Girls Soccer: Broad Run Coach Claire Collins Recently Named 2009 National Coach of the Year

Ashburn (Feb. 25, 2010) - Broad Run High School girls soccer coach Claire Collins, who led the Spartans last spring to a second straight VHSL AA state title, picked up a national Coach of the Year honor last month at the National Soccer Coaches Association of American 2010 convention in Philadelphia.

Collins was named the NSCAA High School Schools Girls Division II Coach of the Year. Under Collins’ direction, Broad Run went 23-0-1 last spring for its second consecutive undefeated season and became the first girls team to repeat as state AA champions. Her team has a 47-0-1 record the last two years and in the past three years recorded 50 shutouts while outscoring their opponents 308-32. Collins also was National Coach of the Year in 2004

Breaking News! South Lakes Hires Former Park View Football Coach Andy Hill

(Feb. 24, 2010) - South Lakes High School has reached across the border to hire Park View High School head football coach Andy Hill, who stepped down from the Patriot program last month to pursue other job opportunities.

The AAA Liberty District Seahawks were seeking a coach after John Ellenberger was let go after six seasons at South Lakes where his teams went 17-45, including a 5-6 and Division 5 playoff appearance last fall. Three of the six losses were by five points or fewer.

"I'm excited. It is the right mix at the right time," said Hill. "I think there is a lot of talent there and the community is ready for a next-level football program. I feel fortunate that they chose me."

Hill is scheduled to meet with the South Lakes players after school this coming Monday and then will hold a parents meeting later that week.

Linda Jones, Director of Student Activities, in announcing the hiring: "Coach Hill is a proven winner and will do an excellent job with our football program."

Hill took over at Park View five years ago when Briar Woods opened and Patriot coach Charlie Pierce left Park View for the new school. In those five seasons, Park View went 35-21 and made the playoffs four times. Twice Park View made it to the regional finals including this past season.

Perhaps the most memorable two-week period of Hill's tenure were back-to-back games at Broad Run in 2007 when the Spartans and Patriots met in the final week of the regular season with 9-0 records and then again the next week in the opening round of the Region II Division 4 playoffs. While Broad Run won to finish 10-0 in the first of the two meetings, Park View got its revenge the following week, winning the game late on a trick play. That loss is Broad Run only loss since the start of the 2007 season.

"Coach Hill brings a wealth of experience and excitement to the position. He is thorough and a detailed planner. He is a student of the game and has a positive impact on student-athletes," said South Lakes principal Bruce Butler in the Seahawks release on the hiring.

Hill said his decision to leave Park View wasn't easy, but it was one that was made after a lot of thought and consideration.

"I have had a great time here at Park View over the past five years, and while I have matured and grown professionally in this experience, the most difficult part of the decision was leaving the student-athletes that make up our program," said Hill.

Hill's decision came down to a personal desire to seek a new challenge and it appears he has found that in Reston where the Seahawks, thanks to recent boundary changes in Fairfax, are welcoming a new influx of talent.

Youth Sports - Gymnastics - APEX Level 8's Finish Second at East Coast Classic

(Feb. 24, 2010) - The APEX Level 8 gymnastic team finished second in a strong field at the East Coast Classic on Feb. 12–14 in Landover, MD.

The Apex Gymnasts competed with over 500 athletes from several states. Special congratulations to Brielle Davis, level 10 and Madison O’Braitis and Maddy Scozzie, level 9's who qualified to event finals and Shannon Daily, level 8 who qualified to states.

Event placement is listed below:
Level 8 – 2nd place team
Caitlin Villavicencio – 3rd bars, 2nd beam
Victoria Miner – 3rd vault, 3rd bars, 2nd beam, 1st all around
Jessica Schaub – 2nd beam, 1st floor
Sara Connors – 3rd vault, 5th floor, 3rd all around
Alex Cocozza – 2nd beam
Rebecca Henry – 3rd bars
Abby Reid – 8th bars, 8th beam
Kylie Klokis – 2nd bars, 4th all around
Jasmine Denizard – 4th bars
Shannon Daily – 7th beam

Level 9
Madison O’Braitis – 2nd bars, 3rd beam, 3rd all around
Maddy Scozzie – 2nd bars

Level 10
Brielle Davis – 5th bars, 5th beam, 5th all around

Volleyball: Loudoun County Senior Juliane Hanna Named PrepVolleyball.com All-American

Leesburg (Feb. 24, 2010) - Loudoun County High School senior Juliane Hanna has been named a PrepVolleyball.com All-American.

Hanna, who helped lead the Raiders to three straight VHSL AA state titles, is one of 150 high school players in the nation selected for this honor.

Next year, Hanna will continue her outstanding career at the University of New Mexico.

