By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, DigitalSports.com
**Teams are listed alphabetically.
CENTREVILLE
Last Year: 1-9 (0-7)
Coach: Gerry Pannoni, 7-14 at Centreville
Returning Starters: 7 offense/8 defense
Key Losses: OL/DL Luke Bowanko (Virginia), LB Mike Upham (Monmouth), TE Zach Glatter (Princeton)
Somehow, the Concorde \team that returns the most starters is still its youngest.
Three Centreville freshman started or saw significant playing time last year: Linebacker Ken Hickenham, receiver Chase Walter and Connor Coward, a cornerback and receiver that Wildcat Coach Gerry Pannoni calls his best athlete.
The trio is part of 12 sophomores that started the first scrimmage this preseason against T.C. Williams, joining linemen Justin Baker and Matt Lee, as well as dual backfield threat Greg Fields, a transfer from Paul VI.
Sophomore linebacker and running back Manny Smith tore his MCL at the end of last season, but is fully recovered.
One starter that is still in his recovery phase is senior quarterback Cam Walter,
who tore his labrum in April and will not play full-time until at least
Week 3. While junior Chance Roman, who throws a very catchable ball,
will be his replacement, Pannoni said Cam Walter’s on-field leadership
is irreplaceable.
“When Cam plays, our team is at a different level,” Pannoni said. “In terms of on the
field, he’s the one that makes everything happen. He’s the one that
takes control of everything on the field.
“Without him on the field, we
don’t necessary have a quarterback that’s going to do that right now.”
The two standout seniors on the roster, aside from the signal caller,
will be needed to lead this young unit into the region’s most difficult
schedule.
Wide receiver Warren Denny is
an exceptional talent and returning first-team all-district selection.
While Pannoni is going to try to limit him to offense-only, Denny may seem
some time at defensive back, where he played last year. He had 20
receptions in two preseason games.
Offensive lineman and linebacker Holland Anderson
will play both sides of the ball, although Pannoni would rather save
his energy. But Anderson’s talents — and his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame
— are needed on offense and defense.
Senior leadership will be vital for the Wildcats, who face the
toughest-schedule in the Northern Region, by far. Their average
opponent had 8.2 wins last season. Only one other team, West
Springfield, has a schedule with opponents averaging more than 6.9 wins.
“In our 10-game schedule, there are nine playoff teams and the one non-playoff team is Robinson,”
Pannoni said. “You better consider them a playoff team. If they don’t
beat you, they’ll beat the snot out of you. They’re always a good team.”
Game to Watch: Week 5: Oct. 2 vs Mount Vernon
CHANTILLY
Last Year: 9-4 (5-2)
Coach: Mike Lalli, 5th year, 46-46 career record, 31-17 at Chantilly
Returning Starters: 2 offense/1 defense
Key Losses: RB Torrian Pace (Youngstown State), LB/OG Isaac Sine (Marist), QB Roger Strittmatter, OT Andrew Crawford, C Brendan Murphy
Due to unparalleled roster depth, high turnover means less in the Concorde District than elsewhere. Robinson won the state title in 2001 after graduating 43 starters the prior season. And Westfield graduated 21 starters from its state-championship team before last year and still was “upset” by Chantilly in the regional semifinals — fans don’t storm the field for games they expect to win.
Hopefully, those stories serve as encouragement for the Chargers. They only return three total starters from their regional runner-up team from a year ago.
All five starting lineman, the starting quarterback and a two-time first-team all-state running back are gone from the offensive side of the ball alone.
“There’s
a large learning curve for some of our guys,” fifth-year coach Mike Lalli said. “It’s not that guys didn’t play
at all. We have juniors that played. But as far as starting, we didn’t
have much there.
“It’s going to be a big transition this year.”
Two offensive guards, seniors Matt Soroko and Matt Bradenburg, have game experience and will be looked up onfor leadership. Joining them on the line is junior Brian Morrow, a junior varsity star from last season.
Senior linebacker Danny Lauro will play a similar role on defense as the two Charger guards on the line. Junior defensive tackles Nick Peccleston and Dante Verme were season-long JV starters in 2008 and now make up the starting varsity interior line.
Two-way senior Kris Martin and the only defensive starter back. He will line up in the secondary and at wide receiver.
