Super Tuesday: State Tourney Edition

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Baseball

Grafton at Potomac Falls, 6 p.m. - Check out the full tournament bracket here

The rub: The Panthers are the best shot Loudoun has had at winning a state baseball title in a long time. The last Loudoun team to win a state title in baseball was Broad Run back in 1991 and this Potomac Falls team has all the makings of a legitimate title contender. In senior ace Jake Kline, the Panthers have a workhorse who is able to go the distance every time out and seemingly get stronger as the game wears on. With Michael Detaranto and Eric Dimsey, they have a formidable second starter tandem to support their ace. Defensively, Potomac Falls has speed in the outfield and young, but talented position players across the infield. And at the plate, this lineup is one of the best top-to-bottom in the region. The Clippers, the champions of the Bay River District reached the state tournament quarterfinals in 2004-06 and made it to the semifinals in 2000. They should present a formidable challenge, but Potomac Falls has to like its chances playing at home at Panther Park with Kline on the mound. (Loudoun's other two winners were Park View (1984) and Loudoun Valley (1972).)

Girls' Lacrosse

Broad Run vs. Robinson (at Westfield), 6 p.m. - Check out the full tournament bracket here

The rub: Whoever said AA teams couldn't match up with the big bad AAA schools clearly hasn't seen Broad Run play this season. The Spartans (15-3) dispatched AAA Battlefield, 16-12, in Saturday's state quarterfinal and now face another imposing foe in Robinson. But this group has shown its grit and tenacity all season long. After dropping its first three games to AAA opponents, the Spartans have won 15 straight, taking home regular-season and tournament titles in the Dulles District and claiming the Region II tournament title. If they can get past the Rams (12-2), it could set up a potential state final matchup with Loudoun Valley - the team that handed the Spartans two of those three early season defeats.

Loudoun Valley vs. Chantilly (at Westfield), 7:30 p.m.

The rub: There's only one undefeated and untied team left in Loudoun and this is it. The Vikings have been utterly dominant all season long, trouncing each opponents they've faced en route to a 19-0 record. Their closest game all season was last week's 9-6 victory over Battlefield in the Northwest Region final. And they bounced back with a 12-2 rout of W.T. Woodson in the state quarterfinals. Valley has outscored its opponents 316-64 on the season. But the Chargers (18-1) have been just as impressive, plowing their way into the state semifinals with four straight wins following a narrow 9-8 loss to Robinson. They've rolled their opponents by a 283-121 count and have been held to single-digit scoring just once all season. This is a classic matchup of two high-powered offenses in what should quickly turn into a shootout.

Boys' Soccer

Grafton at Potomac Falls, 6 p.m. - Check out the full tournament bracket here

The rub: The Panthers (16-5-1) are back in the state tournament after a one-year hiatus and appear to be hitting their stride at the perfect time. Since an April 28 loss to Park View, the Panthers have reeled off 10 straight victories, storming their way to Dulles District and Region II tournament titles in the process. They knocked off regular-season district champs Broad Run twice in the process, with the second win coming on Connor Shanosky's game-winner with 20 seconds left in overtime in Saturday's region title game. Potomac Falls has won four of their last six games by a single goal, meaning they're more than capable of coming away from a tight game with a victory. District Player of the Year Asa Fox will continue to lead the way offensively as the Panthers look to get back to the state title game for the first time since winning it all in 2006. The Clippers have never reached a state final.

Broad Run at Jamestown (at JCC Stadium), 6 p.m.

The rub: Were it not for the aforementioned Panthers, the Spartans would be riding a 14-game win streak into the state tournament. Instead, Broad Run (14-7) has lost three times in seven games - all to those pesky Panthers - and needs to regain the form it had during the second half of the Dulles District season if it hopes to advance to the first state final in school history. The Spartans looked solid in reaching the Region II final, edging Sherando 1-0 and winning 3-0 on the road at Fluvanna, but a last-second goal kept them from taking home the region crown. Still, the Spartans have plenty of talent and enough firepower with Danny Reategui, Paul Ellington, Onari Tariah, Kevin Reitzel and Taylor Johnson to advance in the state tournament. Saturday's loss just means they'll have to become road warriors to do it. The Eagles last trip to the state finals came in 2001 when they won the state title. They were runners-up two years prior.

