Photos! Photos! Photos! VivaLoudoun's Spring Break Photo-Palooza

(Mar. 29, 2010) - No homework. No games. No problem! VivaLoudoun has you covered with our 2010 Spring Break Photo-Palooza ... photo galleries from softball, girls lacrosse, boys soccer, youth basketball ... heck, even the LCPS Science Fair!

(Time out Dan! Isn't this just another way of saying you are finally catching up with your backlog of photos from last week? Shhhhhhhhh ... that was a secret!).

You know the drill. Click on any photo to enjoy the full gallery. Buy a photo and not only will the VivaLoudoun Fox (we are thinking of naming her(?) Fox-E) thank you but an angel will get its wings (OK, we made up that last part ...)

Girls Lacrosse: Stone Bridge vs. Broad Run by Dan Sousa



Boys Soccer: Stone Bridge vs. Woodson by Dan Sousa




Boys Soccer: Loudoun County vs. Loudoun Valley by Chris Anderson



Boys Soccer: Loudoun County vs. Heritage by Chris Anderson



Softball: Broad Run vs. Stone Bridge by Dan Sousa




Softball: Broad Run vs. Stone Bridge by Craig Sterbutzel




Two Ridges League Boys 4 All-Star by Dan Sousa



Loudoun Science Fair by Chris Anderson

Baseball: Stone Bridge Sweeps a Pair in "Let's Play Two" Tournament Highlighted by Mocabee's Perfect Game

(Mar. 29, 2010) - The Stone Bridge High School baseball team swept a pair of games in the "Let's Play Two" tournament in Prince William on Saturday, including a 5-inning perfect game by sophomore Tyler Mocabee.

Mocabee struck out 12 of the 15 batters he faced as the Bulldogs pounded Cardozo, 16-0, in a game at Woodbridge High School. The Stone Bridge batters pounded out 15 hits in four innings, with Spenser Rositano, Spencer Brookbank, Danny Bour, and Sid Harvey all contributing with two RBI’s.

In the afternoon game, the team moved to Osbourn Park High School in Manassas to play Stonewall Jackson. The Raiders proved to be a greater challenge than the earlier contest, but Bulldog pitcher Brookbank stepped up at the plate and on the mound. Brookbank gave up just one run on four hits with six strikeouts in six innings while going 2-for-3 with a single, double, two runs score and an RBI.


The game was 1-0 through four innings before the Bulldogs broke the game open in the fifth inning, scoring three runs and adding to the total with three in the sixth and two in the seventh for a 9-1 victory.

Sophomore Josh Kuzbel contributed with two hits, along with junior Conor Donovan, who continued to stay hot with two hits and an RBI. Six other Bulldogs contributed with hits on the night. Junior Mac West came in the seventh inning to close out the game for Stone Bridge, allowing no hits and striking out one.

The Bulldogs advance to the Championship bracket with a semi final game scheduled for Monday, March 29th at 3 p.m. against host Osbourn Park High School, weather permitting.

Softball: Broad Run Wins the Sports Plus Tournament in Richmond

(Mar. 29, 2010) - Broad Run High School won the rain-shortened Sports+ Plus High School Softball Classic in Chesterfield.

The Spartans (5-0) won by going 3-0 on Saturday with wins over Arch Bishop Molloy (NY) 6-1, host L.C. Bird 4-1, and an exciting 3-2 win in the championship game over Nandua (Northern Neck) in ITB.

Four Spartans were named to the All-Tournament team: Danni Cook (Frosh) - short stop; Maggie Betz (Jr) - third base; Jenn Soroka (Sr) - first base. Anna Blessing (Sr) center field / pitcher was named the tournament Most Valuable Player.

Baseball: Wood Bat Tournament at Broad Run Rained Out Monday

(Mar. 29, 2010) - Forget the wood bats, today you need an umbrella to play baseball so the spring break tournament at Broad Run featuring wood bats is postponed today.

Revised Schedule: Tuesday - noon Broad Run vs. Dominion, 3 p.m. Briar Woods vs Loudoun County. Wednesday - noon consolation game; 3 p.m. Title game.

If tomorrow's games get rained out, they will try and play all four games on Wednesday. Game times would be 9,12,3,6. If not, then they will look at the next available Saturdays.

Baseball: Park View-Freedom Spring Break Tournament Games Washed Out

(Mar. 29, 2010) - All games today for the Park View-Freedom spring break baseball tournament have been washed out. They will try and play Tuesday and Wednesday if the fields will dry.

Girls Basketball: Holmes and Batts Both Second Team All-State

(Mar. 28, 2010) - Earlier in the week we announced that Freedom High School's Kelsey Buchanan and Jason Elredge were honored as the AA Player and Coach of the Year for Division 4 by the Virginia High School Coaches Association and now we have the complete selections which include a pair of Loudoun County players on the second team -- Kendra Holmes and Brittany Batts.

2010 VHSCA
Group AA All-State Girls Basketball Team

First Team
Kelsey Buchanan, Freedom
Courtni Green, Millbrook
Kirby Burkholder, Turner Ashby
Gabby Tyler, Greensville Co.
Kylene Culler, Patrick Co.

Second Team
Angela Mickens, R.E. Lee
Tia Perry, Tabb
Kendra Holmes, Loudon Co.
Brittany Batts, Loudon Co.
Mia Loyd, Fluvanna

Honorable Mention
Julia Scales, Bassett
Chelsea Gallinger, Graham
Kayla Osborne, Hidden Valley
Daquaa Scott, R.E. Lee
Mary Grace Lemon, E.C. Glass
Laquaksha Robinson, Staunton River
Amber Warner, Bruton
Kirastin Cole, James Monroe
Kayla Goins, Carroll Co.
Ebony Weddington, York

D4 Player of the Year: Kelsey Buchanan Freedom
D3 Player of the Year: Courtni Green Millbrook

D4 Coach of the Year: Jason Eldredge Freedom
D3 Coach of the Year: Debby Sanders Millbrook

Youth Sports - Gymnastics - APEX Qualifies 10 to Virginia Regional Team, Crowns Two State Champs

(Mar. 28, 2010) - APEX Gymnastics crowned two state champions at the Level 8 State meet and qualified 10 gymnats to Level 8, 9 and 10 Regionals to be held in Maryland in April. Sara Connors, Level 8 fiinished first on beam and Alex Cocozza finished first on floor exercise.

Event placements & Regional qualfiers are listed below.
Level 8
Caitlin Villavicencio - 3rd beam, 4th floor, 6th all around, Regional Qualifier
Jessica Schaub – 6th floor, Regional Qualifier
Victoria Miner – 10th beam & 10th floor
Sara Connors – 1st beam, 4th vault, 5th floor, 6th all around, Regional Qualifier
Abby Reid – 8th floor
Rebecca Henry – 4th beam, 8th all around, Regional Qualifier
Shannon Daily – 5th vault
Jasmine Denizard – 6th floor, Regional Qualifier
Alex Cocozza – 1st floor, 2nd beam, 4th bars, 4th all around, Regional Qualifier
Level 9
Madison O’Braitis – 7th bars, Regional Qualifier
Maddy Scozzie - 7th beam, 6th bars, 6th all around, Regional Qualifier
Sarah O’Donnell – 4th bars, 4th beam, 4th floor, 3rd all around, Regional Qualifier
Level 10
Brielle Davis - Regional Qualifier

News: Flood Watch for Loudoun Tonight, Monday's Baseball Games at Park View Moved to Freedom

(Mar. 28, 2010) - Continued rain Sunday evening has prompted a flood watch in Loudoun and there will be some changes on the prep schedule with Park View High School announcing that Monday's full slate of the spring break baseball tournament will now be played at Freedom High School.

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EDT MONDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS EXPANDED THE * FLOOD WATCH TO INCLUDE PORTIONS OF MARYLAND...THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA...VIRGINIA AND NORTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN MARYLAND...ANNE ARUNDEL...CARROLL... FREDERICK MD...HARFORD...HOWARD...MONTGOMERY...NORTHERN BALTIMORE...PRINCE GEORGES AND SOUTHERN BALTIMORE. THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN VIRGINIA...ALBEMARLE... ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA...CLARKE...CULPEPER... FAIRFAX...GREENE...LOUDOUN...MADISON...NELSON...NORTHERN FAUQUIER...ORANGE...PAGE...PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK...RAPPAHANNOCK...SOUTHERN FAUQUIER...SPOTSYLVANIA... STAFFORD AND WARREN. IN NORTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA...JEFFERSON. * UNTIL 6 AM EDT MONDAY HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS WILL AFFECT MUCH OF MARYLAND...NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA THROUGH THE REST OF THE NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. LOCAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND ONE AND A HALF INCHES WOULD CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS...IN ADDITION TO URBAN FLOODING ACROSS THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP.

