Lax Bracketology 101: Tournament Breakdown
Woodson may be down after losing to Madison in the Liberty semi-finals, but they are certainly not out. Their drive to a region and state title begins with Westfield, a team that is firing on all cylinders right now...
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Jack Tyler and the Oakton defense have played near-stellar throughout the season, allowing more than 10 goals just twice all year. For Oakton to move on, they'll need another strong performance from their defensive unit...
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Jeremy Kuney and Langley seem to be playing their best lacrosse at the right time of year. With a Liberty District championship already in hand, they'd love nothing more than to add two more big pieces of hardware on their trophy shelf...
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Here's a riddle: What turns a coach's hair gray, makes players quiver, forces parents to squirm and protest, while making lacrosse fans happy?
Give up?
The answer is a Liberty-Concorde first round pairing in the regional tournament. It's the best vs. the best, superior talent vs. superior talent, and great coaching vs. great coaching. Many have heard the complaints of the unfairness of the system of how two state title contenders such as Robinson and Madison are forced to now play each other in the first round. Or how Westfield must now face Woodson despite gaining the second seed. It might not seem fair, but it's here and it's a reality.
Yet with the glass half-full, we get to see some incredible lacrosse be played out. Robinson vs. Madison almost never happens in the first round and same with Westfield and Woodson playing each other. Instead of the boring blowout or mediocre matchups, we get to pit two prized bulls against each other and let them charge full-steam ahead at each other. What's seriously better than that?
So take a seat and sit in to Gameday's "Bracketology 101" session. We love seeing great lacrosse played out here and we're as excited as ever for the regional playoffs to start, so to kick off this year's regional tournament, we've broken down each and every first round matchup. We'll enjoy the games and we hope you do too as we'll be bringing live radio coverage of the playoffs all throughout the spring.
**FIRST ROUND GAME OF THE WEEK**
ROBINSON (C3) AT MADISON (L2)
How They Got Here:
-Robinson: 16-3 win over Centreville; 7-5 loss to Westfield
-Madison: 13-7 win over South Lakes; 15-13 win over Woodson; 11-8 loss to Langley in the Liberty District championship
Winner Faces: Mount Vernon/Hayfield winner
The Skinny: Try finding a better first round matchup than this game. You would maybe expect to maybe find these two playing each other in the regional semi-finals or in the state tournament, but never in the first round. Yet as fate would have it, here we are, pitting two potential state title contenders against one another in the first round. Robinson, who is fresh off of a bitter 7-5 defeat to Westfield, must make the trek out to Madison, a team with one of the most lethal of offenses in the region.
Also throwing away the "pretender" label some might applied to them earlier in the year, the Warhawks are a bonafide contender. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. With wins over Langley, Woodson, Westfield and Loudoun Valley, you'll be hard-pressed to find a team with a better rèsumè. But for Robinson, they have history on their side. Winners of two of the past three state titles, it's safe to assume head coach Justin Fitzgerald will have his team ready to go to work in the playoffs.
What to Watch For: The talent on offense for both of these is teams is nothing short of tremendous. Madison sports one of the area's best attack with Will Cybulski, Mike Hayden and Gordon Bailey, but Robinson may have one of the best all-around players in Dan McNulty. Throw into the mix for Robinson two midfield lines that can produce at anytime and you have yourself quite an offensively-infused game. With that said, look for the team with the best defense to win. Madison possesses one of the region's best longpoles in Nick Vonesh, but they might also need a big game from goalie Ryan Cass to move on. Meanwhile for Robinson, they have a shutdown player in Mike O'Meara, but it takes a combined team effort to keep the Madison offensive weapons off the board.
WOODSON (L3) AT WESTFIELD (C2)
How They Got Here:
-Woodson: 18-4 win over Madison; 15-13 loss to Madison in Liberty semi-finals
-Westfield: 9-5 win over Fairfax; 7-5 win over Robinson; 5-4 (2OT) loss to Chantilly in Concorde District championship.
Winner Faces: West Springfield/Yorktown winner
The Skinny: Westfield is getting hot at exactly the right time of year. Resembling more of the Westfield of old, this is one team no one wants to face right now. After starting out the year 1-4, the Bulldogs have clawed their way back into the upper echelon of Virginia lacrosse. With an impressive 7-5 win over Robinson, they nearly knocked off Chantilly before losing in double overtime. Meanwhile for Woodson, they're coming off a 15-13 loss to Madison and looking to get back on their feet after a strong start to the season.
What to Watch For: It's time to stop questioning Westfield. If their play in the Concorde District tournament didn't open any eyes, then Woodson may be in for a shock. However, is the rejuvenated play of Westfield enough to move them past Woodson? The Cavaliers boast talent on offense across the board, and could move on with another strong game by goalie Stephen Colangelo but he will need help from his defensive counterparts.
OAKTON (C4) AT LANGLEY (L1)
How They Got Here:
-Oakton: 10-3 win over Herndon; 7-3 loss to Chantilly
-Langley: 11-1 win over McLean; 15-5 win over Thomas Jefferson; 11-8 win over Madison in Liberty District championship
Winner Faces: Lake Braddock/Falls Church winner
The Skinny: Long believed to be the front-runner for the state title this year, Langley seems to be saving their best lacrosse for the end of the year. With two ten-goal wins in the Liberty District tournament and a championship to their credit, their may not be a better team up and down the lineup than Langley. Yet for the Oakton Cougars, they appear to be showing signs of life. A dominating 10-3 win over Herndon followed by a tough effort given in the next round to Chantilly shows this certainly has the potential to get the job done.