Girls' Soccer

Jamestown vs. Broad Run (at Park View), 6 p.m. - Check out the full bracket here

The rub: Saturday's 3-0 victory over Heritage made it 45 straight games without a loss for the Spartans (20-0-1) as they won their third consecutive Region II title. Broad Run has nearly everyone back from last year's state title team and appears poised to make a run at a repeat. They've now won 15 straight since that 0-0 tie with Loudoun County back on March 31, and senior goalkeeper Caitlin Hunter has only allowed four goals all season. Meanwhile, their vaunted attack has tallied a whopping 77 goals on the year. The Eagles (13-3) were the runners-up in the Region I tournament final.

Heritage at Courtland, 6 p.m.

The rub: If you're looking for a team that has been forced to do things the hard way and has yet to crack under the pressure, here it is. The Pride (13-6-2) entered the Dulles District tournament as the second seed and survived two close matches with Park View and Potomac Falls before falling in the final to Broad Run. They were forced to hit the road in the Region II tournament but still somehow managed to dig out two 1-0 victories over Fluvanna and Brentsville to reach the state tournament and setup a rematch with the Spartans in the region final. So as the Pride once again hop on the bus and head down I-95 to Sptsylvania to face Courtland, what do they have to fear? Sure, the Cougars have been runners-up in the state title game in three of the last four years, but that means Heritage has nothing to lose Tuesday night. They're the heavy underdogs, just as they were in the first two rounds of the region tournament. Might they have one more upset left in the tank?

Softball - Check out the full AA and AAA tournament brackets here.

Powhatan at Broad Run, 6 p.m.

The rub: The Spartans (19-3) had lost so much from last year's undefeated state championship group and yet, here they sit, just two wins away from a third consecutive appearance in the state title game. It hasn't been the easiest of roads and they haven't been perfect, like the last two Broad Run teams, but after Saturday's 2-1 Region II final win over Orange, they're exactly where they want to be to start the month of June - still playing. The Indians (21-2) fell in the in the Region I final to Poquoson, 2-0, their first defeat since a 1-0 season-opening loss to Deep Run. They last reached a state final in 2006, when they lost 3-2 to Dan River. Powhatan's most recent state title came in 2001. The Spartans have three state titles in their history.

Tallwood at Loudoun Valley, 5 p.m.

The rub: Fresh off an emotional 3-2 win over Cedar Run rivals Battlefield in the Northwest Region final - the first home loss suffered by the Bobcats in two years - the Vikings (23-4) will look to continue their march toward a state championship at home on Tuesday night. The Vikings have to be relieved to know they won't be seeing the Bobcats again too soon, as Battlefield is responsible for three of the team's four losses this season. Valley's last state title came in 2005 when they were still a AA school in the Dulles District. They also won a state championship in 2003 and lost in the final in 1997.

WEDNESDAY'S GAME

Boys' Lacrosse - Check out the full tournament bracket here

Broad Run vs. Langley (at Westfield), 5:30 p.m.

The rub: With a 9-0 lead through 18 minutes of Saturday's state tournament quarterfinal against Loudoun Valley, the Spartans looked they would cruise right into the semifinals. But it took some heady play down the stretch from sophomore attacker Ryan Madigan and senior Dulles District Player of the Year Tim Sanders to hold off a furious Vikings' rally and advance with a 12-10 victory. The Spartans reward for their efforts is a rematch with a Langley Saxons team that handed Broad Run a 12-7 loss on April 6. Since a loss to West Springfield the following night, the Spartans have reeled off 13 straight wins and have outscored opponents 202-94. Meantime, the Saxons (18-1) haven't tasted defeat since a 10-9 loss at Madison on April 28. Expect this rematch to be a fast-paced, high-scoring affair with plenty of hitting and loads of intensity. Langley might be the favorites, but the Spartans will be jacked up to prove they can hold their own with one of the best AAA teams in the state.

Tagged: baseball, Broad Run High School, Heritage High School, high school sports, lacrosse, Loudoun Valley High School, Potomac Falls High School, soccer, softball, tennis

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