Baseball: Spring Break Tournament Scores

Let's Play Two Tournament in Prince William
Forest Park Bracket
West Springfiel 3 Forest Park 1
West Springfield 4 Edison 3
Forest Park 11 Edison 1

Woodbridge Bracket
Thomas Jefferson defeated Notre Dame
Woodbridge defeated Notre Dame
Woodbridge Defeated Thomas Jefferson

Osbourn Park Friday Bracket
Osbourn Park 14 JEB Stuart 1
Liberty(Bealton) 7 JEB Stuart 3
Osbourn Park 11 Liberty(Bealton)1

Osbourn Park Saturday Bracket
Stone Bridge 16 Cardozo 0
Stonewall Jackson 14 Cardozo 0
Stone Bridge 9 Stonewall Jackson 1

Monday Games
2-0 Bracket
Osbourn Park vs Stone Bridge at Osbourn Park at 3;00pm
Woodbridge vs West Springfield at Woodbridge at 3:00pm

1-1 Bracket
Liberty vs Stonewall Jackson at Osbourn Park at 12:30 pm
Thomas Jefferson vs Forest Park at Woodbridge at 12:30 pm

0-2 Bracket
JEB Stuart vs Cardozo at Osbourn Park at 10:00am
Notre Dame vs Edison at Woodbridge at 10:00am

Winners and losers of each bracket meet Wednesday in the final round of the tournament. If we get rained out Monday will stay with the same schedule on Tuesday.

Spring Break Tournament at Freedom and Park View
Faquier 10 Freedom 3
Freedom 8 Heritage 6
Fauquier 9 Hylton 5
Hylton 6 Heritage 7

Tentative Revised Schedule
Monday at Park View only (Saturday's washed out games)
Park View vs. Millbrook, 9 a.m.
Wakefield vs. Millbrook, noon
Wakefield vs. O'Connell, 3 p.m.
Park View vs. O'Connell, 6 p.m.

Tuesday (original Monday schedule)
At Freedom
Fauquier vs. Heritage, 2 p.m.
Hylton vs. Freedom, 5 p.m.
At Park View
Park View vs. Wakefield 2 p.m.
Millbrook vs. O'Connell, 5 p.m.

Wednesday (original Tuesday schedule)
7th place game, 9 a.m.
5th place game, noon
3rd place game, 3 p.m.
title game, 6 p.m.

News: Rainy (and Cold!) Weather Postpones All of Friday's Schedule **Updated 1:35 p.m.**

Postponements from tonight's rainy (and cold!) weather .. everything locally is now PPD!

Briar Woods:
Baseball, softball, and soccer for today have been postponed. The make up dates are as follows.
Baseball, girls and boys soccer: Monday, April 12, same times and locations as originally scheduled.
Softball: Thursday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. start.

Broad Run:
Tonight's Girls Lacrosse games vs Briar Woods have been postponed. No make up date has been set yet. Boys Lax at Robinson ppd until 4.13.

Dominion:
All athletic Contests today are ppd. Baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer vs. Freedom make-up May 13

Freedom:
All athletic Contests today are ppd. Baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer vs. Dominion make-up May 13


Heritage:
Soccer games tonight (3/26) are canceled.
Boys Soccer will make-up game on Saturday April 17.
JV @ Noon; Varsity to follow @ 1:30

Loudoun County:
See Briar Woods make-up information

Loudoun Valley:
No events scheduled

Park View:
Update March 26 - Friday
Canceled: Softball, Boys & Girls Soccer with Potomac Falls

Potomac Falls:
Update March 26 - Friday
Canceled: Softball, Boys & Girls Soccer with Park View

Stone Bridge:
No events scheduled

Girls Basketball: Loudoun County's Holmes Commits to Lincoln Memorial

Leesburg (Mar. 24, 2010) - Loudoun County High School senior standout Kendra Holmes has verbally accepted a full scholarship offer to play basketball at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee.

Holmes has had one of the finest careers of any athlete in Loudoun County High School history. In her career, she has been recognized multiple times as a first and second team member of the Dulles District, Region II, and All State teams.

In 2009, Holmes was named the Division 4, Group AA State Player of the Year as she helped lead the Lady Raiders to the 2009 State Championship as she tallied 13 points – 15 rebounds in a 63-47 win over Turner Ashby.Holmes has also broken several school records. In the 2008 Dulles District Tournament Championship game, Holmes blocked 9 Freedom Eagle shots as County won that contest 48-47. She also owns the single game rebounding record as she pulled down an astonishing 31 rebounds in a 67-50 road win at Heritage High School. In the 2009 campaign, Holmes broke the single season rebound record with 373 rebounds as she averaged 12.4 per contest. Loudoun County opened its doors in 1954.

Boys Lacrosse: Broad Run Game Tonight at Stone Bridge Postponed

(Mar. 24, 2010) - The Broad Run High School boys lacrosse game at Stone Bridge scheduled for tonight has been postponed due to the death of one of the Spartan players parents. A make-up date has not been released.

VivaLoudoun.com editor Dan Sousa: Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Broad Run boys lacrosse program in this tough time.

Football: Park View's Beale to Play at Bridgewater and Teammate Devaney at Ferrum

Sterling (Mar. 24, 2010) - Two members of the Park View High School football program have made their college decisions and will continue their football careers at the next level. Daryus Beale will move on to play for the Bridgewater College Eagles, and Michael Devaney has selected the Ferrum College Panthers.

College Corner: Broad Run Grad Vargas on ESPNU Live Tonight as Gannon University Plays in NCAA D2 Final Four

(Mar. 24, 2010) - Broad Run High School grad Kim Vargas, a senior starter at undefeated Gannon University will be play tonight in the NCAA Division II Final Four as her Lady Knights take on Emporia State. The game will be televised live on ESPNU at 9:30 p.m.

The 6-foot Vargas averages 9.6 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game and has started all 37 games this season for the school located in Erie, Penn. The 37 records sets a NCAA Division II record and the 37-game winning streak is fourth longest in Division II history.

Photo Gallery: Youth Baseball by Scott Shepherd - Dulles Mustangs 12U

Check out these great photos by Scott Shepherd from a recent Dulles Mustangs 12U baseball game. Click on any photo to see the gallery with 55 shots total

Tennis Round-up: March 15-22 - *Now Updated*

(March 23, 2010) - Well the first full week of high school tennis in 2010 started with a rainy Monday and ended with a rainy Monday but in between some schools were able to play as many as three matches.

If your favorite tennis team doesn't have its score updated or any details posted, tell your coach or "Team Mom" to email us at dan.sousa[at]vivaloudoun.com.

On the boys side, Briar Woods, Broad Run and Freedom were all off to undefeated starts in the Dulles District. On the girls side, Loudoun County has started off with three wins in the Dulles District.

News: Sharp and Team of Daitzman and Guidry Take Top Awards at 29th Annual Science Fair

(Mar. 23, 2010) - Nicholas Sharp of Dominion High School and the team of Robert Daitzman and Joanne Guidry won the Best of Fair awards at the 29th Annual Loudoun County Regional Science and Engineering Fair on March 18 at Briar Woods High School. Daitzman attends Dominion High School and Guidry is a student at Potomac Falls High School.

Daitzman, Guidry and Sharp are all seniors and both Daitzman and Guidry are students at the Loudoun Academy of Science (AOS). As winners of the Loudoun County Regional Science Fair they are now eligible to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in San Jose, California, May 9-14. In 2010, Intel ISEF will gather 1,500 finalists with the opportunity to showcase their independent research before 1,200 scientists, researchers and judges.

News: Stone Bridge Senior Kelsey O'Connell Named VHSL Student Journalist of the Year

Charlottesville (Mar. 23, 2010) - Kelsey O’Connell, editor-in-chief of The Bulldog Tribune and a senior at Stone Bridge High School is the Virginia High School League’s 2010 Student Journalist of the Year and Charles Savedge Scholarship recipient. She is the twelfth winner in the contest’s 20-year history to be selected from the Northern Region.

“Kelsey put together an impressive package,” said VHSL Director of Activities Lisa Giles. “She clearly demonstrated her gift for writing, and her personal essay revealed that she has the kind of determination and tenacity that it takes to achieve goals despite road blocks and red tape.”

Baseball: Late Stone Bridge Assistant Coach Timbers Honored Prior to Bulldogs Opener at Loudoun Valley

Click here for the full photo gallery from the ceremony

(Mar. 23, 2010) - There was no better way to honor the late Stone Bridge High School assistant baseball coach James Timbers than with the pregame tribute in the Bulldogs opener Friday at Fireman's Field in Purcellville where Timbers grew up playing the sport for Loudoun Valley High School.

Family, friends and former coaches and teammates gathered on the field for the ceremony and James Timbers III threw out the first pitch. Timbers, who helped coach baseball at Stone Bridge since the school opened a decade ago, passed away in January after a battle with cancer.

When the action got underway, the club Timbers helped coach, Stone Bridge, took the win, 10-2, over the club Timbers formerly played for.

Stone Bridge junior pitcher Steve Putnick got the win, going five strong innings allowing two runs on five hits. Senior Spencer Brookbank came in to relieve in the sixth, shutting down the Viking hitters, facing seven batters and striking out two.

The Bulldog bats came alive in the later innings, scoring eight of their 10 runs in the last three innings.

Senior Taylor Lambke went 2-for-3 with a 2-run home run in the sixth inning over the right center field fence. Bulldog hitters T.J. O’Neal, Brookbank, and Spenser Rositano all went 2-for-4.

Stone Bridge (1-1) plays Thomas Jefferson Tuesday at home starting at 6:30 p.m. Loudoun Valley (1-1) is at Westfield on Wednesday.

Baseball: Broad Run to Host Wood Bat Tournament over Spring Break

(Mar. 23, 2010) - The Broad Run High School baseball team, with the help of Cheers Sports and Diamond Sports Training, will be hosting the 2010 Broad Run HS Wood Bat Tournament next week over Spring Break.

The tournament will involve Broad Run, Dominion, Briar Woods, and Loudoun County. Games will be played on Monday and Tuesday at noon and 3 p.m. with Wednesday as a make-up date if needed:

2010 Broad Run HS Wood Bat Tournament (sponsored by Cheers/DST)
Monday, March 29th - Game 1 - Broad Run vs. Dominion at Noon
Monday, March 29th - Game 2 - Briar Woods vs. Loudoun County at 3pm
Tuesday, March 30th - Game 3 - Consolation Game at Noon
Tuesday, March 30th - Game 4 - Championship Game at 3 pm
Wednesday, March 31st - Make-up date (only if necessary due to the weather)

"The idea of hosting a wood bat tournament (as opposed to a normal, aluminum bat event) is something that our coaching staff decided might be a way to make the tournament experience a unique one for our players," reports Broad Run coach Pat Cassidy. "We hope it is something that they enjoy getting the opportunity to participate in. Using wood bats is a little bit of a 'throwback' or 'old school' type of an idea. After swinging wood bats most players will appreciate how the game was played before aluminum bats became the norm in baseball."

The sponsorship of Cheers Sports and DST was crucial to holding the event.

"Regarding the wood bats, the Broad Run Baseball staff and its players would like to extend a special thanks to Denny Petrella and Joe Donatella at Cheers Sports, and John Lechler and Jason Bagby at DST for sponsoring the tournament," stated Cassidy. "Their support is the primary factor allowing us to host this event for our players. Without their help this event would not be possible."

Lacrosse: Stone Bridge Boys and Girls Join Forces to Raise Over $1,100 at Brambleton 5K Ribbon Run for Breast Cancer

(Mar. 23, 2010) - Stone Bridge High School boys and girls lacrosse players and coaches -- almost 100 strong -- joined forces Saturday to raise more than $1,100 at the Brambleton 5K Ribbon Run for breast cancer.

A friendly challenge for the good cause between Bulldog girls coach Kristin Howard and Bulldog boys Scott Mitchell led to 100 percent participation between the two squads.

One parent said their son called the event "awesome and 'he thought they got more out of it than they gave'."

At one point all the Bulldog players formed a tunnel for little kids to run through as they finished the race.

All in all, it was a great day for a great cause, and most likely the start of a yearly tradition.

VivaLoudoun knows that all sorts of local teams are giving back to the community and we love to share your good news! Keep up the great work! Email your team's good works to dan.sousa[at]vivaloudoun.com

News: Even Stevens? VivaLoudoun Takes a Look at the Education "Budget Battle" with Views from School Chair John Stevens and BOS Member Stevens Miller

By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun.com Editor
(Mar. 23, 2010) - And you thought the health care legislation was confusing and contentious ... wait until you dive into the brewing "budget battle" in Loudoun County between the Board of Supervisors and the School Board and Loudoun County Public Schools.

All I can say for certain is that at the end of the day I will be writing the checks to meet the financial bottom line as I am both a homeowner in the county (since 1995) and a parent with two children in the schools (elementary and high school). And my gut feeling at this point is that the hardest working people in the battle -- the teachers and coaches I work with and cover for VivaLoudoun.com -- and most dependent -- the children, our future! -- are the ones caught in the middle of this tumultuous tug-a-war.

What I found interesting in the last 24 hours was two distinct differently messages on the issue from two "Stevens"  -- School Board Chair John Stevens (via a posting on his blog Our Loudoun Schools) and my Board of Supervisor Stevens Miller. So, here they are ... side-by-side if I could but I'll put up John Stevens posting which came first on Monday and then Miller Stevens email which arrived this morning so please keep reading ... click the "Read More" below for both point of views ...

(I'd love to hear your comments on these views ... but only if you can post them in a constructive and civil way ... part of what I hope our education system is teaching today is how to have civil discourse in a true democratic fashion and a lot of what I see locally and nationally isn't very mature ... people should be able to debate without hate!)

Lacrosse: Park View Girls and Boys Wins First Games in Five Seasons!

(Mar. 22, 2010) - The Park View High School girls lacrosse team snapped an nearly 40-game long losing streak Monday with a 13-3 win at Wakefield. It was the Patriots first win in five seasons. And Park View wasn't finished on the night as the boys snapped a similar skid, defeating Wakefield, 8-5.

Patriot girls lacrosse coach Kathy Koscinski said the program's last win was on May 8, 2006 -- an 11-10 win over then first-year school Briar Woods. And LaxPower.com shows the Patriots boys last win also coming on May 8, 2006, a 7-5 win over Briar Woods.

"It was an awesome experience, especially for the three captains who have played for four years and never experienced a lacrosse win," reported Koscinski after the historic victory. "What I love most about these girls is they work hard and have fun no matter what the score is. We go out there every game giving our best and working hard."

"It was awesome! We felt like we made our school proud!"

Continued Koscinski: "Sometimes we get crushed on the scoreboard but they play like it is a tie game. Last night it was crazy to see the scoreboard go up and up! I am so proud of them, not just for winning, but for who each young woman is to our program. The first call we made from the field was to (athletic director Joe) Breinig and the girls were just screaming in the phone. It was awesome! We felt like we made our school proud!

highlights:
MARCH 22, 2010 - FIRST WIN IN 4 YEARS!
PARK VIEW 13
WAKEFIELD 3
Ruth Quan 5 goals, Carly DeShazo 2 goals, Lindsey Doscotch scored 1 goal, 3 assists, won the draw 8 times, and had 11 ground balls, Hanna Data 2 goals and 2 assists, Loan Nguyen 2 goals, 1 assist, Allison Balik 1 goal and 2 assists. Great Defensive effort by Almendra Terrones, Alexa McManus, Tazh Jimenez and goalie Amanda Greenwood (6 saves)
Other contributors: Amanda Coker (3gbc), Amanda Ridings (6 gbc), Laura Villalobos (1gbc)

We will add the Patriot boys highlights when they are provided ...

Girls Basketball: Freedom's Kelsey Buchanan Named VHSCA D4 State Player of the Year; Eldredge is Coach of the Year

(Mar. 22, 2010) - You know the drill, to the victor the spoils and none more well earned than Freedom High School's back-to-back girls basketball state titles which has senior center Kesley Buchanan being named the VHSCA Division 4 State Player of the Year and Eagle leader Jason Eldredge the D4 Coach of the Year.

We will print the full selections as soon as we find them!

Girls Lacrosse: Potomac Falls Girls Run in 5K to Raise Money for Breast Cancer Research

(Mar. 22, 2010) - The Potomac Falls High School varsity and junior varsity girls lacrosse teams raised more than $350 to support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer by running in the Brambleton 5K Ribbon Run on Saturday.

It was an opportunity for the Panthers to get in some conditioning and team buidling while raising money for a good cause.

Has your team helped the community out? VivaLoudoun.com wants to know and share it with the rest of Loudoun. Email us at dan.sousa[at]loudoun.com

Softball: Potomac Falls Catcher Sunderland Commits to Play for Queens University in Charlotte

Sterling (Mar. 22, 2010) - Potomac Falls High School senior Courtney Sunderland has made a commitment to play for NCAA Division II Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte next year.

The Queens Royals are reining conference champions in the Conference Carolinas and Sunderland reports she "is very excited to play for the Royals [starting in the] 2010-2011 season."

Sunderland has been the Panthers starting catcher since her freshman year and was named a team captain in her junior year. Her leadership behind the plate, and at the plate, helped the Panthers to their best record in school history last season.

She was voted second team All-Dulles District Catcher her sophomore year, first team All-Dulles District, first team Loudoun All-Extra Catcher, and Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention her junior year.

Sunderland also received the "Unsung Hero Award" her sophomore year and the "Coaches Award" her junior year. Sunderland currently holds three single season school records. and plays club ball for the Ashburn Shooting Stars 18U Gold.

VivaLoudoun's exclusive College Choice Chart for Loudoun Athletes!

Football: 7th Heaven - Stone Bridge's Burns Picks Up Offer from Syracuse

(Mar. 22, 2010) - Stone Bridge High School 6-foot-7 defensive linemen picked up his seventh NCAA Division I offer as Syracuse joined a growing list of schools after Burns talent on the football field including Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Stanford, Virginia and Wake Forest.

