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Heritage Pride — Region II, Division 4, Class AA Dulles District
Head Coach: Wes Driskill, seventh year.
Record at Heritage: 26-34.
2007 Record: 7-3 overall, 5-2 district.
Key Losses: OL/DL Alex Bailey; OL/DL Chas Barcelona; FB/LB Nick Cadwell; OL/DL Ryan Furtner; OL/DL Chris Groomes; TE/LB Michael Massey; WR/LB Bryan McCarthy; QB Kyle Nelson; WR/DB Curtis Rustin; OL/DL Ben Stroud; WR/DB Darius Tibbs.
Top Returners: TE/LB Russell East, Sr.; OL/DL Thomas Ewing, Sr.; OL/DL Jake Fowler, So.; QB Zach Gordon, Sr.; OL/DL Josh Labuhn, Jr.; RB/DB Ross Madison, Sr.; RB/LB David McCarthy, Jr.; WR/DB T.J. McPhaul, Sr.; OL/DL Aaron McMichael, Sr; OL/DL Lawrence Middleton, Sr.
New Faces: LB Danny Offei, Sr; LB Austin McCalla; QB Brian Rody, So; OL/LB Joshn Toney, Jr.
Game to Watch: Week 6, Oct. 3 vs. Broad Run
The district title runs through Ashburn and the Pride came very close in 2007 to knocking the Spartans off with the game tied at 10-10 with less than five minutes to play when a botched punt and a trick BR play led to a 17-10 Spartans win. A win here would go along way to Heritage’s first ever playoff berth.
Stadium: Heritage High School Stadium (Capacity 3,000).
Heritage Looking for Its Turn in the Playoffs
By Dan Sousa
Senior Content Edtior, LoudounPrepSports.com
sixth in a series of 10.
Leesburg – “Don’t want to be on the outside looking in”.
You can find that motto somewhere in the Heritage High School weight room and it sums up how the Pride feel after posting 7-3 marks in 2005 and 2007, only to just miss the playoffs based on the VHSL football ratings.
“We feel like we have the talent and we have done the work. We just have to get together with a good team chemistry and execute our offense and defense well and have good special teams,” said Pride coach Wes Driskill who has gone 18-12 over the past three years after opening the school in 2002 with a 8-22 mark in the first three seasons. “We feel like we have a shot.”
All-District running back Ross Madison returns for his senior season after a junior campaign during which he rushed for more than 800 yards on six yards a carry and some district coaches called him the top runner in 2007 in the Dulles. Madison’s offseason workout numbers are impressive to say the least as he posted a 4.47 40, 9-8 broad jump, 31-inch vertical leap and 450-pound squad.
“He had a tremendous offseason and really has dedicated himself,” said Driskill.
The only place the Pride doesn’t want to see Madison at is quarterback as it was injuries to two QB’s in the 2007 season opener against South Lakes that forced the running back to move to quarterback. The Pride, also playing with two offensive lineman out in that game, lost and it cost them a playoff berth in the long run.
Running the zone read offense with Kyle Nelson’s graduation, will either be senior Zach Gordon or sophomore Brian Rody.
On defense, the Pride is just happy to see defensive coordinator Jason “Choppy” Burke on the sidelines after surviving a heart attack in July while working out at the school. Burke will rely on defensive leader Russell East.
“Last year with six games left we kind of got our momentum up. We kind of started to steamroll,” said East, who has noticed more of an up-tempo in the team’s two-a-days in 2008. “Coach is trying to get us started now.”
Driskill will also use East on offense where he will play tight end.
“He is a good runner on offense after he gets the ball,” said Driskill.
Heritage was tied in 2007 with Broad Run late in the fourth quarter before a botched punt and BR trick play led to the Spartans 17-10 win. Against Park View, the Pride were tied in a back-and-forth game early before a littany of turnovers and sacks led to a PV win. It still bothers Heritage that they couldn’t run against PV’s three-man front.
“They rushed three and we couldn’t run. That is ridiculous,” said Driskill who promised a better Pride rushing attack in 2008.
A key perhaps may be that Heritage may start seven or eight players both ways until some younger players are ready to step up. In that case, Heritage will have to keep those two-way players healthy in order to achieve that first playoff bid.
Adios, Barcelona
Heritage’s 275-pound lineman Chas Barcelona moved with his family to Conneticut for his senior season. Heritage did benefit from the transfer of offensive lineman/linebacker Josh Toney from Potomac Falls.
The One and Only
West Driskill in the Pride’s only coach in school history, making his seventh season. In an area with a rash of new coaches — seven of the 10 Loudoun schools have coaches entering their third varsity season or less — Driskill is No. 2 in years with his school behind Stone Bridge’s Mickey Thompson, who enters his ninth year with the Bulldogs.
Welcome Back
Heritage benefits this season from the return of seveal players unable to play in 2007 because of injuries including two linebackers in Danny Offei and Austin McCalla.”
Quotable
“I think we have a legitimate shot to make that (playoff) run.”
— Heritage coach Wes Driskill
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