Boys Basketball: Methodical Loudoun Valley Dispatches Monticello in Region Semifinals

By Jason S Rufner
For Viva Loudoun
Purcellville (Feb. 22, 2013) - The Loudoun Valley High School boys basketball team inflated a four-point halftime lead into a 70-49 romp over visiting Monticello in their Region II Division 3 semifinal game Thursday.

The win earned the Vikings a second straight state tournament trip and another home game as No. 3 seed Valley will host No. 4 Handley Saturday at 7 p.m. in the regional finals. Both teams advance to states with the winner Saturday earning a state quarterfinal date close to home (most likely in Fairfax County) and the loser hitting the road for a Region I site.

Girls Basketball: Region II Division 3 and Division 4 Brackets

(Feb. 18, 2012) - The Region II Division 3 and Division 4 girls basketball brackets have been set:

Division 3
No. 8 Brentsville at No. 1 Liberty
No. 5 Tuscarora at No. 4 Warren County
No. 6 Handley at No. 3 Monticello
No. 7 Charlottesville at No. 2 Woodgrove

Division 4
No. 8 Potomac Falls at No. 1 Millbrook
No. 5 Heritage at No. 4 Sherando
No. 6 Dominion at No. 3 Loudoun County
No. 7 Briar Woods at No. 2 Powhatan

Boys Basketball: Region II Division 3 and Division 4 Bracekts

(Feb. 18, 2012) - Region II boys basketball Division 3 and Division 4 playoff brackets have been finalized:

Division 3
No. 8 Warren County at No. 1 Fluvanna
No. 5 Charlottesville at No. 4 Fauquier
No. 6 Woodgrove at No. 3 Handley
No. 7 Monticello at No. 2 Liberty

Division 4
No. 8 Park View at No. 1 Loudoun Valley
No. 5 Millbrook at No. 4 Briar Woods
No. 6 Loudoun County at No. 3 Potomac Falls
No. 7 Heritage at No. 2 Sherando

Quarterfinals, Tue. Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. (with Sherando starting 45 minutes later)
Semifinals, Thurs. Feb. 23
Finals, Sat. Feb. 25

Basketball: Jeremy "Hoops" Huber Updates His Region II Bracket Predictions

(Feb. 15, 2012) - In an undisclosed bunker hidden in the last undeveloped acre in Loudoun County (oops, that might have given it away ...) VivaLoudoun has sequestered Jeremy "Hoops" Huber in a room with nothing but Region II basketball stats, a shortwave radio, a 1965 Loudoun County yearbook, a Jeremy Lin photo and a case of Ramen noodles.

Huber emerged after midnight late Tuesday night (to howl at the moon but we won't talk about that ...) to update his predictions for the boys and girls basketball Region II Division 3 and Division 4 brackets.

(Missed the first article, nominated for a Pulitzer, Grammy and Tony: Read the first article in this series.)

Huber said he was getting more confident on his picks (but that he had no explanation for Nicki Minaj's performance Sunday ...) but please do not book any flight plans to Fluvanna until your AD says your team is in the playoffs ...

Basketball: Looking Ahead to Region II - Trying to Explain How Things Works - Might Work!

By Dan Sousa, VivaLoudoun Editor
with special analysis by Jeremy "Hoops" Huber
(Feb. 14, 2012) - My wife said please don't get her anything special for Valentine's Day so I'll put that effort I would have spent shopping into (trying to ..) explaining how the Region II Division 3 and Division 4 girls and boys basketball tournaments will be seeded.

Before proceeding, you might want to have following handy: calculator, pocket protector, Thermos of coffee, graduate degree from M.I.T., Magic 8 Ball, butcher paper, box of 64 Crayons, graphing paper and the DVD of Good Will Hunting ...

Football: VHSL Playoff Results - Nov. 25-26 Games

(Nov. 23, 2011) - The VHSL football playoff results for this weekend!

