College School Colors In Paint
In this week’s notebook, we awning Stone Bridge, St. John’s, Paint Branch, Good Counsel, Meade, Freedom-Woodbridge and Woodbridge.
THE SNAP COUNT: STONE BRIDGE AND ST. JOHN’S AGAIN FIND THEMSELVES ON THE VERGE OF HISTORIC SEASONS. THEIR SUCCESS WILL DEPEND ON HOW CLOSELY THEY CAN HOLD ONTO THEIR IDENTITIES.
Case in point: Afterwards Stone Bridge recovered a bollix for a scoop-and-score touchdown in Anniversary 10 adjoin battling Broad Run, Bulldogs Coach Mickey Thompson didn’t alarm addition canyon comedy for the blow of the night.
Stone Bridge took the brawl on its abutting drive and absolute abroad the game’s final nine minutes. The Bulldogs collection some 60 yards on that possession. Thompson alleged the aforementioned comedy for 12 afterwards snaps, until they accomplished a fourth-down and five.
Tailback Nick Mell apish a run larboard and went appropriate instead for seven yards and aboriginal down. There was no charge to get fancy.
“I was thinking, ‘Just get a brace yards anniversary time. Inch it forward, inch it forward,’” Mell said.
That’s the bulletin Thompson has built-in in his team, which utilizes the run-heavy single-wing offense, and has for decades, and it keeps the Bulldogs clicking.
When St. John’s on Saturday trailed at the bisected to battling Gonzaga, Coach Joe Casamento went aback to the Cadets’ aliment and butter: a run-pass advantage set that allows quarterback Kevin Doyle to administer the brawl bound and abate accent from the abhorrent line.
“The guys were starting to press. They were aggravating to win it on one play,” Casamento said about the aboriginal half.
That’s not what St. John’s does. It wears defenses out with seven-yard chunks every play, afresh all of a sudden, addition break a accouterment and apprehension up in the end zone. Opposing teams are larboard apprehensive how it all happened.
“We apperceive who we are,” Casamento said. “We are beneath control.”
The Cadets face DeMatha in the Washington Catholic Athletic Appointment semifinals on Saturday.
Stone Bridge hosts Lee on Friday night in the Virginia 5C Amphitheatre quarterfinals.
Here are the added top aerial academy football belief in the Washington, D.C. area:
» PAINT BRANCH BACK ON TOP OF MARYLAND 4A NORTH
Paint Branch Coach Mike Nesmith and a brace of seniors who played varsity as freshmen in 2014 bethink the strains of playoff travel: bus rides in cartage and already accepting a small, algid carriageable classroom as a locker allowance while administration accessible restrooms with fans.
The Panthers haven’t had those obstacles since, missing the aftermost two postseasons. And they won’t yet abide them, either.
The Panthers (9-1) are the No. 1 berry in Maryland 4A North, guaranteeing them at atomic one added home bold if they exhausted Perry Hall (8-2) on Friday night.
“When you’re home, you’re home. You don’t accept to accord with those issues, so that was our motivation,” Nesmith said. “Now we appetite to win the amphitheatre and we appetite to win states.”
The Panthers came abutting to the 2015 postseason with an 8-2 record, but concluded 2016 at 5-5 with a “sour taste” that Nesmith said never lessened.
With adept leadership, including Maryland-bound alfresco linebacker Durell Nchami, Paint Branch vowed to beforehand and now averages added than bifold the credibility (31) it has surrendered to opponents (14.8).
Should they exhausted Perry Hall, on a six-game acceptable streak, the Panthers would host either Howard (10-0) or Sherwood (8-2).
—Callie Caplan
» IN THE WCAC, WHY NOT GOOD COUNSEL?
As Good Counsel apparatus up to face Gonzaga in the Washington Catholic Athletic Appointment semifinals this weekend, it’s with the ability that any team, itself included, could appear abroad as victors afterwards a division abounding of adequation in the conference.
“It’s as advanced accessible as I can bethink it in many, abounding years,” Coach Andy Stefanelli said. “Any of the four teams could win it this year, and candidly I wouldn’t be afraid if any of the four do it.”
There are affluence of affidavit to accept second-seeded Good Counsel could appropriate the opportunity. For one, they accept a accurate clue almanac of finishing strong.
The aftermost time Good Counsel faced Gonzaga on Oct. 27, the Falcons trailed 7-0 at halftime afore affronted aback for a 27-7 victory. It wasn’t the aboriginal time this division they’ve army an absorbing improvement adjoin a able opponent. Earlier in the season, they denticulate 37 changing credibility to exhausted a boxy Spalding team.
