<b>Edison Falls in Region Title Game</b>
In a single-wing offense, something few football teams outside of Stone Bridge even attempt to execute, fake handoffs are followed by more fake handoffs and a defense that forgets about discipline can generally forget about stopping the tricky attack.
On Friday, Nov. 21, with the wind whipping at Edison High School, Stone Bridge (13-0) faked, crossed and reversed its way to a 35-6 win over the Eagles, handing the Bulldogs their third Northern Region Division 5 title in the past four years.
“In order to defend them, you have to not look in the backfield and you have to play your position,” said Edison coach Vaughn Lewis, whose team was squaring off with the Bulldogs in the region championship for the fourth straight year. “Once we got behind, too many people starting thinking that they had to make the plays themselves.”
Edison followed a scoreless first quarter by giving up a 68-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second period. Six minutes later, a nine-play Stone Bridge drive resulted in a second touchdown and the Bulldogs tacked on one more score before halftime.
After accumulating 90 yards during the opening quarter, Edison gained only 11 during the next two.
Stone Bridge responded with two fourth-quarter scores before Corey Washington’s 53-yard run put Edison on the board. Angus Harper led the Eagles with 34 rushing yards and quarterback Levi Barber completed five of 16 passes for 24 yards.
“I was really proud of the way both sides played,” said Lewis, whose team finished the year at 12-1. “We played hard, but we just made too many mistakes.”
<b>W.T. Woodson’s Kohlrus Leads Shoremen</b>
For the second consecutive season, W.T. Woodson graduate Tim Kohlrus has been selected as a team captain for the Washington College men’s basketball team. A Fairfax native, Kohlrus averaged a team-best 15.8 points per game last season. He also totaled a team-high 119 defensive rebounds and averaged 6.4 total rebounds per game. Kohlrus is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard and made a team-best 123 free throws last season. In high school, Kohlrus garnered All-District honors both as a junior and a senior, and he also played on the 2005 Cavalier squad that won a Liberty District title.
<b>Paul VI’s Morgan Commits to Tech</b>
Paul VI senior Chad Morgan recently committed to play baseball next season at Virginia Tech. Morgan, a catcher, hit .408 (31 for 76) for the Panthers last season, with 28 RBIs, four triples and 22 runs scored. A Springfield native, Morgan also led the Panthers with 24 walks and his RBI total ranked second on the team. In 2008, Paul VI finished 27-3 overall, 15-3 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, later winning the VISAA state championship. The Paul VI baseball program has seen 33 players advance to the collegiate level since 2003.
<b>Bush an All-American at CNU</b>
On Wednesday, Nov. 19, West Springfield graduate Liz Bush, a senior right-side hitter for the Christopher Newport (Division III) volleyball team, was recognized as a second team All-America pick by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Bush was third on the team this season with 295 kills, an average of 2.19 per match. She accumulated a hitting percentage of .319, totaled 49 digs and finished third with 67 blocks. A first team All-USA South pick, Bush becomes the first Christopher Newport volleyball player to earn second team All-America status. At West Springfield, Bush was a second team All-Northern Region pick during his senior season, as well as a first team All-Patriot District selection.
<b>Fairfax Grad Leads Highlanders</b>
In a 68-66 loss to Virginia on Friday, Nov. 21, Radford University junior Joey Lynch-Flohr helped the Highlander men’s basketball team with 15 points, his third straight game in double figures. Lynch-Flohr, a graduate of Fairfax High School and a Fairfax native, has pulled down 15 rebounds (5.0 rebounds-per-game average) in three games thus far for the Highlanders (2-1). As a sophomore last season, he started 28 of 29 games and posted six double-doubles. A 6-foot-8, 221-pound forward/center, Lynch-Flohr tallied double digits in 18 of 24 games during his senior season at Fairfax, earning first team All-District and second team All-Region honors.
<b>Danner Destroys Mason Records</b>
At George Mason’s Patriot Invitational over the weekend, Lake Braddock graduate Ashley Danner continued her assault on the school’s swimming record books as a freshman. Having already set school records in 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events, along with the 200 individual medley, Danner set a meet record in the 50 freestyle with her time of 23.09 seconds on the opening day of completion on Friday, Nov. 21. She also swam on the first-place 400-medley team, whose time of 3:46.35 set school, pool, meet and Colonial Athletic Association records.
On Saturday, Danner set school, pool, meet and CAA marks with 400 IM time of 4:15.65, while later helping set a new meet record as a part of the 200 medley relay team and swimming a meet record-breaking opening leg (1:50.59) on the first-place 800 freestyle relay team.
On the meet’s final day, Danner claimed first place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 50.69, another meet record, and later improved upon that time while swimming the opening leg of the 400 freestyle relay, which finished first with a time of 3:29.45. Other notables included Mason junior Ryan Metzker, a Lake Braddock diver who finished first in the 3-meter diving event with a score of 300.05. Robinson graduate Claire Weems won the 200 freestyle (1:51.94) and joined Danner on the 400 freestyle relay team.
<b>Springfield Swimmer Chooses WVU</b>
Springfield native and Annandale senior Rachael Burnett signed a national letter of intent to swim next season at West Virginia University. Burnett won a Virginia AAA state title last winter in the 500-meter freestyle event, earning All-America honors. She also qualified for the U.S. Open and is a five-time Junior National qualifier. “Rachael will contribute at all levels and will be a valuable member of our distance and [individual medley] program,” said Mountaineers coach Vic Riggs in a press release. “I know Rachael’s goals are the same as the program’s and we look forward to reaching them together.”
<b>Paul VI’s Lytle Signs With ECU</b>
Paul VI senior Patrick Lytle recently signed to swim at East Carolina University. Lytle’s talents revolve around the 50- and 100-meter freestyle events. He competed in last year’s Junior Nationals in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. “I chose East Carolina because I like the environment more than the other schools I looked at,” Lytle said in a press release. “I also think East Carolina will give me a good opportunity to excel both in athletics and in academics.”