Region II
Division 3
No. 1 Kettle Run 21, No. 2 Liberty 16

Division 4
No. 1 Briar Woods 21, No. 2 Powhatan 7

Northern Region
Division 5
No. 3 South County 37, No. 1 Yorktown 13

Division 6
No. 2 Centreville 27, No. 1 Westfield 24

Northwest Region
Division 5
No. 1 North Stafford 43, No. 4 Brooke Point 35

Division 6
No. 2 Battlefield 28, No. 1 Hylton 13

News: Heritage and Loudoun Valley Appeals to Move Down to Division 3 are Denied by VHSL

(Sept. 21, 2011) - Heritage High School and Loudoun Valley High School will likely have student enrollments at  end of this month that would place them among the smallest Division 3 schools in Region II but because the Virginia High School League uses numbers from the spring -- when the two schools had full senior classes that hadn't shifted yet to new schools Tuscarora and Woodgrove -- the Pride and Vikings have been placed in the larger Division 4 for football and basketball playoffs.

The schools filed an appeal with the VHSL to move down to Division 3 but that appeal died today, not even getting a vote, as it lacked a second from the floor.

Football: VHSL Releases 2011-12 Divisions - Half of Loudoun's 12 Schools Shift Division

(May 31, 2011) - The Virginia High School League has released its football divisions for the next two seasons (2011 and 2012) and half of Loudoun's 12 high schools have moved either up or down a division.

Freedom and Broad Run move up to AAA Division 5 from AA Division 4 while Heritage and Loudoun Valley shift down from AAA Division 5 to AA Division 4. Both Loudoun Valley and Heritage are appealing their D4 assignment as the student enrollment numbers that were taken as part of the March 31, 2011 ADM, included the two schools large senior class that at the lower three grades is now divided between new schools Tuscarora and Woodgrove.

The appeal, Valley and Heritage argue that their true numbers should place them in Division 3, will be heard in September.

Both Dominion and Park View move up from Division 3 to Division 4, not based as much on increasing student population as the fact that Region II has fewer larger schools in it due to schools being shifted to AAA.

Remaining the same: Stone Bridge (D5), Briar Woods (D4), Potomac Falls (D4), Loudoun County (D4), Woodgrove (D3) and Woodgrove (D3).

Briar Woods has caught the biggest break in the shuffle as the Falcons, with a rapidly increasing student base of 1,594, is just 67 students less than neighbor Broad Run but Briar Woods was placed in AA in the last realignment by the VHSL. Briar Woods is the largest school in Region II by nearly 100 students, with Potomac Falls next, and is almost 270 students larger than the biggest Region I school (Chancellor with 1326 students), almost 130 larger than the largest Region II school (Amherst with 1468 students) and almost 150 students larger than the largest Region IV school (Puolaski County with 1450 students).

Loudoun's Divisions for Football
Stone Bridge (1899 students) remains Division 5
Freedom (1814 students) moves up to Division 5
Broad Run (1661 students) moves up to Division 5
Briar Woods (1594 students) remains Division 4
Potomac Falls (1498 students) remains Division 4
Loudoun County (1378 students) remains Division 4
Loudoun Valley (1313 students) moves down to Division 4
Dominion (1292 students) moves up to Division 4
Heritage (1292 students) moves down to Division 4
Park View (1289 students) moves up to Division 4
Woodgrove (1071 students) remains Division 3
Tuscarora (1061 students) remains Division 3

AA Region II Assignments
Division 4
Briar Woods - 1594
Potomac Falls - 1498
Sherando - 1479
Louisa County - 1430
Powhatan - 1395
Loudoun County - 1378
Loudoun Valley - 1313
Dominion - 1292
Heritage - 1292
Park View - 1289
James Wood - 1272
Millbrook - 1264

Division 3
Liberty - 1262
Fauquier - 1190
Monticello - 1146
Charlottesville - 1140
Fluvanna - 1131
Handley 1088
Woodgrove - 1071
Tuscarora - 1061
Western Albemarle - 1037
Kettle Run - 1031
Brentsville - 986 (projected with new school opening)
Skyline - 930
Warren County - 756

