Viva Loudoun: Founding Sponsor APEX Gymnastics Back Again to Support Our 2012-13 Sports Coverage

(Sept. 6, 2012) - From the very first day that we started Viva Loudoun we have had the support of the great folks at APEX Gymnastics and we are pleased to announce that once again they will be a major sponsor for our 2012-13 year of high school and youth sports coverage.

APEX Gymnastics will be the sole sponsor of all our gymnastics coverage for the next 12 months.

Viva Loudoun is seeking sponsors for our coverage of other sports including football, volleyball, cross country and cheer this fall. Your ad will be placed within each story we run on the sport your sponsor so this is a great way to reach your target audience. If interested, contact Dan Sousa at 703.509.8826 or dan.sousa@vivaloudoun.com.

Viva Loudoun expects more than 2.5 million page views this year on the website with more than 3,000 people following our Twitter feed and almost another 3,000 following us on Facebook.

Check out our latest sponsorship opportunities and ad rates here!

Photo Gallery: Football - Stone Bridge vs. Robinson by Steven Holland

(Sept. 6, 2012) - The Stone Bridge High School football team opened the 2012 season with a big win over Robinson and pro photographer Steven Holland was on the sidelines and has posted a photo gallery with 362 shots!

Volleyball: Loudoun County Only Unbeaten Dulles District Team After Three Matches

(Sept. 5, 2012) - Loudoun County High School's quest for a 7th straight Dulles District title has gotten off to a quick start as the Raiders are the only unbeaten team in the 10-school Dulles District after knocking off Leesburg rival Heritage on Tuesday night.

Briar Woods, the only other Dulles team to come into action Tuesday at 2-0 besides Loudoun County and Heritage, was beaten by Tuscarora Tuesday.

Volleyball
Dulles District Tuesday Round-up
Tuscarora def. Briar Woods, 3-1 (28-26, 25-19, 15-25, 25-18)
The Skinny:  Huskies led by: Claudia Le Maitre 21 Digs; Jami Adler 12 Kills; Margaret von Wodtke 12 Kills; Julia Walsh 44 Assists.

Loudoun Valley def. Dominion, 3-0
The Skinny: (please send updates to dan.sousa@vivaloudoun.com)

Loudoun County def. Heritage, 3-0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-18)
The Skinny: Loudoun County dominated front line play and served tough to sweep Heritage  Tuesday night in Leesburg. The Lady Raiders were led by Taylor Huewe (12 kills, 6 digs, 4 blocks, 2 service points), Maggie Phillips (8 kills, 1 block, 1 dig), Jane Feddersen (4 kills, 6 service points, 5 blocks, 3 aces, 1 dig), Nicole Orndorff (4 kills), Rachel Roberts (2 blocks, 1 kill), Quinn O'Connell (2 kills, 3 digs, 1 assist), Megan Fox (8 assists, 5 service points, 1 aces), Mandy Powers (8 assists, 4 service points, 3 digs), Hannah Vandegrift (8 assists, 9 service points, 1 aces), Kelsey Slack (7 digs, 14 service points, 2 aces), Kelsey Anderson (4 digs, 2.57 passing rating), Emily Solis (4 digs, 2 service points), Taylor Borup (1 kill), Kirsten Covell (1 kill, 1 assist). 

The JV Raiders remained undefeated with another sweep over the Pride 25-11, 25-8. The Freshmen Raiders played solid to a sweep over Heritage 25-8, 25-9. Leading the Raiders to victory were Elyse Serafin (6 aces), and Alyssa Paige (4 kills).

