Re: High School Football 2015
Posted by:
VA Preps
()
Date: August 25, 2015 06:41PM
Concorde Contenders
Rod Johnson
VirginiaPreps.com Senior Editor
For the last half-decade or so, the Concorde District has essentially come down to the Centreville versus Westfield regular season contest and, in most years, the regional championship has been contested between the two programs.
Yet, the district has retained its reputation as the toughest in the state because the other programs in the Concorde are still tough to beat and, at any moment, they seem capable of rising up and taking over again, as they have in the past.
In 214, Chantilly (6-6), Oakton (6-5) and Robinson (6-5) hovered at, or just over, the .500 mark, but each is looking to make a leap this year.
HOW DO THE CONCORDE CONTENDERS LINE UP?
The Chantilly Chargers scored at a 19 points-per-game clip last season and they've got some playmakers in the huddle this year, but they lack experience bringing back only three of eleven starters.
The key to their attack this season likely lies in the performance of senior quarterback David Tamarro (pictured) who did a solid job in limited action last season including throwing for over 180 yards against Oakton in a loss.
He'll be looking to get the ball to athletes Korben Sparks and Marcus Trammell, both seniors. The former will be lined up outside as a wide receiver while the latter will work from the wing taking the ball on sweeps and counters when not pressing action down the field.
Up front, junior Sean Pogorelc will be relied upon to anchor the line of scrimmage while others develop.
While the offense tries to find their footing early in the season, the Chargers defense should be able to keep them in most games as they return a number of experienced players, especially along the line of scrimmage and in the secondary.
Up front, Hozey Haji-Badri returns after suffering a knee injury early in the 2014 campaign and the big man will join sophomore Dylan Menard giving the Chargers two scholarship level players along the line of scrimmage.
In the defensive backfield, seniors Garret Snedeker and Marcus Trammell return giving Coach Mike Lalli an experienced foundation in the secondary.
If the Chargers have a worry on defense, it will be at the linebacker spot where Lalli is not sure what he has outside of junior Conrad Pereira, a potential big-time playmaker.
The Oakton Cougars found themselves in a lot of low-scoring slugfests last season as they averaged just over 13 points per game last season, yet they still won half of their regular season games in large part because the defense limited seven of eleven opponents to 22 points or less.
The unit should be more productive this season as eight starters return to the offensive huddle including four of five linemen. Juniors Pierce Banbury and Tim Forster will form the nucleus of the group along with seniors Bennett Fagan, Mike Hemrich and Jaleel Denson.
Working behind that group is quarterback Sal Tutone, a senior who threw for over 1,000 yards last season. He'll be joined in the backfield by running back Patrick Francisco who will be backed by a trio of newcomers including seniors Chris Ivener, Eric Merten and junior Elias Lindsey.
But, for the big plays, Coach Jason Rowley will be looking for Tutone to hook up with wide receivers Jarret Bacon and Derrick Beale (pictured), both seniors. Bacon snagged 32 passes last season for over 400 yards and figures to be a bigger focal point this year.
"We feel like the offensive line will be our strength," says Rowley. "Also, we have some athleticism at our skilled positions, particularly at wide out. I think that we have a ton of potential."
Seven starters return on the defensive side of the ball including all four along the line of scrimmage where Rowley will open with seniors Matt Vogel, Patrick Davis, Dylan Cardelli and Will Fisher.
Working in the secondary behind the experienced line is a strong corps of defensive backs including senior returnees Derrick Beale, Jarrett Bacon and Nick Hart who will be joined by sophomore Jake Eagan.
Those two groups will sandwich an inexperienced linebacking corps returning no starters. Seniors Brian Jang and Justin Bartee will play alongside junior Chris Walton in the middle of the defense at least giving Rowley maturity, if not experience. "Our linebackers don't have a lot of varsity games under their belts," says Rowley. "Fortunately, they will have a veteran group in front of them and behind them in the secondary."
The group should make life easier for an offense looking to improve as Rowley says that he expects his defense to be one of the top units in the region.
In Scott Vossler's first year as the head coach of the Robinson Rams, things went well until the middle of October winning their first six games of the season including a 19-17 win over neighborhood rival Lake Braddock who finished 10-3 on the year.
The back half of the schedule was not as kind as injuries and stronger opponents resulted in the Rams dropping their final five games of the season with only one contest settled by fewer than 17 points.
Win or lose, the Rams play hard from whistle to whistle and bring a physical presence to the field every week and that won't change this season as Vossler brings an experienced bunch to the gridiron.
Seven starters come back on offense including junior quarterback Alex Miller and three big and talented running backs in Sean Foncha (5-11, 205), Da'Jon Lee (pictured, 6-2, 225) and Roman Lowery (6-0, 215). That gives the Rams a lot of versatility on offense as opposing coordinators will have to be prepared for any of the four to be the focal point of the offense on any given Friday. "Our back are big, strong and experienced. They will determine our success," says Vossler.
Naturally, they'll need help up front and the Rams bring back three guys along the line of scrimmage headed up by junior Nick Bernacchi, a potential scholarship player. He's joined by senior guard Lars Stevenson and tight end Mason Velasquez, a future college baseball player.
"I believe we have the potential to have a very strong offense," says Vossler. "Given what we have returning and our run-first mentality, we have the potential to put tremendous stress on our opponents."
The defense won't be quite as experienced as the offense but three players return to the front seven including defensive end Izzy Isreal, a senior, and linebackers Donnie Warter and Da'Jon Lee.
Along the line of scrimmage, senior Austin Jones will line up at the other defensive end spot while junior Grant Miller provides an anchor in the middle at tackle. "Our front seven has the potential to be strong and we should be athletic at the linebacker position," says Vossler.
If there is a concern for the defense, it comes in the form of a secondary returning no starters though junior Matt Oakley has promise. "We lost six of our top seven in the secondary due to graduation. We will be young and inexperienced on the back end, but we've got a few options back there. The development of those players will determine our success on defense."
The verdict:
All three programs are likely still chasing both Westfield and Centreville this season but each should at least earn a postseason appearance where anything can happen.
As if the Concorde District schedule was not already tough enough, NoVa schedule makers did none of the three a favor with out-of-district games this fall.
I like Chantilly to get off to a hot start likely winning at least three of their first four games and possibly losing only once in the first six games. With Oakton, Briar Woods, Centreville and Westfield sitting on the back half of the season, they will need to get wins early and develop their systems to be fully prepared for a rugged month. If they can pull a minor upset or two, they'll host a home playoff game in the first round.
Oakton has it even tougher with rival Madison, a rebuilding T.C. Williams, Tuscarora, Robinson and Westfield dotting the front half of the docket. Centreville, Chantilly, Broad Run, Falls Church and Herndon offer no respite in the second half.
The Cougars defense will have to be spectacular this fall. Even as their offense improves, it's unlikely that they will be highly explosive. To win, Oakton will likely have to collect low-scoring slugfest type victories which leave little margin for error. They'll win their share but they'll be the underdogs in most of their games.
Like Oakton, Robinson will have to win their share of low-scoring games, but their program is a bit more used to those type of affairs which should allow them a larger comfort zone.
The Rams could use another win over Lake Braddock to really kick start their season as they could potentially win each of their first five games this season. The back end will be a fight each week with Stone Bridge, Westfield, Herndon, Broad Run and Centreville making life tough.
The key for each team will be how they perform against the other two and each could use an upset or two in order to propel themselves into top of the region contention. On paper, it feels like each is a five- to seven-win team which means advancing deep into the postseason means road upsets.
Rod Johnson
VirginiaPreps.com Senior Editor