Burns reports that he had a "a very nice visit with UVA at their spring practice on Saturday."

Later that day, Burns stopped by the Rivals.Com Five Star Academy in Richmond. When he returned home head the latest official offers, from Boston College and Syracuse.

"That brings the total number of BCS offers to seven. Deciding is going to be very, very difficult because all of the schools have something positive to offer," reported Burns. "I'm going to try and do more campus visits over the next few weeks."

Boys Lacrosse: Titans Drop Season Opener to AAA Brooke Point, 13-12

Special to VivaLoudoun.com

Sterling (Mar. 22, 2010) - The Dominion High School boys lacrosse team lost their season opener to Brooke Point, 13-12, in a close one that went down to the final few seconds last Wednesday night at Titan Stadium.

With over 15 seniors graduated from last year’s team, including All-Dulles District offensive standouts Zack Glascock and Michael Fawkes, the Titans were looking to see who would step up to fill the void. It quickly became apparent that the Titans are again loaded with shot-makers as six players scored goals, led by lanky senior middie Thomas Dewar who scored four goals and won 12 of 22 face-offs.

Girls Basketball: Potomac Falls Raven Short MVP in Girls Elite All-Star Game

(Mar. 22, 2010) - Potomac Falls High School coach Lynn Ewald reports that Panther senior Raven scored 18 points and named MVP over the weekend at the Girls Elite All-Star game which was part of the 2010 Roundball Classic in Hagerstown, Md.

Short played on the "American Team" where she was the leading scorer in the game and led her team to a 3-point win in a game which featured all-stars from Virgina, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Youth Sports - Gymnastics - APEX Qualifies 30 to Level 5 States

(Mar. 22, 2010) - The APEX Level 5 gymnasts competed in the Sectional qualifier on March 14 in Richmond and qualified 30 gymnasts to the States competition -- the largest group from any one gym qualifying for States. There is one more qualifying opportunity in April for the State Championships to be held in Stafford in May.

Qualifiers include Alex Weber, Erin Kaplan, Bryn Hertel, Taylor Knowles, Julia Ames, Allison Auten, Lauren Miller, Taylor Nodland, Lauren Porter, Leah Trepal, Jadyn West, Alex Bencic, Claudia Cardona, Maria Papadopoulos, Ashley Spangler, Erin Dennis, Margaux Webb, Brooke Constantine, Grace Fenn, Sharon Gilbertson, Courtney Miyashiro, River Stone, Lydia Chupp, Morgan Wivagg, Jenna Haran, Ashley Wilkins, Priscilla Hall, Tali Klaff and Julianne Vennitti.

News: Athletics Could Face Deep Cuts in Loudoun

(Mar. 22, 2010) - A year ago athletics in Loudoun County survived the budget process with only the implementation of a $100 fee for each athlete for each sport. This year, however, the stakes have been raised a lot higher as the Board of Supervisors appears intent on slashing nearly $30 million from the school board funding request which could lead to the elimination of freshman sports and junior varsity lacrosse in the county as well as raising the participation fee to as high as $200 or $300 per athlete per sport.

Other athletic items on the potential "cut list" include: assistant athletic directors, assistant athletic trainers, and fewer games for teams due to a 33 percent reduction in travel costs.

The full reduction list can be found here.

The elimination of freshman sports and JV lacrosse saves the county $439,000 but the cuts would be felt much deeper at schools where freshman football and basketball games are big sources of revenues for athletic departments and boosters clubs. As one assistant athletic director said: eliminating freshman football and basketball would be like killing the "Golden Goose".

A big freshman football game can generate as much as $1,000 in revenue for a school and that would be lost if the sport was eliminated.

The school district released the following letter in advance of tonight's final operating budget workshop by the Board of Supervisors.

News: Rainy Monday Forces Schedule Changes - Updated

(Mar. 22, 2010) - Was that thunder I just heard? Could be ... and the rain has been coming down at times in Loudoun this Monday, after a glorious weekend we might add, so here comes some changes.

We will post them as soon as your AD sends them to us (or we steal them off your school site!):

Park View High School
The following are updates for PVHS Athletic events for today:

Boys and Girls Lacrosse game @ Wakefield is on as scheduled.
-Girls 5pm
-Boys 6:45pm

Baseball vs Bishop O'Connell has been cancelled. It has been re-scheduled for this Wednesday March 24th @ PVHS - 5pm

Tennis vs BR has been cancelled. It has been re-schedule for this Wednesday March 24th
-Boys @ BR - 4:30pm
-Girls @ PV - 4:30pm

Loudoun County High School
Boy's Lax at Battlefield and Girl's Lax vs. Battlefield (H) are both postponed.
Boy's games will be made up on 4/9.
Girl's games will be TBD

Freedom High School
Varsity Softball vs. Millbrook--Rescheduled for tomorrow, March 23 at 6pm @ Freedom

JV Baseball @ Millbrook, 7pm--ON as scheduled

JV Softball @ Millbrook, 5pm--ON as scheduled

Girls Tennis vs. Millbrook--Rescheduled for tomorrow, March 23 at 4:15pm

Boys Tennis @ Warren County--Rescheduled for Friday, April 9 at 5:30pm

Girls Lacrosse vs. Kettle Run--Reschedule date TBA

Varsity Boys Lacrosse @ Kettle Run--Rescheduled for Monday, March 29 @ Kettle Run, 6pm

JV Boys Lacrosse @ Kettle Run--Reschedule date TBA

All practices will be inside today.

Dominion High School
Boys Varsity Baseball @ **Postponed To 4/14/2010 - George Mason Jr/Sr High School 5:00PM

Heritage High School
Monday 3/22/10
Baseball games vs BRHS moved to Thursday 3/25
Girls' Home Lacrosse canceled, make-up
@ GMHS Wed 3/23, 5pm
(Boys' Lax @ GMHS 3/23 moved to 6:15 JV & 8pm Varsity)
All Practices inside, no tennis.

Softball games w/ Freedom (3/16) moved to Thursday 3/25

Potomac Falls High School
Schedule updates March 22
Softball is postponed and rescheduled for Tuesday, March 23
Boys LAX is postponed and rescheduled for Wed, March 24

Stone Bridge High School
Girl's Lacrosse games have been canceled today. Rescheduled date TBD
Soccer pictures are at 4:00 today - not 5:00 as previously scheduled.

Indoor Practice Schedule for Monday, March 22 is as follows:
*as of 12:50pm
Main Gym:
4-5:30 Boys Soccer
5:30-7:00 Girls Soccer
7-8:30 Boys Lax
8:30-10 Girls Lax

Aux. Gym:
4-6 Tennis
6-8 Baseball

Outside:
4:00 Softball

Loudoun Valley High School
Loudoun Valley Athletic Update for March 22, 2010

Girls Soccer- (vs Stonewall Jackson) Postponed until April 21 @ 5:30/7pm

Boys/Girls Tennis (vs Handley) Postponed until Monday April 5 @ 4:30pm

JV Baseball- (vs Chantilly) Postponed until TBA

Varsity Baseball- (vs Chantilly) ON AS SCHEDULED (6pm @Fireman's Field)

BOYS SOCCER-(vs Stonewall Jackson) ON AS SCHEDULED (6/7:30PM @LVHS)

All practices will be inside today....

Briar Woods High School
Varsity and Jv baseball scheduled for Monday, March 22 vs. Brentsville has been postponed. Make up dates are as follows: JV baseball, Wed., March 24 at Brentsville, 6:00 - Varsity Baseball vs. Brentsville at Briar Woods, Thursday, March 25, 6:00
Varsity Softball vs. Fauquier scheduled for Monday, March 22 has been postponed, No make up date as of yet.

Girls JV and Varsity Lax scheduled for today has been postponed. No make up date as of yet.

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa - You Can Have Paris, I'll Take Purcellville

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa

(Mar. 22, 2010) - What I really hate is when a punchline becomes reality such as when I joke that my wife gets to travel to Paris and I get to travel to ... Purcellville.

So who is laughing Friday when, indeed, my wife is in Paris, enjoying a "free day" on a 12-day business trip and I am indeed, in Purcellville, shooting the James Timbers memorial ceremony prior to the Stone Bridge High School vs. Loudoun Valley baseball game at Fireman's Field.

Photos from that ceremony are just one of things to go up on VivaLoudoun today ... also look for the latest on the dire budget cuts headed towards athletics in Loudoun -- athletics escaped the budget ax the last go round save for that $100 fee per athlete per sport but this time it may be sad news for local sports fans with freshman teams, assistant ADs, assistant athletic trainers, reduced games due to 33 percent travel reduction and get a load of this ... $300 fee per athlete per sport all on the table -- along with a college signing, some basketball news, gymnastics news from APEX, local athletes doing well in the community and more.

More ... like scores from Friday and Saturday that we are collecting ... we are still working on the 100 teams to get in results to us as this is our first spring for VivaLoudoun and many coaches don't know our contact info. (they think we still work with the monkey!) ... if you can help spread the word to your coach, you earn the Fox's gratitude for life.