For the Pride in the varsity match: Kills- Busa 7 Emerald- 2 Fowler- 3 Lydon-1 Montanez- 6 Schneider- 1 Blocks- Busa- 1 Fowler-1, 1 assisted Montanez- 1 assisted Points- Busa- 3 Crammer- 6 Fowler- 2 Schneider- 3 Assists- Crammer- 14

Champe def. Park View, 3-1
The Skinny: (please send updates to dan.sousa@vivaloudoun.com)

Potomac Falls def. Woodgrove, 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-21)
The Skinny: Panthers led by: Kayla Carlton 13 kills, 13 digs, 1 ace and 3 service points; Makaely Thomas 7 kills, 12 digs, 3 aces, 8 service points and 2 blocks; Holly Carlton 1 kills, 4 Aces, 11 service points, 7 digs and 4 Assists; Eileen Fauteux 15 assists, 1 kill, 1 blocks, 2 aces, 6 service points and 15 digs; Patricia Mook 1 kill, 3 blocks, 2 digs, 1 ace and 3 service points; Olivia Camera 2 aces, 4 service points, 8 digs; Jasmine Ellison 2 digs, 1 kill, 1 assist; Melanie Gonzalez 7 digs, 5 service points; Ivette Headley 1 kill, 1 dig.

Non-District
Stone Bridge def. Broad Run, 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18)
The Skinny: Bulldogs improve to 3-0 on season with this non-district win over Ashburn rival Spartans. For SB: Ryan Ackermann with 12 kills, 14 digs, 1 block; Cydney Gill 22 assists, 6 digs, 1 ace; Kelly Stancik 8 assists, 2 digs, 1 ace; Libby Haslett 7 kills, 4 blocks, 3 digs, 2 aces; Mariah Brantley 8 kills, 12 digs; Megan Bryn 4 kills, 6 digs, 1 ace; Sarah Fairchild 1 kill, 25 digs, 2 aces; Shannon Williams 4 kills.

Volleyball: Oakton Wins NVVA Invitational, Broad Run Takes 5th in 16 School Tournament

(Sept. 5, 2012) - Oakton High School captured the second annual NVVA Invitational with Broad Run finishing fifth in the 16-school event in Sterling.

The all-tournament team included: MVP senior outside hitter Misa Mori (Oakton), senior setter Marissa Perez (Madison), senior opposite hitter Tara Wilkins (Oakton), junior outside hitter Allison Bruder (South County), sophommore outside hitter Grace Coleman (Westfield), senior setter Emma Olson (Oakton), senior Libero Dana Robertson (South County) and junior Libero Christina Williams (Oakton). 

Broad Run opened the tournament Friday with wins over Robinson, 2-1, and Marshall, 2-0. Then on Saturday, the Spartans fell to eventual runner-up South County, 2-0, before bouncing back with wins over Chantilly, 2-0, and Fairfax, 2-0.

Final Standings

News: Good Shepherd Alliance 8th Walk for Shelter Set for Sept. 15 in Leesburg

(Sept. 5, 2012) - The Good Shepherd Alliance (GSA), which serves the homeless and those living in poverty in Northern Virginia, will hold its 8th annual Walk for Shelter on Sept. 15 in Leesburg.

Boys Lacrosse: Briar Woods Senior Patrick Fleming to Play Next Year at Christopher Newport University

Ashburn (Sept. 5, 2012) - The fourth straight year a Briar Woods High School boys lacrosse athlete has committed to play in college as senior Patrick Fleming verbally committed to play at Christopher Newport University next year. 

Fleming at attack has helped the Falcons captured the last two Dulles District regular-season and tournament championships. The Christopher Newport 2012 men's lacrosse roster included five players from Loudoun: Griffin Donovan (Heritage), Zakary Burkhard (Heritage), Hunter Conrath (Loudoun Valley), Michael Mabry (Broad Run) and Ricky Reyes (Stone Bridge).

 

Redskins vs. Saints: Mike Shanahan, Robert Griffin III, Aaron Kromer, Drew Brees Press Conferences

(Sept. 5, 2012) - Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan and rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III and New Orleans Saints interim coach Aaron Kromer and quarterback Drew Brees held press conferences Wednesday in advance of their NFL season opener in New Orleans Sunday.

Highlights included Shanahan saying that safety Brandon Meriweather will be out 2-to-4 weeks with a sprained MCL injury.

Robert Griffin III on his NFL debut Sunday: "It's every kid's dream to play in the NFL ..."

Kromer, who will be coaching his first NFL game as a head coach Sunday, on the Saints tumultuous offseason: "We've had so many things happen to this team since [the suspension of Head Coach] Sean Payton -- whether it be hurricanes, suspensions -- a lot of things have happened to this team. This is a resilient bunch ..."

