Boys Basketball: Lucketts A.J. Metz Accepts Preferred Walk-on Role at Maryland

(June 29, 2013) - Lucketts native A.J. Metz, who recently graduated from the Bullis School has signed as a preferred walk-on with the University of Maryland men's basketball program.

Metz, with a 3.85 GPA, wants to become an orthopedic surgeon. He was a charter member of the original Loudoun Triple Threat travel basketball team which started the LTT AAU basketball program team. Metz played all seven years for LTT.

Read more about Metz in this Washington Post article.

The recently graduated Class of 2013 in Loudoun is now up to 175 athletes playing next year at some level. To add your favorite grad to this chart, email dan.sousa@vivaloudoun .com.

Boys Basketball: Loudoun FLEXX All Stars 13U Premier Team Headed to National Championships in North Carolina

(June 28, 2013) - Loudoun FLEXX All Stars 13U Premier boys basketball team has qualified for a national championship tournament in North Carolina this summer as the Virginia North representative.

The team is ranked No. 1 (in Division 1, Virginia North) with the American Youth Basketball Association (AYBA) after winning the state championships at the end of May. Going into the state championships as the No. 1 seed, they preserved their ranking against some tough competition (Virginia Terriers and the BTH Bulldawgs).

Boys Basketball: James Wood Coach Al Smith Takes Over Tuscarora Program

(June 21, 2013) - Quietly a month ago, Al Smith stepped down as the boys basketball coach at James Wood High School in Winchester to take over the Tuscarora program in Leesburg.

After the move was approved at the May 14 Loudoun County school board meeting, a release was issued by the Frederick County Public Schools:

James Wood High School boys’ basketball and golf coach Al Smith has resigned in order to teach at Tuscarora High School in Loudoun County and to coach that school’s boys’ basketball team. The Loudoun County School Board approved Smith’s hiring during its meeting yesterday.

Smith says, “I would like to thank Principal Joe Salyer, Coordinator of Student Activities Craig Wosher and the entire James Wood High School administrative team for providing me with the opportunity to teach and coach at James Wood. They have provided unwavering support during my five-year tenure as boys’ basketball coach and my seven years as the coach of the golf team.” Smith adds, “I believe I’m leaving both the basketball and golf programs in positions of strength and I think both teams will have the opportunity to compete for Northwestern District championships next season. I’m leaving James Wood with many great memories, but am looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities that await me as a teacher and coach at Tuscarora High School.”

Cheers Sports and Viva Loudoun 2012-13 Winter Sports "Fan Favorites"

(June 20, 2013) - For the first time this year Cheers Sports and Viva Loudoun teamed up to pick an All Loudoun team for every varsity sport played in the 13 public high schools in Loudoun County. The competition was fierce to make the teams so we wanted the fans input to honor those athletes that just missed the All Loudoun cut or those that showed team spirit and hard work that often gets overlooked when it comes to honors.

After voting that saw more than 300 nominations, here are the "Fan Favorites" for Winter 2012-13. Athletes selected will be invited to a photo shoot this Sunday, June 23 at 12:30 p.m. at Replay Sports in Ashburn. RSVP and full details here.

Cheers Sports and Viva Loudoun 2012-13 All Loudoun
Winter Sports "Fan Favorites"

Boys Basketball
Quad Borup (SO) Loudoun County
What the fans are saying: "He saved two games this year with buzzer beater 3-pointers ... two weeks in a row had a game winning buzzer beater as clock ran out to give LC the wins against their two strongest rivals, Heritage and Tuscarora."

Jesse Case (SO) Heritage
What the fans are saying: "Case is the most calm, collected and confident point guard I've ever seen play in Loudoun. His court presence is flawless and while not a scoring guard (although he definitely has scoring potential), Case sees his outlets without even looking."

Connor Gaines (SO) Briar Woods
What the fans are saying: "Gaines is an extremely talented "two guard". While his size may limit him rebounding in the paint, he is truly a 4-tool guard averaging over 10 points a game while dishing out assists all over the court. He is often seen jumping passing lanes, causing turnovers leading to fastbreak transition buckets ... kid shot 70 percent from the free throw line in a year when free throw shooing was an after thought for most athletes in Loudoun."

