Swim: Striking Gold! BR's Sarman Wins 100 Fly, 200 IM, Leads Spartans to Relay Win; BW Girls Win Two Relays at State Meet

Full results now posted!

Watch the Broad Run High School 200 free relay team (Lane #4) win the VHSL A/AA state title Saturday (video courtesy of Paul Leidy)


(Feb. 21, 2010) - Broad Run High School junior Mark Sarman captured both the 200 IM and 100 fly titles at the VHSL A/AA state meet Saturday at Old Dominion University and helped the Spartan 200 free relay team to a state title as well. On the girls side, Briar Woods won not one but two relays as the Falcons swam away with the individual medley and 400 free titles.

The Briar Woods girls finished fourth in the meet and the Broad Run boys took fifth. Great results considering that Loudoun teams do not have divers that compete.

The Falcon girls with 163.5 points were just 10 points out of second place, trailing Lafayette (168) and Western Albemarle (173.5). Hidden Valley dominated with 285 points to win the girls meet.

On the boys side, Broad Run scored 149, just behind Lafayette at 153. Region II school Brentsville (206) won the boys meet followed by Hidden Valley (201) and Jefferson Forest (191).

Sarman, who posted an All-American time of 1:54.30 in the 200 IM win, was joined in the 200 free relay by sophomores Jacob Leidy and Alan Horback and senior Mike Poltash. They swam a 1:29.09 for the win.
Leidy was fifth in the 100 back (54.93) and sixth in the 200 IM (2:00.56).

"The whole team was so excited to get the state title. They all swam unbelievable fast splits," said Broad Run coach Beverly Kelley said.

The Broad Run boys also took fourth in the 400 free relay with Cameron Lucas joining Horback, Leidy and Sarman for a 3:22.30.

In the girls medley relay the Briar Woods quartet of freshman Caleigh Hensley, freshman Kristin Haufler, sophomore Alli Haufler, and senior Elise Guessford were state champions with an unofficial time of 1:50.60. And the same four girls combined for the Falcons 400 free relay win with Guessford, Kristin Haufler, Hensley, and Alli Haufler swimming an unofficial time of 3:36.14.

"Pretty much every other team in the state does (have a dive team), so to finish fourth when we receive zero points for diving is quite an accomplishment!," commented Briar Woods coach Jonathan Radow.

Alli Haufler placed second in the 100 fly with a 56.61 and she took 7th in the 200 free (1:57.99) while sister Kristin Haufler was 7th in the 100 free (54.41). Guessford finished up her Falcon career with a 5th in the 500 free (5:15.63) and 8th in the 200 free (1:59.00). Also in the 500, Dominion sophomore Jalyn Marks took 6th with a 5:16.18.

Also on the boys side, Briar Woods senior Nick Mason finished sixth in the 100 breast and eighth in the 200 free. Mason also joined junior Steffen Vater and senior Chris Farley and Ryan Faulkner to take 6th in the 200 medley relay with a 1:44.49.

The Freedom boys 200 free relay placed 5th with junior Ozan Duran, sophomore Andrew Smith, freshman Michael Harman and sophomore Nick Campbell swimming a 1:33.07.

At the AAA state meet, Heritage's Kaleigh Rosenburg was eighth in the 100 breast. Full results for AAA here.

Photo above courtesy of Paul Leidy. Photos below courtesy of Nick Mason

The Briar Woods quartet of Caleigh Hensley, Kristin Haufler, Alli Haufler, and Elise Guessford won two relays

The Briar Woods boys 6th in finals in the medley relay (Nick Mason, Ryan Faulkner, Steffan Vater, and Chris Farley). 

The Briar Woods quartet of Caleigh Hensley, Kristin Haufler, Alli Haufler, and Elise Guessford won two relays

Briar Woods state team

From left to right: Jacob Leidy (Broad Run), Mark Sarman (Broad Run), and Nick Mason (Briar Woods) with coach Bev Kelley from Broad Run. 

More Coverage on the State Meet
Loudoun swimmers certainly made a big splash with the strong finish of the Broad Run High School boys and Briar Woods girls at the AA state meet over the weekend, but the depth of Loudoun swimming showed all the way through the finals which were swam in two sections.

While they may have not scored in the top eight, those in the first finals had fast times, advanced after beating a deep field in the prelims and scored points for their teams. (See article here on swimmers that place in top eight from the meet)

The only local individual swimmer to touch first in the B finals was Broad Run's Alan Horback who swam a 22.79 to take ninth overall in the 50 free. The Briar Woods boys 400 free relay team of Chris Farley, Eric Guessford, Phillip Mardock and Nick Mason also finished first in their B final with a 3:26.47.

Taking 10th place overall included: Briar Woods' Kristin Haufler in the 50 free (25.38), Briar Woods' Caleigh Hensley in the 100 free (54.18), Freedom's Nick Campbell in the 100 back (56.89) and the Potomac Falls' Ariana Staffen in the 100 breast (1:11.49).

Staffen had a busy meet as she was also 14th in the 200 IM (2:16.94) and she swam with the Panther girls IM relay was was 13th (1:56.98) and included Carla Harvey, Carson Newton and Bridget Werner. And the Panther girls took 13th in the 200 free relay with Harvey, Newton and Werner joined by Elisa Kim (1:46.90).

In addition to the 100 back, Campbell took 14th in the free with a 1:50.95 and he was part of Freedom's boys 400 relay which took 13th, along with Ozan Duran, Michael Harmon and Chris Crampton (3:26.47).

More Loudoun swimmers in the Top 16
Boys IM relay - Broad Run 16th (Cameron Lucas, Mike Poltash, Will Metzfield, Rex Larabee) 1:50.08
Girls 200 free - Sophie Newton (LC) 14th, 2:02.07
Boys 500 free - Aidan O'Hara (Dom) 13th, 5:03.84
Boys 200 relay - Potomac Falls 12th (Alex Ternovski, Grant Decker, Gavin Saunders, Eoghan Foley) 1:34.65
Girls 100 back - Carla Harvey (PF) 12th, 1:02.53
Girls 100 back - Caleigh Hensley (BW) 13th, 1:02.65
Girls 100 back - Sophie Newton (LC) 16th, 1:03.26
Girls 100 breast - Sydney Collins (BW) 13th, 1:12.24
Girls 100 breast - Jalyn Marks (Dom) 14th, 1:12.29
Boys 400 relay - Potomac Falls 15th (Sean Hurrell, Riley Jamison, Alex Ternovski, Eoghan Foley) 3:34.27.