Girls Soccer: Potomac Falls Senior Amanda Rumsey Signs to Play at Boston University

Sterling (Feb. 24, 2010) - Potomac Falls High School senior girls soccer player Amanda Rumsey has signed a NCAA Division I Letter of Intent to play with Boston University.

A defender, Rumsey has spent her entire high school career with the Panthers’ varsity squad, during which time she has earned all-district honors, 2nd team All-Region honors, All-State honorable Mention and All-Met honorable mention. She plays club soccer with the Loudoun ’91 Red team.

This fall she won’t be the only Loudoun County alum suiting up for the Terriers -- she will be joining ex-Briar Wood Falcon Brea Hewitt on the soccer squad.

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa - Wins and Losses Aside, New Woodgrove Football Coach Gordon to Teach Life Lessons

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa
A column by VivaLoudoun.com Editor Dan Sousa
(Feb. 23, 2010) - At age 47 if I started playing football again it would only be a matter of minutes before catastrophic injury struck but that still didn't prevent me feeling like I should suit up after spending just 15 minutes talking with new Woodgrove High School football coach Jerry Gordon.

Like all great football coaches, Gordon carries a passion with him that ignites those around him. Western Loudoun and and future Wolverine players are in for a treat because they are getting an experienced educator and coach -- on the high school, collegiate and even professional level -- with enough football knowledge that he had a book on defense (Coaching the Under Front Defense) just published.

Oh, and he lives in the community. Heck, he moved to Western Loudoun from Massachusetts to be closer to his grandchildren and their future high school ... why, Woodgrove, of course!

"I've experienced a lot of wins and I've experienced a lot of losses. I'm in it to teach the kids life lessons," said Gordon, who has been making the commute to Potomac Falls the past four years as defensive coordinator and helped the Panthers under head coach Scott Woodlief reach the playoffs for the first time in school history.

Now at Woodgrove, he opens a new school and has a chance to establish a program and tradition from scratch.

"The first thing we want to do at Woodgrove is build a love affair between the school and the student body and the other teams and the band ... not just the football team. We want all sports to be great at Woodgrove," said Gordon.

Honestly, he had me ordering my Wolverine sweatshirt. Any coach giving props to the band up front knows what he is doing!

Gordon is a business teacher where he teaches courses with motto's like "from backpack to briefcase". This is one coach that will be more interested in players than their 40 times or how much they can power lift.

Caring about the off-the-field behavior for Gordon not only is the right thing to do but he thinks it ultimately leads to a winning team and program.

"We want to teach work ethic and leadership. Our motto is champions in the classroom, champions in the community, champions in the hallway, champions on the field," said Gordon.

He says he has seen teams with talent not do well because they didn't take care of the other aspects.

Gordon admits to mixed emotions to leaving Potomac Falls, especially as the Panthers are in the hunt for a new coach with Woodlief heading back to the Hampton Roads area, but there wasn't a guarantee that he would get the PF head job and Woodgrove's open arms towards him really turned the tide.

"It is a great, close community," said Gordon who already has had great contact with Loudoun Valley High School coach Danny McGrath, where the Woodgrove players will come from. McGrath has offered the Valley weight room to Gordon prior to Woodgrove being ready to go and has compiled a contact list for Gordon of future Wolverine players.

"We look forward to having a rivalry that will hopefully be unmatched within our county over the next few years!," said McGrath.

Woodgrove and Valley will play each other next year and that should kick-start the rivalry.

"It is a great thing for Western Loudoun," said Gordon. "We both want the kids to have a great experience."

Of course the first thing Gordon will have to do is put together a staff and he is confident that they will have a "great staff".

"Woodgrove is going to be a great place to coach and there will be a lot of excitement," said Gordon.

And just because he wrote the book on defense, doesn't mean he won't hire a defensive coordinator. Gordon, after all, was an offensive lineman in college and coached more offense than defense in the college ranks. His aim is to sign on the brightest coaches available and he'll coordinate where needed and pick up the slack as needed.

No matter what Gordon is specifically coaching come this fall, at the end of each day and each practice, he will already be at home in his community and we think the community will be at home with him.

Now, where did I put that old helmet ...

News: Woodgrove Hires Jason Lutman as Golf Coach; Tuscarora Hires Crissi Vogt as Competitive Cheer Coach

(Feb. 24, 2010) - Woodgrove High School has selected Jason Lutman to start the Wolverines new golf program.

Woodgrove will open in Purcellville this coming September.

Lutman is the son of retired Potomac Falls High School athletic director, Charlie Lutman, and comes to Woodgrove from a family with a life-long commitment to public school education.

His golf experience includes 20 years of participation in amateur junior tournaments and member guest tournaments, including winning the 2005 and 2006 Frederick City - Two Man Championship.