And Brees revealed that he has already faced RG3 .. .during Super Bowl week when they squared off against each other in the Madden Bowl: "There was more trash talking than talking and talking shop. It was fun ... Little did we know at the time that we would be playing in the first game against each other -- or that our teams would be playing each other."

Full transcripts courtesy of the Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins vs. New Orleans Saints: Injury Report Sept. 5

(Sept. 5, 2012) - Here is the injury report released today for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints:

Injury Report for Wednesday (9/5/12) 
Washington Redskins
Out 
None listed

Did Not Participate in Practice
Pos. Player Injury
S Brandon Meriweather Knee

Limited Participation in Practice
Pos. Player Injury
DT Chris Baker Ankle

Full Participation in Practice
Pos. Player Injury
G Kory Lichtensteiger Knee
LB Brian Orakpo Chest
CB Josh Wilson Abdomen

College Corner: Broad Run Grad Caitlin Hunter a Soccer Sensation at D1 UNC-Wilmington

College Corner with editor Noelle Dormio

Courtesy of UNCW

(Sept 4, 2012) - 2009 Broad Run High School grad Caitlin Hunter  honored for solid opening weekend with UNC-Wilmington's women's soccer team!

Senior keeper Caitlin Hunter was recognized by various outlets for her play at the Hilton Garden Inn Hokie Invitational in mid-August ... On Aug. 20, Hunter was named the Colonial Athletic Association Women's Soccer Co-Player-of-the-Week and was selected as the CAA Player-of-the-Week by the online publication College Sports Madness ... Hunter was also selected as the keeper for the Soccer America Women's Team-of-the-Week on Aug. 22 ... Hunter allowed just one goal in 211:37 in guiding the Seahawks to a 0-1-1 result against two ranked opponents at the Hilton Garden Inn Hokie Invitational ... The Ashburn, Va., product made six saves in a 1-0 double-overtime loss to host No. 22 Virginia Tech in the season opener on Aug. 17 before posting 10 saves in a 0-0 draw against No. 3 Wake Forest on Aug. 19 to record her eighth career shutout.

Read More on Caitlin and her team here

College Corner: Freedom Grad Jasmine Jackson Future Star Outside Hitter for D1 Delaware State Hornets

College Corner with editor Noelle Dormio

Courtesy of Delaware State

(Sept 4, 2012) - Freedom High School grad Jasmine Jackson is the future Outside Hitting star for the NCAA Division I Delaware State Hornets but for now she is racking up the point for the Hornets.  

DSU looked to bounce back from a disappointing 2011 seaon at the USNC Courtyard Wilmington Beach Bash.  The Seahawks took a commanding lead in the third set, scoring 14 of the first 15 points. The Hornets countered with a 6-0 run led by freshman Jackson (South Riding, Va.) including three aces to pull DSU within 21-11. UNCW kept their pace however and finished the set and match with a 25-14 victory. 

Read More

Football: Play Week 3 of Viva Loudoun's You Pick'Em Contest and Amaze Your Friends at Your Knowledge!

(Sept. 5, 2012) - We start Week 3 of our Viva Loudoun high school football You Pick'Em contest. Not only is it fun to play but last night it was voted country music fans favorite local website You Pick'Em contest with a surprise performance of the Viva "Fox" mascot singing "If I Pick Young" with The Band Perry ...

(Time out ... we watched the CMT Music Awards and this did NOT happen ... but please read on ...)

The contest is simple, you pick the winner's of the local high school football games (complete the form below!) and if you win for the week ... you get an awesome Viva Loudoun t-shirt that recently was spotted on a Polar Bear at the North Pole ...

Each week we will keep your record and at the end of the year the top player will get $100 in their pocket and $100 given to their local Loudoun high school of choice (hey, our site is called Viva Loudoun ... not Viva Manassas ...). Runner-up gets $50 and third place gets $25.

How do we have these cash prizes to give out ... a little thing called our Swiss Bank Account ... just teasing ... it is because Gayle King of CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty is our sponsor. If you see her ... THANK her!

