One year after losing to McLean by 30 points, the Washington-Lee football team trailed by just one at halftime of its Sept. 2 opener against the Highlanders. The Generals couldn’t get over the hump, however, falling 14-6 at McLean.
Senior running back Anthony Taylor scored W-L’s lone touchdown in the first half and the Generals entered halftime trailing 7-6. W-L head coach Josh Shapiro said Taylor ran well in the first half, gaining 69 yards on 15 carries, but did not play in the second half due to illness. Shapiro said Taylor will be a force once he’s back at 100 percent.
"He’s going to be fun to coach and fun to watch," Shapiro said. "The best is yet to come for him."
While W-L was limited to six points, Shapiro said the offense executed well on the ground. He said improvements are needed in the passing game after the Generals completed 2 of 16 passes for 28 yards. Shapiro said quarterback Rigo Salguerro played well but had several passes dropped. Salguerro, a 5-foot-8, 155-pound junior, rushed 23 times for 78 yards.
Defensively, the Generals enter the season light on experience, but Shapiro was pleased with the unit’s effort in the opener.
"I thought the defense played well," the coach said. "A little more time on the field is going to do them a lot of good. They’re aggressive. We’ve got pretty good athletes."
Senior cornerback Nico Burns intercepted a pass. Moussa Diallo and Nick Freed tied for the team lead with nine tackles. Keesean Braithwaite and Mudsar Iqbal each finished eight tackles and Marshall Anders had seven.
Shapiro said the Generals need to clean up some things with special teams before their Sept. 10 game at South County (7:30 p.m. kickoff). W-L’s first home game is Sept. 16 against defending National District champion Hayfield.
<b>Yorktown Football Wins Opener</b>
Yorktown head football coach Bruce Hanson said the Patriots were "nervous" before their Sept. 2 opener against Wilson (Washington, D.C.), figuring an improved Tigers team would be a tougher challenge than in previous seasons.
It didn’t matter.
Yorktown for the sixth consecutive year opened its season with a victory over Wilson, this time beating the Tigers 32-14 at Greenbrier Stadium. Offensively, the Patriots began their second season running the spread after more than two decades of operating out of the wing-T under Hanson. The long-time Patriots coach said he plans on running the ball more than last season, aiming for a 50-50 run-pass ratio. Junior Jordan Smith is the team’s starting quarterback. Michael Rogers also saw time at the position.
Receiver David Bernhardt stood out in the passing game, Hanson said.
Defensively, Hanson said DBs Kyle Bailey and Kevin Bailey played well.
Yorktown will host Madison at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 10. The Warhawks run the double-wing, a ground-oriented offense the Patriots faced when they scrimmaged Bishop O’Connell during the preseason.
Yorktown was one of three National District teams to win its opener, along with Stuart and defending champion Hayfield.
<b>Wakefield Football Loses to Lee</b>
The Wakefield football team opened its season at Lee on Sept. 2, losing 41-13.
The Warriors scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter: a 1-yard run by quarterback Drew Powell and a 10-yard pass from Powell to Terry Davis.
Powell completed 9 of 17 passes for 137 yards and rushed 12 times for 24 yards. Davis led the team with 62 receiving yards and 42 rushing yards.
Wakefield, led by head coach Keith Powell, will travel to face Dominion at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10.
<b>Yorktown Volleyball Starts 1-1</b>
The Yorktown volleyball opened its season with a 3-0 (25-10, 25-23, 25-23) win over McLean on Aug. 30 and fell to Stone Bridge 3-0 (25-7, 25-10, 25-11) on Sept. 1.
Against McLean, Ashley Rock led Yorktown with 14 kills and 17 digs. Katie Rock finished with seven kills and six digs, Eva Muszynski recorded five kills, four blocks and seven digs, Taylor Brown had 14 digs and Kaley Burlingame dished out 27 assists.
Against a strong Stone Bridge team, Ashley Rock led the Patriots with four kills.
Yorktown will play in a tournament in Virginia Beach on Saturday.