Chargers, Eagles Look For Fright Night Win
Friday Night's Halloween Showdown Between #10 Chantilly and #5 Edison Will Go A Long Way To Deciding How The Northern Region Playoffs Are Seeded. The Eagles Need A Win To Lock Up Home Field Advantage....
Chantilly's Kevin McGrath Will Have One Of The Toughest Jobs On Friday Night When He Continually Runs Into Edison's Stephon Robertson Play After Play. That Match-Up Will Be One Of The Best To Watch All Night Long....
Photo By: Barry deNicola / Gameday Magazine
Edison's Levi Barber Will Take Center Stage In Easily The Biggest Game Of His Young Career Behind Center. If Barber Can Put The Eagles Ahead Early, Edison Will Be Tough To Beat In This One......
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
#5 EDISON (9-0) @
#10 CHANTILLY (7-2)
WHEN: Friday October 31st, 2008
WHERE: Chantilly High School
KICKOFF: 7:30pm
PREGAME: 7:00pm
MEDIA COVERAGE:
The Gameday Radio Network
Game of the Week
Live Coverage Begins At 7:00pm
Online At GamedayMagazine.com
BROADCAST TEAM:
Andy Hayes (Play By Play)
Ken Kincaid (Color Commentary)
CHANTILLY, VA- When the Edison Eagles travel out west to meet up with the Chantilly Chargers, the Northern Virginia area will serve host to one of the most intriguing match-ups to date. The storylines to watch are endless, and the results of the game will carry with it even bigger implications.
As the "second season" approaches, we couldn't ask for a better match up to close out the regular season. Some teams may know their fate, but these two squads are fighting for a little more as they cross the finish line.
Edison, sitting at #5 in our Power Poll, is one win away from finishing up the regular season undefeated and being able to lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs; an advantage they'd love to have.
Meanwhile, #10 Chantilly is trying to hold onto the third seed in the playoffs and improve their record to 8-2 on the year and avoid their worst finish since the 2005 campaign.
Here, we break down every storyline and every key match-up in this colossal contest that you need to know!
THE STORYLINES
SIZE VERSUS SPEED
Edison's trademark, without a doubt, is their speed. Levi Barber, Angus Harper, Stephon Robertson, as well as Christian and Corey Washington, possess some of the best speed the Chargers will have seen all year. Even their defensive line of Josh Page and Josh Blair are best known for their quickness rather than strength.
Meanwhile, Chantilly boasts one of the bigger teams Edison has seen all year. Led by linemen Isaac Sine and Andrew Crawford, both of whom are over 6-foot-3, they've been known to pound teams away. Then there's running back Torrian Pace, who at 225 pounds, is one of the toughest and hard-nosed backs you'll find in the area.
DIVISION 5 VERSUS DIVISION 6
We all know where the strength of the Northern Region resides, and that's Division 6. But at the top of each division, it's a toss-up. Both Edison and Stone Bridge are two of the best teams in the whole area. Can they compete with the traditionally strong Division 6? We'll get to find out this Friday night.
CONCORD VERSUS NATIONAL
Compare the Sun Belt Conference to the SEC and that is what kind of comparison this is. However, it is entirely possible that Edison could dethrone one of the Concorde's best, and if they did, it would certainly be a huge boost to the National, a district which has become nothing but a punchline in recent seasons.
AGGRESSIVE VERSUS TACTICAL
In addition to being one of the fastest teams in the area, Edison could also be the one which hits the hardest as well. Christian Washington and Stephon Robertson are two heat-seeking missiles that when out on the field, are seeking to destroy whatever they come in contact with. They play with a controlled, reckless abandon, and they take great pride in it as well. Not to mention it's fun for the fans to watch...
Now, not to say Chantilly can't lay the smackdown, because players like Sine certainly can, but their gameplan is surrounded more on a tactical approach. They don't have the athletes or DI prospects Edison may have, but they always get the job done. They're coached up to do everything the right way, and it results in wins.