And we have our first tennis round-up ready to go ... plenty of singles and doubles scores! Plus ... look at my inbox ... here come the rainy PPDs!

All of the Friday/Saturday scores and results weren't put up over the weekend as I spent it not coaching for once on the youth level but enjoying watching my 10-year-old son Ryder play in an all-star basketball tournament and a travel soccer tournament. So, as my wife traveled to Prague for the last leg of her Euro biz trip, I was traveling back and forth to Haymarket and back and forth and back and forth.

If they were handing out frequent roundabout points on Route 50, we'd have a free night's stay someplace. Which, by the way, I understand the roundabouts nearest 50 and 15 but that roundabout near Zion Church ... why?

And if I could brag about my son Ryder ... it was fun watching him play ... he scored 22 points in one all-star game on the weekend which automatically makes him the best basketball player ever in our family -- he really only had to beat out his brother Cooper, a senior at Stone Bridge who played for three years for the Bulldogs before not going out this past season, since I was "cut" from my freshman high school basketball team (actually encouraged strongly to go see the wrestling coach is how the hoops coach put it as the 12th man spot was all mine!) and my wife was cut in middle school (a grudge she still holds against a certain coach ...). Sorry Cooper ...

Of course when I coach Ryder he doesn't score as much which might make me "Dean Smith" to his "Michael Jordan" ... if you are old enough, you get that reference! I'm sure in fifth grade, Ryder is going to request his all-star coach Mike Deareden instead of me!

Forget the points, I was mainly impressed that he hustled, played defense, rebounded and passed the ball to teammates for assists ... when I cover sports, the athletes who make their teams better -- not always the team's best player folks! -- are the ones I love watching! I'm glad he is such a player as is Cooper in soccer where he suits up this spring for a final season for Randy May.

And Ryder played his heart and legs -- covered with bruises some of which, for some reason, he has taken to giving names such as "this bruise is named 'Charles' -- out in soccer ... with his team falling in the title game, 4-3, after three wins on the weekend ... in all, six games played in two sports in 43 hours. Talk about March Madness.

With Cooper now 18 ... and a curfew that seems to extend to the break of dawn, parents of other seniors, know what I'm talking about, and, no, I can't sleep until he is home ... Ryder now 10, they are growing up really fast.

Cooper -- brag alert: sorry, proud father on the loose -- has chosen Clemson to study engineering (Death Valley football on Saturday's in the fall!) and the fact I am writing this, means the publicity-shy Coop will be quite mad and will no doubt get me back by posting more photos of me on Facebook from our vacation to Cancun last summer where it appears I have enjoyed way too many margaritas in el sol ... (more likely that expression on my face is from the catamaran rocking back and forth ... I once got "seasick" in first grade at swim lessons)

I know Ryder is certainly growing up as when we stopped at McDonald's Sunday he ventured out from the safety of his nearly-decade trend of ordering hotcakes only to trying a bagel with egg, cheese and bacon ... Biting into it, with his mouth full, a slice of bacon hanging out, I could hear him mutter: "Now that makes me feel like man!" ...

Indeed, I'll take those moments any time over the City of Lights ...

Soccer: March 15-18 Round-up

Thursday, March 18
Girls Soccer
Fauquier 2, Park View 1
The Skinny: Pats fall in tournament at Handley
George Mason 1, Potomac Falls 0
The Skinny: Panthers fall in coach Chris Hummer's debut

Wednesday, March 17
Boys Soccer
Park View 5, Fauquier 0
The Skinny: Panthers win in tournament at Handley

Loudoun Valley 4, Millbrook 2
The Skinny: Valley won their opener but only after falling behind by two goals in the first 15 minutes of play. The Vikes rallied to equalize by the half with goals by Dan Nesbit and Kevin Esoda.

Esoda assisted on the first goal by NesbitDan and Mat Lesiv slid a beautiful through ball behind the Millbrook defense for Esoda to get the equalizer. Valley took the lead less than 10 minutes into the second half when Irvin Lara crossed a ball from the wing into Jose Garcia who flicked it on to Stephen Palmer for the finish.

Millbrook increased the pressure but Valley defense held strong and with four minutes to play Esoda clinched the win by scoring on another great through ball by Lesiv. Valley junior goalkeeper Chris Soukup made eight saves to keep a clean sheet in the second half of play.

Liberty 2, Briar Woods 1

Heritage 3, Broad Run 2
The Skinny: Last year's AA state semifinalist and Dulles District frontrunner this season, opens with a loss to AAA Pride. Spartan defensive leader Taylor Johnson sat out the game after picking up a red card in the 2009 state semifinal loss to Potomac Falls.

Heritage scored first 17 minutes into the first half on a Jonathan Castillo from an assist by Ruben Torres. Then Jake Flanagan scored in the 53rd minute off a deflected scoring attempt by Ben Ogedegbe for the second goal. Heritage's third goal was netted by Castillo off of a defender in the 76th minute.

Broad Run out-shot Heritage, 22-5 and had 16 corners to the Pride's four but BR couldn't score until the second half on a 73rd minute Kevin Reitzel bicycle kick of a Paul Ellington throw in.

Broad Run's second goal came in the final seconds as Kevin Reitzel scored in the 80th minute.

"They have a very good freshman keeper. They worked hard, got a lot of numbers behind the ball," said Broad Run coach Jon Hicks.

Potomac Falls 6, Skyline 0
The Skinny: Last year's AA state runner-up opens with big win. John Thomas scored four goals for PFalls and George Echart and David Becerra each scored once. Shut out earned by Ryan Howard in goal.

Girls Soccer
Briar Woods 3, Liberty 0
Washington-Lee 5, Dominion 1
Robinson 1, Loudoun Valley 1
The Skinny: Loudoun Valley played Robinson through two overtime periods to a 1-1 tie. Robinson scored three quarters of the way into the first half. Valley came back early in the second half with a goal off of a corner kick from Ashlee Hammer and headed in by Amber Cook.

Broad Run 3, Heritage 0
The Skinny: Back-to-back AA state champ Spartans open with shutout. Whitney Church scored in the 26th minute off a Brenna Smith assist and three minutes later, Merideth Berger struck from an Ellie Zoepfl assist. In the second half, Zoepfl scored off a Kacey Kelley assist.

Tuesday, March 16
Boys Soccer
Loudoun County at Loudoun Valley PPD (moved to 3.19 at LC, 7:30)
Heritage at Broad Run PPD (moved to 3.17)
Potomac Falls at Skyline PPD (moved to 3.17)
Manassas Park at Dominion PPD (make-up TBA)

Girls Soccer
Freedom 6, Handley 0
Loudoun Valley at Loudoun County PPD (moved to 3.19, 6)
Broad Run at Heritage PPD (moved to 3.17)
Skyline at Park View PPD (moved to 3.24)
Dominion 3, Manassas Park 1

Monday, March 15
Boys Soccer
Handley 2, Freedom 0
Stone Bridge 5, West Springfield 1
The Skinny: The Bulldogs kicked off the spring season on the road with a 5-1 victory over West Springfield. The Spartans scored in the opening minutes but it was all SB after that with goals by seniors Abdul Shaban, Mervyn "Edgy" Levy, Christian Salinas, and Michael Herndon with sophomore Daniel Carmona netting the 5th goal on the evening. Assisting on the goals were Salinas, Junam Skogerboe, Clay Brothers and Tommy Dunne. Senior goalkeeper Nick Lowery was very steady goal for Stone Bridge.

Manassas Park at Dominion PPD (moved to 3.16, 7:30 p.m.)
Liberty non-district scores
McLean 3, Wakefield 2
Washington-Lee 2, Marshall 0
Fairfax vs. Chantilly, PPD

Girls Soccer
Stone Bridge 1, West Springfield 0
The Skinny: The Bulldogs started their season off with a 1-0 win as junior defender Emily Fredrikson scored the lone goal of the night off of a free kick in the middle of the first half. Senior midfielder Megan McCabe and senior defender Jazy Ervins contributed to Stone Bridge's win. SB plays at Thomas Jefferson and Woodson next week
Dominion at Manassas Park PPD (moved to 3.16, 7:30 p.m.)
Liberty non-district scores
McLean 9, Wakefield 0

Lacrosse: March 15-18 Round-up

Thursday, March 18
Boys Lacrosse
Freedom 9, Heritage 7
The Skinny: One of the biggest wins in the history of the Eagles 5-year program as they knock off the AAA Pride. Freedom trailed 5-2 in this game but scored two goals in the last minute of the second quarter to go down by only one at the half. The Eagle defense shut Heritage out in the fourth quarter and Freedom scored twice to break a 7-7 deadlock.

"Great win for the program, the kids really hung in there the entire game and kept working," said Eagle coach Brent Miller.

Eagle Stats
Victor Farrell 4G, 2A
Matt Johnson 1G, 3A
Will Walter 2G
Colin McPhilamy 1G, 1A
Thomas Mignone 1G

Goalie: Chris Peters 9 Saves

Stone Bridge 17, South Lakes 8
The Skinny: Bulldogs move to 2-0 on the season. It was 10-5 at the half.

