Entries in Loudoun Extra Points for December 2008
Posted by Matt Brooks at 12:55 p.m. on December 31, 2008
Top 5 Basketball Power Poll
Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Today as we celebrate (or try to forget) the memories of 2008, we'll take a look ahead at the coming months of exciting hoops action in Loudoun. Several teams were very busy over the holiday break including both the Broad Run boys and girls who swept through the Leesburg Honda Broad Run/Stone Bridge Holiday Tournament and the Briar Woods girls who hosted and won the Digitalsports.com Holiday Tournament. There was some movement in both of our polls as Broad Run and Dominion flip-flopped on the boys' side and the Spartans' entered the girls' poll after their strong weekend. District play will be in full effect next week, so let's see what these teams have shown to this point and what they need to do to improve in 2009. I'm also working on a second-half preview that will be up on the site later today and you'll also find in Sunday's print Extra. From all of us on Extra Points island, have a fun, safe night tonight and best wishes in the new year! Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Matt Brooks at 1:14 p.m. on December 30, 2008
Top Performers
It's time for Tuesday's Top Performers! It was a busy weekend for several Loudoun teams, culminating in the final day of the Leesburg Honda Broad Run/Stone Bridge Holiday Tournament yesterday. With seven area teams taking the court in that event and several others competing at other holiday tournaments, 24 games took place in the last week, which means there were numerous opportunities for individual athletes to shine. Here are our picks for this week's Top Performers. Let us know who your overall Top Performer for the boys and the girls is and if we overlooked someone, let us hear it in the comments section below. We've also got the updated Dulles District standings at the bottom of the post. Enjoy! Read full entry and discussion »
Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback
Welcome back to the Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback! We hope you all had a great holiday and many of you are probably still enjoying time off from work, school, etc. Well, not us, we're still hard at work here bringing you the best Loudoun hoops coverage available. It was a busy weekend on the hardwood, so let's get you caught up on all the developments from several holiday tournaments including one featuring four local teams at Stone Bridge High School. Tenorio will be at the afternoon girls' session and I'll cover the boys' double-header tonight. So look for our recaps of those games tomorrow morning. Here's a look back and your forecast for tonight... Read full entry and discussion »
The Story Behind a Photo
With the holiday we thought we'd share something a bit sentimental today, and so we bring you the story behind that famous photo of Broad Run Coach Mike Burnett and senior linebacker Kenny McAdow in the moments after the state championship win earlier this month. Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Paul Tenorio at 10:59 a.m. on December 24, 2008
Top 5 Basketball Power Poll
It's Christmas Eve and we're all feeling pretty merry in Extra Points world. Like a delicious Christmas ham (or turkey), we're ready to serve up some basketball rankings for you today, courtesy of Mr. Brooks and myself. So go ahead and unwrap your first present of the Holiday season, and if you don't like what you see you can try to return it by complaining to our comments section. Refunds with gift receipt. Read full entry and discussion »
Top Performers
It's time for Tuesday's Top Performers! We're just two days away from Christmas, which means there's no better time to award our TP honors for the finest performances from last week. Even with Tuesday's postponements, there was plenty of action on the court which meant plenty of opportunities for players shine for their teams. Today we'll take a quick look at last night's action, give you the boys and girls top performers and show you the updated Dulles District standings. There's been a lot of moving and shaking over the past week and you better believe it's going to be reflected in tomorrow's Top 5 Power Poll. So make sure you take a break from the wrapping and the snacking to check us out tomorrow! Now, without further ado... Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Matt Brooks at 1:38 p.m. on December 22, 2008
Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback
First and foremost, our apologies for the 'internal server error' you got yesterday and this morning when you tried to view the sports homepage. It was a mystery until I did some serious sleuth work (read: got an e-mail from one of our trusty programmers) and uncovered the bug. That means I'm able to bring you today's Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback in all its glory from the cozy confines of the Extra Points island in the sky. Today I'll hit on a couple notable items from Friday's basketball games, give a quick 'From the Notebook' on the Park View Patriots after seeing them in action for the first time this season on Friday night, and show you which teams are in action this short, holiday week. Tenorio has added on his first impressions of the Briar Woods and Freedom boys following Friday's overtime thriller. It's a stuffed stocking of hoops knowledge and insight! Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Matt Brooks at 2:43 p.m. on December 19, 2008
Game(s) of the Week: Breakdown