AAA Northern Region
Division 6
Westfield - 2863
T.C. Williams - 2856
Robinson - 2696
Chantilly - 2600
Annandale - 2569
Fairfax - 2404
Centreville - 2276
Lake Braddock - 2259
West Springfield - 2252
Oakton - 2248
Herndon - 2234
West Potomac - 2225
Woodson - 2109
South Lakes - 2097
Washington-Lee - 2034

Division 5
Langley - 2014
Madison - 1984
Hayfield - 1962
South County - 1948
McLean - 1923
Stone Bridge - 1899
Yorktown - 1873
Thomas Jefferson - 1806
R.E. Lee - 1786
Mount Vernon - 1740
Stuart - 1681
Edison - 1647
Marshall - 1580
Falls Church - 1511
Wakefield - 1437

AAA Northwest Region
Division 6
Battlefield - 2982
Osbourn Park - 2742
Woodbridge - 2546
Gar-Field - 2467
Stonewall Jackson - 2442
Forest Park - 2290
Hylton - 2195
Franklin County - 2164
Colonial Forge - 2053
Osbourn - 1953
Patrick Henry - 1948
Riverbend - 1917
Stafford - 1887

Division 5
Massapnax - 1874
Freedom (Prince William) - 1814
Freedom (South Riding) - 1794
Mountain View - 1760
Halifax County - 1742
Albemarle 1709
North Stafford - 1691
Broad Run - 1661
Potomac - 1655
Brooke Point - 1631
Orange - 1552
William Fleming - 1511
George Washington - 1377

By District 2011-12
Dulles District (9 schools)

Division 4

Briar Woods - 1594

Potomac Falls - 1498

Loudoun County - 1378

Loudoun Valley - 1313

Dominion - 1292

Heritage - 1292

Park View - 1289

Division 3

Woodgrove - 1071

Tuscarora - 1061

Cedar Run District (6 schools)

Division 6

Battlefield - 2982

Stonewall Jackson - 2442

Osbourn - 1953
Division 5
Freedom (South Riding) - 1794
Broad Run - 1661
**Patriot (opening in 2011 with projected enrollment 1464)

Liberty District (8 schools)

Division 6

Fairfax - 2404

South Lakes - 2097
Division 5
Langley - 2014

Madison - 1984

McLean - 1923

Stone Bridge - 1899

Thomas Jefferson - 1806

Marshall - 1580

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Football: Dominion Loses Heartbreaker in School's First Ever Playoff Game

By Joey Longo
Dominion High School student journalist

Front Royal (Nov. 12, 2010) - Dominion High School senior Deandre Reaves rushed for 241 yards and three touchdowns Friday night but it wasn't enough as the Titans fell in the closing minutes at Warren County, 29-26, in a Region II Division 3 quarterfinal game.

Dominion (4-7), making the school's first ever playoff appearance, piled up 354 yards rushing in the contest but managed just three yards passing and the Titans could not stop the passing game of Wildcat QB Tyler Post, who threw for three TDs including a score with one second left in the first half and the game-winning score with just 3:26 to go in the contest.

When asked if he was in shock after the loss, Reaves, Dominion's all-time leading rusher and one of the top running backs in Loudoun County history, said “yeah, I should be, so should everyone else.”

Reaves -- who broke off TD runs of 46, 18 and 84 yards and had an interception on defense in the game with the last TD run puttiing Dominion ahead, 26-22, on the final play of the third quarter -- continued,“We had the lead, we couldn’t key in on what they were doing until (it was too) late -- We got too comfy, (we) felt we had the win but got too comfortable. We played the clock instead of playing the game."

Football: Park View Shows Its Resolve with Playoff Road Victory Over Third-Seed Millbrook

By David Selig
Special to VivaLoudoun

Winchester (Nov. 13, 2010) - In the week leading up to Friday night's Region II Division 3 quarterfinal at Millbrook, Park View football coach Ferris Eways warned his players not to put too much credence into the Patriots' victory over the Pioneers in early September.

After storming out to a 21-0 lead by the 6:50 mark of the first quarter Friday, the Patriots had to be even more careful not to get overconfident.

