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Tough start for Loudoun Valley
Loudoun Valley expected 2007 to be a season of change. The Vikings were instituting a spread offense as they switched from the Group AAA National District to the AAA Cedar Run District.
What Loudoun Valley didn’t expect to change was its fundamentally sound style of play.
However, that was indeed the case on Sept. 7 as the Vikings missed blocking assignments, turned the ball over and committed numerous penalties, including a few of the personal foul variety, in a 40-28 loss to Forest Park in Purcellville.
“We had a lot of penalties, personal fouls. We don’t play like that. That’s not us,” said Valley junior Nick Sheehan, who replaced senior Cooper Barth at quarterback in the second quarter.
“They got into our head with the talking. We can’t let them do that. That’s not the way we play," Sheehan continued.
Senior wide receiver/defensive back Wes Van Duser, in his fourth year with the program, echoed Sheehan’s sentiments after the game.
“We made more mistakes than we should of. We should have kept our cool out there. There was just too many penalties, too many turnovers,” he said. “We can’t let that happen. Their team was athletic, but we were just as good. We just have to pull it together.”
The first half of Friday’s game was a wild affair as 25 of the half’s 37 points were scored on defense or special teams. Jamal Griffan’s three-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter closed out the first half scoring as Forest Park built a 30-7 lead at halftime.
The Bruins added to their lead in the third quarter. Forest Park quarterback Andrew Butler connected with Miguel Marshall on a 23-yard touchdown pass to open the second half. After forcing a Viking punt then recovering a fumble on the hosts’ following series, Kevin Williams drilled a 23-yard field goal to extend the lead to 40-7.
Loudoun Valley finally got on track offensively in the fourth quarter. Sheehan hooked up with senior Eric Rothschild for a pair of touchdown completions, and senior Brian Oden found the end zone on a 31-yard run to help the Vikings close the final margin to 40-28.
“I think we played adequately defensively. We played poor on special teams and we really played poorly on offense for a large part of the game,” Vikings coach Bruce Sheppard said. “We started putting it together late. But that’s not acceptable. We have to execute better.”
“I’m proud of the way the kids fought back. I’m proud of the way the kids continued to work,” Sheppard continued. “I will not accept a lack of composure and we showed a little bit of that tonight”
Sheppard held a lengthy post-game huddle with his team, and its very evident that the mistakes made on Friday will be addressed throughout the next week of practices.
“Practice, it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be polishing and back to basics,” Sheehan said.
The schedule does not get any easier for Loudoun Valley the next two weeks with a home game versus Woodbridge followed by a road date at Stone Bridge.
“We have our work cut out for us these next two weeks, no doubt about it,” Sheppard said. “Those are both great programs. Right now, they have been sitting on top. They will make us better.”
“I think we are going to get better every week,” Sheppard continued. “Now, where that puts us, I don’t know. I know we’ll get better every week.”
Viking leaders
Passing: Sheehan (14 of 25 for 168 yards, 2 TD, Int.)
Rushing: Oden (11 for 86 yards, TD)
Receiving: Rothschild (5 for 114 yards, 2 TD)
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