In the AAA meet there were also some strong finishes in the B finals with Heritage Damon Rosenburg taking ninth in the 100 breast with a 1:08.92. His sister, Kaleigh Rosenburg was 12th in the 200 IM with a 2:26.29.

Teammate Geoffrey Wright was 16th in the 50 free with a 25.34.

Loudoun Valley's Kelsey Ryan was 15th in the 100 fly (1:06.75) and 13th in the 100 back (1:07.79). The Valley boys 400 free relay of Capwell Taylor, Chris Rabung, Jack Parker and Christian Reinertson were 16th with a 1:44.00.

News: Loudoun Schools Slated to Open on Time Monday (Finally!)

This note from the Loudoun County Public Schools (cheering background by parents):

Hello. This is Superintendent Ed Hatrick calling with an update on school for Monday, February 22. Unless there is further inclement weather Sunday night all Loudoun County Public Schools will open on time and after school activity buses will run on a normal schedule.

Our first week back went very well because of everyone’s cooperation. We still have roads that will continue to require modified bus stops.

Please see the LCPS website at www.loudoun.k12.va.us for an updated list of modified bus stops. This list will be updated every evening until all routes are back to normal.

Please continue to exercise caution in driving and walking to bus stops and school. Thank you.

Wrestling: Broad Run's DiRenzo Takes 4th in State Meet, Finishes with Record 161 Career Wins; Freedom and Potomac Falls Combine for Five Medal Winners

(Feb. 21, 2010) - Broad Run High School senior Vince DiRenzo finished his great career with a fourth place finish at the VHSL AA state wrestling tournament this weekend in Salem and what is believed to be Loudoun's all-time mark for career wins with 161 total over four years. Freedom and Potomac Falls combined to send five wrestlers to the podium.

For Freedom, Chuong Le (119) and Charles Constantino (171) took fifth and Joseph Sheptock (145) took seventh. For Potomac Falls, Nick Rea (112) was sixth and Aaron Rowane (160) was 8th.

Christiansburg, came from behind in the finals, to win the meet for a ninth straight year. The Blue Demons finished with 175 points to edge Grundy at 166. Grundy, which won the meet 12 straight times between 1987 and 1998, led 162 to 154.5 heading into the finals. Fauquier, runner-up in last year's AAA state meet and winner of this year's Region II meet, finished third with 116 points.

Freedom placed 21st with 28 points. Region II had four of the top eight teams in the state with James Wood (65), Millbrook (64) and Sherando (62.5) finishing 6-7-8.

DiRenzo's final career win total of 161 is five better than Potomac Falls grad Paul Rowane's 156.

Click the Read More button below for finals, consolation finals, semifinals and quarterfinal results as well as team scores!

Gymnastics: Stone Bridge's Severin 6th on Bars, Valley's Huebner 6th on Floor at VHSL State Meet

(Feb. 21, 2010) - Loudoun Valley High School's Amanda Huebner finished sixth on the floor and Stone Bridge's Tori Severin was tied for sixth on the bars Saturday at the VHSL state meet.

Huebner scored 9.475 on the floor and Severin scored 9.575 on the bars.

In the All-Around, Broad Run's Drea Ewen was 10th with a 36.450.

Herndon's Maria Hayden won the All-Around in the meet held at Osbourn Park High School in Manassas with a 39.000 including wins on the beam (9.925) and floor (9.700). Salem's Maebelle Pacheco won the vault with a 9.900 and her teammate, Jenine Hutt, won on the beam with a 9.750.

Other top 15 finishes for Loudoun included Valley's Shae Spotts on the vault (9.475), BR's Ewen on the bars (9.400) and PF's Allie Daczkowski on the floor (9.375).

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

Super Saturday! Yesterday was the Biggest Single Day of the Winter Sports Season

(Feb. 21, 2010) - VHSL swim state titles! Dulles District tournament basketball drama! Cedar Run Basketball heartache! State wrestling! State gymnastics! And incredibly unfair Region II basketball brackets just released!

Yes, it was a exclamation point kind of day Saturday on the biggest winter sports day of the year with swimming, gymnastics and wrestling all wrapping up with state meets and basketball in district tournament excitement.

Please check back to VivaLoudoun as we wrap up the swim, wrestling and gymnastics state events, publish game stories, photo galleries and video interviews from the Dulles District basketball tournament and wrap up the Cedar Run tournament action.

Here is what to look for: Broad Run High School's Mark Sarman had a golden day at the VHSL A/AA state meet with first place finishes in the 200 IM and 100 fly as well as helping the Spartan boys to a first in the 200 free relay. The Briar Woods girls took gold in two relays with firsts in the IM relay and 400 free.

In basketball, by identical 69-58 scores, the Loudoun County girls and Potomac Falls boys wrapped up Dulles District tournament titles with wins over rivals, the Freedom girls and Broad Run boys. In the Cedar Run it was a tough night as all three local teams had their years ended with the Heritage and Loudoun Valley girls and Loudoun Valley boys all falling in the semifinals.

And there is more heartache in basketball as the Region II playoff system is totally out of balance with the complicated seeding format favoring the smaller 5-team Northwestern and Evergreen districts (which were formed from the larger Northwestern District after last year) as they placed a total of 8 out of 10 teams in the boys Division 3 and Division 4 playoffs.

To make matters worse, Potomac Falls and Broad Run, ranked most of the year in the top five in the state are on the same side of the bracket which means only one can advance to the regional finals and qualify for states. Potomac Falls is the top seed and No. 5 Broad Run travels to No. 4 Fauquier Tuesday and win would pit Broad Run at Potomac Falls on Thursday.

The Dulles District girls are in the same tough situation with defending state champions Loudoun County (No. 3 seed) and Freedom (No. 2 seed) both on the same side of the bracket and ranked behind Liberty despite the fact that both LC and Freedom beat Liberty head-to-head this season. LC hosts James Wood on Tuesday and a win would put the Raiders at Freedom for a fifth meeting this season and only one team advancing to the regional finals and states despite the fact that the two teams have each been ranked in the top three most of the season in the state.

Dulles District Basketball: "Big Four" Set for Saturday Showdown as Broad Run and Potomac Falls Boys Advance to Finals, Join LC and Freedom Girls

South Riding (Feb. 19, 2010) - It had to be.