Jovon Miller (SR) Loudoun Valley
What the fans are saying: "Just a fun player to watch .. exciting to watch him elevate along the baseline ... a reason the Vikes did so well the past two seasons."

Steven Tondi (SR) Potomac Falls
What the fans are saying: "Big man for Panthers played with a lot of heart ... ability to knock down a key shot helped Panthers."

Girls Basketball
Maggie Buxton (SR) Woodgrove
What the fans are saying: "She has heart, dedication, competitiveness and leadership."

Chloe Knox (SO) Loudoun County
What the fans are saying: "A threat from underneath and on the perimeter, Knox is a brilliant complement to teammate Maggie Phillips. With both Knox and Phillips under the basket, teams find it hard to grab rebounds and the Raiders score a lot of second chance points on put backs by Knox but don't be surprised when she sneaks out and hits a baseline 3-pointer with a girls in her face."

Megan Leonard (SO) Tuscarora
What the fans are saying: "Leading 3-point shooter in the Dulles District with 59. She was top eight in the Metro area."

Teal Reynolds (JR) Potomac Falls
What the fans are saying: "All around player averaged 13 ppg which was third in the conference and she led her team in assists with 3.1 a game. She had 3.2 steals a game and six rebounds a game as a point guard .. She has been a starter for three years and scored 23 vs. Broad Run and 22 vs. Park View ... Teal is a good all around athletic who loves the game and respect other players. She is dedicated to hard work and wants to win. She would be a great candidate for the All Loudoun team .... Teal has overcome great hardships throughout her high school career ... She is a 3-year letter winner and is on pace to be our school's leading scorer. She missed out on all district because of the strong players in our district and the larger number of teams ... Teal performed consistently well for her team by scoring, rebounding, and stealing at a very high clip ... she's the starting point guard and does everything to help them win."

Taylor Tibbits (JR) Loudoun County
What the fans are saying: "She has kept every high scorer in Loudoun to less than 3 pints a game ... gets no credit for playing great defense!"

Boys Swim
Justin Allen (SR) Broad Run
What the fans are saying: "Strong finish to BR career saw him top 10 in Loudoun in 4 events including 200 free, 200 IM, 500 free and 100 breast."

Matthew Woodmancy (SR) Potomac Falls
What the fans are saying: This young man has stepped up and did whatever was asked of him and he was the true leader of the Potomac Falls swim team."

John Paul Popovich (SO) Dominion
What the fans are saying: "Placed top three in 200 IM and 100 breaststroke at Districts and Regionals .... Performed well at States."

Justin Touve (SO) Potomac Falls
What the fans are saying: "He had the 4th best 200 free time, 6th best 500 free time and 7th best 100 free time on the season in Loudoun plus was top 15 in the 200 IM and 100 fly."

Girls Swim
Erica Comm (JR) Briar Woods
What the fans are saying: "Dulles District champ in the 100 free. Second consecutive year the BWHS girls MVP. Third consecutive year qualified for States in multiple events. ... She has leadership qualities, was a great teammate and had a great smile! ... She has leadership, attitude and ability, in that order ... she is a terrific teammate ... Erica is a great competitor and athlete, but most importantly, a great person and student!"

Eileen Fauteux (SR) Potomac Falls
What the fans are saying: "Eileen is a 3-sport athlete that holds school records in volleyball, swim and track. She has been All-District in all, All-Region swim and Track and state finalist in swim and track. She has been Potomac Falls Female Athlete of the Year three times and is the best female athlete to ever walk through PFHS."

Caroline Ruttenberg (SR) Broad Run
What the fans are saying: "Broke 3 school records! Represents the sport of swimming with class and sportsmanship; always cheering for everyone on the team."

Cynthia Vu (JR) and Catherine Vu (SO) Park View
What the Fans are saying: "The Patriot swim program may struggle a bit but these two sisters give Park View fans reasons to celebrate swimming ... Catherine was on the  top times charts in Loudoun in five events including 8th in the 200 IM and 100 fly .. Cynthia was 9th in the 100 back.