From 2003-2007, Lutman worked at Locust Hill golf course in Charles Town, West Virginia.

For the last three years, Lutman has served as an assistant varsity football coach at Potomac Falls. He teaches elementary school physical education at Evergreen Mill Elementary School in Leesburg.

Lutman graduated from Potomac Falls, where he was a first team all-district and Washington Post honorable mention All-Met linebacker, and then attended Shepherd University in Shepherdstown WV, where he graduated with a BS in health and physical education K-12.

Lutman will hold an informational meeting for students interested in golf at Woodgrove High School in the near future. Please check the Woodgrove Athletic website for updated information.

In other coaching news it is expected that Tuscarora will announce soon that Crissi Vogt will be the Huskies first competitive cheer coach.

Crissi Vogt is currently a music teacher at the Destiny Preschool and Creative Arts Center in Leesburg and is a graduate of the Chapman University Conservatory of Music, with degrees in Vocal Performance and Child Psychology.

Breaking News: Woodgrove Hires Potomac Falls Defensive Coordinator Gordon to Start Football Program

Purcellville (Feb. 24, 2010) - Woodgrove High School, which will open this coming September, has selected Potomac Falls defensive coordinator Jerry Gordon, a veteran coach who literally wrote the book on defense, to start the Wolverines new program.

Gordon comes to Woodgrove with 20 years of high school, and college experience and one year of professional coaching experience.

He was one of the few players in history to be a two-time captain on the University of Massachusetts football team where he started out as a walk-on in 1979 at the Amherst school and ended up a three-year starter on the offensive line. UMass won or shared three Yankee Conference football championships in that period.

After graduating from UMass, Gordon spent his early coaching career at the collegiate level at Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts and Yale University. His responsibilities included, recruiting coordinator, defensive line coach, running backs coach and special teams coach. He also coached with the Boston Breakers of the USFL.

Most recently, Gordon has served as defensive coordinator at Sandwich High School in Massachusetts (six years) and Potomac Falls (four years) in Loudoun.

In December Gordon published a book "Coaching the Under Front Defense", an easy-to-understand manual for coaches interested in learning and installing the basics of the under front defense. The book includes descriptions of the techniques and needs required to be successful at each position, and shoudl be a valuable tool for any coach looking to run or playing against this defense.

Gordon has also had two articles published in Gridiron Magazine and an article published in Success magazine. Gordon has also written numerous Internet articles and has appeared on Portland radio station 95.5 The Game.

Woodgrove Athletic Directory Rusty Lowery said in a release: "A resident of Western Loudoun with his wife, Carol, Gordon brings a vision to Woodgrove that breaths fundamentals, intensity, passion, integrity, leadership and foundations for success. His plan includes making champions in the classroom, in the hallways, in the community and on the field."

Gordon currently teaches business education at Potomac Falls High School. Gordon and his wife, Carol, currently reside in Hamilton. Gordon is stepfather to two children, Erik and Jennifer, and has three granddaughters.

Visit the Woodgrove High School website at: http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/Woodgrove/site/default.asp to see more information about the football program, parent/student meeting dates and important offseason activities.

Update on Potomac Falls Girls Hoops Playoff Win: Box and Coach Ewald's Take

POTOMAC FALLS 0 14 8 24 46,
BRENTSVILLE 12 7 13 12 44
P (13-6, 7-3) — Short 22, Berry 16, Stanley 4, Reid 2, Battle 1, Jefferies 1. Totals 14 14-21 46.
B (13-5, 4-3) — Baltimore 14, Taylor 14, Tooke 8, Jacobson 7, Johnson 1.
Totals 16 7-18 44.
Halftime: Brentsville, 19-14.
Three-point goals: P 4 (Short 4); B 5 (Baltimore 2, Taylor, Tooke, Jacobson).
Rebounds: P 26 (Short 6, Berry 5, Stanley, Reid 2, Battle 2, Jefferies 7, Mook, Perez 2).
Assists: P 7 (Short, Berry 4, Reid, Battle).

PF coach Lynn Ewald's Take: A tremendous effort by the seniors who could have been playing their last game. Down 12-0 after the first quarter and down 10 after the 3rd, my girls outscored the tigers 24-12 and won by two.

 Great offensive games by Raven Short with 22 and Symone' Berry with 16. The story of the night was the great defense and incredible intensity the Panthers showed in the second half. Jenae Reid, Andie Stanley and Alysssa Battle had a great game defending the guards for Brentsville.  Jasmin Jefferies did a great job protecting the middle and cleaning the glass with ten total rebounds.

