GAMEDAY POWER POLL - WEEK 13
Stone Bridge's Johnny Bladel leaps over an Edison defensive back for the Bulldogs' first score. The #1 ranked Bulldogs would go on to win 35-6...
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
Liberty's Corey Lillard runs to the endzone during his team's 41-14 victory over GW-Danville. The #4 ranked Eagles will now move on to face Dinwiddie...
Breon Earl and Broad Run shed off Potomac Falls for the second time this year. After winning 38-0 over the Panthers a few weeks ago, Broad Run came out on top once again, defeating Potomac Falls 33-6...
Regional championship time is over and all that's left standing are Goliaths and Cinderellas.
There are in fact five teams in total that have lived to fight on another day, but three of them have been undefeated from start to finish, while the other two have made rather improbable runs to get where they are now.
Stone Bridge, Oakton and Broad Run all continue to roll as they won by very sizable margins in their championship games, but Liberty and Osbourn continue to surprise football fans everywhere.
Both Liberty and Osbourn, who are both nicknamed the Eagles, squeaked on into the playoffs in the last week of the regular season and are now staring down the chance to win a state title.
There is a very real possibility that this area could win a total of three state championships, but as of now, there are five left standing who are fighting for that elusive chance to be crowned champion. Here's how they all currently stand in the Gameday Power Poll, along with the teams which have fallen along the way and whose seasons are over:
1. STONE BRIDGE (13-0)
Previous: 1
Last Week: 35-6 win over Edison
This Week: at Phoebus
Faced with the challenge of going on the road to play Edison in the region championship game, the Stone Bridge Bulldogs rose to the occasion and helped prove why this team is deserving of our number one ranking. Winning by a score of 35-6, the Bulldogs now move on to face an even bigger test by traveling out to Hampton to play the highly-touted Phoebus Phantoms. The two teams met last year out in Ashburn, a game which Stone Bridge won and helped propel them to the state title game.
2. OAKTON (13-0)
Previous: 3
Last Week: 52-14 win over Chantilly
This Week: vs. Oscar Smith
Although our number one ranked team scored a huge championship one, that pales greatly in comparison to Oakton's win over Chantilly. Winning by 38 points, the Cougars cruised on by their Chantilly rivals to win their second region championship in four years and advance to the state semi-finals where they will play Oscar Smith. With the dominant win, Oakton moves up to second in our Power Poll after starting out the year at #8.
3. BROAD RUN (12-0)
Previous: 5
Last Week: 33-6 win over Potomac Falls
This Week: vs. Chancellor
Broad Run made history last Friday night when they beat Potomac Falls to capture the school's first-ever region championship. The Spartans, like their Ashburn counterparts at Stone Bridge, won in decisive fashion. They now move on to face another undefeated team, this time the Chancellor Chargers who hail from the Fredericksburg area. The Chargers, unlike the Spartans, had to comeback in order to advance as they were down three touchdowns at halftime.
4. LIBERTY (10-2)
Previous: 7
Last Week: 41-14 win over GW-Danville
This Week: at Dinwiddie
Going into Week 10, Liberty was a team standing outside of the playoff picture. But what a difference three weeks makes. Now Liberty is standing as the Northwest Region champs and looking at a very real chance at capturing a state title. Last week's 41-14 win over GW-Danville provide head coach Tommy Buzzo and Liberty with their first-ever region championship. Now the Bealeton school will be traveling out to take on Dinwiddie, a school south of Richmond and the Central Region's number one seed.
5. OSBOURN (8-4)
Previous: 10
Last Week: 24-20 win over #6 Woodbridge
This Week: vs. Varina
While Liberty has provided a nice story in their improbable run to a region title, there is no better Cinderella story than the Osbourn Eagles. Squeaking into the playoffs with a 6-4 record, they were matched up against the number one seed in Battlefield who to that point was undefeated. A thrilling 22-20 victory later, and the Eagles find themselves in the region title game. Up against Woodbridge, another undefeated team who was expected to be a top contender for a state title, they successfully dispatched of them as well, winning 24-20. So now here sits Osbourn, ranked #5 in our Power Poll despite barely being above .500 and looking at the chance of winning a state title. They'll now face Varina in the state semi-finals, another state title contender, but as of now, the shoe still fits Osbourn quite nicely and Cinderella is still dancing.
6. WOODBRIDGE (11-1)
Previous: 2
Last Week: 24-20 loss to #5 Osbourn
This Week: N/A (Season Over)
For all of this year, things had gone perfectly for Woodbridge. They failed to lose a game, and they in fact won every game by a rather sizeable margin. The Vikings had done a great job of establishing themselves as a state title contender as they looked nearly unbeatable. Yet when in the region championship game against Osbourn, their dream of a state title came crashing down as they lost 24-20. Woodbridge will manage to finish at #6 in the Power Poll on the year due in part to their stellar play throughout the year.
7. EDISON (12-1)
Previous: 4
Last Week: 35-6 loss to #1 Stone Bridge
This Week: N/A (Season Over)
Edison's run to a region championship came to a screeching halt last Friday night when they lost to #1 Stone Bridge 35-6. Up until that point, Edison had been undefeated on the year, and had even claimed the number one seed entering the playoffs. While the Eagles were unable to claim a region championship, they were able to have an undefeated regular season, including a district title. Edison finishes out the year as our #7 ranked team.
8. HANDLEY (10-2)
Previous: 6
Last Week: 27-14 loss to Monticello
This Week: N/A (Season Over)
Despite riding an eight game winning streak and having homefield advantage, it still wasn't enough to overcome the defending region champs in Monticello. The Judges fell by a score of 27-14, but on the year they were able to capture a Northwestern District title. The silver lining in all of this for Handley is that many key players return next year, making this team a likely favorite to repeat as district champs.
9. CHANTILLY (9-4)
Previous: 8
Last Week: 52-14 loss to #2 Oakton
This Week: N/A (Season Over)
The script was written perfectly for Chantilly up until the very end. After upsetting rival Westfield two weeks ago, they advanced to the championship game with a chance to win their second region title in three years. Workhorse running back Torrian Pace, who had taken the region by storm, seemed poised to take this team on his back all the way to the promised land. Yet #2 Oakton had other plans as they easily dismissed of Chantilly 52-14, a score no one had seen coming. Chantilly does manage to finish out the year at #9 in the Power Poll despite four losses.
10. POTOMAC FALLS (10-2)
Previous: 9
Last Week: 33-6 loss to #3 Broad Run
This Week: N/A (Season Over)
Serving out revenge is said to be sweet, but unfortunately for Potomac Falls, they instead received another bitter loss to Broad Run. Losing 33-6, Potomac Falls' season ends at 10-2, with their two lone losses coming to hands of their Ashburn rivals. The Panthers end the season at #10 in our Power Poll, a spot no one could have predicted at the beginning of the year.
HONORABLE MENTION:
11. Battlefield (10-1, Season Over)
12. Westfield (9-3, Season Over)
13. Briar Woods (8-3, Season Over)
14. West Springfield (8-4, Season Over)
15. James Wood (8-3, Season Over)