But it was when third-seeded Millbrook rallied to tie the game 21-21 late in the second quarter that No. 6 Park View truly showed its resolve.

Junior quarterback Alec Dombkowski led the Patriots on a 10-play scoring drive, capped by his third touchdown of the night 29 seconds before halftime, and Park View went on to win 33-28, setting up a semifinal at No. 2 Warren County next week.

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa: Stop the Madness! Region II Unbalanced Basketball Brackets Prevent Area's Top Teams From Meeting in Regional Finals

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa
A column by VivaLoudoun editor Dan Sousa where he vents a little ...


(Feb. 21, 2010) - There is a strong chance that the Freedom High School and Loudoun County High School girls basketball teams are the top two Division 4 teams in the state of Virginia but in Region II they don't even rate the top seeds and one of the teams will face elimination before the regional finals as they have been placed on the same side of the bracket.

Loudoun County, No. 3 seed despite a convincing win over No. 2 seed Freedom on Saturday night at Freedom, will host No. 6 James Wood on Tuesday and a win would pit the two defending state champions (Freedom in D3 before moving up this year and LC in D4) next Thursday at Freedom ... a fifth meeting this season with only one team advancing to the finals and qualifying for the state tournament.

The No. 1 seed? Liberty despite losses this season to both Freedom and LC. And Potomac Falls, the third best Dulles District, has a good shot at making states if they can get by Brentsville on Tuesday on the road and then a win at Liberty on Thursday. Panthers coach Lynn Ewald should be buying lottery tickets with that break!

On the boys side, the same doomsday scenario plays out for the top two Dulles District boys teams and what many people think are the top two teams in the region, Potomac Falls, No. 1 seed, and Broad Run, a No. 5 seed, have been placed on the same side of the bracket. And how is Broad Run, 19-3 overall and ranked this year in the Washington Post Top 20 a No. 5 seed? Well, the Northwestern District crowned tri-champions in a 5-team district ... such that all three teams were placed ahead of the Spartans since they were "champions".

Luckily the Northwestern District didn't crown a 5-way champion (come on, Skyline, is in the district ... that is an esoteric chili joke ... email me if you get it and I'll send you a coney) because Broad Run would probably be staying home.

We heard at least one Dulles District coach call the Region II playoff brackets this season: "criminal" ... at VivaLoudoun we can only say: "Stop the Madness" ... hopefully the Dulles District athletic directors and principals will trash the current system and come up with a new region playoff plan next year. Let's start with never crowning "tri-champions" and we don't even like the way the Dulles District does "co-champions" ... there should be one regular season district champion each year and one banner hanging in one gym.

And then a tiebreaker criteria should always be head-to-head ... who cares what your district mark is. There is no way of knowing the level of talent the mark comes against. LC's and Freedom's one-loss marks were harder to achieve than the Liberty girls unblemished mark ... starting with a whopping 8-game district schedule!

Now to be fair, the Dulles District was fine with the system last year when five of eight Dulles District boys teams made the playoffs and several of those teams, er, stumbled into the postseason. And the Dulles District might also be to blame for the 6-team playoff brackets instead of a full 8-team playoff brackets in each division as we hear they voted to keep it to 12 teams total on each side vs. 16 when the AA split into two divisions for basketball.

Still all of that doesn't help the fact that on Thursday four of the top boys and girls Division 4 baskteball teams in the state may meet in Loudoun and two teams will move onto states and two teams will have their seasons end much earlier than they deserve.

Region II Basketball Brackets
Division 3 Boys Bracket
Division 4 Boys Bracket
Division 3 Girls Bracket
Division 4 Girls Bracket

Football: Park View Earns a Bye in Division 3 Playoffs

A loss by Western Albemarle Friday and Park View's shuout win over Freedom moved the Patriots into the No. 2 spot in the AA Region II Division 3 playoffs and earned PV a bye in the quarterfinals.

The seeding:
No. 6 Skyline at No. 3 Western Albemarle with winner to travel to No. 2 Park View
No. 5 Millbrook at No. 4 Goochland with winner to travel to No. 1 Handley.