VivaLoudoun High School Sports Year in Review: Spring 2011

By Dan Sousa
VivaLoudoun Editor

(June 30, 2011) - Four years ago Broad Run’s Whitney Church and Ellie Zoepfl were freshmen rooming together at the VHSL AA girls soccer state finals wondering what the title game would bring the next day at Radford University. The next day it was Zoepfl scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Courtland.

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For Church and Zoepfl and the Spartans it was just the start of four-year run at Radford as they have remained the top team in the state for their entire high school careers, capped by a 1-0 win over Blacksburg in the 2011 finals in June.


Kathy Taylor and Kacey Kelley join Church and Zoepfl as winners of four state rings. Church for her efforts was named the Dulles District and Region II Player of the Year as well as the Washington Post’s All-Met Player of the Year.

Broad Run (24-1) came within one game of a perfect run but Briar Woods was able to hand the Spartans their first district defeat in four years.

As usual it wasn’t just one Loudoun team challenging for a state title but multiple teams made waves on the state level including two surprise teams: Woodgrove and Heritage.

Woodgrove was a surprise because the first-year school did not have any seniors on the roster and the Wolverines were 3-6-1 at one point and the No. 6 seed in the Dulles District tournament but that didn’t stop Woodgrove, behind the play of Sarah Hardison, from knocking off Loudoun County and Briar Woods to make the district finals were they fell to Broad Run in an exciting, 3-2, game.

The Wolverines then went on the road to win a regional quarterfinal game and knocked off Freedom in the regional semifinals on Hardison’s goal in overtime. That set up a fourth meeting with Broad Run but the Spartans were in state title mode already under the direction of veteran coach Claire Collins and rolled to a 5-1 win for Broad Run’s fifth straight Region II title.

Woodgrove advance to the semifinals at Radford before falling 1-0 to Blacksburg in a bruising game.

Heritage out of the Cedar Run District wasn’t on many radars but the Pride, behind freshman Natalie Perussault and senior Caitlin Kick, qualified for the AAA state tournament by beating Riverbend on penalty kicks with Kick (naturally) hitting the winning kick in the Northwest Regional semifinals.

Despite falling to Battlefield for a fourth time on the year in the regional finals, Heritage (13-9), went on the road in the state quarterfinals and knocked off highly-touted Deep Run in penalty kicks. Again, it was Kick with the winning kick as the Pride, under first-year coach Gabe Ascunce, ended the season of a team ranked by one media outlet as one of the top teams in the nation.

Heritage finally fell, 1-0 to Cox, in the state semifinals but the Pride should challenge next season as they move back down to AA and the Dulles District and Broad Run’s AA state title streak will end at four as the Spartans move up to AAA.

Defending AAA state champion Stone Bridge, behind the dynamic scoring duo of Ashley Herndon and Murielle Tiernan, was one of the top ranked teams in the Metro Area for much of the season but the Bulldogs couldn’t put together a postseason run and went out in the Northern Region quarterfinals with a loss in a game called in the second half because of severe weather.

In boys soccer Broad Run, led by Kevin Reitzel, repeated as the Region II champs with a win over surprising Tuscarora. The Spartans also defeated Potomac Falls to take the Dulles District tournament title.

The first-year Huskies made it to the state tournament after a regional tournament run that included a win over Dulles District regular-season champion Park View. Showing the Dulles District’s power in soccer, three of the four teams to advance to the regional semifinals were all from Loudoun with Broad Run ending Potomac Falls’ season in a hotly contested regional semifinal.

Tuscarora, led by talented striker Angel Ceron-Garcia’s overtime goal, clinched a state bid with a 2-1 win against Kettle Run at Liberty High School.

Both Broad Run and Tuscarora fell in the state quarterfinals with the Spartans (21-2-1) out-shooting Tabb by more than a dozen shots only to fall 2-1 in overtime at home.

In Baseball it pays to have two good pitchers and that paved the way for Broad Run to set a school record with 23 victories behind the arms of senior Taylor Clarke and sophomore A.J. Powell. Whi le Clarke was the ace of the staff with a 10-1 record, Powell tossed three no-hitters including a perfect game.