It's time for the Game of the Week: Breakdown, where again this week we'll be featuring two (and a half) of tonight's big contests. The first pits the red-hot Panthers of Potomac Falls against upstart Park View in an early season battle for Sterling supremacy. And for our second matchup, we'll highlight the girls' matchup between the Freedom Eagles and host Briar Woods - the first of two games in a Coaches Vs. Cancer double-header. Apparently a remark I made here last week that Heritage should push the tempo against the Panthers to test the team's bench was turned into bulletin board material for Coach Hawes' troops. In an effort to prove me wrong - and probably with winning the game in the back of their mind's as well - Potomac Falls ran the floor with the Pride all night, outscoring them in transition, getting to loose balls and claiming a 74-58 victory. Glad I could help, Coach. Let's see what kind of motivation comes from today's breakdowns... Read full entry and discussion »
Thursday Throwdown: Best of 2008 Edition
Welcome back to the Throwdown, where today we're going to relive the best memories of 2008. Whether it was on the ice, the diamond, the track, the pitch, the links or the gridiron, it was a year to remember for high school sports in Loudoun County. Let's take a quick stroll down memory lane as we take a look back at the last 12 months and the numerous accomplishments and state championships that our 10 schools claimed. We're not going to debate these achievements because naturally, we're totally unbiased and appreciate all of these sports, teams and individuals equally. But since it's the Throwdown, we'll let you choose your favorite memory from 2008 at the end. Read full entry and discussion »
Top 5 Basketball Power Poll
It's time for the Top Five Power Poll! Same time, same place, different sport. Yes, it's basketball season, folks. You might have been fooled by the complete lack of games going on last night, but by now you should be quite familiar with the Loudoun County policy of postponing winter sporting events at the first threat of drizzle. It's all part of the season. Just like teams playing four games a week in January and February when they're trying to cram in all the make-ups. But I digress... We were hoping to have another round of district games in the books to get a better sense of how these teams stack up, but without that luxury, we're just going to call them as we see them at this very early stage. Think of these as our belated preseason rankings with a bit of game action helping out with the background research. Here we go... Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Paul Tenorio at 1:36 p.m. on December 16, 2008
Postponements
It's raining, which of course means...cancellations? No, it's freezing rain and the roads are dangerous, so yes many games are being postponed. Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Matt Brooks at 12:46 p.m. on December 16, 2008
Top Performers
Welcome back to Tuesday's Top Performers for the first edition of the basketball season. Last week was chock-full of hoops action and culminated with the first night of Dulles District play. There were quite a few notable performances by individuals but I've tried to narrow them down to the very best of the bunch. If you'd like to nominate someone as a top performer, you can post their name and stats from last week in the comments section below. Let's get right to it... Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Paul Tenorio at 12:43 p.m. on December 16, 2008
Bulldogs' Allen Commits to JMU
Stone Bridge senior running back Daniel Allen has committed to play for James Madison University, according to Stone Bridge Coach Mickey Thompson. Read full entry and discussion »
Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback
Friday was the first night of the Dulles District basketball schedule and we had a couple nail-biters and quite a few blowouts. On the boys' side, Dominion took care of Freedom, Broad Run edged Briar Woods, Potomac Falls ripped Heritage and in our upset special, Park View went on the road and held on to knock Loudoun County from the ranks of the unbeatens. In the Cedar Run, Osbourn Park beat Loudoun Valley. For the girls, Freedom crushed Dominion and County beat Park View and Heritage sneaked past Potomac Falls. In non-DD action, Valley fell to Osbourn Park. It's still extremely early in the season and we haven't had a chance to see half of the teams in action yet, but here are some notes and observations from the first weekend of district play... Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Matt Brooks at 1:47 p.m. on December 12, 2008
Game(s) of the Week: Breakdown
The first night of Dulles District basketball is upon us and 14 on the 16 teams are in action on the hardwood this evening. Tenorio and I will both be in Leesburg to check out a battle between undefeated Broad Run and Park View and the reigning tournament and regular season champs Potomac Falls and Heritage. Both will be intriguing matchups as the first game pits new Patriots' head coach Mike Koscinski and a new starting five against one of the most experienced teams in the district in the Raiders. Just down the road, two teams that lost nearly everything from last year will give their young guns their first taste of district action. Here's a brief breakdown of both contests... Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Ed Guzman at 5:36 p.m. on December 11, 2008
A Lost Game, and a Just Reward
There was one Dulles District girls' game missing from Friday's slate (Broad Run-Briar Woods). Just a scheduling quirk? An oversight on our part? Loudoun Extra Points investigates.... Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Matt Brooks at 4:19 p.m. on December 10, 2008
From The Notebook: Potomac Falls Hoops