The "big four" this season of Dulles District basektball -- Broad Run and Potomac Falls boys and Freedom and Loudoun County girls -- will meet Saturday night at Freedom High School with tournament titles on the line with the girls tipping off at 6 p.m. followed by the boys around 8 p.m.

It had to be as all four teams -- a combined 69-11 on the season with five of those losses coming against each other and five of the six others coming against AAA size or private schools -- have been ranked in the top five in the state all year by the Associated Press and they have been the class of the district.

For the girls it will be a fourth meeting on the year after Freedom took Loudoun County on Monday in a special playoff to determine the tournament's top seed. The boys are meeting for just a third time, with the series split, after a playoff was avoided when Broad Run was upset by Park View on the eve of the big snowstorms.

The dream match-ups were cemented Friday as regular season champion Potomac Falls (17-2) beat Briar Woods (9-10), 56-50, in a semifinal game that wasn't as close as the final score indicates as the Falcons, showing tremendous heart, poured in 27 points in the quarter quarter with the PF starters sitting most of the time on the bench.

The second semifinal was actually much closer even though the final score shows Broad Run on top, 68-46, over darkhorse Freedom which had upset Park View in the quarterfinals. It appears that loss knocked the Patriots out of the Region II Division 3 playoffs and the loss by BW Friday knocked them out of the Region II Division 4 playoffs. While the seedings won't be finalized until Sunday, it is likely that only Broad Run and Potomac Falls will advance from the Dulles.

On the girls side Thursday, it really wasn't close as Freedom blew out Park View, 76-38, and Loudoun County ran past Potomac Falls, 63-38.

In AAA Liberty District action Friday night, Stone Bridge fell to young but talented South Lakes, 55-40. The Bulldogs will advance to the next week's Northern Region tournament.

Dulles District Boys Semifinal: Potomac Falls 56, Briar Woods 50
Regular-season champion Potomac Falls High School took the court for the first time in 15 days but PF didn't show any rust, especially on the defensive end as Briar Woods and high-scoring sophomore Myles Tate were held to just two points in the first quarter.

Leading 9-2 heading into the second quarter, PF stretched the lead to 28-13 at the half and in the second half the advantage approached the 25+ range.

Junior Lukas Mihailovich had just four points in the first half for PF but he finished with a game-high 18 points and was one of 11 players to score for the Panthers as coach Jeff Hawes emptied his bench out. Junior Brendon Chesson carried the offensive load in the first half for PF, scoring nine of his 11. Juniors Zack Curran and Mickey Wagenhoffer each finished with seven points.

PF's height advantage translated into a lot of second -- and third -- opportunities for the Panthers in the paint and a trapping halfcourt defense forced BW into turnovers that resulted in transition baskets for PF.

Tate was held to one field goal in the first half but rallied to finish with 17, eight of that coming in the final quarter. Sophomore Correy Faciane scored nine for BW and senior Phillip Hardy showed a physical style of play off the bench and scored eight points.

Potomac Falls 56, Briar Woods 50
Briar Woods 2 11 10 27 - 50
Potomac Falls 13 15 14 14 - 56
Briar Woods: Tate 4 6-6 17, Faciane 3 0-0 9, Hardy 3 2-2 8, Calder 2 0-0 5, Nervegna 2 1-1 5, Burcak 1 0-0 3, Roush 1 0-2 2, Kaume 0 1-2 1. Totals 16 10-13 50.
Potomac Falls: Mihailovich 8 2-2 18, Chesson 2 6-6 11, Curran 3 0-0 7, Wagonhoffer 3 1-2 7, Graves 1 1-2 3, Hoover 1 1-2 3, Simoneau 1 0-0 2, Owens 1 0-1 2, Sweger 0 1-3 1, Hobby 0 1-2 1, Byrd 0 1-2 1. Totals 20 14-22 56.
3-Pointers: BW 8 (Tate 3, Faciane 3, Calder 1, Burcak 1), PF 2 (Chesson 1, Curran 1).

Dulles District Boys Semifinal: Broad Run 68, Freedom 46
Broad Run High School senior Kevin McGaughey, the district's Division 4 Player of the Year, reached a milestone in the fourth quarter of this win as he broke the 1,000-point career mark on the way to a game-high 20 points.

McGaughey knocked down two 3-pointers early and scored 10 in the first quarter as BR took a 17-10 lead.

Freedom, showing the poise and shooting ability that allowed them to upset the Patriots Wednesday, hung around, trailing anywhere from seven to 12 points until very late in the game when BR put the contest away on the line, making 9 of 12 foul shots.

BR junior Taylor Johnson had a strong second quarter, scoring eight of his 18 points and senior Ali Janjua scored nine points before fouling out with 5:30 left in the game and senior Ahmad Zafar finished with eight points.

Senior Brian Orr, who had a big game for Freedom in the PV win, got in early foul trouble and had just one field goal in the game before fouling out with 5:05 left in the contest.

Sophomore Sean O'Rourke (13 points), junior Taylor Barton (11 points), and junior Mark Muhlenberg (10 points) picked up the scoring slack for the Eagles, with all the players knocking down 3-pointers. Freshman Darren Hawkins scored seven and with four starters returning in 2010-11 Freedom should be an exciting team to watch under coach Derek Gaunt who took over the program this season.

Broad Run 68, Freedom 46
Freedom 10 15 12 9 - 46
Broad Run 17 18 12 21 - 68
Freedom: O'Rourke 6 0-0 13, Barton 3 4-6 11, Muhlenberg 4 1-2 10, Hawkins 3 1-4 7, Orr 1 3-4 5. Totals 17 9-16 46
Broad Run: McGaughey 6 6-9 20, TJohnson 6 5-8 18, Janjua 4 1-1 9, Zafar 3 2-2 8, DJohnson 1 2-4 4, Rawson 2 0-0 4, Maier 1 1-2 3, Salgado 1 0-0 2. 24 17-26 68.
3-Pointers Free 3 (O'Rourke 1, Barton 1, Muhlenberg 1), BR 3 (McGaughey 2, TJohnson 1)

Dulles District Girls Semifinal: Freedom 76, Park View 38
Freedom senior Kelsey Buchanan showed why the University of Delaware is welcoming her next year as she had a triple double in this win ... almost by the half as she finished the first two quarters with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks. Buchanan finished with a monster game: 20 points, 19 rebounds and 11 blocks.