Fine print: Employees of the Washington Post that point out our typos in this section each week are simply just showing off but we love them any way ... If you have lived in Loudoun for more than 20 years and get stuck in traffic on the way to a game then just clap your hands three times and shout "We aren't in Ashburn anymore!" ... If you miss more than three games last week then drop down and give us 10 burpee's ... no seriously, we are waiting for you to do those burpee's ... The "Fox" sees everything! ... Remember when local programs used to cut players from JV and now many of the schools can't field a JV football team ... We reserve the right to test your picks for performance enhancing TI-84+ calculator usage ... Can it be long before students at John Champe High School come up with t-shirts that read "What would J.C. do ..." ... Josh Freeman or Jay Cutler in the 8th round of our fantasy football draft for back-up QB ... quickly as we are on the clock right now ... Enjoy and drive safely!

Photo Galleries: Volleyball - John Champe at Tuscarora Varsity, JV and Freshman Matches by Jeff Scudder

(Sept. 5, 2012) - Back with a bag full of brand new gear, Jeff Scudder is back shooting volleyball matches around Loudoun this fall for Viva Loudoun. Check out his three galleries from last week's John Champe at Tuscarora high school matches:

Varsity Volleyball: John Champe at Tuscarora (165 shots!)
JV Volleyball: John Champe at Tuscarora (79 shots!)
Freshman Volleyball: John Champe at Tuscarora (60 shots!)


Varsity
 

 JV
   


 Freshman
 

You Pick'Em: It was a Good Week for West Virginia as Mtneer32 is the Weekly Winner

(Sept. 4, 2012) - So it really was a good week for West Virginia football fans as their college football team rolled to victory and in Viva Loudoun's You Pick'Em high school football contest it was "Mtneer32" of Charles Town claiming the weekly top prize as well as one of three fans perfect on the season at 20-0!

Mtneer32 was one of nine fans (out of 156 playing!) to go 10-0 and had a 21-10 Briar Woods over Broad Run tiebreaker score to take the cool Viva t-shirt. Mtneer32 is now 20-0 on the season along with Mr. Dubya (indeed!) of Sterling and Boring of Leesburg. (We have sent out a search party for all those Ashburn fans that ruled the standings last year ...)

The LoCo Media Experts showed that they weren't so loco after all as more than half of the 11-member panel went 10-0. There is a 4-way tied at the top for the media with Alanna Dvorak and Moe Murphy of the Loudoun Times-Mirror locked with Andy Hayes of Gameday and Paul Tenorio of the Washington Post.

The LoCo Media Experts are playing not only for glory but the overall season winner will have $100 donated to their favorite charity! The defending champion is Washington Post prep man-about-region Matt Brooks.

Our fans are playing for an overall season prize of $100 to the winner (plus $100 to their favorite Loudoun high school) with second place netting $50 and third place $25. Last year our champion was Roger James with Broad Run collecting money for his win. Jane Baker was runner-up and Potomac Falls state champion basketball coach Jeff Hawes was third!

And a super big shout out to the sponsor of our You Pick'Em Gayle King of CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty ... her generous support allows us to fund the cash prizes! So give her a thumbs up the next time you see her at a local game!

Redskins: Set Roster, Ready for Season Opener with New Orleans Saints

(Sept. 3, 2012) - The Washington Redskins roster for the 2012 season is set and the team is less than a week away from its season opener on Sunday Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Projected starters not only include rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III but also Westfield High School product Evan Royster at running back.

Washington Redskins Week 1 Projected Starters

College Corner: Loudoun County Grad Josh Showalter, Briar Woods Grad Melissa Rizor Named USA South XC Rookies of the Week

College Update with Dan Sousa

Melissa Rizor

(Sept. 3, 2012) - Loudoun County High School graduate Josh Showalter and Briar Woods High School freshman Melissa Rizor, both freshmen at Christopher Newport University, have been named USA South Athletic Conference Cross Country Rookie of the Week.

Both Showalter and Rizor kicked off their post high school careers in flying fashion at the CNU/VWC Opener at Bells Mill Park. Showalter was second in a field of 43 competitors on the men's side, posting a 20:24.92 in the 6K race, trailing only teammate Ray Gamache, who ran a 20:24.36 and was named USA South Runner of the Week.