Running back is the biggest question mark for Chantilly, not for what it returns, but for what it lost. Three-year starter Torrian Pace rushed for 2,717 yards on
290 carries and scored 33
touchdowns as a senior, the 11th-highest yardage total in Virginia High School League history.
Lalli said his new crop of running backs are smaller than Pace, but are faster. Seniors Mike Ferris and Kevin Rudorfer will assume that duty. With the quarterback position still up for grabs, establishing the running game is more critical for the Chargers than any other team.
But Lalli said they not hide behind a completely new starting lineup and accept mediocrity.
“The
expectation here is to always to make the playoffs,” he said. “We feel that
anything can happen in the playoffs. From our experience, [in 2006], we
weren’t expecting to win and made it to the state title game.
“The
next year when we expected to win and lost in the first round. We feel
like if we can get to the playoffs, good things can happen from there.
That’s the expectation at our school, to make it to the playoffs every
year.”
Game to Watch: Week 8: Oct. 23 at Westfield
HERNDON
Last Year: 6-5 (3-3)
Coach: Joe Sheaffer, 3rd year, 11-10 career record
Returning Starters: 6 offense/6 defense
Key Losses: OT/DT Jake Feldman, LB/TE Zach Leach, OG/DE Mustafa Morrad
Since the final two weeks of 2007 — home wins over Robinson and Oakton — Herndon is 8-5 and has added victories over Centreville and Westfield to its resume. There has not between a below-.500 season for the region’s second-most northern team since 2002.
And constantly putting together competitive seasons has caused the rest of the Concorde District to take notice.
“There kind of like the quiet giant out there,” one rival coach said. “They keep getting
better each year. Coach [Joe] Sheaffer is taking charge and I definitely
respect them. And I think they’re going to step up this year.”
Sheaffer, in his third season, claims he — and the Hornets — are well aware of the attention
“They know that. Our kids are confident that if they keep getting
better, we can compete with anybody we play with,” he said. “I think the biggest
thing we have to get these kids to understand, too, is that just
because we had some success last year and we have a bunch of kids
coming back, doesn’t mean we’re just going to be walking out there and
doing all these things that they want to do without putting in the
work.”
Where the most work is needed, according to Sheaffer, is along the offensive and defensive line, where graduation hit Herndon hardest.
Second-team all-region two-way tackle Jake Feldman and guard-defensive end Mustafa Morrad headline the departures. While third-year starting quarterback, senior Zack Ozycz, senior wide receiver Nick Impellizzeri and senior running back Devon Thompson all return, Sheaffer recognizes the importance of lineman to Concorde success.
“There’s a lot of pros and cons there,” he said of his 12 returning starters. “A lot of the kids we have coming
back, obviously, are skill kids. That obviously makes us farther along
than where we’ve been as far as those kids go: Receiver, running back,
fullback, quarterback [and] defensive back.
“The cons are that the kids we
lost are the kids we’re having a real big issue replacing are on the
line. In our district, that’s huge.”
One player Sheaffer said will be an X-factor is junior guard Steven Singh. Singh starred on junior varsity last year, but made two varsity appearances. Also, junior Ronnie Cooke will fill holes at linebacker and fullback. While Sheaffer said he may not start, he will see big-time minutes on both sides of the ball.
Under center, Ozycz learned a deeper playback for the second-consecutive offseason. With so many linemen to replace, Sheaffer stressed the importance of a consistent passing game, which would take defensive players out of the box.
Expect Ozycz, one of three returning starting quarterbacks in the district, to have more depth on his drops and mix in more play-action this year.
His favorite targets will be Impellizzeri, his No. 1 receiver last year, and senior receiver Abi-Drey Totow will see more offensive snaps to utilize his 6-foot-2 frame. Senior receiver Brian Curran did not play last year, but will figure into the mix.
Thompson, too, will often see the ball coming his way through the air.
“He’s a running back, but he’s probably one of our best receivers,” Sheaffer said. “We’ll try to get the ball in his hands as much as we can in the slot position.”