Bulldog Stats goals assists points
James Esser 2 0 2
Derek Maltz 6 2 8
Dylan Maltz 1 3 4
James Wells 4 0 4
JP Giroux 1 0 1
Colin Moran 1 0 1
Grant Maravetz 1 0 1
Zack Guerra 0 1 1
Matt Vincent 1 0 1

Briar Woods 19, Kettle Run 12

Loudoun County 16, Woodbridge 8
The Skinny: The Raiders opened the season with a win over AAA Woodbridge High School. The score was tied 3-3 when starting LC goalie Sean Johnson had to leave the game early with an injury. The team rallied around senior goalie Tevin Howard to push on to an 8-4 lead at halftime. The Raiders added another six goals in the 3rd quarter and two more in the 4th to seal the victory.

Raider Points were scored by the following:
Gavin Foster 1 goal 1 assist
Peyton Stone 2 goals
Andrew Newton 6 goals
Luke Driscoll 2 assists
Mike Howard 1 goal
Jack Reimers 4 goals
Dylan Bosserman 1 goal

Goalies
Sean Johnson 1 save
Tevin Howard 6 saves

Potomac 14, Park View 2
The Skinny: Pats fall in opener

Girls Lacrosse
Freedom 21, Heritage 19
Potomac 11, Park View 4

Stone Bridge 16, South Lakes 0
The Skinny: Bulldogs shutout Seahawks in Liberty District contest.

Bulldog Stats
Lauren Giusti: 4 goals 1 assist
Brittany Worstell: 2 goals
Kayla Worstell: 2 goals 1 assist
Kelley Galownia: 1 goal 1 assist
Hannah Mohler: 1 goal 1 assist
Kayla Sleece: 1 goal 3 assists
Holly Kramer: 3 goals 1 assist
Nicole Irwin: 1 goal
Elizabeth Bishop: 1 goal

Briar Woods 10, Kettle Run 9
Osbourn Park 12, Dominion 10

Wednesday, March 17
Boys Lacrosse
Park View at West Potomac PPD (moved to 4.6)

Freedom-South Riding 15, Freedom-Woodbridge 1
The Skinny: In the Freedompalooza it was Freedom of South Riding beating Freedom of Woodbridge in a season opener.

Eagle of South Riding Stats
Matt Johnson 3G, 1A
Colin McPhilamy 2G, 1A
Victor Farrell 2G, 1A
Daniel Garbus 2G
Phil Britton 2G
Ryley Stotka 1G, 1A
Nico Vivaldi 1G
Drew Oberleitner 1G
Will Walter 1G
Marty Meck 1A

Saves
Chris Peters 2
Anthony De Gregorio 1

Brooke Point 12, Dominion 11

Girls Lacrosse
Freedom at Freedom-Woodbridge PPD (moved to 3.26)

Loudoun County 15, Potomac Falls 14
The Skinny:The Raiders started their season with a close win over Potomac Falls - a formidable opponent.

On offense, junior Sydney Hewartson and sophomore Rachel Solis each contributed 5 goals and 2 assists to push the Raiders to victory. Seniors Christine Rihn and Hannah Young along with juniors Caila Cummings and Kasey Fletcher helped the cause with goals and assists as well. Rachel Solis also contributed to the cause with 3 interceptions to give the Raiders control of the game. It was truly a team effort for LC!

Also showing a need for speed and perfection were junior defender Lesya Chopivsky and sophomore defender Jaci Shepherd with impressive feats of strength to the Raiders advantage. Making her varsity debut was freshman Sarah Greenspon in goal with aid from returning sophomore goalie Jessie Joseph who had a whopping 9 saves. Also making a name for herself on the varsity scene was freshman Haley Kundsen who is sure to serve as a formidable force to be reckoned with.

The Raiders play next away at Brentsville on Saturday.


Tuesday, March 16
Boys Lacrosse
Stone Bridge 17, Wakefield 2
The Skinny: Bulldog too much firepower for Wakefield in non-district opener.

Bulldog Stats
goals assists points
James Esser 1 0 1
Derek Maltz 4 6 9
Dylan Maltz 6 3 9
Mike Marchio 1 0 1
JT Mullen 2 1 3
James Wells 0 2 2
JP Giroux 3 0 3
Shane Neiderer 1 2 3

Briar Woods 21, Liberty 5
The Skinny: Falcons score big to win opener.

Brooke Point at Dominion PPD (make up 3.17)

Girls Lacrosse
Wakefield at Stone Bridge PPD (moved to 3.19)
Briar Woods 17, Liberty 16 (2OT)

Monday, March 15
Boys Lacrosse
Fauquier at Freedom PPD ( moved to 4.7, 6 p.m.)
Loudoun County at Brentsville PPD (moved to 3.20, 1 p.m.)
Potomac Falls at Park View PPD (make-up TBA)

Girls Lacrosse
Loudoun County at Brentsville PPD (moved to 3.20, 3 p.m.)
Potomac Falls at Park View PPD (make-up TBA)
Dominion at Garfield PPD (mak-up 4.14, 7 p.m.)
Freedom at Fauquier PPD (moved to 4.7, 6 p.m.)
Loudoun Valley at Langley PPD (moved to 4.5, 7:15 p.m.)

Softball: March 15-18 Round-up

Thursday, March 18
Briar Woods 6, Kettle Run 1
The Skinny: The Falcons opened its 2010 season with a win over host Kettle Run Thursday night in Nokesville. The Falcons received strong pitching performances from senior Kate Fowler and junior Kristina Karagiorgis and used a four-run fifth inning to pull away for the win.

Briar Woods spotted Kettle Run a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a two-out infield throwing error, but the Falcons quickly responded with a run in the top of the third. Senior Hayley Olson led off by reaching on an error, moved to second on a sacrifice by sophomore Hope Vivian and took third on a groundout by junior Alex Fierszt. Olson then scored on an infield single by senior Holly Dominguez.

The Falcons took the lead for good with a run in the top of the fourth. Fowler singled to open the inning and advanced to third on a perfect sacrifice by junior Kasey Ball and a passed ball. Junior Jillian Olson followed with a single to plate Fowler.

The Briar Woods bats then heated up in the fifth. Fierszt started the frame by reaching on an error and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Dominguez. Karagiorgis then roped a triple to drive in Fierszt, and Karagiorgis later came home on an error off the bat of sophomore Macy Jones. Fowler pushed the Falcon lead to 5-1 with a double that scored Jones, and Jillian Olson later laced a double to plate Fowler with the game's final run.

Fowler picked up the win by allowing one unearned run in four innings. She struck out eight and walked just one. Karagiorgis earned the save with three innings of one-hit relief. She struck out five and walked none.

The Falcons open their home schedule Friday night when they host Liberty at 6 p.m.
Broad Run at Oakton PPD (moved to 3.19)

Skyline 9, Freedom 0
The Skinny: Eagles looking for first run after two non-district losses

Wednesday, March 17
Brentsville 15, Freedom 0
The Skinny: Eagles fall in season opener

Loudoun County 3, James Wood 0
The Skinny: Raiders win in coach Amber Jackson's debut behind flawless defense and the pitching of Kiley Jacobus and Allyson Kuhn. Jacobus pitched six innings with 12 strikeouts and Kuhn closed out the game in the seventh.

The offense was led by Renay Aubel who went 2-2 with a walk, RBI, and a run scored. Katelyn Packard was 1-3 with a RBI. Jacobus and Alex Petruzzo also scored for the Raiders who play at Heritage, next Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Heritage 11, Dominion 5
Pride win non-district opener for both teams

Park View 6, Stone Bridge 0
The Skinny: Junior Robin Heironimus threw her second shutout in as many games tonight blanking perennial AAA powerhouse Stone Bridge in a game called by darkness due to a bank of lights going out in the sixth inning.

Heironimus gave up three hits and walked one. She also helped her own cause with two doubles and two RBIs. Park View came out swinging by scoring three runs in each of the first two innings. There were three doubles hit in the first inning alone, sophomore Sam Thomas, Robin and senior co-captain Rebecca Patton. Sam Thomas also had another hit and scored a run in the second inning.

Park View will play a doubleheader on Saturday against Hedgesville and Handley. Both games will take place at Potomac Falls High School with game times scheduled for 11:15 and 1:45.

Tuesday, March 16
Heritage at Freedom PPD (moved to 3.25)
Liberty at Briar Woods PPD (moved to 3.19)
Loudoun Valley at Potomac Falls PPD (moved to 3.25)

Park View 7, Herndon 0
The Skinny:Junior Robin Heironimus started her junior year off right with a convincing one-hit shutout of the Herndon Hornets. In winning the opening game of the season for the Patriots, Heironimus struck out 14 and walked three. Her battery mate, Emily Nykorchuk had quite a game, as well. "Chuk" connected for a two-run double in the sixth and threw out three base stealers on the evening. She played a part in 18 of the 21 outs recorded. Senior Co-Captain Sammie Gleason led the Patriots with two hits, a single and a double. Heironimus also helped her own cause by driving in two runs.

