Fresh Faces Highlight Football Media Day

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Twenty-two football coaches from around Northern Virginia gathered in Brambleton on Tuesday for the GamedayMagazine.com Media Day. But of the nine coaches representing Loudoun programs, only five were head coaches in 2008.

First-year head coaches Mick Mullins (Freedom) and Steve Williams (Heritage) took the podium for the first time as the leaders of their respective programs while assistant coaches Ed Abner (Park View) and Matt Griffis (Stone Bridge) showed up on behalf of the heads of their respective staffs. And even among the returning coaches, two are in only their second seasons and one is entering his third campaign.

The fluidity of the football coaching landscape in the county presents new opportunities and plenty of challenges this season as teams attempt to carve out their spot in new districts and divisions. The uncertainty and excitement that comes at the start of each new season – let alone a new program altogether – was apparent in each coach's remarks.

"We're going to be really young," Mullins, who became Freedom's head man in February, said. "We're going to have a lot of kids doing different things. A lot of those questions I don't have the answers to yet. We'll get those answers on the field."

The Eagles went 1-9 last season and struggled with numerous injuries to key players, including then-junior running back Jeff Pugh, who missed the majority of the season with back issues. Pugh returns at full strength but he and senior Brian Orr are two of the few known quantities on a young, inexperienced roster.

In Leesburg, everything seems to be changing at once. First, long-time Heritage head coach Wes Driskill announced his retirement at the end of last season and now the Pride find themselves in the AAA and the ultra-competitive Cedar Run District, with the likes of Battlefield, Osbourn and Osbourn Park. Fortunately, they have relative continuity with the rest of the coaching staff as former offensive coordinator Steve Williams has stepped into the head coaching job and retains the bulk of last year's group. The Pride return senior outside linebacker David McCarthy who will also be featured at the tailback position and Josh Toney will look to fill the big shoes of graduated middle linebacker, Russell East. If the move up to AAA wasn't daunting enough, Williams scheduled Broad Run and Stone Bridge for his team's first two contests, which should present a true trial-by-fire scenario for his young squad.

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Broad Run Wins State Title

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Broad Run running back Breon Earl runs over Amherst County's Chris McDaniel during the first quarter. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run running T.J. Peeler breaks free of Amherst County's A.J. Parrish and looks to be on his way to an easy touchdown. But Peeler placed the ball down on the five-yard line of the snow-covered field thinking he was already in the end zone. The Lancers recovered the ball. (John McDonnell)

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Amherst County recovers the ball after T.J. Peeler placed it on what he thought was the end zone but was in fact a few yards outside. Adrian Flemming, right, tries to recover for Broad Run. (John McDonnell)

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Amherst County's Jamal Glover is wrapped up by Broad Run linebacker Johnny Meier at the line of scrimmage. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run quarterback Chris Jessop has the ball jarred loose by Amherst County's Timmy Johnson in the second quarter. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run's Breon Earl is brought down by Amherst County's Tyrease Brown on a second quarter punt return. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run quarterback pitches out during the second quarter in the snow. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run's Adrian Flemming is upended by Amherst County's Chris McDaniel in the second quarter after catching a pass. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run wide receiver Adrian Flemming hauls in a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Jessop just before halftime to break a scoreless tie. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run linebacker Johnny Meier hits Amherst County quarterback Anthony Rose in the second quarter. The Lancers only had seven first downs in the game. (John McDonnell)

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Bundled-up Broad Run fans rejoice during the game. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run's Kevin Sandersen wraps up Amherst County quarterback Anthony Rose as other Spartans' defenders close in. (John McDonnell)

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The celebration begins as Broad Run players and staff spill onto the field, including assistant coach Jason Dawson, who eschewed the long sleeves for Saturday's game. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run quarterback Chris Jessop, left, and running back Breon Earl embrace after the game. Jessop threw a 10-yard touchdown pass and Breon Earl scored on a two-yard run to account for the Spartans' scoring in their 13-0 victory. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run coach Mike Burnett and senior linebacker Kenny McAdow celebrate after the game. (John McDonnell)

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In only his third year with the team, Coach Mike Burnett led the Spartans to their first ever state title. (John McDonnell)

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Broad Run Coach Mike Burnett holds the state championship trophy while addressing the team. (John McDonnell)

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"If you want to be the best, you have to play against the best," Williams said. "We could schedule a bunch of 1-9 and 2-8 teams but that's not going to make us a better team. I want our guys to see where we want to be and realize how hard they have to work to get there."

Last season Broad Run was the best AA Division 4 football had to offer. The Spartans stampeded to the school's first state title with a perfect 14-0 campaign and is widely considered a favorite to repeat the feat. With University of Pittsburgh commit T.J. Peeler leading the way in the backfield and senior wide receiver Adrian Flemming providing playmaking ability down the field, Coach Mike Burnett has arguably the two best players at their respective positions in the Dulles District. The defense brings back seven starters and features seniors Frank Foreman, Anthony James and Taylor Evans anchoring the line while Tyler Johnson and Johnny Meier hold down the linebacking corps along with Peeler and Flemming. Seven starters return on offense as well where the lone big question is who will settle in under center as quarterback. Despite the continuity and outside expectations, Burnett does not expect those pressures to disrupt what his team hopes to accomplish this season.