Game to Watch: Week 7: Oct. 16 vs Oakton
OAKTON
Last Year: 13-1 (7-0), Division 6 Northern Region champion
Coach: Joe Thompson, 7th year, 51-20 career record
Returning Starters: 7 offense/2 defense
Key Losses:
RB Trey Watts, RB Jon Meadows, QB Chris Coyer (Temple), LB Jack Tyler,
LB Joey McCallum, WR Jay Young; TE Wade Reynolds; DB Kevin Culkin
A summer removed from its third Northern Region championship this
decade, Oakton has its entire offensive line back in tact.
And that’s
about it.
The Cougars return just two defensive starters. And a pair of wide
receivers is all that returns offensively, aside from the linemen.
On that line, though, senior center Austin Mayhugh and senior guard Jonathan Hart
each received all-region recognition in 2008. And, defensively, one of
the two returning starters was an all-state defensive back, senior Andrew Leonard. Senior down lineman Scott Stangeby is the other returner.
Junior Jimmy Boone steps up to replace Chris Coyer, now at Temple, and is absolutely loved by the Cougar staff. He is the only non-senior team captain.
Two two-year starters leave at running back, so juniors Luke Willis and Jordan Willetts and senior Mike Greene can expect to see the bulk of the carries. Senior receivers Matt Chandler and Ray Goins — who will double as a place kicker — are the only two offensive returners aside from the linemen.
Even with such high defensive turnover and new pieces at the skill positions, seventh-year Oakton Coach Joe Thompson has not lowered the expectations for this team.
“Obviously, [last year’s players] wanted to win championships and this
group does, too” he said. “We start with that goal in mind that we want
to win championships, but the reality is: The way to win those
championships is to win reps, win plays, win a quarter. In order to do
those things, we have to go as hard as we can every play. I felt like
there were times before 2008 where our teams didn’t do that, and it
cost us games.
“Last year, their ‘Finish 15 as 1’ was built off of a concept that they
have to concentrate and get through every rep, so that they can keep
playing. As a group, they didn’t want to give up that opportunity to
play together. These guys want to finish.”
Game to Watch: Week 5: Oct. 2 vs Edison
ROBINSON
Last Year: 5-5 (3-3)
Coach: Mark Bendorf, 13th year, 111-30 career record
Returning Starters: 6 offense/6 defense
Key Losses: RB Alex Murray, RB Wynton Fox, QB
Timmy Meier. DE Jordan Stanton (James Madison), DE Ryan Holder
(Georgetown)
In 2007, Robinson sneaked into the playoffs with a 5-5 record, but beat defending state runner-up Chantilly and was a last-minute field goal from beating West Springfield.
Then, last season, it led eventual regional champion Oakton, 21-9, late in the first half before a last-second, second-quarter score spurred the Cougars to a come-from-behind, 12-point victory.
Still, the Rams rebounded with back-to-back wins over Herndon and Fairfax in which Robinson combined for 90 points. It just missed the playoffs at 5-5, leaving many wondering what could have been.
“Were we happy with turning in our stuff before Thanksgiving? No. But
you have to decide what you’re going to use as your measuring stick,” 13th-year Ram Coach Mark Bendorf said.
“The amount of improvement we made last year was very satisfying from a
coaching standpoint.
“Bottom line is that it would be very interesting
to think if we got a playoff berth to see what we could have done.
Because with what we were doing at the end, you never know.”
To keep their pads on in November, Robinson needs to find quick replacements for a trio of three-year starters in the backfield. Running backs Alex Murray (1,200 yards) and Wynton Fox (913 yards), as well as quarterback Timmy Meier, all depart and bring with them a wealth of experience.
Bendorf says the Rams will be without a specific feature back, but will have carries split amongst a quartet of backs, including senior two-way contributor Connor Riley, who had 15 carries for 75 yards last year. Speedy senior Jared Velasquez, senior Alex Lapian and junior Kambulu “K.B.” Musokotwane will all get carries, too.
Out wide, 6-foot-4 standout junior Matt Zanellato is entering his third year as a starter and made second-team all-region as a sophomore in 2008. He had 21 receptions for 346 yards and two scores. Expect a steep increase in numbers as Bendorf finds more ways to get him touches.
Having such a reliable target will shorten the learning curve for junior quarterback Mike LoPresti, who made two appearances last year. Bendorf praised LoPresti’s intellect and his offseason dedication.