The win continues the season and gives these seniors the first regional win in school history. After securing the lead late in the 4th, some clutch free throw shooting and stout defense secured the win. Battle had a huge steal late in the game and two free throws from Stanley (her first two free throws of the season) pushed the lead to
five with three seconds to play.

Keyla Baltimore for Brentsville hit a halfcourt 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final score, making all the free throws hit even more important. We'll play the number one seed Liberty on Thursday night at 6 p.m. in Bealeton.

Boys Basketball: Taylor Johnson Scores 22 to Lead Spartans to Playoff Win at Fauquier

(Feb. 23, 2010) - Broad Run High School junior Taylor Johnson scored a team-high 22 points Tuesday to lead the Spartans to a 74-60 Region II Division 4 quarterfinal playoff win on the road at Fauquier.

The Spartans (20-3) will travel to rival Potomac Falls on Thursday for a 7 p.m. regional semifinal showdown. PF leads the series, 2-1, this season after a win in Saturday's district tournament finals.

BR went up big Tuesday, 21-10 in the first and 44-27 at the half, but the Falcons fought back and narrowed the BR lead to six heading into the final quarter but the Spartans were able to pull away.

Senior Nick Salgado scored 13 points in the win and senior Kevin McGaughey finished with 12.

Broad Run 74, Fauquier 60
BR 21 23 11 19 - 74
F 10 17 22 11 - 60
Broad Run (20-3): Hiatt 1 0-0 2, Janjua 3 1-2 9, DJohnson 1 3-3 5, TJohnson 11 0-1 22, Lindsay 1 4-6 6, McGaughey 4 2-4 12, Rawson 0 1-2 1, Salgado 6 1-2 13, Zafar 1 2-2 4. Totals 30 14-22 74.
Fauquier: Diehl 1 0-0 2, Lamper 7 0-0 19, Marchese 4 1-2 9, Stanford 8 8-10 26, Strawn 1 0-0 2, Woodson 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 9-12 60.
3-Pointers: BR 0, F 7 (Lamper 5, Stanford 2).

Updated Region II Basketball Brackets

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

Girls Basketball: Batts Hits School-Record Nine 3-Pointers in Loudoun County's 83-36 Playoff Romp over James Wood

Leesburg (Feb. 23, 2010) - Playing without last year's VHSL AA Division 4 Player of the Year, Kendra Holmes, the Loudoun County High School girls basketball team had little problems Tuesday as they dismantled visiting James Wood, 83-36, in the Region II quarterfinals.

Raider junior Brittany Batts broke her own school record of eight three-pointers in a contest by connecting on nine in the win as she also celebrated her 17th birthday! Batts would finish with a game-high 31 points as LC earned a fifth meeting this season with rival Freedom, at 7 p.m. Thursday in South Riding with a regional title game berth and state playoff bid on the line.

Senior Alissa Kain continued her outstanding all-around play. Kain, coming off a game high 21 points in this past Saturday's Dulles District tournament championship win over Freedom, scored 16 points and dished out eight assists.

Sophomore Erica Linnemann tallied 13 points. Linnemann has scored in double figures in the last four Raider postseason wins.

Holmes sat out for precautionary reasons as she suffered an injury in last Saturday's victory.

Loudoun County 83, James Wood 36
L (19-3, 8-1) — Batts 31, A. Kain 16, Linnemann 13, Cummings 6, Strange 6, Grimsley 5, S. Kain 4, Lapple 2. Totals 32 6-8 83.
Halftime: Loudoun County, 37-16.
Three-point goals: L 13 (Batts 9, A. Kain 2, Linnemann, S. Kain).
Rebounds: L 26 (Batts, A. Kain 4, Linnemann 4, Cummings 4, Strange 7, Grimsley 3, Lapple 3).
Assists: L 18 (A. Kain 8, Linnemann 3, Strange 3, S. Kain, Lapple 3).

Picture above by Gary Sousa at http://sousasportpics.com (and, no, he is NOT my brother!)

Girls Basketball: Historic Win! Potomac Falls Girls Storm Back from 12-0 First Quarter Deficit for First Ever Playoff Win, 46-44 Over Brentsville

(Feb. 23, 2010) - The Potomac Falls High School girls basketball team grabbed a little piece of history Tuesday night as the Panthers stormed back from a 12-0 first quarter deficit to defeat Brentsville, 46-44, in the Region II Division 4 quarterfinals for the school's first ever playoff win in girls hoops.

The No. 5 seed Panthers (13-6) will travel to Liberty on Thursday for a 6 p.m. semifinal game at No. 1 seed Liberty. A win would put the Panthers in the regional finals and the VHSL state tournament.

The Panthers were led by 22 points from Raven Short including four 3-pointers and Symone Berry scored 10 of her 16 points in the final quarter as PF fought back from a 10-point deficit.

