 - 13
Broad Run 7 14 15 0 - 36
Stone Bridge senior linebacker Connor Calderwood who had a fumble recovery and interception in Friday's regional title win over R.E. Lee
By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun.com Editor
Ashburn (Nov. 27, 2009) - Perhaps the first game you learn as a kid is "keep away" and nothing is more frustrating than being the one that can't get the ball. That is how the R.E. Lee football team surely felt
Friday afternoon as Stone Bridge kept the ball basically for all but one minute of the first 16 minutes of the second half and ground out a 21-10 win in the AAA Northern Region Division 5 title game.
For Stone Bridge (12-1) it was a sixth regional title in eight years and the Bulldogs will host the winner of Massaponax vs. Osbourn next Saturday in the state semifinals.
Lee trailed just 14-10 at the half but the Lancers were able to run just three plays from scrimmage in the second half until seven minutes remained in the game. Stone Bridge, on the other hand, behind the hard running of Marcus Harris, who scored all three Bulldog touchdowns in the win, ran 32 plays during that same stretch and scored an insurance touchdown, a Harris 2-yard plunge with 7:13 left.
Stone Bridge opened the game strong, almost recovering a Lee fumble at the Lancer 4 before driving 40 yards on six plays, with Harris busting a run from 14 yards out on 4th-and-1, to make it 7-0 with 7:17 to go in the first quarter.
Lee came right back but their drive stalled at the SB 5 and the Lancers settled for a field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.
Stone Bridge answered with a time-consuming 12-play drive with yet another Harris score on fourth down, this time on a 29-yard great catch on a pass from Brian Rody. A failed Bulldogs onside kick left Lee in good field position and the Lancers, utilizing the option, got two big runs from Idreis Augustus, 24 yards to start the drive, and 26 yards to end it in the end zone.
That left the score 14-10 at the half and it would stay that way until Stone Bridge's second big drive of the second half resulted in a 21-10 Bulldog lead
Stone Bridge 21, R.E. Lee 10 Game played Nov. 27, 2009 in Ashburn
Ashburn (Nov. 27, 2009) - Maybe a decade ago when they started out on the fields of the Ashburn Youth Football League these kids dreamed of a day like today as Ashburn players from two high schools -- Stone Bridge and Broad Run -- just 2.6 miles apart will take their respective fields to win regional football titles.
Stone Bridge kicks off at 1:30 p.m. vs. R.E. Lee in the AAA Northern Region Division 5 final and then Broad Run will host Sherando at 7 p.m. in the AA Region II Division 4 final.
Football fans that can't make the games can follow our Twitter updates on the right sidebar of this page as Dan Sousa will cover both games. You can also sign up to have our "Tweets" sent direct to your cell phone. www.twitter.com/vivaloudoun.
While Stone Bridge is in its eighth straight regional title contest, Broad Run is on a three-year run with just one loss. Combined, in the past three years the two schools have grabbed two state titles (Stone Bridge in 2007 and Broad Run in 2008), three regional titles (Stone Bridge 2007 and 2008, Broad Run 2008) and compiled a 58-2 regular season record (Stone Bridge 28-2, Broad Run 30-0) and 15-2 postseason record (Stone Bridge 10-1, Broad Run 5-1) for a grand total of 73 victories in 77 contests.
Simply put, these young men don't like to lose but they will be put to the test this afternoon and tonight.
R.E. Lee at Stone Bridge, 1:30 p.m. - AAA Northern Region D5 Title Game
The Skinny: This was the Bulldog senior class that was supposed to let the legacy slip but here they are, 11-1, and playing for another regional title, the school's sixth in eight years. The team faced an identity crisis after a loss to Madison five weeks ago and have emerged as a rugged, no-frills old-school team that is going to pound the ball to junior running back Marcus Harris who has rushed for a school-record nearly 1,800 yards. And when teams finally put 11 men in the box to stop the run, SB will hope to counter with a game-breaking pass play from either of their junior quarterbacks, Kyle Gouveia or Brian Rody. On defense, junior Spenser Rositano is the key, seemingly in on every tackle. Yes, we just mentioned all junior skilled plays ... if you want to stop Stone Bridge, you better hurry up and do it as this team is only going to improve with age.
3 Keys to Bulldogs Winning
1. Keep R.E. Lee's talented running back tandem of Idreis Augustus (yes he sounds like a Roman emperor!) and Jazmier Williams off the field with a mind-numbing ball control game while on offense. Harris will have to carry 30+ for SB.
2. Cut down on mistakes. Can it really be that Stone Bridge has more lost fumbles this year than opponents. Turnovers mean more attempts for Augustus and Williams which SB doesn't want. The other mistake area that has hurt SB this year is in the yellow flag department with SB ringing up some drive-killing penalties. They can't afford that today.
3. Make the big play. Several times this year SB has made "the big play" with Rositano himself blocking two game-tying field goal attempts to preserve wins but at other times, SB in the Madison loss and in other games has just missed making "the big play". What do we mean by "the big play" ... well it is hard to define in advance but when it happens in the game Friday ... everybody, on the field and in the stands, will know it.
Sherando at Broad Run, 7 p.m. - AA Region II D4 Title Game
The Skinny: Much like Phoebus and Stone Bridge in 2008, part of the back story in 2009 is a highly anticipated rematch of last year's title game between Amherst County and Broad Run. Only the Spartans have get back to the title game first and last week they had all they could handle in a 34-27 win over Liberty. In 2008, the going wasn't that tough for BR in regional play with wins over known district rivals Loudoun County and Potomac Falls. That game may have been a wake-up call for the Spartans who will face the 2007 Region II D4 champion Sherando, a program that knows how to win big football games. BR has been led by two NCAA D1 recruits in RB T.J. Peeler (Pitt) and WR Adrian Flemming (Syracuse) but don't overlook sophomore QB Connor Jessop, who has matured into a seasoned vet, and looks to accomplish the feat his brother, graduated QB Chris Jessop, did last season -- lead BR to a state title.
3 Keys to Spartans Winning
1. A big game from RB T.J. Peeler. Sherando no doubt will come in with a design to stop one of the metro area's top backs but Peeler will have to have a signature game to keep the Spartans moving towards a rematch with Amherst.
2. Timely catches from Flemming and other BR receivers. If Sherando crowds the line of scrimmage, the Spartans will have to throw to loosen things up. We saw in the state title game last year that around the goal line, there is no better target than the lanky Flemming on a fade pattern.
3. Regain the homefield advantage. Jessop actually called on the Maroon Crew, BR's student group that sits in the end zone at football games, this week as the passion hasn't been the same this season as it was in 2008 when BR was accomplishing the school's first ever state football title. The Spartans need that lift again in big games that they get from the students and the home crowd as Sherando will travel unlike any out of town opponent that BR has faced before ... heck, they might even bring their Warrior mascot on horse and his big spear he throws down on the ground at home games in Stephens City.
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Kowalick went 33 of 35 on extra point attempts on the season, had a 60-yard average on kickoffs and went 5 of 7 on field goals including making a pair of season-long 37-yard field goals in the first two contests of the season. The Sterling native also nailed a 22-yard game-winning field goal in the 19-16 win over Union (N.Y.) College in the Homecoming game on Oct. 24 at Sea Gull Stadium. 