The Spartans (23-4) under long-time coach Pat Cassidy won the Dulles District regular-season championship and took their first Region II title since 1996 with a win over rival Potomac Falls (22-5). The Panthers, after advancing to the state finals in 2010 and returning almost all starters, were favorites coming into the season but a first week loss to Freedom by the Panthers put Broad Run in control of the regular season.

For Freedom it was a sign of good things to come as the Eagles made it to regionals for the first time after beating rival Briar Woods in the Dulles District third place game. The Eagles blanked Monticello for the school’s first ever regional win before falling to Kettle Run in the quarterfinals.

Potomac Falls, led by junior pitcher Jackson Rogers who was named the Region II Player of the Year, was able to hoist a banner with a dramatic seventh inning win over Broad Run in the Dulles District tournament.

The Panthers, after falling to Broad Run in the regional title game, were looking for a fifth meeting at States but Potomac Falls fell on the road at York in the state quarterfinals.

Broad Run beat Jamestown, 5-1, behind a complete game from Clarke in the state quarterfinals to advance to the Final Four but then fell to Tunstall in a semifinal game that was delayed twice by weather at Pulaski.
In AAA, Stone Bridge (17-7) came within one game of making the state tournament but the Bulldogs fell, 2-0, to Lake Braddock in the Northern Region semifinals.

For the Bulldogs, led by Liberty District Player of the Year Spenser Rositano, it was a banner year with a first place finish in the tough district. The Bulldogs advanced to the regional semifinals by clobbering Woodson, 11-3, and then edging Robins, 3-2.

In softball it was a wild, wild season with the talent-laden Dulles District featuring a 4-team race among Briar Woods, Broad Run, Potomac Falls and Woodgrove. The race wasn’t decided until the final evening with Briar Woods, Broad Run and Woodgrove finishing in a rare 3-way tie and Briar Woods taking the district’s top seed on a tiebreaker.

While Potomac Falls, behind senor pitcher Heather Kiefer, was the team to beat much of the season, the Panthers did not even make it to regionals after they were upset by Loudoun County, under second-year coach Amber Jackson, in the district quarterfinals.

Briar Woods (25-4), a team struggling in fourth place going into Spring Break, turned it on behind junior pitcher Macy Jones and only lost one time after the week off – to first-year Woodgrove in the Region II finals. Jones was almost unhittable for much of the year and she and the Falcons got revenge on Woodgrove (24-5) with a 9-1 win over the young Wolverines.

Senior Kristina Karagiorgis had a state tournament to remember with a pair of home runs at Radford, one in the semifinals and one in the finals. She finished with a school-record six RBIs in the finals. Jones was dominant at Radford in the two wins and in regionals tossed a no-hitter on the road at Orange to clinch the spot in States.

For Woodgrove, it was an amazing run behind the coaching of Joe Spicer who moved over from Loudoun Valley to start the new program after leading the Vikings to state titles in 1993 and 1995. Woodgrove needed a two-out rally in the sixth inning to beat York, 2-1, in the state quarterfinals.

Before that, the Wolverines had beaten Briar Woods, 5-2, on the strength of freshman Rachel Harris’ three-run triple to take the school’s first regional title in any sport. Briar Woods had beaten Woodgrove in the Dulles District finals for their third straight tournament crown.

In AAA, Stone Bridge and Loudoun Valley had their usual sparkling seasons but each team faced a roadblock in districts with Stone Bridge perfect in the regular season except for two losses to McLean. Valley had to face a tough Battlefield team in the Cedar Run District.

Valley showed its moxie by rallying to defeat top seed Battlefield, 5-4, in the Cedar Run finals and then with an 11-inning win on the road over Osbourn Park in the Northwest Region quarterfinals. The Vikes dream of a return to the state tournament ended at Halifax in the semifinals, coming up one game shy.

Stone Bridge had its season come to a surprising end in the Northern Region first round as the Bulldogs fell to West Potomac in a game that started on a Friday night and had to be continued on Saturday. Stone Bridge had 17 hits in the loss but scored just three runs, falling 4-3 in nine innings.