Josh Showalter

Rizor led the Captains and second overall with a 19:56.78 in the field of 46 runners. Her performance topped all other freshmen in the 5K meet. The Captains won both the women and men's team titles at the meet.

CNU has three other local runners: FR Lydia Cromwell (Woodgrove), FR Karissa Love (Tuscarora), and SO Elizabeth Stephens (Freedom)

Men's Results: 1, CNU 17. 2, Ohio Valley 52. 3, Virginia Wesleyan 71.
Women's Results: 1, CNU 22. 2, Virginia Wesleyan 56. 3, Mary Baldwin 77.

Photo Gallery: Football - Briar Woods at Broad Run by Dan Sousa

(Sept. 3, 2012) - Viva Loudoun editor Dan Sousa was on the sidelines for Friday's huge varsity high school football game between Briar Woods and Broad Run. Check out all 142 shots here!

Football: Briar Woods Rallies for 20-15 Win at Broad Run

Ashburn (Sept. 2, 2012) - The Briar Woods High School football team led Friday night for just 24 seconds of the 24 minute big non-district showdown at Broad Run but it was the right 24 seconds for the Falcons as they rallied behind senior running back Cory Colder and junior quarterback Trace McSorley for a dramatic 20-15 win over the Spartans.

2-time defending VHSL Division 4 state champion Briar Woods (2-0) won for the 16th straight game dating back to Broad Run's 14-0 win to open the 2011 season. It appeared as if the Spartans (1-1) would make it two straight over the Falcons after sophomore quarterback Brady Reitzel (102 yards rushing, 71 yards passing) led Broad Run to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Falcons defense, playing without South Carolina super recruit Matt Rolin who was on crutches on the sidelines after tweaking his ankle in practice during the week, didn't allow another point and the Briar Woods offense, trailing 15-8 at the half, rallied for two scores in the final 4:44 of the game including Colder's 9-yard TD scamper with 24 seconds to go.

News: Stone Bridge Earns 2011 Northern Virginia Football Officials Association Sportsmanship Award

Ashburn (Sept. 2, 2012) - Stone Bridge High School has received the 2011 Football Sportsmanship Award from the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association (NVFOA). 

Stone Bridge athletic administration released a statement thanking "all members of the Stone Bridge community for the high game standards and positive attitudes displayed throughout the course of the year."

Softball: Woodgrove Senior Ashley Cole Commits to Lehigh University

Purcellville (Sept. 2, 2012) -  Woodgrove High School senior centerfielder Ashley Cole has committed to play softball at Lehigh University last week.

She selected Lehigh over a number of other Division I opportunities because of its outstanding academics and successful softball program. Cole is a two time 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-Region, and 1st Team All-District selection.

This past season she was also a 1st Team All-Met selection and was named to the Class of 2013 All-American Team by MaxPreps. Cole has been the leading hitter the past two seasons for Woodgrove and helped them to the VVHSL AA state championship in 2012 and a runner-up finish in 2011.

Cole batted .579 in the regular season in 2012 and .489 overall with 40 RBIs and 38 runs scored. Cole also stole 44 bases which was a new single season VHSL record.

She currently carries a 4.28 GPA and plans on majoring in business at Lehigh.

 This past season, Lehigh won the Patriot league for the 14th time and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 8th time under Head Coach Fran Troyan.

Football: Stone Bridge Special Teams Key 31-14 Win Over Robinson to Open Season

(Sept. 2, 2012) - The Stone Bridge High offense didn't score a touchdown last year in a 3-0 season-opening win over Robinson and the Bulldogs looked like they might do it again Friday night as they relied on two first-half punt return scores for a 17-0 halftime lead over the Rams.

Stone Bridge's offense -- with TD runs by Cameron Reynolds and Ryan Burns -- finally got in the end zone in the final quarter and the Bulldogs came away with a solid 31-14 win over non-district win a big Division 6 Northern Virginia program.

Golf: Heritage Senior Ryan Douglass Commits to East Carolina for Next Year

(Sept. 2, 2012) - Heritage High School senior Ryan Douglass has committed to the NCAA Division I East Carolina University golf team next year.