Brentsville did not help its cause, going 7 of 20 from the line while the Panthers were 14 of 22.

Basketball: Here We Go Again! Familiar Foes Face Each Other Thursday in Region Semifinals: LC Girls at Freedom, BR Boys at PFalls

(Feb. 23, 2010) - If you like sequels, then you'll love the Region II Division 4 basketball tournament with a pair of Dulles District foes matched up in Thursday's semifinals with not only a regional title game berth on the line but a state tournament bid as well.

The titles of these sequels? Loudoun County vs. Freedom Girls Act V and Broad Run vs. Potomac Falls Boys Part IV. The rematches were set up when No. 3 seed Loudoun County girls destroyed No. 6 James Wood in Leesburg Tuesday, 83-36, and the No. 5 seed Broad Run boys went on the road to upend Fauquier, 74-60.

Broad Run (20-3) will travel to No. 1 seed Potomac Falls (18-2) for a fourth meeting this year and a rematch of Saturday's Dulles district boys title game won by the Panthers, 69-58. The two teams split their regular-season meetings.

Loudoun County (19-3) will travel to No. 2 Freedom (16-5) for a fifth meeting this year, including a third postseason meeting in 11 days with Freedom winning a special one-game playoff, 76-60, after the two teams tied for the girls regular-season crown and then LC bouncing back with a 69-58 win Saturday in the district tournament title game.

More on the Broad Run and Loudoun County wins as the news rolls in

Boys Basketball: Panthers Drag Another Title Back to the Pit

Mickey Wagenhoffer and Matt Hoover played big roles in the Panthers win Saturday

South Riding (Feb. 23, 2010) - Here is all you need to know about Potomac Falls High School boys basketball: Jeff Hawes is the only coach the school has ever had. And just about every year the Panthers collect some sort of regular season or tournament title.

Now last year, Potomac Falls didn't get either a regular season or district tournament title, but don't fret PFalls faithful as Hawes and the Panthers more than made up for it this season with a 69-58 victory over Broad Run Saturday night in the Dulles District tournament finals at Freedom High School.

After the game the Panthers (18-2) collected both the regular season and tournament titles to increase their haul to nine total titles for the school in boys basketball (five regular season, four tournament) since opening in 1997.

Even more impressively than the win over the Spartans (19-3) and the clinching of a No. 1 seed in the Region II Division 4 tournament which starts Tuesday with Broad Run as the No. 5 seed on the road at No. 4 Fauquier, was the fact that PF did with a starting line-up void of seniors.

Teams have to wonder ... if you don't catch Potomac Falls this year ... what's going to happen next year.

Junior Lukas Mihailovich started slow without any first quarter points but finished with a team-high 21 points and junior Brendon Chesson scored 19. The deep Panthers also had great games from  junior Mickey Waggenhoffer, who had six in the first quarter, and junior Matt Hoover, six first half, off the bench early. Waggenhoffer, Hoover and lanky sophomore center Greg Graves (10 points) were all part of a PF front line that blocks and changes up every shot near the paint.

Broad Run got 21 from Kevin McGaughey but 10 of that came late after PF already established a healthy lead. Taylor Johnson scored 18 for BR but the Spartans lacked the depth of the Panthers.

They may have to find that depth rather quickly as a win Tuesday pits Broad Run into the Panther Pit Thursday night as they would have to play at Potomac Falls.

News: So You Finally Cleared Your Driveway ... Winter Storm Watch for Late Wednesday into Thursday

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS...POTENTIAL FOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 OR MORE INCHES.
* TIMING...A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WEDNESDAY EVENING WILL BECOME ALL SNOW BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 3 AM WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT.
* TEMPERATURES...LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S WEDNESDAY NIGHT. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S THURSDAY. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S THURSDAY NIGHT.
* WINDS...NORTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 35 MPH THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.

Girls Basketball: Hot Shooting Raiders Net Third Dulles District Tournament Title in Five Years

South Riding (Feb. 23, 2010) - Loudoun County High School senior Alissa Kain broke the 1,000-point career mark the other night and evidently the gritty 5-foot-9 swing player was just getting warmed up as she scored 21 points Saturday, including 15 and three 3-pointers in the first half, to lead the Raiders to their third AA Dulles District girls basketball tournament title in five years.

Loudoun County (18-3) earned a banner, to go with district tournament banners earned in 2008 and 2006, and respect in the 69-58 win over rival Freedom (16-5) ... and not much else. Despite the win on the Eagles home court -- where Kain as a sophomore in 2008 hit a dramatic buzzer beater to shock Freedom -- the Raiders earned only the No. 3 seed in the Region II Division 4 Byzantine playoff system and will host No. 6 James Wood on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

The Eagles, who had beaten the Raiders earlier in the week in a special playoff after the two teams tied as co-champions in the regular season, is the No. 2 seed and has a bye. And the No. 1 seed is Liberty (14-3), a team that lost to both Freedom and Loudoun County this year.