Buchanan wasn't the only player having a big night as senior Brittani Poindexter came off the bench to set a school record with five 3-pointers, including four in the first half. She finished with 15 points. Also for Freedom, junior Dionna Scott scored 13 points with nine rebounds and senior Jessica Escorza, who will play at Wofford next year, scored 11 points with five assists.

Senior Jasmine Merritt, despite foul problems, scored eight points with 11 rebounds and junior Kim Koditek had six assists off the bench. Freedom led 45-15 at the half.

Park View freshman Chloe Owens, the district's Division 3 Player of the Year while Buchanan was the Division 4 Player of the Year, scored 12 of her game-high 23 points in the third quarter.

Complete boxscore

Dulles District Girls Semifinal: Loudoun County 63, Potomac Falls 38
Potomac Falls, with Raven Short in foul trouble and held to just two points in the first half, was close after the first quarter, trailing 11-10, but LC opened a 29-14 at halftime with seniors Alissa Kain and Kendra Holmes combining for 17 first half points.

County continued to pull away, leading by 17 after three quarters, and then outscored the Panthers 16-8 in the final frame to earn the 25-point win.

Holmes and Kain shared team-high scoring honors with 16 points apiece. Holmes was also big on the boards as she pulled down 15 rebounds. Kain contributed six rebounds to go along with five steals.

Junior Brittany Batts and Sophomore Erica Linnemann finished the night with 11 points each.

Sophomores Casey Cummings and Jenna Strange also played key roles as they combined for seven points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots.

For Potomac Falls, Symone Berry scored a game high 17 points with nine of those coming in the third quarter.

Loudoun County 63, Potomac Falls 38
P (12-6, 7-3) — Berry 17, Short 9, Perez 4, Baltimore 2, Battle 2, Jefferies 2, Stanley 2. Totals 15 5-8 38.
L (17-3, 8-1) — Holmes 16, A. Kain 16, Batts 11, Linnemann 11, Cummings 4, Strange 3, Lapple 2. Totals 23 15-19 63.
Halftime: Loudoun County, 29-14.
Three-point goals: P 3 (Berry, Short 2); L 2 (Batts, Linnemann).
Rebounds: L 40 (Holmes 15, A. Kain 6, Batts 4, Linnemann 4, Cummings 3, Strange 7, Lapple).
Assists: L 9 (Holmes 2, A. Kain, Batts 3, Linnemann 2, Strange).

Liberty District Girls Semifinal: South Lakes 55, Stone Bridge 40
South Lakes 13-12-15-15-55
Stone Bridge: 6-13-14-7-40
South Lakes: Tremba 16, Beard Fails 12, Sutton 10, Schultz 7, Kendall 6, Wardlow 4, Three pointers: Tremba 4, Sutton 2 foul line: 11 of 16
Stone Bridge:  Tiernan 17, Whitaker 10, Sleece 3, N Prince 3, C Prince 2, Dzurilla 2, Stancik 2, Guzek 1 Three pointers: Sleece 1, N. Prince 1 Foul line: 4 of 12

Dulles District Basketball: Boys Semifinals Tonight at Freedom High School

(Feb. 19, 2010) - The Dulles District boys basketball tournament features semifinal action tonight at Freedom High School with the surprising host Eagles, just 5-15 on the season, taking on Broad Run (18-2) at 8 p.m. preceded by Potomac Falls (16-2) vs. Briar Woods (9-9) at 6 p.m.

Can't make the game: It will be broadcast free online by the Raider Sports Network at www.lchsabc.org. Note: VivaLoudoun editor Dan Sousa is doing the color commentary but please do not hold that against the Raiders booster club!

Freedom advanced with a 65-62 upset over No. 3 seed Park View on Wednesday. Broad Run took care of Dominion, 66-48, to advance and Briar Woods beat Loudoun County, 72-52, for the school's first ever playoff win in boys hoops with sophomore Myles Tate scoring 29 points.


Freedom 21 12 18 14 - 65
Park View 13 13 16 20 - 62

Freedom 2ptM 3ptM FTM FTA R A TP
Barton, Taylor 3 0 3 4 9
Hawkins, Darren 2 0 2 3 6
Muhlenberg, Mark 3 0 7 8 13
O'Rourke, Sean 1 1 1 2 6
Orr, Brian 9 0 3 8 21
Schemmel, Chris 0 1 0 0 3
Thompson, Chuck 1 1 2 2 7
Freedom-South Riding totals: 19 3 27 18 0 0 65

Park View 2ptM 3ptM FTM FTA R A TP
Absher, Dante 1 0 0 0 2
Dombkowski, Alec 0 1 0 0 3
French, Tim 7 1 2 4 19
Horvath, Cody 1 0 1 1 3
Lee, Brandon 1 0 0 0 2
McCarter, Ryan 6 0 7 11 19
Owens, Jordan 7 0 0 0 14
Park View totals: 23 2 16 10 0 0 62

Liberty District Basketball: Coach of Year Jones Sees His Girls Advance; Player of the Year Brown, Bulldogs Hopes Dashed with 1.4 Seconds Left

Click on the photo to see an entire gallery by Craig Sterbutzel


Ashburn (Feb. 19, 2010) - Stone Bridge High School girls coach Chris Jones and junior Nik Brown picked up some nice honors this week with Jones being named the Liberty District Coach of the Year and Brown being honored as the boys Player of the Year. They came away from Thursday's district quarterfinal doubleheader at Stone Bridge with mixed emotions.

Jones saw his girls clinch a Northern Region bid after they overcame a slow start to defeat Fairfax, 53-45, but Brown and the Bulldogs saw their season come to a shocking end as McLean erased a 9-point fourth quarter deficit and then send the game into overtime when Gordon Rogo made three clutch free throws with 1.4 seconds left. The Highlanders then held SB without a field goal in the extra period to escape with the 70-67 upset.

For Stone Bridge, the hottest district team prior to the snowstorms including a win over district champ Langley, the season ends at 13-6 and a fifth straight year without a AAA regional appearance.

Girls Game: Stone Bridge 53, Fairfax 45
Bulldog freshman Murielle Tiernan had eight rebounds to go with her team-high 12 points in the win.

Sakai Williams, Maggie Schierling (defensively), and Kayleigh Guzek had strong all around games.

After trailing by seven early, SB picked up the tempo of the game and scored 25 second quarter points by forcing a number of turnovers.

Both teams tightened the defense in the third quarter. In the final quarter, after Fairfax closed the margin to four, Williams hit a big 3-pointer to change the momentum back to Stone Bridge's favor.

The Bulldogs then spread the court for the final two minutes and made 9 of 12 free throws late in the game to seal the win.

Girls Basketball - Liberty Quarterfinal
Stone Bridge 4 25 6 18 - 53
Fairfax 9 14 8 14 - 45
Halftime: Stone Bridge 29, Fairfax 23


Stone Bridge:
M. Tiernan 12, S. Williams 11, Scierling 7, Whitaker 6, Guzek 6, Sleece , C. Prince 4, Gouveia 2 Three pointers: Williams 2, Sleece 1 Foul line:  14 of 22


Fairfax:
Burford 19, McNaughton 7, Patterson 7, B. Gladney 7, Freeman 2, A, Gladney 2, Sharpe 1 Three pointers:  Burford 1 Foul Line:  16 of 23

Boys game: McLean 70, Stone Bridge 67 (OT)
It was a fairly close game throughout with SB up 27-25 at halftime. McLean was very effective with their "triangle" stall game.

In the mid-fourth quarter, SB pushed the lead to nine points and forced McLean to get out of their zone.

The Bulldogs, however, did not execute very well down the stretch and let McLean tie the game up with 1.4 seconds left on three foul shots by Gordon Rogo after he was fouled behind the 3-point arc. Even though Rogo was just 2 of 7 from the line during the rest of the game, he calmly made all three, including the final shot to tie the game after SB had called time out to ice him.

Rogo's clutch shooting left it tied 61-61 heading into OT.

In overtime, all of SB points came from the foul line.

Boys Basketball - Liberty Quartefinal
Stone Bridge
Player 2pt FG 3pt FG FTM-A REB PTS
Nik Brown 8 0 10-10 26
James Wells 5 1 3-7 16
Richie Berry 5 1 2-4 15
Kyle Gouveia 2 0 0-0 4
Sam Tripp 1 0 2-2 4
Ryan Lowdermilk 0 0 2-2 2
Totals 21 2 19-25 67


McLean
Player 2pt FG 3pt FG FTM-A REB PTS
Phil Bouchard 6 0 6-8 18
Jake Pierce 0 5 0-0 15
Sean Fitzgerald 3 0 5-8 11
Gordon Rogo 3 0 5-10 11
Sango Amolo 3 0 2-2 8
Thomas Van Wazer 2 0 1-1 5
Romeo KC 0 0 2-2 2
Evan Straka 0 0 0-0 0
Totals 17 5 21-31 70

2009-2010 Liberty District Men’s Basketball Honors
Player of the Year: Nik Brown, Stone Bridge High School

1st TEAM
Austin Kriz - Langley High School
Daniel McClain - Marshall High School
Richard Berry - Stone Bridge High School
Joseph Daye - South Lakes High School
Colin Jones - Langley High School

2nd TEAM
Will Simonto - Marshall High School
Jordan Kuchel - Fairfax High School
Daniel Barnes - Thomas Jefferson High School
Stanley Watts - Marshall High School
Joey Kiffe - Langley High School

HONORABLE MENTION
Phil Bouchard - McLean High School
Ramin Shaheedian - South Lakes High School
TJ Ehrsam Madison - High School
Gordon Rogo McLean - High School
Austin Vasiliadis - Langley High School


ALL DEFENSIVE-TEAM
Defensive Player of the Year: Will Simonton, Marshall High School
Joey Kiffe - Langley High School
Nik Brown - Stone Bridge High School
Jazz Holley - Fairfax High School
Jordan Kuchel - Fairfax High School
Darius Smith - South Lakes High School
Gordon Rogo - McLean High School
Daniel Barnes - Thomas Jefferson High School
TJ Ehrsam - Madison High School

Coach of the Year: Travis Hess, Langley High School

2009-2010 Liberty Women’s Basketball All-District Teams


Player of the Year: Lauren Burford, Fairfax High School

1st TEAM
Erin Kavanagh - James Madison High School
Kristen Kody - Langley High School
Zoe Beard-Fails - South Lakes High School
Shannon Ericksson - Thomas Jefferson HS Science & Tech
Andie Romness - McLean High School

2nd TEAM
Theresa Hackett - George C. Marshall High School
Cori Prince - Stone Bridge High School
Marlena Tremba - South Lakes High School
Liz McNaughton - Fairfax High School
Melissa Wilson - McLean High School
Ashlei Sutton - South Lakes High School
Anna Jay - James Madison High School

3rd TEAM
Carlie Zirkle - George C. Marshall High School
Sarah Schrock - James Madison High School
Caitlin Baker - McLean High School
Sakai Williams - Stone Bridge High School
Alexis Doherty - Langley High School

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Khristin Kyllo - James Madison High School
Natalie Kendall - South Lakes High School
Maggie Schierling - Stone Bridge High School
Kristen Kody - Langley High School
Kristina Bettner - McLean High School
Amanda Gladney - Fairfax High School
Theresa Hackett - George C. Marshall
Shannon Ericksson - Thomas Jefferson H.S. Science & Tech
Coach of the Year: Chris Jones, Stone Bridge High School

All-Star Team
*Lauren Burford - Fairfax
*Erin Kavanagh - Madison
*Kristen Kody - Langley
*Theresa Hackett - Marshall
*Melissa Wilson - McLean
Carlie Zirkle - Marshall
Caitlin Baker – McLean
Sakai Williams – Stone Bridge
Alexis Dogherty - Langley

INJURED but may be able to play…Jasmine Jones – South Lakes
Deep ALTERNATES : Natalie Kendall (SL), Kristin Kyllo (Mad.), Lauren Hurlburt (Mar.), Caleigh Patterson (FFX), Sarah Stancik (SB), Mary Riley Pembroke (LAN)

Wrestling: Dulles District Sends Six Wrestlers to Tonight's AA State Quarterfinals

Salem (Feb. 19, 2010) - The Dulles District got off to a good start Friday at the VHSL state wrestling meet with six athletes winning their opening matches, including three Freedom High School wrestlers, to advance to this evening's quarterfinals at the Salem Civic Center.

Advancing from Freedom were Chuoung Le at 119 via pin at 3:35, Thomas Philbrick at 135 with a 5-3 decision and Joseph Sheptock at 145 with a fall at 4:36. Potomac Falls advanced two wrestlers with Mike Oswald winning by fall at 1:36 at 140 and Aaron Rowane at 160 with a 12-8 victory.