The Pirates made their first ever NCAA Championship finals appearance in the spring after finishing second at the Athens Regional.

Douglass made the AA state tournament last year as an individual shooting 160 (79-81) in the 2-day event.

Volleyball: Dominion Senior Taylor Reed Commits to Play at George Mason Next Year

Sterling (Sept. 2, 2012) - Dominion High School senior Taylor Reed has committed to play volleyball next year at NCAA Division I George Mason University.

Reed had 184 kills and 98 aces last season for the Titans along with 91 digs and 252 assists. The versatile players can play outside hitter, setter or Libero. As a junior she had personal bests of 16 kills in one match and 43 assists in another match.

Photography: Shoot for Viva Loudoun This Season!

(Sept. 2, 2012) - Somebody joked after the first week of the football season that it looked like Viva Loudoun had a photo gallery from every varsity football game that night ... we wish! Here at Viva Loudoun we love all the photo galleries -- they are simply fun to look at and great for families to purchase for memories.

Viva Loudoun does not have any staff photographers but we rely on a group of freelancers who love to shoot the high school games and many of them are as good as the top sports photo journalists! If you would like to shoot for Viva Loudoun and add your photos to our galleries, drop us a note at dan.sousa@vivaloudoun.com.

Photographers working with Viva Loudoun get media passes that allow great access to shoot games and we will even give you a Viva t-shirt to wear at games so fans know where to find your photos! The best news: photographers shooting for Viva retain all rights to their work and receive 90 percent of the profit from any photo sales. That is hard to beat!

Football: Postgame Video Interviews with Briar Woods Trace McSorley and Cory Colder

Briar Woods JR quarterback Trace McSorley engineered two fourth quarter TD drives as the Falcons rallied at Broad Run for a 20-15 win Friday night.


Briar Woods SR running back Cory Colder was big down the stretch and scored the winning touchdown with 24.6 seconds remaining in the game

Photo courtesy Joel Wolcott. Check out his gallery from this game  here!

Football Friday Night Scoreboard Aug. 31

(Sept. 1, 2012) - The Viva Loudoun high school football scoreboard:

Loudoun Scores
Briar Woods 20, Broad Run 15
Freedom 30, John Champe 14
Heritage 26, Hedgesville (WV) 16
Kettle Run 42, Potomac Falls 13
Liberty 28, Park View 0
Loudoun Valley 52, James Wood 19
Stone Bridge 31, Robinson 14
Woodgrove 65, Brentsville 0

Fairfax Scores
Centreville 28, Lake Braddock 27
Chantilly 48, Woodson 7
Fairfax 28, Annandale 19
Hayfield 36, South County 35
Langley 42, Herndon 14
McLean 14, Washington-Lee 12
Oakton 35, James Madison 13
R.E. Lee-Springfield 47, Marshall 7
Stuart 35, George Mason 6
T.C. Williams 73, Wakefield 0
Thomas Jefferson 28, Falls Church 12
Westfield 51, South Lakes 13
West Potomac 34, Mount Vernon 7
West Springfield 49, Edison 19
Yorktown 32, Bowie (MD) 28

Prince William Scores
Colonial Forge 19, Forest Park 0
East Rockingham 50, Manassas Park 26
Hylton 10, Battlefield 0
Mountain View 39, Osbourn 7
North Stafford 13, Potomac 8
Patriot 38, Brooke Point 27
Stonewall Jackson 32, Gar-Field 7
Woodbridge 27, Franklin County 7

AA Region II Scores
Eastern View 24, Charlottesville 20
Fauquier 30, Culpeper County 8
Goochland 42, Fluvanna 7
Louisa County 48, Orange 0
Millbrook 27, Broadway 14
Monticello 24, Albemarle 21
Musselman (WV) 21, Sherando 19
Powhatan 26, Grafton 21
Warren County 27, Clarke County 9

AAA Northwest Region Scores
Amherst County 39, William Fleming 3
E.C. Glass 17, Halifax County 6
George Washington-Danville 41, Person (NC) 7
James Monroe 24, Stafford 12
Massaponax 21, Chancellor 14

Riverbend 25, Courtland 9