Oh, and if Loudoun County wins tonight, they will head to, where else?, Freedom again on Thursday night for a fifth meeting this season with the Eagles -- with the series tied 2-2 and one of the defending state champions moving on to the regional title game and qualifying for States and one team ending its season.

Kain and the Raiders Saturday reminded everybody, including the defending VHSL Division 3 state champion Eagles, of why LC is the VHSL Division 4 defending state champion. For starters, Kain rolled through the state tournament in 2009 and she appears primed for another postseason run as she shot a sizzling 8 of 14 from the field Saturday including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

While Freedom's top two scorers Kelsey Buchanan and Dionna Scott combined for just seven points in the first half, the Raiders had six different players score in the first half, and they were on fire from long range the entire game, making a whopping 50 percent of the 14 3-pointers they attempted.

Kain's 21 was supported by 17 points from senior Kendra Holmes, who was a clutch 11 of 15 from the line including 9 of 13 in the final quarter, and 11 from sophomore Erica Linnemann, who was left open at times and made the Eagles pay for it.

LC leading scorer, junior Brittany Batts finished well below her average with nine points, as did sophomore Jenna Strange but both players were key on the defensive end and they each dished out four assists apiece.

LC jumped out to a 16-9 lead after the first quarter and never gave it up as they took a 10-point lead into the half and out-scored the Eagles, 23-14, in the third quarter.

Freedom point guard Jessica Escorza had a good shooting first half, scoring 8 of her 14, and Buchanan came alive in the second half, scoring 16 of her 21, but it wasn't enough to allow Freedom to cut deep enough into the LC lead for a comeback. Scott finished with 11, nine in the second half.

The Raiders had their transition game going, especially in the third quarter as even made Freedom baskets were answered with LC layins on the other end. Whether it was Kain hitting a jumper from a Batts pass, Batts scoring a layin off a Linnemann pass or Linnemann scoring off a Batts pass, it was a team effort for LC.

The lead grew to as much as 21 deep in the third quarter with the Raiders up, 55-34.

Escorza with two fastbreak layins and nice feed to Buchanan fueled an 8-2 run early in the fourth quarter, but the Raiders, without a field goal in the final quarter, were solid from the line and protected the lead as Freedom was forced to foul in the final four minutes of the contest to slow down the clock.

Holmes finished wit 10 rebounds for LC to register a double-double and Buchanan had 15 rebounds for the Eagles for a double-double as well. Kain almost had a triple double as she grabbed 10 rebounds and had seven assists.

Loudoun County 69, Freedom-South Riding 58
L (18-3, 8-1) — A. Kain 21, Holmes 17, Linnemann 11, Batts 9, Strange 9, Cummings 2. Totals 22 18-29 69.
F (16-5, 8-1) — Buchanan 21, Escorza 14, Scott 11, Koditek 6, Merritt 6.
Totals 20 16-24 58.
Halftime: Loudoun County, 32-22.
Three-point goals: L 7 (A. Kain 3, Linnemann, Batts 2, Strange); F 2 (Koditek 2).
Rebounds: L 31 (A. Kain 10, Holmes 10, Linnemann 3, Batts 2, Strange 4, Cummings 2).
Assists: L 19 (A. Kain 7, Holmes, Linnemann 3, Batts 4, Strange 4).
Complete box with stats from Freedom High School

Girls Lacrosse: Briar Woods' Priscilla Smith to Play at Christopher Newport Next Year

Ashburn (Feb. 22, 2010) - Briar Woods High School senior Priscilla Smith senior has committed to play lacrosse next year at Christopher Newport University next year, making her the first player to ever commit to play women’s lacrosse in college from Briar Woods.

Smith, who was highly recruited, loved CNU from the beginning and felt that CNU was a good fit for her both academically and athletically.

She has started every game during her high school career and was part of Falcon coach Laura Nelson’s Briar Woods team last season that set a school record for wins (12-3), which included the school’s first ever playoff win in the sport.

Smith was an All-Dulles District selection while playing center as a junior team captain and also played on the Upper Corner lacrosse girls select 2010 team, coached by Jay Harkey (Loudoun Valley) and Whitney Groseclose (Stone Bridge).

The returning senior looks forward to her final season at Briar Woods and is eager to play next year for the CNU Captains who are a powerhouse in the USA South Conference where they are favorites to win a third straight conference title.

Smith will join a roster with Valley grads Meghan Harkey and Kaitlin Quigley, both juniors at CNU, and freshman Sarah Ball, a freshman from Broad Run.