It's time for another early look at one of Loudoun's basketball teams as we approach the tip-off of regular season district play. Today's team: The Potomac Falls Panthers. I caught my first glimpse of the Panthers last night in their 50-44 win over Skyline. Apparently the game was a complete turnaround from the two team's first meeting (won by the Hawks 72-61) with far fewer possessions and better transition defense and half-court offense from P-Falls. It came down to free throws and getting stops in the fourth quarter and that's when Gregory Woodlief and Kevin Bartnick - the only two players on the team with much game experience - stepped up and took control. Here are some more observations on the 2008-2009 Panthers... Read full entry and discussion »
Bulldogs' Allen, Custer Get Offers
I had originally been holding on to this as I waited for an actual verbal commitment, but then the news was broken by joe3baller, a commenter on the blog. Joe usually has good stuff for us, but I don't want you to think he scooped me. Stone Bridge RB Daniel Allen has offers from Vanderbilt and JMU. Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Ed Guzman at 12:00 p.m. on December 9, 2008
Monday's Basketball Scores
A few Loudoun area teams were in action Monday night as nondistrict play continues. Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Matt Brooks at 12:53 p.m. on December 8, 2008
Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback
Welcome back to the final edition of Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback for this 2008 high school football season. It's been a wild and crazy 15 weeks and both Tenorio and I enjoyed being along for the ride. We got to go down to Lynchburg for Saturday's AA state finals and between James Monroe's shootout win over Brookville and Broad Run's snow-blanketed victory against Amherst County, we took in two great contests. Since you'll find a recap on the Spartans' dream season on your doorstep later this week, I'll use this space to share a few highlights from Saturday's game and some things you missed if you didn't make the trek down to Liberty University for the game. Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Paul Tenorio at 12:35 p.m. on December 6, 2008
Live Blogging from Broad Run-Amherst Co.
It's state championship Saturday, and Matt Brooks and I are out in Lynchburg for Broad Run's first ever appearance in the state finals. We'll give you live updates from Liberty University throughout the day. Kickoff is set for 4:45 PM. Read full entry and discussion »
Game of the Week: Breakdown with Coach Andy Hill
Welcome to the Game of the Week: Breakdown. Today we'll obviously be looking at the one football game remaining on the schedule to analyze and that's Broad Run vs. Amherst County in the Virginia AA Division 4 state championship. It'll all go down tomorrow at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Brooks and I will be headed down there tonight, so if you're going early, look for us at the Applebee's tonight (Coach Burnett told us that's the place to be). Today, we got a little help on our scouting report from Park View Coach Andy Hill, who has seen Amherst County play a couple times and also seen them on tape a few times. So we'll let Coach Hill take it from here... Read full entry and discussion »
From the Notebook: Dominion/Heritage Hoops
Did we mention it's basketball season? Oh we did? About 10 times? Good, just checking... As we did in August for football season, Tenorio and I will be hopping around from gym to gym over the next couple weeks getting our first glimpses of the county's 2008-2009 basketball teams. On our way, we'll take a moment to give you a few observations and notes from the teams we see in action. Last night I was on hand for the second night of Dominion's Titan Tip-Off Classic and watched the boys' team take on Osbourn. There's a full recap of the game in the sports headlines, but in this space I'm going to share some of my observations. Read full entry and discussion »
Washington Post Top 20 Football Rankings
The Washington Post's Josh Barr breaks down this week's football Top 20 rankings. Stone Bridge falls to No. 8 while Broad Run inches up to No. 5. Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Matt Brooks at 1:53 p.m. on December 2, 2008
Early Season Basketball Scores
Hoops season is underway in Loudoun. Here are the results from the nine games that are already in the books. Don't forget to head out to the bevy of tip-off tournaments coming up this Thursday-Saturday. Read full entry and discussion »
Tip-Off Tournament Madness
There's still one game left to be played on the gridiron, but some of you are surely ready to hit the hardwood running for the 2008-2009 high school basketball season. If Mom's leftover mashed potatoes and gravy are running low in your refrigerator, there's a special holiday feast of round-ball gift-wrapped just for you this week. All 10 Loudoun County teams are in action with seven tip-off tournaments on the docket and a whopping total of 39(!!!) games to be played in the coming six days. So strap on your kicks and put some gas in the car because there's a healthy helping of hoops action on the dinner table. Read full entry and discussion »
Posted by Paul Tenorio at 12:10 p.m. on December 1, 2008
Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback
We've gotten through the state semifinals and there is just one team left standing. It's an Ashburn school, but perhaps not the one many people would have suspected at the start of the year. Broad Run is through and will play for a state championship on Saturday, while Stone Bridge was sent home with a 38-8 loss in Hampton. With that being said, it's time to wrap up the season for Stone Bridge. Anything less than a state championship was disappointing for the Bulldogs, and I think you saw that on their faces after the game. But the accomplishments they have had in the past few years is remarkable. Just two losses in two years with a state championship, nothing to hang your heads about. Still, let's take a look back: Read full entry and discussion »
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Your Thoughts...
Are you happy that the school year is over?