Wrestling
McKinnon Bowen (SO) Stone Bridge
What the fans are saying: "He faced the Broad Run 106-pounder who was All County, twice last season and pinned and majored him ... runner-up at Liberty District meet."

Micah Hotz (JR) Park View
What the fans are saying: "Made the AA state tournament in the 152 pound weight class."

Luke Rivera (SO) Loudoun County
What the fans are saying: "Helped Raiders to best season ever ... wrestled at tough AA state tournament at 145 pounds."

Luke Segerdahl (SR) Woodgrove
What the fans are saying: "Finished fifth at Region II meet and was runner-up as the Dulles District meet in tough 145 pounds class to help Wolverines take championship."

Gymnastics
Alyssa Del Prete (FR) Potomac Falls
What the fans are saying: "She had one of the 12 top All Around scores in Loudoun in the winter. She also scored 8.9 on the beam."

Brooke Wivagg (JR) Briar Woods**
What the fans are saying: "Brooke battled back from three stress fractures in her back to help lead the Falcons to their best season ever. She competed in the All Around at ever meet except for one, finished in the top 15 in the County in all events, had a fantastic showing at the State Qualifier and competed at the State meet in two events ... Brooke is the co-captain of the Falcons as a junior, earned the Coaches Award for her accomplishments and attitude this season ... she is a great, wonderful, talented person and is a great captain for the Briar Woods gymnastics team! ... I think Brooke my sister should be picked because she is always positive and always tries the best. She encouraged me to tryout for the gymnastics team although I couldn't compete this year because of a broken elbow. She always helped make sure I was included in everything the team did. She was a great captain, she supported all the gymnasts and made the season fun. Most importantly we could always count on her to turn in a great score ... She is a very dedicated athlete and student who is a positive role model for underclassmen ..  She showed positive team leadership as a captain this season ... I managed the Briar Woods gymnastics team this season and I know Brooke is a great team player and leader. The younger girls always came to her for advice on their routines or technique. She was always a very positive role model and showed that not even winning is more important than good sportsmanship and a good attitude. She even took a huge spill off the beam at one meet and finished the routine with a huge smile on her face, while most people would have given up. The team picked her as one of the captains, so they obviously see her as a leader and value her opinion ... She should be chosen as a fan favorite because of her determination and ability to motivate and pick people p when they might have had an off day ... I've been on Brooke's club gymnastics team for five years and she was almost always one of the reasons I came to practice. She always had a really positive attitude and never failed to cheer you up. Brooke is one of those people that makes you believe that you can do it no matter what. Her favorite saying was 'you're not going to die. And if you do, you'll never have to do it again' ... I went to the Districts meet and thought Brooke gave an amazing performance. She stood out as a great leader and captain with a positive attitude, cheering on all her teammates during the meet and posing as a wonderful role model .. She is a great leader and consistent performer and all around just a great person! ... She is very positive and a hard working leader. She is always there to encourage you and help you. She has been a role model for our team ... I did competitive gymnastics with Brooke and she is an amazing teammate and a very talented gymnast. She is so encouraging and always pushed me to do my best! ... She was very helpful, enthusiastic and a great teammate ... As captain she has led her team in events and brought out the fun and excitement of gymnastics in practices and competitions. Brooke's dedication to her teammates and willingness to choreograph and help them to improve their skills are what allowed the Falcons to have their best season yet. Brooke has also shown that with hard work and dedication you can overcome injury or obstacle and still succeed ... She was always smiling and showed great sportsmanship toward her own team as well as athletes on other teams ... Brooke IS Briar Woods gymnastics. She may not have the top scores, but she is consistent and the most supportive, enthusiastic teammate! My 6-year-old made us go to the Briar Woods meets just to watch Brooke! She's ALL heart and dedication!"
(**Brooke had more nominations than any athlete for Fan Favorite with many of the nominations coming from opponents!)

College Choice Chart: Class of 2013 Now Up to 171 Athletes Committed to Play at Next Level

(May 30, 2013) - The Viva Loudoun College Choice Chart is now up to 171 athletes from the Class of 2013 that will play at the next level. Recently added from Tuscarora High School:

• Logan Feierbach (XC/Track) William and Mary
• Brittany McCullock (Softball) Green Mountain College
• Myron Hernandez (soccer) Shepherd

And from Stone Bridge High School, Trevor Mack will play ice hockey at IUP.