In boys lacrosse Briar Woods , led by goalie Matt Bukovac, ended Broad Run’s run of Dulles District titles and nearly secured a Region II title but fell at E.C. Glass in the finals. The Falcons led Glass, 12-9, heading into the final quarter but fell, 14-13.

And it was another close loss that ended the Falcons season as they fell at Albemarle, 9-7, in the VHSL open tournament state quarterfinals after leading 6-1 at the half.

Briar Woods defeated Dominion in the Dulles District finals in a game that was suspended from one evening to the next due to severe weather. One of the themes for the spring was severe weather and rain that forced a plethora of postponements and reschedules.

The Falcons earned their first ever state tournament appearance with a 13-10 win over Salem in the regional quarterfinals and a 10-6 win over Western Albemarle in the semifinals. Eventual regional champion Glass ended Dominions’ season with a 13-8 win over the Titans in the semifinals. Dominion had beaten Brentsville, 14-5, in the quarterfinals.

In the Dulles District finals, Briar Woods edged Dominion, 10-8, to keep their record on the season perfect against district foes at 13-0.

In girls lacrosse, it was hard not to play “what if” as both Loudoun Valley and Woodgrove advanced to the state quarterfinals. Before Woodgrove opened, both of the rosters would have been combined into one mega-talented team.

As it was, Woodgrove, without any seniors, was able to win both the Dulles District regular-season and district tournament titles. The Wolverines, led by Ellen Fuller, beat Freedom, 13-4, in the district tournament finals.

Woodgrove wasn’t done as they then beat Monticello in a thrilling 16-15 game and Salem. 15-7, to advance to the Region II finals against defending state champion Western Albemarle, which ended Freedom’s season in the semifinals.

In the regional finals, after a nearly two hour weather delay, Woodgrove led Western Albemarle but couldn’t hold on and fell, 14-11. The Wolverines then had their great first season end with a one-goal loss at AAA Osbourn Park, 10-9.

Loudoun Valley was the Cedar Run District regular-season runner-up but the Vikings turned it on in postseason beating district top seed Battlefield, 12-11, in the Cedar Run District tournament finals.

The Vikings then advanced to the regional semifinals by crushing Mills Godwin, 23-10, on the road. Valley fell at Osbourn Park but still clinched a state bid with a big 22-4 win over Albemarle in the regional third place game.

Making a fourth straight state tournament appearance, the Vikes drew a tough James Madison team in the quarterfinals and lost 19-7 to end their season.

In boys tennis Freedom sophomore Wesley Wong not only successfully defended his Dulles District singles title but he won the Region II championship with doubles partner Alex Cragg, another Eagle sophomore.

Wong then came within one match of a state title at Radford after winning his semifinal but he fell to four-time state champion Patrick O’Keefe of Salem in the finals.

On the girls tennis side, Woodgrove freshman Sunnie Lampl was unbeatable all year, taking the Dulles District singles title and doubles title with partner Lucia Jacangelo. Lampl just missed a trip to the state semifinals, falling in the regional finals in singles.

For team titles, it was Freedom and Broad Run controlling things as Freedom took the Dulles District boys crown with Broad Run runner-up and Broad Run won the girls district title with Freedom runner-up.

The weather made it a tough season for track and field athletes with some big meets cancelled including a meet at Woodgrove that was to feature all 12 Loudoun schools but the athletes performed well in the postseason.

The Loudoun County High School boys track and field team's runner-up finish highlighted a record-shattering boys showing at the 2011 VHSL AA state meet held at Harrisonburg High School.

The Raiders scored 46 points to trail only state champion Louisa County (74.50). Loudoun had three teams in the top seven as Broad Run tied for fifth with 39 points and Potomac Falls finished seventh with 25.
On the girls side, first-year Woodgrove took 11th at 22 points and Briar Woods was 12th at 18.

The Loudoun County boys 4x800 meter relay team of senior Dejuan McConnell, sophomore Steven Graham, senior Thomas Curtin and sophomore Patrick Joseph broke the state meet record by nearly four seconds with a clocking of 7:49.61. Potomac Falls was second in the race with a 7:53.52 for the quartet of Grant Deker, Connor Wilosn, Jordan Ferbrache and Juan Campos.

