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Loudoun Football 2008: Freedom-South Riding

Eagles Look to Rebound in 2nd Dulles District Season

By Matt Brooks

Thursday, August 14, 2008

It's no secret that last season did not quite go according to plan for Freedom-South Riding. The Eagles, playing for the first time as a member of the Virginia AA Dulles District, finished 0-10 and averaged 10.8 points per game while surrendering 36.8. The offense managed more than seven points in only three contests and had just one touchdown pass in ten games.

But for Coach Tom McIntyre and his team, the frustrations of a year ago have inspired key shifts in strategy and motivation that have the Eagles' camp buzzing with excitement in 2008.

"When you go 0-10, you’ve got to change something," McIntyre said. "It's an overhaul, but we’re not panicking by any stretch of the imagination. We think we'll be all right, but we’ve got a lot of things to work on in practice before this season starts."

For starters, Freedom has installed a new fast-paced spread offense that puts more on the shoulders of the Eagles quarterback while showcasing the team’s speed and playmaking ability in the backfield and at wide receiver. McIntyre has also ditched last year’s defense, replacing it with a 3-4 cover-2 that allows Freedom’s speedy linebackers and defensive backs to makes plays on the ball and limit the types of big passing plays that hurt the defense a season ago.

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Junior running back Jeff Pugh, center, was the focal point of the offense last year for the Eagles, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. (Katherine Frey)

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Linebacker Steve Lucketts, a junior, works through drills during practice at Freedom Monday. (Katherine Frey)

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Freedom Coach Tom McIntyre enters his fourth season with Freedom. The Eagles played a junior varsity schedule in 2005, when the school opened, then played as an independent in 2006 before joining the Virginia AA Dulles District last year. (Katherine Frey)

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The signs of growth in the fourth-year program are everywhere – from the record 135 players out at summer practice to the new $100,000 turf field installed over the summer. With that growth comes a new sense of optimism and enthusiasm – something that was sorely lacking just one year ago.

"It's a totally different environment," junior running back Jeff Pugh said. "Last year we were kind of quiet every day going to practice with most people showing up late or just on time. This year everybody's early and out here ready to go. Every time our defense hits somebody we get all fired up. The enthusiasm has kicked up several notches and that's important to have on a football team.

"Going winless last year left us with a pretty bad feeling. None of us want to go through that again. Kicking up the enthusiasm, wanting to get into the game and coming together as a team is definitely going to help this year."

Last year Pugh pretty much was the offense for the Eagles. In a run-first, run-second attack, he managed nearly 700 yards and 4.5 yards per carry even with defenses keying in on him every game. This year, in new offensive coordinator Chris Bourassa's spread offense, Pugh will still be a focal point but he also expects to get significantly more support from his quarterback and wide receivers.

"Last year we were very one-dimensional," Pugh said. "We didn't have a strong passing game so a lot of teams could easily key on our run. The good thing about this offense is that passing is a key part of it. I'm looking to play a little slot receiver as well as running back, so hopefully they can get me the ball in the air or on the ground and we can do some damage both ways."

Bourassa – who coached at Washington-Lee in Arlington before leading the Eagles baseball team last spring – has several weapons among Freedom’s 15 seniors, including wide receivers Mike Phillips, Dakota Porter and first-year player Jeremy Rilko along with running back T.J. Mizell. At 5-foot-9, 230 pounds, Mizell will be sharing carries with Pugh and creating holes for him as a blocker in the pro set.

"His running game is ridiculous,” Mizell said of Pugh. "He makes cuts and I would never see. His agility is crazy, his feet are crazy and he just has a great mentality on the football field. When I’m blocking for him, I’ve got to think like him, which can be tricky."

The speed that Pugh and the receiving corps have to offer will be critical for a team that is still undersized at several positions. Returning senior linemen Dennis Carrignan and Taylor Guttenburg will anchor a line that includes several fresh faces. But the biggest question facing the Eagles is who they will be protecting.

Senior Luke Bratten and sophomore Chuck Thompson are both taking snaps with the first-team offense and McIntyre said he doesn't expect a starter to be named until after Freedom's two preseason scrimmages against Washington High School on Saturday and Central Woodstock next Thursday. Bratten saw time last season playing behind starter Allen Seaquist and has some familiarity with Bourassa’s offense from his seasons with the junior varsity squad, while Thompson is more of an unknown with a strong arm who could sneak his way into the starting lineup.

"We're going to look at the scrimmage and see how they practice and we'll make a decision," McIntyre said. "We're not afraid to play both of them. Coach Bourassa has seen these guys run the offense in practice and he'll probably be the one to make the decision after we see them in the scrimmages. I'm sure he's not choosing one yet."

Regardless who steps in, the Eagles expect a big upgrade offensively from last season.

"It wasn't just on the quarterback, it was the whole team," McIntyre said. "We didn't protect him in the pocket and when we had people open they were dropping balls. It was just a comedy of errors. But our kids played hard and the seniors really stuck it out. We didn't lose one kid after August and that's impressive. So we've got good kids here and they've got talent, we just need to get it going."

Jumping out to a quick start will be critical for Freedom as they try to erase the memory of 2007 with a competitive campaign this fall. With excitement fueling the team through two-a-day practices, a win in the Eagles' first game on Aug. 29 against Broadway would put a serious charge into the squad as they approach the Dulles District schedule.

"One of the biggest keys is getting a couple wins early on in the non-district schedule," Pugh said. "If we can win our first and second games that would really give us a boost and the kind of momentum we haven't had in a long time heading into the district. If we can win a couple early on it should really help us to be more competitive in the Dulles District."

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