NEW COACH VERSUS OLD COACH
Compared to Edison head coach Vaughn Lewis, who has been Edison's head man for 23 years, Chantilly's Mike Lalli could easily be considered as new seeing as he's been in the business for four years now. But regardless of the experience, both are proven winners. Yet who will win? The veteran Lewis or the upstart Lalli?
KEY MATCH-UPS
Presented By: Ticonderoga Farms
Torrian Pace vs. Stephon Robertson
Torrian Pace leads the entire area in rushing yards, but over the past two years, Stephon Robertson has led the region in tackles. Seeing who prevails in this matchup will be extremely interesting to watch. Both are extremely powerful, as Pace is known for his ability to break through tackles, while Robertson has made a name for himself delivering hard blows to ballcarriers. Will Robertson be the one to stop Pace or will he run right on by the Edison linebacker?
Andrew Crawford vs. Josh Page
When Crawford lines up at left tackle, he'll have to deal with Josh Page, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound defensive end. He's got the size, speed and talent, but Crawford is known as one of the best in the business when it comes to blocking.
Chantilly Pass Offense vs. Edison Secondary
We all know Chantilly can run the ball with a high degree of success, but if they fall behind, they may need to start relying on quarterback Roger Strittmatter and the passing game. Unfortunately, they have their work cut out for them as Edison boasts one of the best defensive back combos with Christian Washington, Corey Washington and Angus Harper.
Edison Run Defense vs. Chantilly Backfield
This is likely where the game will be won. If Chantilly can move the ball with Pace and Kevin McGrath, it could be a long night for Edison. But if the Eagles were to stop the talented duo, then they have a great shot at winning.
EDISON RECORDS SINCE 2000
Year Record
2000 9-2
2001 7-3
2002 9-2
2003 5-5
2004 9-3
2005 10-2
2006 11-3
2007 9-3
2008 9-0 (YTD)
2000-2008 (W-L) 78-23
Opposing Teams W-L Record YTD (First Nine Opponents)) 36-45
2008 2 Shut Outs This Season YTD
CHANTILLY RECORDS SINCE 2000
Year Record
2000 6-4
2001 4-5
2002 6-4
2003 5-5
2004 0-10
2005 4-6
2006 10-4
2007 8-3
2008 7-2 (YTD)
2000-2008 (W-L) 50-43
Opposing Teams W-L Record YTD (First Nine Opponents) 46-35
2008 1 Shut Out This Season YTD
HEAD TO HEAD
2003 Chantilly 20 Edison 19
2004 Edison 20 Chantilly 16
2007 Chantilly 21 Edison 14
Edison is 1-2 against Chantilly in their head to head meetings...
Points for Edison: 53
Points Against Edison: 57
Average Points For Edison: 18
Average Points Against Edison: 19
HISTORY
Thomas Edison has made the play offs every year from 2000-2007 with the exception of 2003....
Edison's W-L Record for Play-off Appearances (2000-2007) is 6-7
State Champs: 1986
Region Champs: 1986, 2006
District Champs: 1970, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007
Chantilly has made the playoffs in 2006 and 2007
They have a W-L record of 3-2 in their playoff appearances (2000-2007)
State Champs: 1996
Region Champs: 2006
2008 Average Points Scored: Edison 40.7 Chantilly 28.4
2008 Average Points Against: Edison 10.0 Chantilly 14.8
Current Win Streak For Edison: 9
Current Win Streak For Chantilly: 3
Prediction:
Chantilly 24 - Edison 20
This game has the makings to be a great one, but we give the edge to Chantilly, mainly because we believe their run game will click, but they have two big factors working in their favor. First, is their homefield advantage and second is the schedule they've played up to this point, which is significantly tougher than Edison's. Therefore, Chantilly pulls out a tough one.
WEATHER FORECAST:
Presented By: LightningWear.com
Friday October 31st, 2008
A mostly clear sky. Low 37F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