Last year the Class of 2012 set a record with 207 athletes committed. This year's class is the second largest with Class of 2010 at 159 and the Class of 2011 at 145.

 

Boys Basketball: Loudoun Valley Celebrates Josh Grimard Signing with Alderson-Broaddus

(May 22, 2013) - Loudoun Valley High School celebrated last week the college signing of senior Josh Grimard who will play basketball next year at NCAA Division II Alderson-Broaddus College in West Virginia.

Alderson-Broaddus is moving to the Great Midwest Conference in July.

Boys Basketball: Freedom Names Powers as New Varsity Coach

(May 15, 2013) - Freedom High School athletic director Matt Oblas announced Tuesday that Justin Powers has been hired as the school's new boys basketball varsity coach.

Powers has been an assistant coach at Robinson High School in Fairfax since 2008. He helped lead the Rams to the 2012 Concorde District championship  and to a 2013 Northern Region semifinal appearance.

Boys Basketball: Cheers Sports and Viva Loudoun 2012-13 All-Loudoun Team

(May 13, 2013) - Cheers Sports and Viva Loudoun have teamed up to selected their first ever All-Loudoun selections ... the top varsity athletes across the county's 13 public high schools for the 2012-13 school year.

We kicked off the selections with the fall sports season (boys cross country, girls cross country, golf, girls volleyball, competitive cheer and football) and now we have covered the winter selections with gymnastics, boy swim, girls swim, wrestling and girls basketball released prior to boys basketball.

There will be a photo shoot at Cheers Sports in Ashburn on Sunday, May 19 for those athletes selected with the boys basketball group photo at 1 p.m. Please RVSP to dan.sousa@verizon.net or text to 703.509.8826.

Cheers Sports and Viva Loudoun All-Loudoun 2012-13
Boys Basketball
Wanya Allen (SO) Potomac Falls
Michael Anderson (SR) Loudoun County
Zach Coffman (JR) Heritage
Josh Grimard (SR) Loudoun Valley
Darren Hawkins (SR) Freedom
Michael Janowski (FR) Potomac Falls
Jason Jolly (SO) Stone Bridge
Mister Lewis (SR) Heritage
A.J. Robinson (SO) Tuscarora
Paul Rowley (JR) Loudoun Valley
Jake Ryan (SR) Briar Woods
Khiore Stewart (JR) Broad Run

Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Wanya Allen (SO) Potomac Falls
Boys Basketball Coach of the Year: Jeff Hawes, Potomac Falls

Boys Basketball: Loudoun Valley JR Paul Rowley Offered by George Mason

(May 3, 2013) - Loudoun Valley High School junior Paul Rowley has added an offer from George Mason University, according to masonhoops.com. Rowley previously had offers from Cornell, Mount St. Mary's and Quinnipiac.

Boys Basketball: Loudoun Valley's Josh Grimard to Play at Alderson-Broaddus College in West Virginia

(April 26, 2013) - Loudoun Valley High School senior Josh Grimard verbally committed on Wednesday to play basketball next year at NCAA Division II Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, WV.

Grimard becomes the sixth area player headed to Alderson-Broaddus next year, second most popular school to continue playing at behind only Christopher Newport (7 total). The others included: Kiley Jacobus (Loudoun County/softball); Darrell Kendrick (Heritage/football); Matt Marroquin (Stone Bridge/football); Ahmad Richardson (Heritage/football); and Trey Taylor (Loudoun County/football).

Boys Basketball: Loudoun County's Quad Borup in Running for Hoops Play of the Year

(March 22, 2013) - Loudoun County High School's Quad Borup's game-winning buzzer beater is in the running for the Washington Post's AllMetsSports "Play of the Year. Vote here! See his shot below at the end of the clip:

Boys Basketball: Loudoun County's Anderson Finishes Raider Career with 1,198 Total Points

(March 13, 2013) - Loudoun County High School senior Michael Anderson hits the 1,000-point milestone in early January and kept right on scoring, finishing his Raider boys basketball 3-year varsity career with 1,198 points. The school has placed a basketball in its trophy display case commemorating Anderson's career scoring mark.

Anderson will play next year at Bard College in Red Hook, N.Y.

College Corner: Broad Run Grad Johnson Averages Double Digits for Mary Washington Hoops; Valley Grad Yoxthimer Gets Starts as FR

College Corner with Dan Sousa

Fredericksburg (March 13, 2013) - Broad Run High School grad Taylor "T-Bone" Johnson averaged 10.9 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game for the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team this season.


Mary Washington's season ended on Feb. 21 when they fell 89-81 in the Capital Athletic Conference semifinals to No. 1 seed St. Mary's (Md.) Seahawks. Johnson, a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, scored 14 points off the bench in the loss.

Johnson played in 25 games for Mary Washington (14-13 record) with 17 starts. He shot 47.2 percent from the field including 44.9 percent from 3-point range. Johnson scored 19 twice -- at North Carolina Wesleyan on Nov. 28 and against Emory and Henry on Jan. 2 -- and scored 18 twice -- against Maryland Bible on Nov. 25 and against Marymount on Feb. 2.

Mary Washington also has Loudoun Valley grad John Yoxthimer on the roster. The 6-5 freshman forward played in 26 games with 7 starts. He averaged 2.7 points per game on sizzling shooting of 61.7 percent from the field and he averaged 2.0 rebounds per contest.

College Corner: Potomac Falls Grad Galloway Makes an Impact His Freshman Year on Hood Hoops

College Corner with Dan Sousa

Frederick, MD (March 13, 2013) - Potomac Falls High School grad Matt Galloway make an impact his freshman season with the Hood College men's basketball team.

Galloway played in all 25 games as Hood went 14-11 and missed the playoffs after falling in double overtime, 97-95, to Lycoming College on Feb. 16. Galloway had 15 points in that game, his second best scoring effort of the season behind 16 points against St. Vincent in December that helped Hood capture the Rotary Club of Frederick Holiday Classic at BB&T Arena.

Galloway, a 6-foot-3 guard, had a sensational game for the Blazers in the tournament title game, scoring 16 points on 4-9 shooting. He also knocked down all six of his free throw attempts and was a consistent threat throughout the game. Because of his efforts Galloway was named the tournament MVP, which is a huge accomplishment considering he is just a freshman.

Basketball: VHSL State Tournament Brackets - Final for All Games

(March 9, 2013) - Final results for the 2013 Virginia High School League state boys and girls basketball tournament:

AAA Boys
Quarterfinals
Henrico 65, Kecoughtan 64
Woodson 65, Battlefield 52
John Marshall 66, Great Bridge 55
Wakefield 83, Mountain View 76

Semifinals
Henrico 75, Woodson 65
John Marshall 66, Wakefield 46

Finals
Henrico 72, John Marshall 48

AAA Girls
Quarterfinals
Lake Taylor 68, Highland Springs 55
Colonial Forge 58, Edison 52
Princess Anne 50, L.C. Bird 41
Stonewall Jackson 55, South Lakes 53

Semifinals
Lake Taylor 64, Colonial Forge 49
Princess Anne 48, Stonewall Jackson 38

Finals
Lake Taylor 56, Princess Anne 53

AA Division 4 Boys
Quarterfinals
Salem-Salem 63, Heritage-Lynchburg 45
Potomac Falls 73, Chancellor 53
E.C. Glass 61, Carroll County 46
Grafton 56, Millbrook 40

Semifinals
Salem-Salem 76, Potomac Falls 69
Grafton 51, E.C. Glass 48 (OT)

Finals
Salem-Salem 56, Grafton 48

AA Division 4 Girls
Quarterfinals
Bassett 57, Heritage-Lynchburg 47
Courtland 54, Woodgrove 51
Salem-Salem 46, Lord Botetourt 34
Loudoun County 53, Grafton 48

Semifinals: Tues. March 5
Courtland 64, Bassett 53
Salem-Salem 51, Loudoun County 38

Finals
Salem-Salem 51, Courtland 44

AA Division 3 Boys
Quarterfinals
Spotswood 61, Martinsville 44
Bruton 59, Handley 57
Fort Defiance 59, Abingdon 50
Brunswick 24, Loudoun Valley 22

Semifinals
Spotswood 70, Bruton 69
Brunswick 56, Fort Defiance 29

Finals
Brunswick 56, Spotswood 31

Boys Basketball: Salem Sinks Potomac Falls in State Semifinals

(March 6, 2013) - Salem High School shot 23 of 29 from the foul line including making 13 of their final 14 free throws to knock Potomac Falls out of the VHSL Division 4 state semifinals, 76-69, Tuesday night at VCU's Siegel Center.

The Loudoun County girls are the last local team still alive with the Raiders facing Salem at 11 a.m. this morning in the Division 4 state semifinals at VCU. The Loudoun County squad stayed in Richmond overnight Tuesday so the Raiders won't be affected by today's school closings here.

Boys Basketball: Salem vs. Potomac Falls VHSL D4 State Semifinal Preview

Panthers celebrating 4th straight regional hoops title
(photo by Steven Holland/Viva Loudoun)

(March 4, 2013) - The Potomac Falls High School boys basketball team is two wins away from the school's third VHSL Division 4 state title in four years. Here is their semifinal preview:

The Skinny: VHSL Boys Basketball Division 4 Semifinals
Potomac Falls vs. Salem
Date: Tues. March 5, 2013
Location: VCU's Siegel Center in Richmond
Tip Off Time: 9 p.m.

Potomac Falls High School
Location: Sterling
Nickname: Panthers
Colors: Black, Purple and White
District: Dulles
Region: II
Enrollment (March 2012): 1,507
Head Coach: Jeff Hawes

Record: 26-4
Past Semifinals: 3
Past State Championships: 2

Basketball: Loudoun County Girls, Potomac Falls Boys Continue State Success

(March 3, 2013) - It shouldn't be a surprise that the Loudoun Count High School girls and Potomac Falls High School boys basketball teams are still playing in March as the two programs have had a lot of recent success in the VHSL state tournament with Loudoun County girls winning a Division 4 state title in 2009 and Potomac Falls taking back-to-back D4 state titles in 2010 and 2011.

Both teams are back to the Final Four -- 4th straight year for Potomac Falls boys and fourth time in third time in five years for Loudoun County girls -- after big wins Saturday in the state quarterfinals.

Potomac Falls boys cruised by Chancellor, 73-53, at Robinson High School, while the Loudoun County girls went on the road and beat Grafton, 53-48, at ODU.

Both teams face Salem High School in the state semifinals with Potomac Falls playing Tuesday night at VCU at 9 p.m. and the Loudoun County girls playing Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. at VCU.

Loudoun County Girls & Potomac Falls Boys Since 2008-09
2008-09: LC girls win state title; PF boys lose Region II first round
2009-10: LC girls lose Region II semifinals; PF boys win state title
2010-11: LC girls lose in state title game; PF boys win state title
2011-12: LC girls lose state quarterfinals: PF boys lose state semifinals
2012-13: Both teams are in Final Four!

Photo Gallery: Boys Basketball D4 State Quarterfinals Potomac Falls vs. Chancellor by Gary Sousa

(March 3, 2013) - Jeff Hawes and the Potomac Falls High School boys basketball team has never lost a VHSL state tournament game with a Sousa covering them so of course they won Saturday with Gary Sousa shooting photos for Viva Loudoun AND Dan Sousa blogging away from press row! Check out all 94 shots from the Panthers vs. Chancellor game here!

Basketball: State Quarterfinal Scoreboard

(March 3, 2013) - Loudoun teams started the day 2-0 in VHSL state quarterfinal basketball action with the Loudoun County girls and Potomac Falls boys advancing but Purcellville-based teams, Woodgrove girls and Loudoun Valley boys, each lost close games:

State Quarterfinal Finals for Loudoun Teams
Boys
Potomac Falls 73, Chancellor 53 (D4)
Brunswick 24, Loudoun Valley 22 (D3)

Girls
Loudoun County 53, Grafton 48 (D4)
Courtland 54, Woodgrove 51 (D4)