Dominion at Manassas Park PPD (moved to 3.24)

Monday, March 15
Dominion at Manassas Park PPD (moved to 3.16, 6 p.m.)

Baseball: March 15-18 Round-up

Baseball fans: If you build it, they will come ... and of course, if they send it, we will print it. If your favorite team is missing details, tell the coach to send reports after each game to VivaLoudoun or help us out with your own details. Thanks!

Thursday, March 18
Baseball
Loudoun County 5, George Mason 4
The Skinny: The Raiders battled a stubborn George Mason team to a one-run victory in their season opener as Kris Pratt retired the final nine Mustangs in order and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.

A fine defensive play by Henry Massey, a bullet to second to throw out a runner by Nick Fischer, and two scoreless innings by pitcher Nick Collins kept George Mason off the scoreboard leading into the bottom half of the second. Tyler Saleck, first time back to action since breaking an ankle in basketball, knocked a double off the fence setting up a Taylor Cokeley RBI single putting the Raiders up 1-0.

Mason picked up a run in the third to even the score at 1-1 as Ryan Wigfield worked out of a jam with runners on second and third with a big strikeout to end the inning. County jumped right back to go up 3-1 using Massey's lead off walk and stolen base, Saleck's second hit of the night, an RBI single to left scoring Massey, a walk to Nick Veschi, and an RBI single by Kris Pratt plating Bryan Huber, pinch running for Veschi.

Mason scrapped back to get three in the top of the fourth to take the lead 4-3. Not liking this being behind stuff, Nick Fischer promptly lined a single to LF followed by a sacrifice bunt by Kelly Drews moving JJ Levan (running for Fischer) to second. But County couldn't pick up the run and still trailed 4-3 after the fourth.

So, after Pratt 3-upped and 3-downed Mason in the top of the fifth, Veschi walked to lead off, but was forced at second with Saleck reaching on the fielder's choice. Pratt singled to left moving Saleck to 2nd. Then Cokeley ripped a 2-run double to the left field fence pushing both Saleck and Pratt across to put the Raiders up 5-4, a lead which they would not relinquish.

Pratt again got the side out in order in the top of the 6th and 7th to pick up the win. County returns to action next Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game at Heritage.

Jefferson WV 9, Freedom 2
The Skinny: Eagles fall to 0-2 in non-district play
Kettle Run 6, Briar Woods 1
The Skinny: Defensive miscues coasts Falcons in opener
Loudoun Valley 15, Yorktown 5 (5 innings)
The Skinny: Vikes bats boom in opener

Wednesday, March 17
Loudoun County at Stonewall Jackson PPD (moved to 4.7)
Herndon at Broad Run PPD (moved to 4.7)
Dominion 2, Washginton (WV) 1
The Skinny: Titans win in coach Rob Sikora's debut
Hylton 11, Freedom 0
The Skinny: Eagles shut out in coach Jason Treon's debut

Tuesday, March 16
Park View at Bishop O'Connell PPD (moved to 3.22 at Waters Field, Vienna)
Hylton at Freedom PPD (moved to 3.17)
Fairfax at Briar Woods PPD (moved to 4.7)
Dominion at Manassas Park PPD (moved to 3.24)

Monday, March 15
Baseball
Broad Run at George Mason PPD (make-up 4.24 at noon)
Hylton at Freedom PPD (moved. 3.16, 6 p.m.)
Dominion at Manassas Park PPD (moved to 3.16, 6 p.m.)

News: Appeals to VHSL's Redistricting and Reclassification All Involve Region II Schools

2011-12 and 2012-13 R&R Appeals Summary

In accordance with prescribed procedures, the following appeals were received by the VHSL office and will be heard by the R&R Committee on Monday, April 19.

Monday, March 29, is the date by which the League office must receive in writing a request by any party wishing to speak in opposition to an appeal request. April 1 is the date by which the schedule and list of individuals speaking at the April 19 appeals hearing will be posted on the VHSL web site.

Group AAA
1. Sherando High School appeals its placement in Cedar Run District, Northwest Region, Group AAA and requests instead to remain in Northwestern District, Region II, Group AA.

Group AA
1. Central High School (Woodstock) appeals its placement in Northwestern District, Region II, Group AA and requests instead to be placed in Bull Run District, Region B, Group A.

2. William Monroe High School appeals its placement in Jefferson District, Region II, Group AA and requests instead to be placed in a district to be determined, Region B, Group A.

NOTE: The Group AAA appeal above from Sherando High School would impact Group AA schools.

Group A

NOTE: There are no appeals by Group A schools, but the Group AA appeals above from Central High School (Woodstock) and William Monroe High School would impact Group A schools.

College Corner: Stone Bridge Baseball Grads Off to Swinging Starts in College

(Mar. 19, 2010) - Stone Bridge sluggers seem to improve with age as a handful of former SBHS baseball players are off to hot starts in the college ranks this season.

Here are the Bulldog Bash numbers:

Sean Ryan (Virginia Tech) - .319 (22-for-69)
Johnny Bladel (JMU) - .367 (18-for-49)
Mike Stancik (Patrick Henry Community College) .405 (17-for-42)
Matt Irwin (Greensboro College) .351 (26-for-74)
Brian Wheaton (Texas Lutheran University) .455 (20-for-44)

Have some college news to share with VivaLoudoun. Email us!

Golf: Woodgrove Partners with Stoneleigh Golf and Country Club in Round Hill

Purcellville (Mar. 18, 2010) - Woodgrove High School, opening in September of 2010, announced this week a business partnership with Stoneleigh Golf and Country Club in Round Hill that will allow the Wolverines to practice and host matches at the course in the fall.

Wolverine Athletic Director Rusty Lowery issued a release about the partnership and course: "Designed in the Scottish tradition of blending and complementing the natural terrain, Stoneleigh's golf course plays up Round Hill through meandering apple orchards, preserving the estate buildings, stone structures and outbuildings in a beautifully designed 18-hole, Par 72 championship layout”.

Stoneleigh is less than seven miles from Woodgrove High School.

Ben Paddock, Head Golf Professional at Stoneleigh, was an integral part in creating the relationship with Woodgrove.

Additional golf facilities include a driving range, chipping green and putting green.

Softball: Briar Woods to Hold Second Annual "Meet and Eat" Sunday at Nick's Corner Grill

Ashburn (Mar. 18, 2010) - The Briar Woods High School softball program will hold its second annual "Meet and Eat" Sunday, March 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Nick's Corner Grill in the Brambleton Town Center.

Fans are invited to have dinner and meet the Falcon players and coaches. The first 100 fans will receive a free Briar Woods softball magnet, and all patrons will be entered into a free raffle for Briar Woods apparel, ranging from t-shirts to sweatshirts to blankets, as well as the American Cancer Society Relay for Life items.

Nick's Corner Grill will donate 20 percent of the evening's food sales to the Briar Woods softball program, and the Falcons will in turn donate part of that money to the team's American Cancer Society Relay for Life fundraising efforts.

For further details, contact Assistant Coach Chris Starke at chris.starke[at]loudoun.k12.va.us.

Softball: Loudoun County to Host "Raider Softball Jamboree"

Leesburg (Mar. 18, 2010) - The Loudoun County High School softball team will host its first ever "Raider Softball Jamboree" on Saturday March 20 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the high school.

Fans can meet the Raiders new softball coach, former professional softball player Amber Jackson. Raffle tickets to win a Jackson 2007 NPF MVP jersey will be sold.

The free event also includes:
*Meet the Players
*Autographs
*Face Painting
*Homerun Derby
*Base Running Competition
*Throwing for Accuracy Challenge
*Plus other softball related activities

Football: Boston College Becomes the Sixth NCAA Division I School to Offer Stone Bridge Standout Burns

(Mar. 18, 2010) - Stone Bridge High School 6-foot-7 defensive linemen picked up his sixth NCAA Division I offer as Boston College offered the junior this week.

Previously Burns had been offered by:
University of Virginia 12/23/2009
Duke University 02/03/2010
Stanford University 02/04/2010
Wake Forest University 02/12/2010
University of Maryland 02/20/2010

Soccer: Stone Bridge Celebrates Two NCAA Division I Signings - Shaban to GW and Skogerboe to UConn

Click here for more photos from this college signing

Ashburn (Mar. 18, 2010) - It was a proud day for the Stone Bridge High School boys and girls soccer programs on Tuesday as the Bulldogs gathered in the school's library to celebrate two NCAA Division I college signings -- Abdul Shaban to George Washington and Jennifer Skogerboe to the University of Connecticut.

In other college news, Briar Woods High School senior Tavis Henry will play football next year at NCAA Division III Ferrum.

All-Time State Titles Won by Loudoun Teams

(Mar. 18, 2010) - The state titles won by the Freedom High School girls and Potomac Falls boys in basketball on Saturday got the 2010 decade off to flying start for Loudoun schools. The two state titles is just one less than Loudoun schools won in the entire 1970s and continues a recent trend in which Loudoun school took home 37 state titles in the 2000s including a whopping 20 state title since 2007!

