Purcellville, Va. — Coaches never know how teams change over the course of the 10-game high school football season. Although, fans might think it’s easier to game plan for an opponent that you played last week.
“It’s actually really tough,” Woodgrove head coach Derek Barlow said. “We knew what worked, but we also know they’re a great coaching staff and they’d adapt. Practice [was]a little different this week running our base stuff, but how can we doctor it up.”
The Woodgrove High School football team continued their momentum following a 28-21 victory at home last week against Loudoun Valley by knocking off the Vikings once again, 16-14, in a VHSL Region 4C quarterfinal on November 15 in Purcellville.
“Lots of respect for Coach Bishop and his team,” Barlow said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It was a team effort, they lifted each other up, made stops when we needed to. It’s nice to get out of here with a win.”
The Wolverines defense shut down the rushing attack of the Vikings, allowing Loudoun Valley sophomore running back Ethan Lafollette just 50 yards on 12 carries.
Woodgrove translated their high-level defensive performance into 310 yards of total offense. Senior running back Sam Goode accounted for 115 of the team’s 160 yards on the ground, senior quarterback Brady Morrell went 5-of-11 for 120 yards and a touchdown, and sophomore athlete Bryan Miller added 31 yards passing and 41 yards rushing along with a touchdown.
“Our offensive identity changed,” Barlow said. “Brady Morrell started game one, but in the Mountain View game he broke his ankle in the third quarter. Bryan Miller—the best athlete on the team—jumps in and runs the show. [Morrell] got cleared this week, so how do we incorporate him in without ruining the infrastructure. We slowly eased Brady into situations where we’re going to throw vertically.”
Loudoun Valley started the game on offense, but fumbled on the second play of the game as Woodgrove junior linebacker Tyler Coates fell on the ball to give the Wolverines possession on their own 30 yard line.
Woodgrove couldn’t capitalize after picking up a first down on 4th-and-8, when Morrell found senior athlete Connor Salmin for 11 yards. Morrell didn’t connect with a receiver later in the drive on 4th-and-13, forcing a turnover on downs.
Woodgrove, however, got the ball back after a punt and quickly got to work. Morrell dropped back and found freshman running back Joey Ridolfi across the middle, making defenders miss before racing 65 yards into the end zone, giving the Wolverines a 7-0 lead with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.
However, it didn’t take long for Loudoun Valley to answer. The Vikings got small chunks from Lafollete and big passes from sophomore quarterback Zach Detweiler to move down the field before junior Mason Kirby capped off a 12-play, 79-yard drive with a 14-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.
The Woodgrove offense showed their big play ability again on the ensuing drive. Morrell found Salmin for 12 yards before Goode took a handoff and broke through the defense for 46 yards into the red zone. Miller took a direct-snap keeper into the end zone, but a missed PAT gave the Wolverines a 13-7 lead.
“[Goode] lives in the weight room,” Barlow said. “That’s just his DNA. I’m really proud of him, especially his senior year. He was able to get the All-District honor last week, so I’m happy for us all.”
After three consecutive punts, Woodgrove received the ball back with less than two minutes left in the second quarter. Miller ran for 27 yards to put the Wolverines inside the red zone, but the offense stalled out before junior kicker Bryce Mullsteff made a 22-yard field goal to give Woodgrove a 16-7 advantage heading into the locker room.
Woodgrove got the ball back to start the third quarter, but quickly ran into a 4th-and-8. They brought out the punt team, but faked the punt as Ridolfi ran to the right until getting tackled in the backfield by Loudoun Valley senior linebacker Jack Rowell, forcing a turnover on downs.
Following a Loudoun Valley three-and-out, Morrell found senior tight end Ryder Fiala for 26 yards, moving into the red zone. Then on second down, Morrell tried to find a receiver in the end zone, but Loudoun Valley sophomore defensive back James Ryun came down with an interception.
The Loudoun Valley offense couldn’t capitalize on the stop after a three-and-out, but the defense snuffed out another fake punt by Woodgrove on the ensuing drive.
The Vikings regained possession with ten minutes left in the fourth quarter. Detweiler found junior athlete Macklin Gaffney for 32 yards to set the offense up on the Woodgrove 15. A couple plays later, Detweiler ran into the end zone with a 3-yard touchdown, cutting the Woodgrove lead to 16-14 midway through the fourth.
Loudoun Valley’s defense forced a three-and-out on the next two Woodgrove possessions, but a turnover-on-downs on offense only gave them 1:30 left in the game to get in scoring range.
Needing a big play, Detweiler evaded a sack and found Lafollette for 14 yards. Two straight incompletions made it 3rd-and-10 with about a minute left in the game. Detweiler dropped back before Woodgrove senior defensive linemen Jack Mulhall and Julian Morrison combined for a 13-yard sack. An incomplete pass on fourth down secured the victory for Woodgrove.
“[The defense] got stops when we needed them,” Barlow said. “They got sacks when we needed. We were able to force Loudoun Valley into 3rd-and-long situations.”
With the win, No. 5 Woodgrove (2-2, 7-4) will travel to No. 1 John Champe (4-0, 10-0) for a VHSL Region 4C semifinal on November 22 in Aldie.
“It was a really competitive game last time,” Barlow said. “They’re dynamic. Great coaching staff. I always tell the kids that it’s one more week I get to hang out with you. I’m going to enjoy it tonight and worry about that ‘basketball on grass’ offense tomorrow morning.”
Sam Mesecar and Maya Lopez captured 150+ photos at the game!
Scoring Plays
| Period | Time | Team | Play | Score |
| 1Q | 1:55 | Woodgrove | Brady Morrell to Joey Ridolfi 65-yard TD pass (Bryce Mullsteff PAT) | 7-0 |
| 2Q | 8:35 | Loudoun Valley | Mason Kirby 14-yard TD run (Garrett Boldin PAT) | 7-7 |
| 2Q | 7:29 | Woodgrove | Bryan Miller 3-yard TD run (PAT missed) | 13-7 |
| 2Q | 0:00 | Woodgrove | Bryce Mullsteff 22-yard field goal | 16-7 |
| 4Q | 7:10 | Loudoun Valley | Zach Detweiler 3-yard TD run (Garrett Boldin PAT) | 16-14 |