A few matches into the Northern Virginia Scholastic Ice Hockey League, the Herndon/South Lakes club team leads the Adams Division with a 4-0 record, with the multiple-time defending champion Langley Saxons at 4-1 with a four-match winning streak.
Also in the division, the Madison Warhawks are 2-2, the Oakton Cougars 2-3 and the McLean/Chantilly high-school squad 1-3. Langley and Herndon/South Lakes meet later in the season.
When it comes to the Madison Warhawks’ undefeated opponent in the Class 6 state-championship football game, there are no secrets.
The Warhawks know from first-hand experience that the Oscar Smith Tigers (14-0) of Chesapeake are very good, talented, fast and big. The Tigers routed Madison in the 2021 Virginia High School League Class 6 state final, 42-17.
Players from the Concorde District and region champion Madison Warhawks were among those chosen to the all-6D North Region football team
Madison had three first-team selections on offense with one on second team, and six first-teamers on defense.
It was an unwanted déjà vu situation all over again that proved costly for the Lake Braddock Bruins in the team’s state-semifinal football game against the Madison Warhawks.
Just like during an early regular-season game against the Warhawks, the Bruins fell behind 21-0 again in the Dec. 7 Virginia High School League Class 6 state-tournament semifinal, and never caught up.
Will the third time be the charm for the Madison Warhawks in the football team’s quest to win its first state championship?
Next Saturday (Dec. 14) in Harrisonburg, Madison will play in a state-title game for the third time in four years, having been defeated in its 2021 and 2022 appearances.
Awards have been piling up for recently chosen all-region Offensive Player of the Year Dominic Knicely.
6D North Region coaches made all-region selections earlier this week, with the senior runningback taking the top honor for an offense. He also was chosen as the first-team All-Purpose Offensive Player of the Year.
While the Madison Warhawks want a similar result, the Lake Braddock Bruins are hoping for a different outcome from when the football teams met in September.
Visiting Madison dominated early by building a 22-0 first-half lead and won, 36-15, in that regular-season contest, just the second for both high-school squads this fall.
For the second straight year, the Lake Braddock Bruins are the champions of the 6C North Region football tournament.
Lake Braddock (11-2) won the 2024 eight-team high-school tourney Saturday (Nov. 30) on its home field with a 40-25 victory over the Fairfax Lions.
Three players from the state-runner-up Oakton Cougars girls field-hockey team were chosen to the Virginia High School League Class 6 all-state first team, as were three from Fairfax High School.
Oakton senior forward Avery DeKoven, junior midfielder Marisa Rubano and freshman defender Daniella Rubano were Oakton’s first-team selections.
One thing remains constant about this season’s 6D North Region tournament-championship football game. The Madison Warhawks will be playing in the high-school contest for a fifth straight year.
Four-time defending champion, top seed and undefeated Madison (12-0) also will be hosting that clash for the fifth time in a row in Vienna, with kickoff slated for Saturday (Nov. 30) at 1 p.m.