Raider sophomore Graham captured the 400 meters with a 49.55 effort.

Panther senior Campos took first in the 1600 meters with a 4:17.64 and teammate Wilson was fourth at 4:20.32. Just behind was Raider Joseph in fifth at 4:20.52. Joseph was also fifth in the 800 meters at 1:57.05.

Broad Run junior Jonathan Russell set a state record with a 37.54 in the 300 meter hurdles. He also won the 200 meters with a 21.94 clocking.

Broad Run's 4x400 meter relay team of senior Eric Hiatt, senior Zac Kish, junior Marcas Anderson and Russell won with a 3:20.24. Loudoun County was fourth at 3:23.90 with McConnell, senior Adam Ferguson, Murphy and Graham teaming up.

In the AAA state meet, Stone Bridge senior Haley Springman defended her discus title with a 135-02 toss. Heritage's Marcus Finney was third in the 100 meter hurdles with a 14.24, and Loudoun Valley senior Kevin Wiley took seventh in the shot put with a 52-09.75.

Broad Run High School and Loudoun County boys finished second and third at the Region II meet at Warren County High School. The Briar Woods girls were fifth.

Spartans’ Russell captured the 200 meters with a 21.82 effort and he won the 300 meter hurdles with a 37.91. The Broad Run boys took first in the 4x400 relay with Kish, Hiatt, Lance Moran and Anderson running 3:25.86. Loudoun County's 4x800 relay team won the regional title with Matt Gambogi, Josh Showalter, Logan Smith and Ben Heberling combining for a 7:57.16.

It was all Loudoun in this race as Broad Run (Matt McDevitt, Gurjeet Chinayana, John Thompson and Andrew Hayden), Freedom (Thorpe Lichtenberg, Peter Stephens, Joe Sibilak and Kyle Thornburgh), and Potomac Falls (Alex Sieh, Adam Forester, Peter Scharf and Connor Wilson), and Tuscarora (Logan Carrington, Logan Feierbach, Paul Monk and Travis Mitchell) taking 2-3-4-5!

Loudoun County's Joseph won the 800 at 1:58.22 with Potomac Falls' Wilson runner-up (1:58.46) in a tight finish. It was more distance success at 1600 meters as Potomac Falls runners went 1-2 with Campos winning at 4:21.47 and Wilson with another close runner-up at 4:21.99. Completing the distance dominance was Loudoun County's Curtin who won the 3200 at 9:39.50.

For the girls, Briar Woods' Shaquera Leach had another big meet as she won the 200 meeters at 24.76 in an area 1-2-3 sweep with Sarah Weber of Broad Run second at 25.19 and Woodgrove's Anna Harpster third at 25.49. Leach was also second in the 100 at 12.40 and second in the 400 at 58.86.

Toni Fletcher of Freedom finished fourth in the 100 at 13.02. She also also finished second in the long jump at 17-07.00, just ahead of Tuscarora's Amirah Al-Bayinnah (17-03.50), who did win the triple jump with a leap of 37-01.75. Fletcher was fourth in the triple jump at 35-01.50.

Logan Ballard of Briar Woods won the high jump at 5-02. Loudoun had four of the top five with Anna Sullivan of Loudoun County, Lori Kostka of Tuscarora, and Desiree Orr of Freedom all at 5-00.

It was a big day for Woodgrove's girls relays as their 4x800 team took first with Houghton, Cromwell, Alex Juzbasich and Thompson clocking 9:50.94 and the Wolverines were runner-up in the 4x400 as Houghton, Thompson, Harpster and Gaynor Houghton combined to finish at 4:11.24. Freedom took fifth at 4:17.77.
The Freedom girls 4x100 was runner-up with Fletcher, Lovepreet Sohal, Asia Brown and Amanda Salami turning in 49.94.

In the AAA Cedar Run District meet, Loudoun Valley Jennifer Friberg won the 300 meter hurdles (49.59) and Heritage's Myah Robinson was first in the 100 meter hurdles (16.07), second in the 300 hurdles (49.67) and second in the long jump (16-02.50).