Defensively, the Rams look to replace a pair of Division I defensive ends: Jordan Stanton (James Madison), who made the all-state team, and Ryan Holder (Georgetown).
Leading that effort is three-year starting linebacker, senior Brian Laiti, who is committed to Virginia Tech. He made a team-high 147 tackles last year, but Bendorf hopes those around Laiti chip into that total in 2009.
“I’d prefer he’d not have to make that many tackles and would get a
little more productivity out of his teammates and I think that he will,” Bendorf said. “He’s picking up tendencies, he’s diagnosing things, he’s recognizing
things and communicating back to his teammates.
“He’s making sure that
everybody is lined up right, he’s picking up pull tendencies, he’s
picking up route releases. The biggest thing he’s offered right now is
on game night when the coaches can’t cross that white line.”
If years past serve as any kind of example, early-season wins are imperative for the Ram postseason. But area coaches agree that those wins will determine Robinson’s playoff seeding, not its entry.
“They have that wide receiver that everyone knows about. But their tight end and running backs look like grown men,” an out-of-district coach said. “I think they’ll definitely be lock for the playoffs this year, if not pushing for a top seed.”
Game to Watch: Week 7: Oct. 16 vs Westfield
WESTFIELD
Last Year: 9-3 (5-2)
Coach: Tom Verbanic, 10th year, 170-53 career record, 88-18 at Westfield
Returning Starters: 3 offense/1 defense
Key Losses: RB Jordan Anderson, LB/FB Ben Casper, OL Tyler Barfield (Virginia Tech walk-on), OL Tyler Delph, OL Jacob Ryder, WR Cole McInturff, WR/DB Zach Sargent, DE Charlie Ohrnberger, C Tommy Verbanic
It serves as no surprise that the school with the largest student population in Virginia usually has the largest number of graduating seniors. But that also means it has the largest pool of underclassmen from which to find replacements.
Westfield only returns four starters, but has a handful of rising juniors and seniors that are as talented as any in Northern Virginia.
Leading the charge are two of those returners, senior quarterback Danny Fenyak and senior linebacker Dylan Doty. Quarterbacks coach Brian Day said Doty will be used much like first-team all-state linebacker Brian Kennedy was during the Bulldogs’ state title run in 2007. Kennedy averaged under 10 carries per game, but averaged over nine yards per carry that season.
Junior left guard Devin Ferguson started two games when Taylor Delph was injured and will be called upon, along side senior left tackle Ryan Knowlan, to lead the offensive front.
The defensive line will be anchored by seniors B.J. Bordley and Daniel Krizay, as well as junior Hunter Paulette, all of whom have varsity playing experience.
In the defensive backfield, seniors Vinnie Caparossi, Nick Grinups and Ryan Sweet aim to shut down opposing district passing attacks that will only have two returning quarterbacks. Junior Harry Van Trees is the only non-senior in the secondary, but will have the same expectations from the coaching staff. Coaching this corps is Class of 2008 graduate, former safety Tucker Karl.
Another alumnus that can be found on the Bulldog practice field is the quarterback of the 2003 state championship team — and that for the 2007 and 2008 ACC champions while at Virginia Tech — Sean Glennon.
“It’s great to have him come through and be out throwing. My arm is all
raggedy now, so it helps me out a lot,” Day joked. “He’s just been out, staying
sharp, helping us out with some things — it’s an extra pair of eyes.
He’s helping us while he’s waiting for the next call.
“It’s good to have receivers catching passes from an NCAA, NFL quarterback. And they better catch the ball because it’s coming.”
Those receivers are seniors Aaron Scoville and Gary Turner, as well as A.J. Winesett and Mack Spees, the backup quarterback. Junior Mitch Castleberry will line up at tight end and senior fullback Kevin Koch, a returning starter, will catch passes out of the backfield.
When Koch is fulfilling his duties as a lead blocker, he will be opening holes for a trio of underclassmen that replace graduated tailback Jordan Anderson (James Madison). Junior Bryan Monticue will be the feature back, with junior Hayden Ferrington getting short-yardage carries.
Sophomore Kendall Anderson — Jordan’s younger brother — is the likely running back of the future, but will get attempts this year. Doty, as mentioned, can also expect 8-10 attempts per game.
Game to Watch: Week 8: Oct. 23 vs Chantilly
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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