The other area wrestler to advance was Broad Run's Vince DiRenzo at 135 with a major 11-1 decision.

Six wrestlers moved into consolations after falling in their opening match: Nick Rea (PF) at 112, Tyler Anthony (LC) at 119, Batchka Zulhkuu (PF) at 130, Kenton Perez (LC) at 152, Charles Constantino (Free) at 171 and Zack Duffin (PF) at 215.

Complete Schedule here!

Photo Gallery: Region II Wrestling

Click on any photo to view the complete gallery with 200+ shots!

Gymnastics: Stone Bridge Just Misses VHSL State Meet Team Slot, Four Bulldogs Advance

(Feb. 19, 2010) - The Stone Bridge High School gymnastics squad missed a trip to the VHSL state meet by less than a point as Stone Bridge was edged for second place in the Northern Region meet Wednesday by Herndon, 142.050 to 141.625.

Chantilly won the meet with 143.37. Only two teams advance but Stone Bridge will send four athletes in individual events including Tori Severin, who was second on the bars with a 9.650, Kelly McCabe, Casey Merwin and Amy Fissmer.

The state meet is Saturday at Osbourn Park High School.

Northern Region Meet at Lake Braddock
1st Chantilly 143.37
2nd Herndon 142.050
3rd Stone Bridge 141.625
3rd Washington Lee 141.625
5th Langley 135.450
6th Woodson 133.950
7th Lake Braddock 133.050
8th Falls Church 129.575

Top Bulldog Finishers advancing to the State Individual Competition on Saturday Feb 20th:
Bars: 2nd Tori Severin 9.650
Beam: 7th Tori Severin 8.850, 8th Kelly McCabe 8.775
Floor: 4th Casey Merwin 9.3, 6th Amy Fissmer 8.975, 7th Kelly McCabe 8.975

Ice Hockey: Stone Bridge Secures No. 1 Playoff Spot with Win Over Woodbridge; Briar Woods, Potomac Falls Skate in Playoffs Tonight

(Feb. 19, 2010) - The Stone Bridge high School ice hockey team finished an undefeated regular season and wrapped up the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League No. 1 playoff seed with a 3-1 win over Woodbridge on Wednesday.

No. 6 seed Briar Woods (7-2-1) opens the playoffs tonight against No. 11 Madison (4-5-1) at 6:15 p.m. at the Ashburn Ice House East. No. 9 Potomac Falls (5-3-2) goes against No. 8 Oakton (7-3-0) at 6:15 p.m. in Reston at SkateQuest. Broad Run, a traditional power, did not make the playoffs at 3-5-2.

The three-time league champion Bulldogs (01-02, 02-03, 07-08) finish the regular season 10-0-0 with 83 goals scored and just seven allowed. On Wednesday, after a scoreless first period, Stone Bridge struck for two goals in less than two minutes midway through the second with Dillon Miller and Andrew Baron scoring.

The Vikings scored in the final seconds of the second to make it 2-1 heading into the third but SB goalie Tanner Jones was solid in the third and Josh Buckingham added an insurance goal with 14:20 left in the contest.

NVSHL Playoffs seeds
1, Stone Bridge (10-0-0)
2, Herndon (9-1-0)
3, Langley (8-1-1)
4, Woodbridge (7-2-0)
5, Westfield (8-2-0)
6, Briar Woods (7-2-1)
7, McLean (7-3-0)
8, Oakton (7-3-0)
9, Potomac Falls (5-3-2)
10, Paul VI (5-4-1)
11, Madison (4-5-1)
12, winner of Forest Park vs. St.Stephens/St.Agnes game Sat.

NVSHL Playoffs
Round 1: Friday, February 19
Game 1 Briar Woods vs Madison 6:15 PM PM AIH East
Game 2 Potomac Falls vs Oakton 6:15 PM SkateQuest of Reston (Oly)
Game 3 McLean vs Paul VI 8:00 PM SkateQuest of Reston (Oly)

Sunday, February 21/2010
Game 4 Westfield vs TBD 7:30 PM AIH East

Stone Bridge 3, Woodbridge 1
Wednesday February 17, 2010
Ashburn Ice House - West

Scoring
1st Period
No Scoring

2nd Period
9:07 Stone Bridge 8 Dillon Miller (Assisted by: 16 Rosenblatt)
7:10 Stone Bridge 99 Andrew Baron (Assisted by: 24 Ross)
0:27 Woodbridge 14 Dylan Talbot

3rd Period
14:20 Stone Bridge 21 Joshua Buckingham


Penalties
1st Period
8:47 Stone Bridge 24 Ross Slashing 2 minutes

2nd Period
8:29 Woodbridge 32 Cordova Roughing 2 minutes
4:54 Stone Bridge 12 Donovan Tripping 2 minutes
1:32 Woodbridge 21 Kostrzebski Holding 2 minutes
0:27 Stone Bridge 77 Young Slashing 2 minutes

3rd Period
14:36 Stone Bridge 91 Bullen Kneeing 2 minutes

Basketball: Thursday Night Scoreboard - McLean Shocks Stone Bridge Boys in OT; SB Girls Advance; Round 4 Freedom vs. LC Set

Boys Basketball
AAA Cedar Run 
Regular Season
Battlefield 80, Heritage 45
Stonewall Jackson 64, Loudoun Valley 55

AAA Liberty 
Quarterfinals
McLean 70, Stone Bridge 67 (OT)
South Lakes 73, Fairfax 65
Langley 46, Madison 35
Marshall 58, TJ31


Girls Basketball
AAA Cedar Run
Regular Season
Stonewall Jackson 54, Loudoun Valley 38
Heritage 48, Battlefield 37

AAA Liberty 
Quarterfinals
Stone Bridge 53, Fairfax 45
McLean 47, Langley 38
Madison 56, TJ 45
South Lakes 69, Marshall 59

AA Dulles
Semifinals
Freedom 76, Park View 38
Loudoun County 63, Potomac Falls 38

Girls Basketball: Dulles District Semifinals Tonight at Freedom

Loudoun County senior Alissa Kain broke the 1,000-point career mark Wednesday night in the Raider's quarterfinal win over Briar Woods

South Riding (Sept 18 2010)-Dulles District girls basketball semifinals will be held at Freedom High School tonight with the host Eagles playing Park View at 6 pm and Loudoun County facing Potomac Falls at 8 pm

Photo Gallery: Gymnastics-A/AA State Qualifier

Click on the photo to see the whole gallery

Photo Gallery: 2010 Dulles District Gymnastics Meet Awards

Click on any photo to see the full gallery

Basketball: Dulles District Quarterfinals Scoreboard - No. 6 Seed Freedom Boys Upset Park View, No. 5 PV Girls Upset Broad Run

Dulles District Boys Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 1 Potomac Falls - bye
No. 2 Broad Run 66, No. 7 Dominion 48
No. 6 Freedom 65, No. 3 Park View 61
No. 4 Briar Woods 72, No. 5 Loudoun County 52

Semifinals at Freedom Friday
No. 1 Potomac Falls vs. No. 4 Briar Woods, 6
No. 2 Broad Run vs. No. 6 Freedom, 8

Dulles District Girls Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 1 Freedom - bye
No. 2 Loudoun County 73, No. 7 Briar Woods 51
No. 3 Potomac Falls 50, No. 6 Dominion 39
No. 5 Park View 38, No. 4 Broad Run 35

Semifinals at Freedom Thursday
No. 1 Freedom vs. No. 5 Park View
No. 2 Loudoun County vs. No. 3 Potomac Falls

Basketball: Valley Gets Back to Cedar Run Action with Key Boys, Girls Wins

(Feb. 17, 2010) - The Loudoun Valley High School boys and girls basketball teams were back in action Tuesday after nearly two weeks off due to the snowstorms and both teams emerged with key AAA Cedar Run District wins over Battlefield.

The Viking boys, in a defensive gem, held the first place Bobcats to two points in the first and third quarters and went on to win 44-20. The Viking girls edged the Bobcats, 40-37, to clinch second place in the district.

Osbourn swept Heritage in boys and girls action Tuesday.

Boys: Valley 44, Battlefield 20
BHS: 2-5-2-11=20
LVHS: 4-8-18-14=44
John Yoxthimer had 14 points and 6 rebounds to lead the Vikings over first place Battlefield. The Vikings defense held Battlefield to nine points in three quarters. The Vikings improve to 3-4 in the district and 10-8 overall with a showdown with second place Stonewall Jackson on Thursday.

Girls: Loudoun Valley 40, Battlefield 37
LV (13-5, 6-1) – Oden 22, Calhoun 8, Blue 5, Sweet 5 Totals 16 8-13 40
BHS – Lewis 12, Cordle 8, Jones 8, Mitchell 7, Figgins 2 Totals 15 5-10 37
Halftime: BHS 20-14
Three-Point Field Goals: Battlefield 2 (Cordle)

Scoring By Quarters
Loudoun Valley 6 8 11 15 40
Battlefield 13 7 8 9 37

After more than a week’s vacation, getting back on the court proved slow going for the as traveled to Battlefield to try and lock up a home court tournament game this weekend.

Early on the Vikings struggled from the floor, settling for outside shots against the Bobcat zone. Defensively, Battlefield controlled the boards and got some easy put backs to take a 13-7 first quarter lead. Late in the second quarter, Valley began a comeback and took the momentum into the locker room behind Chrystal Oden’s last second lay-up.

Coming out in the third, the Vikings were attacking the lane, and closed the gap to three heading into the final frame. In the fourth, the Viking’s Chrystal Oden took over, scoring 10 of the team’s 15 points. With a physical battle on the court and controversy at the scorer’s table, the team stayed focused and sealed the game from the foul line.

Chrystal Oden led the Vikings with a career high 22 points and 14 rebounds. The Vikings will wrap up the regular season at home on Thursday against Stonewall Jackson, and prepare to play Osbourn in the first round of the district tournament on Friday at Loudoun Valley.

Note: Congratulations to the Freshman and JV girls teams who also came away with wins. The Freshman team has wrapped up their season with an impressive record of 12-1.

Girls: Osbourn 66, Heritage 55
OSBOURN 66, HERITAGE 55 H (3-14, 1-3) — Scott 12, Evans 10, Whoolery 9, Grabbi 7, Nibbelink 5, Paskowski 4, Surles 4, Smart 2, McDonald 1, Reilly 1. Totals 18 16-24 55.
O (0-0, 0-0) — Scott 26, Johnson 22, Peters 8, Judy 4, Cruz 2, Rodgers 2, Rollins 2. Totals 21 18-29 66.
Halftime: Osbourn, 32-24.
Three-point goals: H 3 (Scott, Whoolery, Nibbelink); O 6 (Scott 2, Johnson 2, Peters 2).

Boys: Osbourn 97, Heritage 66
OSBOURN (15-5, 6-2)
Thomas 1 1-1 3, Giddens 2 3-5 7, Bedford 2 2-2 6, Lane 10 2-3 28, Roberson 1 1-4 3, Delaney 5 2-3 12, Carter 8 8-10 24, Dufrene 4 0-0 8, Freeman 2 2-3 6. Totals 35 21-31 97.
HERITAGE
Swanson 0 2-2 2, Nelson 3 0-0 6, Calhoun 8 3-4 21, Cavan 2 1-3 5, Russell 4 5-6 16, Demtler 1 2-2 4, Arbogast 3 1-2 8, Summers 1 2-2 4. Totals 22 16-21 66.
Halftime: Osbourn 48-19. 3-point goals: Osbourn 6 (Lane 6), Heritage 8 (Russell 3, Calhoun 2, Cavan 2, Arbogast).

Volleyball: Loudoun's Finest Took to the Courts at the Massive 4th Annual Capitol Hill Volleyball Classic

(Feb. 17, 2010) - Loudoun's best volleyball players, more than 100 strong, took to the volleyball courts from Saturday through Monday at the Washington Convention Center for the fourth annual Capitol Hill Volleyball Classic.

The massive tournament featured nearly 500 teams on 65 courts, some from as far away as The Netherlands, Florida and Colorado.

Click here to read the full article on the background of the tournament from the Gazette.net

For more on the tournament including results, go here!

Some of the Loudoun players on teams active over the weekend included:

News: Tuscarora Reschedules "Meet the Coach Night" for Feb. 23

Leesburg (Feb. 17, 2010) - Tuscarora High School has rescheduled its "Meet the Coach" night for Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Loudoun County High School auditorium.

New football coach Mike Burnett, golf coach Jeff Kaplan and cross country coach Becky Puterio will be on hand.