What to Watch For: They say defense wins championships, and if that's the case for Langley, their in good standing. Their four longpoles of Brendan Dwyer, Trevor Shafran, Thomas Robinson and Joey Cortina form what may be the best defensive unit in the entire state. Throw in the strong goalie play of Galen Kuney, and it's tough to get by Langley. For Oakton, they'll need a big game from their offense to move on. So far this season, the defense for Oakton has held serve, limiting opponents to a paltry 7.4 points per game.
LAKE BRADDOCK (P3) AT FALLS CHURCH (N2)
How They Got Here:
- Lake Braddock: 9-7 win over Lee; 9-3 loss to Annandale
- Falls Church: 19-9 win over Stuart; 21-17 win over Washington-Lee; 12-9 loss to Mount Vernon in National District championship
Winner Faces: Langley/Oakton winner
The Skinny: Perhaps the most intriguing first round matchup not between a Liberty or Concorde District team is this one right here. Falls Church in the past five years or so has always been a contender in the National District, but have found limited success in regional play, winning just once in the tournament. Similarly enough, their one regional tournament win came against a Patriot District foe, which is who the Jaguars will be matched up against in the first round this year. For Lake Braddock, they would like nothing more than to get their program back on track with a potential playoff run. They would have an excellent opportunity to do so this year given their first round opponent.
What to Watch For: The scores from Falls Church's games resemble that of a football game, which is an indicator they can score but might need help in stopping others from scoring. Luckily for the Jaguars, the Lake Braddock offense has reached double-digits just three times all year. If Falls Church can shore up some of their defensive woes, they could be the ones moving on. If not, Lake Braddock moves on with ease.
WASHINGTON-LEE (N3) AT ANNANDALE (P2)
How They Got Here:
- Washington-Lee: 14-1 win over Wakefield; 21-17 loss to Falls Church
- Annandale: 15-2 win over T.C. Williams; 9-3 win over Lake Braddock; 16-10 loss to West Springfield in Patriot District championship
Winner Faces: Chantilly/Thomas Jefferson winner
The Skinny: Annandale had the fortune of advancing all the way to states last year, but find themselves sitting as the Patriot runners-up this year. They'll have ample opportunity to make another run, but it starts with taking out Washington-Lee. The Generals are enjoying their best season in program history, but face a very tall order in knocking off Annandale.
What to Watch For: The Atoms showed everyone last year what can happen when they hit their stride. Look for head coach Bill Maglisceau to have his team fully prepared against Washington-Lee in hopes of yet another strong tournament run.
THOMAS JEFFERSON (L4) AT CHANTILLY (C1)
How They Got Here:
- Thomas Jefferson: 13-12 (OT) win over Stone Bridge; 15-5 loss to Langley
- Chantilly: 7-3 win over Oakton; 5-4 (2OT) win over Westfield in Concorde District championship
Winner Faces: Annandale/Washington-Lee winner
The Skinny: It's now been two years since a Virginia public school has defeated Chantilly, leaving many to conclude that the Chargers are the perennial favorite to take home yet another state title. Their quest for another championship starts with Thomas Jefferson, who possesses several dangerous offensive threats. They were able to dispatch a talent-laden Stone Bridge team in the first round of districts, so the Colonials should put up a fight.
What to Watch For: It seems the Chargers have made their through the season without their due fanfare. A lot of the focus has sifted its way to the Liberty District, but quietly the Chargers have been on a roll. Don't be surprised to see Chantilly make a statement to the rest of the region in their first game against TJ.
HAYFIELD (P4) AT MOUNT VERNON (N1)
How They Got Here:
- Hayfield: 11-7 win over South County; 15-2 loss to West Springfield
- Mount Vernon: 9-8 win over Yorktown; 12-9 win over Falls Church in National District championship
Winner Faces: Madison/Robinson winner
The Skinny: If the National District were to win a game in the tournament, then it would be here. Earlier this year the Majors beat rival Hayfield by a score of 6-2, not to mention the Majors have won six of their past seven games, including the National District championship where they defeated Falls Church by a score of 12-9. However, keep in mind this is a rivalry game for both teams, which means just about anything can happen.
What to Watch For: Mount Vernon head coach Dale Nalls has waited what must seem like an eternity to get his team back to this point. Just four years ago, Mount Vernon had wrapped up their sixth straight National District title and had failed to lose a district game each season. They pretty much ran the National. Now with Mount Vernon back up on top, don't expect coach Nalls to relinquish his position anytime soon. He should have his team walking away with nothing short of a win in this first round matchup.
YORKTOWN (N4) AT WEST SPRINGFIELD (P1)
How They Got Here:
-Yorktown: 8-3 win over Edison; 9-8 loss to Mount Vernon
- West Springfield: 19-0 win over West Potomac; 15-2 win over Hayfield; 16-10 win over Annandale in Patriot District championship
Winner Faces: Westfield/Woodson winner
The Skinny: The sleeper team in this whole tournament might be West Springfield. Playing in the Patriot District, they may not get the respect they fully deserve, but they've proven to be a very solid lacrosse team. Their first round matchup comprises of a Yorktown team that has picked up its play as of late, winning five of their last eight games after losing their first eight games.
What to Watch For: While Yorktown has stepped up its game as of late, so too has West Springfield. They laid down the law in the Patriot District tournament, winning by an average of 12.6 goals a game while also scoring a whopping 16.6 goals per game. You can likely pencil in West Springfield to move on in the first round, but it should be fun seeing how this team does in the later rounds.