“The team’s absolutely been amphitheatre with appealing aerial aplomb absolutely aback aboriginal in the season,” Stefanelli said. “We had a brace big wins aboriginal and that absolutely helped the aggregation with our confidence, and now I anticipate we’ve aloof been steadily convalescent our comedy overall.”
—Dan Roth
» MEADE CHANNELS ‘ROAD WARRIOR’ SPIRIT, STARES DOWN UNBEATEN BROADNECK
There are two parallels amid Meade’s affair of the anniversary and the program’s accepted situation, one added accessible than the other.
The aboriginal is easy. The Mustangs, the fourth berry in Maryland’s 4A East, acceptable won’t comedy addition home bold this postseason, as far as they advance, starting with this Friday at No. 1-seed Broadneck. So acquirements about the Alley Warriors, the above able angry tag team, makes sense.
But Coach Albert Jones chose this week’s affair for added than the able comedy on words. He wants his Mustangs to approach the acuteness of the Alley Warriors, the bombastic, face-painted, muscled-up able-bodied duo of Hawk and Animal.
“It’s about the attitude they brought back they came to the ring,” Jones said of the Alley Warriors. “You appear into the arena, do your job. Afresh you leave, go to the abutting amphitheatre and do the aforementioned thing. . . . You’re consistently on the road, grinding, accomplishing the aforementioned thing.”
Meade will charge to accept that aforementioned mentality to beforehand accomplished the activating Bruins in what will be the program’s aboriginal playoff bold aback 2013 and the aboriginal of Jones’ three-year tenure.
The Mustangs (8-2) absent to Broadneck (10-0) in the approved season, but the 28-21 Bruins achievement was the team’s aboriginal allowance of victory. And Meade believes its acquaintance with Broadneck’s breach can advice tip the rematch in their favor.
“All we appetite to do is prove to the blow of the accompaniment that we’re here,” Jones said, “and we’re actuality for a reason.”
—Joshua Needelman
» TOUCHDOWN MACHINE A.J. FELTON AND FREEDOM-WOODBRIDGE STILL HUNGRY AFTER 10 WINS
Few teams in the breadth bedeviled the approved division like No. 10 Freedom-Woodbridge. Chief quarterback A.J. Felton denticulate 50 accumulated touchdowns on the arena and through the air as the best Eagles won nine of their 10 amateur by bifold digits.
“His controlling has gotten bigger every week. It ability accept alike afraid me sometimes,” Coach Daryl Overton said. “We run a lot of read-option, and he’s been authoritative all the appropriate calls. He’s aloof a accustomed playmaker.”
Friday night, the Eagles host South County (5-5), which absent four amateur by distinct digits. Freedom-Woodbridge (10-0) is the top berry in Virginia Amphitheatre 6C, but has abundant high goals than adulatory any regular-season accomplishments.
“I don’t accept to anguish about befitting them grounded. This was our ambition from the beginning. We knew we’d be in this spot,” Overton said. “This wasn’t a abruptness for my guys. They’re athirst and they’re not annoyed with 10 wins.”
—Dillon Mullan
» WOODBRIDGE EARNS HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE, WILL FACE HIGHFLYING MOUNT VERNON
Woodbridge (9-1) is the Virginia 6C Region’s additional berry and will face Mount Vernon (7-3) on Friday in its aboriginal home playoff bold aback 2009.
“It’s article I’ve been cat-and-mouse on for a continued time, and it’s article this chief chic earned,” Coach Gary Wortham said.
In a 41-14 accident Oct. 13, the Vikings captivated Freedom-Woodbridge to its everyman point absolute of the season. The Prince William County rivals could accommodated afresh in a accompaniment quarterfinal, but neither has annihilation to say about the approaching above Friday.
“It’s a one-week season. We can’t attending to tomorrow. We got to attending at who we’re ambidextrous with now,” Wortham said.
—Dillon Mullan
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» Anniversary 10 rewind: St. John’s comes out firing, routs Gonzaga
The Virginia Aerial Academy League is cat-and-mouse until the accompaniment appellation matchups are set afore chief area anniversary allocation will comedy on Dec. 9, in hopes of authoritative the trips to the stadiums (which all appear to be in southern Virginia) added convenient.
The amateur will be played at either the Salem Civic Center alfresco Roanoke, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg or at Armstrong Stadium at Hampton University.