News: VIP Baseball Selects Final Three Names for Minor League Team

Sterling (Feb. 15, 2010) – VIP Baseball announced the finalists in its “Name the Team” Contest and has opened up voting for the final decision on its website: http://www.vipbaseball.net.

Having culled through hundreds of names submitted by fans over the last two months, VIP Baseball narrowed down the three finalists to:

Dulles Blue Heron
Virginia Silver Stars
Loudoun Hounds

“VIP Baseball has been absolutely overwhelmed by the great names we’ve received from our growing fan base and we had a difficult time winnowing this list down to just three,” said Bob Farren VIP’s Managing Partner. “These names reflect some of the most popular submissions and reflect the team’s unique place in the area’s history and environment.”

More on Each Name:

Basketball: Dulles District Tournament Tips Off Tonight with Quarterfinals

(Feb. 17, 2010) - It doesn't matter what you did in the regular season because now it is tournament time and with a couple of wins, teams can propel themselves into the postseason.

The Dulles District tips off first with quarterfinal action tonight. There is only one doubleheader on the schedule, at Broad Run High School where the Spartan girls host Park View at 6 p.m. followed by the Spartan boys against Dominion.

The full schedule (all games except for at BR are 7 p.m.):

Dulles District Boys Tournament
No. 1 Potomac Falls - bye
No. 7 Dominion at No. 2 Broad Run
No. 6 Freedom at No. 3 Park View
No. 5 Loudoun County at No. 4 Briar Woods

Dulles District Girls Tournament
No. 1 Freedom - bye
No. 7 Briar Woods at No. 2 Loudoun County
No. 6 Dominion at No. 3 Potomac Falls
No. 5 Park View at No. 4 Broad Run

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa - Griffis Couldn't Pass Up Broad Run Opportunity

On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa

Ashburn (Feb. 17, 2010) - The evolution of Matt Griffis' decision to leave his offensive coordinator position at Stone Bridge High School, where it was assumed that he would someday lead the Bulldog program after Mickey Thompson retired, went something like ...

First, a couple of years ago, around 2005, Griffis -- who has been coaching with Thompson for 14 years including four seasons at Park View and then all 10 that Stone Bridge has been opened --decided: I want to be a head coach.

And even though there were positions that might have been his for the asking, he had other considerations off the field such as a young family -- three children age five and younger, including a 1-year-old -- and so the timing was not right.

Then a year ago, Griffis, mentally took the next step and said: I think I'm ready to be a head coach.

The Bulldogs had just won a VHSL Division 5 state title in 2007 and then went undefeated in 2008 before losing to Phoebus in the state semifinals. The work Griffis had done with Patrick Thompson, turning the head coach's son from a tight end into a quarterback that shattered school passing records, put Griffis on everybody's who-should-get-the-next-head-coaching-position radar.

Yet, it wasn't that easy for Griffis as loyalty is paramount to the Herndon High School and Radford University graduate and he wasn't going to leave Stone Bridge just so he could put "head coach" on his resume.

His ideal position was one with community support and a community that he could support as he wanted to land a job where he could build a lasting impression and not just have it be a stepping stone to the next gig. He needed a "Wow" position and that is just what happened last month with Mike Burnett decided to leave Broad Run High School after back-to-back Division 4 state titles and a 28-game winning streak to open Tuscarora High School in Leesburg.

"For me, I have to live in the community where I coach and I didn't want to move my family to take a position. I was comfortable working with Coach Thompson until he retired and then the Broad Run position opened and I said "wow!".

Wow indeed ... and talk about a win-win situation for both school and coach.

Girls Basketball: Freedom Clinches Dulles District Top Seed with 76-60 Playoff Win Over Loudoun County

Freedom's Kesley Buchanan and Jessica Escorza Postgame!

Sterling (Feb. 17, 2010) - Each of the three girls basketball contests this season between respective defending VHSL state champions, Freedom and Loudoun County, have played out to a different script.

In December it was defending Division 3 champion Freedom, moving up to Division 4 this season, falling behind early to defending Division 4 champ LC, and despite point guard Jessica Escorza going out with an injury, the Eagles took over at the end of the first quarter and controlled things the rest of the way for a 57-52 win in South Riding.

In January it was Loudoun County falling behind big in the first half, but with Freedom in foul trouble, a hot-shooting Raider team rallied behind the support of their home fans in Leesburg for a 57-40 win.

On Monday, on a neutral court at Park View High School for a one-game Dulles District playoff game, it was Loudoun County missing a key starter -- sophomore Jenna Strange, out sick -- falling behind big again, 40-21, in the second half before another second half rally. The Raiders came all the way back to lead for the first and only time in the contest, 55-54, on a Kendra Holmes layin with 5:10 to go but County, much like Freedom in the previous game, was in foul trouble and the Raider comeback ran out of gas as the Eagles cemented a 76-60 at the foul line by making 22 of 33 in the contest including 11 of 16 in the final quarter. The Raiders finished 12 of 23 from the line for a 20-point difference.

Kelsey Buchanan, who later that day would be named the Dulles District Player of the Year for Division 4, registered a double-double in the win with a game-high 24 points and game-high 15 rebounds. Unlike the loss in Leesburg, the Eagles showed good scoring balance with three others in double digits including Escorza (15), Dionna Scott (14) and Alexis Mayo (10).

After Escorza made a nice feed to Buchanan to put Freedom up 56-55 with 4:56 to go, Mayo changed the complexion of the game with back-to-back steals. She made a free throw and Buchanan had a true tip-in to put Freedom up 59-55 with 4:13. When Scott ran the fast break and turned a layin into an "And One" it was 62-55 and the Raiders struggled to make field goals, finishing with just one in the final five minutes of the contest.

Holmes, who fouled out with 52 seconds left, finished with her own double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. Brittany Batts scored 17 for LC and Alissa Kain added 12. Casey Cummings, making the start in place of Strange, had 14 rebounds for the Raiders.

Freedom (15-4) earned the district's top seed and a bye in tonight's tournament quarterfinal action while LC (15-3) takes the No. 2 seed and will host Briar Woods tonight at 7 p.m. The two teams could meet again Saturday in the district finals and it appears that they will be placed on the same side of the bracket for regionals so a possible fifth and final meeting would come in the Region II tournament with only one team able to defend its state crown.

Before teams are district co-champs and will raise banners after the season.

Full box from the game!