Baseball: Late Stone Bridge Assistant Coach Timbers to be Honored Prior to Game Friday at Valley

(Mar. 18, 2010) - James Timbers, the Stone Bridge High School assistant baseball coach and former Loudoun Valley player, who passed away recently, will be honored in a ceremony Friday prior to Friday's 6 p.m. game in Purcellville between the two AAA teams.

Family members and former teammates will be on hand for the ceremony at Fireman's Field which will start at apx. 5:45 p.m. and will honor his days as a Vikings player and his time as a Bulldogs coach. James Timbers III, son of the late coach, will throw out the first pitch.

Timbers passed away in January after a fight with cancer.

Boys Basketball: Final Word on Potomac Falls State Title Win - Press Conference Videos and Clips of How They Survived

Broadway Ties it with less than two seconds left in the first OT and then Lukas Miahilovich almost scores on a miracle three-quarters court shot!

Emotional Potomac Falls coach Jeff Hawes kicks off press conference after win

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

News: Wet Fields Force More Postponements

(Mar. 16, 2010) - The sun may be shining but most fields are still drying out so there are more postponements on the spring sports schedule. Please check your local high school for latest details but here is what we received today:


Loudoun County:
Loudoun County High School and Loudoun Valley High School...soccer scheduled for Tuesday 3/16/2010: Boys at LCHS and Girl's at LVHS.....please cancel.

MAKE UP: Varsity Double Header on Friday 3/19/2010 at Loudoun County. Girl's at 6pm and Boy's at 7:45pm. JV's will be made up in a double header at Loudoun Valley HS TBD.

Please reschedule LC-LV games on 4/14/2010:
Varsity Double header at Loudoun Valley 6/7:45
JV double header at Loudoun County 6/7:30pm

Loudoun Valley:
Changes are as follows:
Friday March 19
Boys AND Girls Soccer AWAY Varsity Double header at Loudoun County HS
Varsity Girls: 6pm
Varsity Boys: 7:30pm

JV doubleheader vs. LC will be played on Thursday 3/25 here at LV. Girls will play at 6:00 and Boys at 7:30.

Thursday March 25
JV Softball HOME vs Potomac Falls 5pm
Varsity Softball AWAY vs Potomac Falls 6pm

Freedom:
Freedom Athletic Update for Tuesday, March 16:

Girls Tennis vs. Loudoun County 4:30pm--ON as scheduled

Boys Tennis @ Loudoun County 4:30pm--ON as scheduled

Girls Soccer vs. Handley--JV 6:00; Varsity 7:30--ON as scheduled

JV Softball @ Heritage is rescheduled for Thursday, March 25 6:00

Varsity Softball vs. Heritage is rescheduled for Thursday, March 25 6:00

Briar Woods:
Game/Event: Baseball Boys Varsity vs FAIRFAX HIGH
Original Date: March 16, 2010 6:00 PM
New Date: April 7, 2010 6:00 PM
Details: Varsity Baseball scheduled for March 16 has been postponed and has been rescheduled for April 7.

GIRLS VARS. LAX ON MARCH 18 WILL BE 6:00 PM START!

Park View:
The following is an update/change for the boys and girls soccer vs Skyline:

March 24th
-Varsity DH @ PV girls 6pm, boys 7:45pm
-JV DH @ Skyline girls 6pm, boys 7:30pm

April 19th
-Girls JV/V @ Skyline 6/7:30pm

In addition, we have re-scheduled the baseball game vs Bishop O'Connell. It is now being played on Monday March 22nd @ Waters field in Vienna

Heritage:
Soccer games Canceled Tuesday March 16
Girls' moved to Wed 3/17
Boys': JV - no make-up, Varsity @ BR Wed 3/17, 7pm

Softball games w/ Freedom moved to Thursday 3/25

JV Baseball game canceled Tuesday March 16
Indoor practices for all "grass field" teams.

Dominion:
Boys Varsity Baseball @ **Postponed To 3/24/2010 - Manassas Park High School 6:00PM

Girls Varsity Softball @ **Postponed To 3/24/2010 - Manassas Park High School 6:00PM

Boys Varsity Soccer VS **Postponed To Tba - Manassas Park High School Stadium 7:30PM

Boys Varsity Lacrosse VS **Postponed To 3/17/2010 - Brooke Point High School Stadium 7:30PM

Potomac Falls:
Tuesday, March 16
Postponements:
Varsity Baseball scrimmage TBD
JV Baseball scrimmage with Heritage canceled
Boys Soccer with Skyline moved to Wednesday 3/17
Varsity Softball with Loudoun Valley moved to Thursday 3/25
JV Softball with Loudoun Valley TBD

Broad Run
Varsity Baseball vs Herndon has been rescheduled for April 7th.

Boys' and Girls' Soccer has been rescheduled for Wednesday March 17th same time times and locations.

JV Boys' Soccer will play at Park View Wednesday as scheduled.

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa - Ohhhhh PFalls! Panthers Historic Win was One of a Kind Drama

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa
(Mar. 16, 2010) - Ohhhhh PFalls!

To come so far and fall just short would have been heartbreaking but Potomac Falls High School -- in a bid to become the first team in Loudoun history to win a Virginia High School League boys basketball state title -- appeared at times Saturday as if they couldn't quite knock off a Broadway squad that was cheered on by their entire town.

Starting four juniors and a sophomore -- just two seniors on the roster -- would have been an easy excuse for Potomac Falls to not quite reach the mountaintop and Broadway with three key senior starters had been waiting almost as long, with its only title coming in 1926.

The Siegel Center for the Division 4 final was a sea of green, looking like Dublin on St. Patrick's Day, as it appeared that almost the entire town of 3,200 had made the trip from Broadway in the Shenandoah Valley and with their Fighting Gobblers up by four points with 1:39 to play, surely the Panther dream would have to wait a season.

But Ohhhhh PFalls! Here comes Lukas Miahilovich, a 6-foot junior with mad skills, who averaged 26 points a game in the postseason, and he was on his way to matching his jersey number of 33 Saturday as he drove in to cut the lead to two with 1:24 to go.

And there was Mickey Wagenhoffer and Greg Graves trapping the ball as a Broadway ballhandler slipped near the lane and Brendon Chesson took the ball swiftly down the floor and pulled-up in the lane and buried a jumper with 31 seconds to go.

Broadway still had a shot to win it but Chris Knight, who scored a team-high 19 points, had his long jumper miss at the buzzer. And then in the first overtime, the Gobblers had an even better shot to take home the title as Adam Caplinger was fouled with two seconds to go and his team down by one. The first shot missed and the second was good to force a second overtime but only have Mihailovich's three-quarter court shot drew net but just missed the cylinder.

Ohhhhh PFalls! Panther coach Jeff Hawes had been waiting for this moment all of his life and the second overtime was an extension of his 13 years of building the Panther program from scratch. Broadway was spent from not securing its win in regulation or the first overtime and now Mihailovich, as large on court as he was on the arena's overhead big screen, took over and led Potomac Falls to a place no Loudoun team had ever been with a 69-64 win over Broadway.

Photo Gallery: Boys Basketball - Potomac Falls Makes History with Dramatic 2OT State Title Win!

The drama! The history! The exciting plays and crazy fans! It was all at VCU Saturday night as Potomac Falls High Schools captured the first ever boys baskteball state title in Loudoun history with a double overtime win over Broadway. VivaLoudoun editor Dan "Shooter" Sousa was on hand to capture the moment ... in 300+ photos! Click on any shot to see the full gallery!

Photo Gallery: Girls Basketball - 200+ Shots from Freedom's State Title Win

VivaLoudoun.com editor Dan Sousa was courtside for Freedom's big win Saturday at VHSL for a second straight state girls basketball title. Click on any photo to view the gallery with 200+ shots!

News: Loudoun Soccer Rallies Supporters to Save Bolen Park

(Mar. 15, 2010) - Loudoun Soccer is rallying its supporters to try and save the Bolen Park project and its much needed playing fields.

A letter from Loudoun Soccer:

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa - Big Game Buchanan Goes Out in a Big Way

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa
Richmond (Mar. 15, 2010) - Kelsey Buchanan and the Freedom High School girls basketball team ended a brilliant four-year run Saturday night in a big way, naturally, bringing home a second straight Virginia High School League state title with a big 68-44 win over Spotswood in the Division 4 finals.

For Buchanan, at 6-foot-3 almost always the biggest player on the floor, she had her usual big night as the Delaware-bound senior always seems to play her best in big games and in the win Saturday at VCU's Siegel Center she came within one block of a triple-double, finishing with 25 points on 11 of 14 shooting, 16 rebonds and nine blocks.

Photo Gallery: Boys Basketball - Potomac Falls in Double Overtime for First State Title

Craig "Panther Purple" Sterbutzel was on hand for the amazing double overtime state title win by the Potomac Falls boys basketball team Saturday at VCU. Enjoy his great photos!