"Other people set expectations and we live by our own," Burnett said. "If you set your expectations high enough, everybody else's kind of pale in comparison."

Expectations may be just as high down the road in Brambleton where the Briar Woods Falcons begin their fourth varsity season hoping to return to the regional playoffs for a third consecutive season. This season Coach Charlie Pierce's squad moves up to Division 4, meaning stiffer competition against the likes of Broad Run, Loudoun County and former AAA teams Liberty and Fauquier. The Falcons return only five overall starters from last year's 8-3 group and they may be forced to rely more on quickness on both sides of the ball than the brute strength that characterized last year's graduating class. Still, senior fullback Billy McDonald will lead the power rushing attack and senior quarterback Austin Fratalli will be called upon to take the next step and lead this team in the huddle.

"By simplifying the offense, by him stepping up and being a leader and a little bit of competition, I think those things have allowed him to be better for this upcoming year," Pierce said. "This is his senior year. This is his time to shine."

"Restoration," is the theme for Park View's 2009 campaign, linebackers coach Ed Abner said. After a disappointing 3-7 campaign a year ago, the Patriots are looking to get back to the postseason after a one-year absence. Senior quarterback and co-captain Brandon Lee will be a catalyst in helping the team achieve that goal, and his development with the help of explosive playmakers, like senior running back Daryus Beale and senior wideouts Tommy Sedeski and Nathan Santana, could propel the Patriots back to Dulles District prominence.

"We know we have a foundation," Abner said. "We had a little off-year last year, so instead of a rebuild, it's really a restoring year. We're expecting to be back in the playoffs and I don't think that's a secret."

For Loudoun County, the goal is not only to make a repeat trip to the Region II playoffs, but to compete at a higher level when they get there. Third-year coach Todd Hill revived the Raiders with a spirited run to the playoffs in 2008 and with six starters returning on offense and five on defense, the expectations will only be higher this fall. Senior linebacker/tight end Chase Williams returns to anchor a defense with increased depth up front and a few questions in the backfield where Joe Bushrod, Tim McLister and Brett Tagg have all departed. Michael Ayoub – last year's second-leading receiver in the Dulles District – and a stable of backs led by Michael Howard, Spencer Green and Adam Yesuf, will be called upon to ease the pressure on new starting quarterback Austin Campbell. The Raiders flew under the radar for much of last season before a string of three wins in the season's final three weeks landed them in the playoffs. They appear to have the talent to make a return trip.

"We've created a lot of depth across the defensive line, that's something we didn't have last year," Hill said. "Offensively we have four, five or six kids we feel comfortable with, we've got some decent depth at receiver and we definitely have more depth at the tight end position that's going to allow us to get Chase and [Jake] Wasko a break. I think that's going to help us quite a bit."

Both Karl Buckwalter of Dominion and Danny McGrath of Loudoun Valley are entering their second seasons, but this marks their first full year in the program as both were hired late last summer. For Buckwalter, the goal of a playoff birth remains at the forefront despite losing several key contributors from last year's 1-9 team. Junior Trey Baxter takes over at quarterback where he should provide dual-threat capabilities to compliment junior tailback DeAndre Reaves, who remains one of the most explosive offensive talents in the area.

"We've got to have the threat of throwing and have the reputation that we can throw," Buckwalter said. "If we can't throw, they're going to gang up on us again. DeAndre, as good and as intelligent a young man as he is, he can't do everything himself."

In Purcellville, McGrath will be looking to build on last year's first campaign and should have much better chemistry with 13 starters returning while junior quarterback Andrew Taylor will take over the reigns of the offense. In the challenging Cedar Run District progress will not be gauged by wins but by competitiveness. The Vikings were outscored 310-75 a year ago and hope for a drastic improvement on both sides of the ball in McGrath's second season at the helm.

"We stay away from talking about wins because you can't be 10-0 without going 1-0 and you can't be 2-0 without going 1-0," McGrath said. "We want to have a good successful program and success for us would be having a good season. We want to respect our opponents, we want to respect ourselves. We want to be committed to what we're doing and we want to be accountable for what we're doing. If we hold those goals that we have set for ourselves, we'll have success no matter our record."

Despite losing 20 of 22 starters from last year's Northern Region title team, the Stone Bridge Bulldogs won't find much sympathy from their peers in the Liberty District. Standing in for head coach Mickey Thompson, offensive coordinator Matt Griffis discussed the challenges of reloading only a handful of proven varsity players but didn't seem overly concerned about the team's prospects once the season begins. Junior safeties Spenser Rositano and Kyle Gouveia return to lead the defense while junior running back Marcus Harris will be the team's feature back. With so many holes to be filled, this could be the year the Bulldogs take a step back. Then again, reloading never seems to be much of a problem for Thompson and Stone Bridge. Either way, a season opener against Westfield should provide a lot of answers.

"If Coach Thompson was here, he'd tell you we'd be 1-9," Griffis said. "Hopefully we're not. Early on we've got to find out what kind of team we're going to be. The biggest thing for us in the first three weeks as we get into game one is trying to find an identity of who we are offensively and defensively and who are going to be our leaders."

Notes: Look for much more from media day in the Loudoun Extra Points Blog later this week.

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks