One school, two teams. The final weekend of the spring season has been kind to Western Albemarle for quite some time.
The Warriors boys tennis team has owned this weekend dating back to 2007 when it won the first of their three-straight Group AA titles. This weekend, Cam Scott, Alex Preve, Teddy Nelson, Andrew Loving, Will Diamond and Tom Lewis will try to bring a remarkable fourth straight state title back to Crozet from Blacksburg.
Warriors coach Charles Ix’s squad has yet to drop a contest this season, yet even more impressive isn’t this experienced group’s undefeated record, but rather, the manner with which they’ve maintained it. Since the season began in March, Western has been obliterating its opponents, winning nearly every single individual match, and that didn’t change when the Warriors jumped into the heart of the postseason – the Warriors’ players went 17-1 in Region II play.
So there remains two questions for Western in Radford this weekend. First, is there anyone that can compete from one through six with the Warriors? If there is — and the Warriors have faced some battles in Blacksburg over the past three years — that opens up the second question. How will Western respond to the pressure?
The players that make up Ix’s roster know nothing else except state titles. The class of 2010’s freshman year was when Western picked up its first championship of this run, so it’s fair to say that this group is used to playing under substantial pressure.
On the other hand, the Western girls lacrosse team is in uncharted territory. Not only is this the Warriors’ first trip to the Group AAA/AA championship, but it’s the first time ever that a AA part of that designation has mattered since the tournament began in 2006.
On Saturday in Chantilly, the Western will look to become the first AA school − not to mention the first school not from Fairfax County – to win the state championship. It’s a scenario that this team that was plausible, but did not necessarily expect to have happen.
“I think that in the back of our minds we knew that we could do this,” said Western midfielder Jeanette Fellows. “But it wasn’t until we (won our semifinal game) that we really thought we could win a state championship.”
Western has struggled at time sot get started early in games, but that’s exactly what propelled them to the championship showdown. While the Warriors have won the vast majority of their games comfortably, scoring first and getting the early jump has been a pit of problem.
Although Western was on defense for most of the first half against Loudoun Valley on Tuesday, the Warriors’ attack unit made their possessions count and earned the team an early 4-1 lead.
With one more opponent facing them, Nancy Haws is hoping her team can get on the board early.
“When you go back through our games, that’s the one thing we haven’t consistently been able to do,” Haws said.
Given the way Western has been able to play down the stretch, should the Warriors get off to a good start against W.T. Woodson, it would not be surprising if a Group AAA/AA trophy finally made its way down to Crozet.
Mountaineers looking for school’s second Group A title of 2010
Madison County’s girls soccer team stumbled a bit in mid-May with a back-to-back losses. But since, except for a pair of losses to powerhouse George Mason — one in penalty kicks— the Mountaineers have been flawless.
Madison goes toe-to-toe with Radford High Friday at noon in the Group A semifinals in Radford, with a shot at the state finals, and potentially, a fourth battle with George Mason.
Mason crushed Northumberland 7-0 in the quarterfinals and takes on Gate City, the Region D champion, in Friday’s first semifinal. The Mountaineers doled out their own blowout against Northampton in their quarterfinal, overcoming a long bus trip to the Eastern Shore to win 4-1.
Lydia Jacobs and captain Ashley Sealander both came up with goals in the win. Madison needs to continue to get big-time play from keeper Tori Puryear, who’s been a key part of 13 shutouts this year. Samantha Cubbage is also a big time offensive threat, expect the Mountaineers to feed her early and often.
Getting past Radford, a 2009 Group A finalist, won’t be any easy task. Radford shut out John Battle 5-0 in the quarters. The Bobcats boast a talented senior core and an electric freshman in Lexi Denny. Pip Pattison is also a major scoring threat while Denny’s sister, Maddy, plays defense. CeCe Scott, a second team VHSCA All-State honoree in 2009, gives the Bobcats another dimension to contend with.
