Both the Herndon and South Lakes High football teams opened up their 2010 schedules with convincing victories last week.
Herndon, a member of the Concorde District, defeated visiting Jefferson, 41-0, last Thursday, Sept. 2. Also last Thursday, South Lakes, won its first game under new head coach Andy Hill, 37-0, over host Falls Church. Senior Darius Smith returned two punts for touchdowns to highlight the Seahawks’ victory.
The Seahawks finished 5-6 last year under former head coach John Ellenberger. The ’09 team, after beginning the season 5-1, struggled down the stretch. South Lakes qualified for the Northern Region Div. 5 playoffs before losing to top seeded Stone Bridge in a first round game.
Hill was named South Lakes’ new head coach last February. Prior to coming to Reston, he served as the Park View High football coach. There, he led the Patriots, members of the Dulles District, to four playoff appearances during his five years at the helm of the program.
South Lakes will be at home this Friday night at 7:30 versus Jefferson, which will be looking for a better outing following its shutout loss to Herndon.
Herndon, under veteran head coach Joe Sheaffer, overwhelmed Jefferson in its season-opener win. The Hornets, who two years ago qualified for the Northern Region Div. 6 playoffs before going 4-6 last year, built a 20-0 halftime lead over the Colonials.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Herndon scored three fourth quarter touchdowns.
Herndon junior running back Chris Glazier carried the ball 17 times for 132 yards and a touchdown. Also picking up lots of yardage on the ground was junior Josh Schow, who rushed for 89 yards on 10 carries. Sophomore running back Cameron Reynolds scored two touchdowns and Herndon also got scoring runs from senior running back Ronnie Cooke, junior running back Max Loung, and sophomore running back Ryan Richards. Herndon quarterback Ky Parrott, a sophomore, completed four-of-seven passes for 43 yards. Herndon’s offensive line led the way for a ground attack that accumulated 330 yards.
This Friday night, Herndon will travel to McLean to take on the 1-0 Highlanders, who were 14-6 winners over guest Washington-Lee in their season opener last week. McLean, under third year head coach Jim Patrick, went 6-5 and qualified for the Div. 5 playoffs last year after having gone winless the season before.
Oakton High opened up its season last Friday night with a 49-21 road win at local rival Madison at the annual `Outback Bowl’ game.
Oakton, the Northern Region Div. 6 champion two years ago, struggled with a 5-6 record last year. The Cougars, under head coach Joe Thompson, saw their season end with a first round Div. 6 playoff loss to Woodson.
In Friday’s opener, Oakton took control from the start, building a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and a 28-0 advantage at the half. The Cougars rushed for over 250 yards rushing in the win, led by senior quarterback Jimmy Boone’s three touchdown runs. Boone finished the night with 106 yards running on just six carries. Through the air, he completed 5-of-11 passes for 111 yards and a score. His touchdown pass was a 16-yarder to senior running back Luke Willis.
Willis scored another touchdown on a 61-yard scoring run. Also running for a touchdown for Oakton was Tuck Masker, who scored from 14 yards out.
Oakton’s defense accounted for the game’s first touchdown when junior linebacker Zach Isakowwitz returned a fumble 22 yards for a first quarter score.
Boone, Oakton’s second year starting signal caller, also led the Cougars to a season-opening Outback Bowl game win over Madison last year when he both ran and passed for a score in a 14-0 Oakton home win.
Next up for Oakton, a member of the Concorde District, is a game at West Springfield High this Friday night at 7:30. The Spartans, who are members of the Patriot District, opened their season up last Thursday, Sept. 2 with a 29-14 victory over host Edison (National District). West Springfield used a prolific running attack to down the Eagles, accumulating 330 yards on the ground. Mohamed Kamara led the Spartans with 160 yards rushing on 19 carries and a pair of touchdowns.
<b>THIS SATURDAY MORNING</b>, the South Lakes High boys’ and girls’ cross country teams, under head coach Kevin Donovan, will be competing at the annual, early season Monroe Parker Invitational competition at the 2.98-mile Burke Lake Park.
The South Lakes boys are coming off a solid 2009 season in which they finished in second place, behind first place Jefferson, at the Liberty District postseason championships. The Seahawks, a week later, finished ninth at the 16-team Northern Region championships. The South Lakes girls finished sixth at the district championships in ’09.
Oakton High cross country, under head coach Alisa Byers, will be looking for another big season on both the boys’ and girls’ sides. A year ago, the Oakton boys captured the Concorde District championship, finishing ahead of second place Centreville and third place Herndon. The Cougars went on to also take first place at the Northern Region championships, finishing ahead of second place Lake Braddock and third place West Potomac.
Oakton’s outstanding 2009 fall season concluded with a stellar second place finish behind champion Mountain View (Stafford) at the Virginia AAA championships at the Great Meadows course in The Plains.
The Oakton girls, meanwhile, finished a strong second place at the ’09 district championships, behind champion Robinson. The following week saw the Cougars finish sixth overall among 16 teams at the region championships.
Herndon High will be competing at the Fork Union Military Academy Invitational (Fork Union, outside of Charlottesville) this Saturday. The Hornets, under head coach Pete Sherry, saw both their boys’ and girls’ teams qualify for regionals last year. The Herndon boys finished third at the Concorde District championships before finishing a solid seventh at the 16-team regionals. The Herndon girls finished fourth at districts, than took ninth place at regionals.