Boys Basketball: Stone Bridge's Nik Brown Named First Team All-Northern Region

(Feb. 22, 2010) - Stone Bridge High School junior Nik Brown was named to the first team All-Northern Region squad.

2010 All-Northern Region Boys Basketball
Region Player of the Year -- Max Lenox, WT Woodson Region
Coach of the Year -- Chris Whelan, Herndon

First Team (ABC order):
Nik Brown, Stone Bridge
Chad Canady, Hayfield
Warren Denny, Centreville
Austin Hamilton, Herndon
Antonio Harris Jr., JEB Stuart
Skylar Jones, Mount Vernon
Ryan Yates, TC Williams

Second Team (ABC order):
Mohamed Alie-Cox, South County
Austin Kriz, Langley
John Manning, Chantilly
Kethan Savage, Chantilly
Karl Ziegler, Annandale

Honorable Mention (ABC order):
Nizar Alamin, Falls Church
Darryl Copeland, West Potomac
Walter Griffin, Lee
Jesse Konadu, Mount Vernon
Daniel McClain, Marshall
Brandon Winbush, Hayfield

Girls Basketball: Valley's Sweet and Oden Make First All-Cedar Run District, Piccolomini Coach of the Year

(Feb. 22, 2010) - Loudoun Valley High School seniors Kayla Sweet and Chrystal Oden both were named All-Cedar Run District and Viking coach Jen Piccolomini picked up Coach of the Year honors.

Heritage's Erika Grabbi and Ceara Scott both made second team. Valley's Brea Calhoun and Heritage's Chelsea Paskowski were both honorable mention.

2010 CEDAR RUN ALL DISTRICT GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM
1ST TEAM
KYANI WHITE SR 5’ 7” STONEWALL JACKSON
JOY CORRACCIOLO JR 6’ 2” STONEWALL JACKSON
MIKAL JOHNSON SO 5’ 9” OSBOURN
KAYLA SWEET SR 5’ 6” LOUDOUN VALLEY
CHRYSTAL ODEN SR 5’ 9” LOUDOUN VALLEY
AMBER LEWIS SO 6’ BATTLEFIELD
ERIKA SCOTT SR 5’ 9” OSBOURN

2ND TEAM
ANNIE JONES BATTLEFIELD
TAYLOR CORDLE BATTLEFIELD
ERIKA GRABBI HERITAGE
KYLIE PETERS OSBOURN
BRIANNA CAMERON STONEWALL JACKSON
GWEN NEWSOME STONEWALL JACKSON
CEARA SCOTT HERITAGE

HONORABLE MENTION
ALLIE RASH BATTLEFIELD
MAYA MITCHELL BATTLEFIELD
BREA CALHOUN LOUDOUN VALLEY
CHELSEA EVANS HERITAGE
ANGELICA ARNOLD STONEWALL JACKSON
AMANDA HINTON STONEWALL JACKSON
RYAN JORDAN STONEWALL JACKSON
CHELSEA PASKOWSKI HERITAGE

PLAYER OF YEAR: KYANI WHITE STONEWALL
COACH OF YEAR: JEN PICCOLOMINI LOUDOUN VALLEY

Boys Basketball: Loudoun Valley's Yoxthimer Earns First Team All-Cedar Run District, Complete Selections

(Feb. 22, 2010) - Loudoun Valley High School 6-foot-6 sophomore John Yoxthimer earned first team All-Cedar Run District honors in a vote of the district coaches.

His teammate Django DeGree was named to the second team along with Heritage's Elijah Calhoun. Valley's Kyle Kohnen and Cody Mangano were honorable mention along with Heritage's Eric Dentler.

2010 CEDAR RUN BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
1ST TEAM
JAMIE ROBINSON (SR) 6’ 4” BATTLEFIELD
DARREN WARREN (SR) 6’ 3” STONEWALL
JAY LANE (SO) 6’ OSBOURN
ROBERT CARTER (SO) 5’ 10” OSBOURN
JOHN YOXTHIMER (SO) 6’ 6” LOUDOUN VALLEY
BLAINE MASON (SR) 6’ BATTLEFIELD
BRANDON CHAUCA (FR) 5’ 6” STONEWALL

2ND TEAM
BROWN DIXON - STONEWALL
BO REVELL - BATTLEFIELD
LUCKY WHITEHEAD - OSBOURN
Django DEGREE - LOUDOUN VALLEY
CEDRIC DELANEY - OSBOURN
ISAAC FREEMAN - OSBOURN
ELIJAH CALHOUN - HERITAGE
MORGAN WINBUSH - STONEWALL

HONORABLE MENTION
ERIC DENTLER - HERITAGE
KYLE KOHNEN - LOUDOUN VALLEY
CODY MANGANO - LOUDOUN VALLEY
EVAN PAYTON - BATTLEFIELD

PLAYERS OF YEAR:
JAMIE ROBINSON – BATTLEFIELD
DARREN WARREN – STONEWALL

COACHES OF YEAR:
AL FORD – BATTLEFIELD
MIKE DUFRENE – OSBOURN

Wrestling: Completed AAA State Meet Brackets

Completed brackets for AAA state wrestling meet

Swim: Full Results for VHSL A/AA Swim and Dive Meet

See the full results from the meet here!

Photo Galleries: Five Complete Galleries from the Dulles District Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament!

Photos! Photos! Photos! We got'em at VivaLoudoun as we are linking to five photo galleries from the Dulles District boys and girls basketball tournament including two by VivaLoudoun editor Dan "Shooter" Sousa, two by Craig "Fatboy Photos" Sterbutzel and one by Gary "He is Not My Brother" Sousa ... click on the link or any photo to view the complete galleries with a grand total of 334 photos!

Gallery 1: Boys Final - Potomac Falls vs. Broad Run (includes All-District team and awards ceremony) by Dan Sousa
Gallery 2: Girls Final - Loudoun County vs. Freedom (includes All-District team and awards ceremony) By Dan Sousa
Gallery 3: Girls Final - Loudoun County vs. Freedom by Gary Sousa
Gallery 4: Boys Semifinal - Potomac Falls vs. Briar Woods by Craig Sterbutzel
Gallery 5: Boys Semifinal - Broad Run vs. Freedom by Craig Sterbutzel

Gallery 1




Gallery 2



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Gallery 4



Gallery 5

Basketball: Cedar Run Out of Luck for Area AAA Teams

(Feb. 22, 2010) - The Cedar Run District this season hast just five teams so one victory in the postseason basketball tournament guarantees teams a spot in the Northwest Region playoffs but an 0-3 night Saturday left Loudoun's AAA teams packing their gear.

While the road was going to be tough for Heritage High School, with the boys not even in the tournament after finishing fifth, and the No. 4 girls facing highly-ranked Stonewall Jackson, it appeared that Loudoun Valley had a good shot with the boys facing a top-seeded Battlefield team that they had beat earlier in the week, 44-20, and the No. 2 Viking girls hosting an Osbourn team that had swept this year, by eight and 18 points.

All three fell Saturday with the Heritage girls losing 67-30; Viking girls falling 56-51; and the Viking balls downed, 67-57.

Cedar Run District Girls Semifinal: Stonewall Jackson 67, Heritage 30
The Raiders led 34-11 at the half as the Pride ended their season with a 4-14 record. Ceara Scott led Heritage with nine points.

Cedar Run District Girls Semifinal: Osbourn 56, Loudoun Valley 51
LV (13-7, 6-3) – Sweet 24, Oden 13, Purnell 6, Blue 4, Beksel 2, Calhoun 1, Gutch 1 Totals 18 15-26 51
OHS – Scott 26, Johnson 20, Judy 6, Peters 4 Totals 11 29-38 56
Halftime: LV 25-17
Three-Point Field Goals: OHS 5 (Johnson 3, Peters, Scott)
Scoring By Quarters
Loudoun Valley 15 10 4 22 - 51
Osbourn 6 11 21 18 - 56

Loudoun Valley took on Osbourn High School on Saturday in the semifinals of the Cedar Run District Tournament. With a trip to the Championship game, and a birth in the regional tournament on the line, both teams battled for four quarters.

The Vikings got off to a quick start, converting on their first three possessions, while shutting down the Osbourn offense. Valley only allowed the Eagles to score from the foul line in the first quarter. The second quarter proved much of the same, with the 11 of the Eagles' 17 first half points coming from the charity stripe.

In the second half, the Vikings came out flat, turning over the ball and coming up empty on the offensive end. The Eagles took full advantage of their mistakes, outscoring the Vikes 21-4. Down by 9 going into the final frame, the Vikings rallied back with just over 4 minutes left. The game went back and forth with the lead being cut to 2. However, the Eagles proved too tough from the foul line, hitting on 14 of 19 in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings were led by Kayla Sweet's 24 points, and Chrystal Oden's 13 points and 9 rebounds.

The Vikings finish the season at 13-7 overall, and 6-3 in the district.

Cedar Run District Boys Semifinal: Battlefield 67, Loudoun Valley 57
LVHS 15 10 11 20 - 57
BHS 13 15 15 24 - 67
Cody Mangano scored a career high 26 points and had seven rebounds to lead the Vikings and John Yoxthimer had 11 points but Battlefield prevailed to clinch a regional bid. The Vikings end their season 10-10.