Sherando aims for success in return to football playoffs
STEPHENS CITY — From 2005 to 2015, the Sherando football team made the playoffs every year except for 2008, and the Warriors advanced to the state championship game twice in that span.
A 5-5 record in 2016 kept them out of the playoff picture though, and the Warriors are savoring the chance to add to their program’s rich history.
“We know that we have a lot on our team, and we know we can go far,” said Sherando junior running back T.J. Washington after last Friday night’s 35-22 win over Millbrook. “I’m hoping we can go to states.”
Given that Millbrook is the top-rated team in Region 4C, the Class 4 Northwestern District champion Warriors might just have what it takes to win the region and advance to state competition. The first step starts tonight against a fellow district champion.
At 7 p.m., No. 4 Sherando (8-2) will host No. 5 Dominion (7-3) in the Region 4C quarterfinals at Arrowhead Stadium. The Titans finished tied atop the Dulles District standings with No. 6 Loudoun County at 5-1, but Dominion received the district’s automatic region berth as a result of their head-to-head win against the Raiders.
Though the Titans were state quarterfinalists last year, there were a couple points in the season where a lot of people had to wonder if they could be a major contender in 4C.
Dominion opened the year with a 39-24 loss to an accomplished program but also a program two classifications smaller than it in Clarke County.
“We had six kids on last year’s team go off to play college football, so we lost a lot,” Dominion coach Karl Buckwalter said in a phone interview. “We worked hard in the offseason to prepare, and we were up 21-10 at the half against Clarke County. Then we imploded. They wore on us. We learned from that experience, took that information and applied it to the rest of the year.”
Starting with a 3-0 win in another particularly physical game the following week against Potomac Falls, the Titans bounced back by winning four of their next five games.
But Dominion then lost quarterback Thomas Jarman (90 of 136 for 1,468 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions) for the rest of the year to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in a 28-12 loss to Woodgrove on Oct. 13 to fall to 4-3.
Former wide receiver Trey Hayes was tabbed to run Dominion’s spread offense as a result. The Titans scored 126 points to win their final three regular-season games. The first of those wins came against Loudoun County, and the second one came against Loudoun Valley (41-31), a team that Sherando beat 50-20 on Sept. 15.
“[Hayes] has flourished and done a tremendous job for us,” said Buckwalter of the 5-9, 170-pound sophomore, who also plays strong safety. “His freshman year he played some quarterback. He’s a tremendous athlete who started all the games for us at wide receiver before he switched.”
Hayes leads an offense that averages 31.8 points per game. Heading into the season finale against winless Park View, the Titans were averaging 353.7 yards per game. Hayes passed for 239 yards and three TDs heading into the Park View game.
“When plays break down, he does a good job extending the play running the scramble drill. That’s when some of their best plays happen,” Sherando coach Bill Hall said. “He does a good job of moving the pocket around. When things break down, he has a away of making plays, and his receivers do a good job of creating openings. We’ll have to make sure we do a good job with our fits on him.”
Hayes has plenty of skilled athletes around him, including 6-3, 205-pound George Richardson (24 catches, 602 yards and nine TDs through nine games), who has verbally committed to NCAA Division I Albany. Running back Alex Wertz had 104 carries for 810 yards and six TDs through nine games.
Hall compares Dominion’s line to Liberty’s in terms of size. Each of the Titans’ regular starters are at least 6-1 and four of them weigh between 260 and 300 pounds, though Buckwalter said 6-3, 280-pound center Ethan Ferguson will be a game-time decision because of an injury.
Sherando counters with a defense that is yielding only 16.6 points and 220.9 yards per game. The Warriors have 27 takeaways. Class 4 Northwestern District Defensive Player of the Year JoJo Doleman, a junior linebacker, leads Sherando with 70 tackles (13 for loss).
Led by NCAA Division I Temple commit Jayde Pierre (6-2, 300), a defensive lineman, the Titans are surrendering 18.8 points per game.
“Versus some spread stuff they’re an even front team. They’ve mixed up their coverages,” Hall said. “Versus tight end stuff they’re more of an odd front team, so I expect a multiple front.”
With 2,025 passing yards and 1,946 rushing yards, Sherando has shown it can take whatever an opposing defense offers.
No team has held the Warriors (46.7 points per game) under 28 points. Hunter Entsminger, the Class 4 Northwestern District Offensive Player of the Year, needs one TD pass to break the school single-season record (he has 24 against four interceptions, and 1,915 passing yards). Washington has rushed for 1,125 yards and 13 TDs.
If the Warriors can continue to play like they have, they’ll have a good chance of getting to enjoy the playoff experience for another week.
“When it’s a consistent thing and you don’t go [to the playoffs], all the sudden it brings to reality how special it is to be in the playoffs,” Hall said. “I’m just happy for this team, the journey that they’re on, and the way they’re working toward being the best version of themselves.”
Friday’s winner plays at No. 1 Millbrook next week.
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at
rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1