Heritage's Troy Newcomer and Marcus Finney were 1-2 in the high jump, both at 6-00. Finney took the 110 hurdles (14.78).

Valley's Wiley was first in the shot (49-04) and BenjaminWalker won the 800 (2:02.65).

The Stone Bridge High School boys track and field team finished runner-up to South Lakes at the AAA Liberty District meet.

On the girl side, Nia Hill for Stone Bridge was first in the triple jump (35-09.75), second in the long jump (15-07.75) and third in the 200 meters (27.08). Haley Springman captured the discus (117-08) and was second in the shot (32-10).

The boys were led by Dexter Rogers who was second in the long jump (20-10.50), second in the 100 (11.26) and third in the triple jump (42.03.75) and Adrian Thomas, who won the 400 (49.63) and was 2nd in the 200 (22.39). The Bulldogs were especially strong in the relays, capturing both the 4x100 (Stan Johnson teamed with Ojo, Starke and Rogers) with a 43.97 and the 4x400 (Rausaun Goldring teamed with Lynch, Thomas and Starke) with a 3:24.59.

The Briar Woods High School girls, led by junior Leach's stunning day, captured their first ever Dulles District title Thursday in the nine-team meet at Tuscarora. On the boys side, Loudoun County edged Potomac Falls for the Raiders first district title since 2002.

Leach made a blazing return to the Dulles District after competing in the Cedar Run District last year while at Heritage High School. She took the 100, 200 and 400 in the Cedar Run as a sophomore and repeated that feat Thursday in the Dulles with a sweep of the three sprints. As a freshman at Heritage she was first in the Dulles District 100 meters and third in the 200.

With Leach also second in the high jump, that gave her 38 individual points and that help power Briar Woods to a team total of 120, easily clear of second place Woodgrove at 94.

The Raider boys scored in 13 of 16 events to edge the Panthers, 128.5 to 121. Broad Run at 108 and Freedom with 93 rounded out a strong top four.

County's depth on the boys side included Graham (1st 400, 3rd 200 and 6th in long jump), Murphy (1st and 2nd in two hurdles), Curtin (1st in 3200, 4th in 1600) and Joseph (2nd 800, 3rd 1600). Also for LC, Gibson was first in the high jump and tied for 8th in 200.

The Briar Woods girls scored big points from Giana Leone (2nd in 1600 and 3200), Logan Ballard (2st in high jump, 6th 100), Melissa Rizo (2nd in 800, 4th 1600) and Jackie Deffer (1st in 800).

Tuscarora'sAl-Bayyinah won both the long and triple jumps, while Freedom's Joel Pugh captured the long jump and Tuscarora's John Johnson took the triple with Pugh second.

Woodgrove's MaryKate Edwards won the discus while teammate Bailey Sternberg took the shot. Joe Thomas of Potomac Falls took the boys discus with Broad Run's Eddie Barnes first in the shot.

Woodgrove girls took the 4x800 with a team of Lydia Cromwell, Michelle Crowley, Alex Juzbasich and Florence Thompson. Potomac Falls won the boys race.

Broad Run's Jessica Fedderson won the 100 hurdles. Marshall-bound football player Deandre Reaves won the 100 meters. Loudoun County's Kathryn Eder crossed first in the 1600 meters and then took home the 3200 meters as well.

Potomac Falls' Wilson just beat teammate Campos for the 1600 finals. Campos took first in the 800.

It was all Freedom in the 4x100 as the Eagle girls (Lovepret Sohal, Asia Brown, Toni Fletcher, Amanda Salami) and Eagle boys (Pugh, Hakeem Britton, Darius McMillian, Derek Burns) won.

Dominion's Kiya Day won the 300 hurdles and Broad Run's Russell won the boys 300 hurdles and made it a double with a first in the 200 meters.

The meet finished with the 4x400 with the Dominion girls (Day, Shanel Hudson, Alexis Fenton, Katherine Whitaker) and Broad Run boys (Eric Hiatt, Andrew Hayden, Russell, Zac Kish) were first.