Purcellville, Va. — Having suffered three straight losses against their oldest rival, the Loudoun Valley High School football team knew they wanted to grab the momentum early when they hosted Loudoun County High School on October 9 in Purcellville.
The Vikings struck on their first snap of the game when senior quarterback Zach Detweiler delivered a 59-yard touchdown strike to junior receiver Finn Bradley to put the home team up 7-0 just 16 seconds into the game.
“All week we knew we wanted to open things up, and we knew we were going to open the game with a pass play,” Loudoun Valley head coach David Bishop said. “We actually changed that opening pass play Friday morning because we saw something and it hit big and really set the tone for our offense in the first half.”
Setting the tone early was crucial for the Vikings, who had not defeated the Captains since September 22, 2023. It meant even more considering Loudoun County handed them their only two losses of their 2025 campaign, including a 28-14 season-ending loss in the VHSL Region 4C championship game on November 29.
That early score in their 2026 rematch proved to be the difference as the Captains rallied in the second half, before two fourth-quarter defensive stands allowed the Vikings to fend off their rival, 23-20.
“We lost to them twice last year, so coming out here and getting this win feels amazing,” Bradley said. “There’s nothing like this.”
After the touchdown on the opening play of the game, the Captains and Vikings traded punts, before Loudoun Valley senior defensive back Hudson Bolton intercepted a pass midway through the first quarter to set Loudoun Valley up near midfield. Seven plays later, the Vikings were back in the endzone as Detweiler connected with junior tight end William Seeley on a 13-yard touchdown pass.
“Between our captains [including Detweiler], we have 166 varsity starts, and with that experience, we were prepared for a night like this against our oldest rival,” Bishop said. “We knew what it meant to be able to get this win, and we were prepared to do whatever it took.”
Loudoun County grabbed some momentum back when they turned to junior running back Landon Kibble, who got the Captains to midfield after a 27-yard run on the first play of the ensuing drive. Then, facing 3rd-and-4 later in the drive, Kibble rumbled off another 23-yard carry to set the Captains up with 1st-and-goal from the 3. Three plays later, Kibble found the endzone on a 1-yard carry to cut the deficit to 13-7.
In an effort to regain momentum, Detweiler once again connected with Bradley, this time for a 65-yard pickup down to the Loudoun County 8. Aided by a holding penalty, the Captains held the Vikings to a 22-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Charlie Tierney to make it a 16-7 game midway through the second quarter.
A three-and-out by Loudoun County fired up the Loudoun Valley faithful, before Detweiler got back to work, hitting Seeley with a 36-yard touchdown pass with just under four minutes to play in the first half.
“Our offense definitely played well in the first half,” Bishop said. “But we just kind of stalled in the second half and couldn’t get into rhythm.”
Loudoun County wanted to cut into the Vikings’ 23-7 lead before the half and did just that as Kibble rushed for his second touchdown of the night with just 30 seconds left in the first half to send the teams into the locker room with the score 23-13.
The Captains received the second half kickoff, but were forced to punt after a stalled drive. It didn’t take long to get the ball back, however, as Loudoun County forced a quick three-and-out, before taking over at the Loudoun Valley 42.
Having run the ball heavily in the second quarter, the Captains took a chance through the air as senior quarterback Anthony Immel threw a pass down the sideline to senior receiver Jackson Patterson for a 37-yard pickup down to the Loudoun Valley 5. Three plays later, Immel snuck into the endzone to cut the Loudoun Valley lead to 23-20.
Both defenses played well through the remainder of the fourth quarter, before the Loudoun County offense made some noise midway through the fourth when they found themselves in a first-and-goal situation with just seven yards and eleven Vikings standing between them and their first lead of the game.
Back-to-back rushes by Kibble followed by a screen from Immel to sophomore back Gideon Rosen, set up a 4th-and-goal from the 1. After a timeout, the Captains decided to go for it, but the Vikings stepped up to the challenge, stuffing Loudoun County at the 1 to preserve the lead.
There was nothing doing for the Vikings on the ensuing drive as they were forced to punt, setting the Captains up with one last chance from the Loudoun Valley 30.
Three plays later Loudoun Valley senior linebacker Trey Wimbrow punched the ball out of the ball carrier’s hands before senior linebacker Braeden Mandichak scooped up the fumble to all but end the game for the Vikings.
“I challenged the defense at halftime to play tougher in the box, and they showed up when it counted most,” Bishop said. “The goalline stand on fourth down then at the right time, we got a punch out fumble. I’m really proud of the way our defense responded.”
Two rushes by Loudoun Valley senior running back Ethan LaFollette earned the Vikings a first down before the offense set up in victory formation, fending off the Captains, 23-20.
Loudoun Valley (6-0, 2-0) will travel to another Region 4C foe, Broad Run, on October 16 in an effort to remain unbeaten. Meanwhile, Loudoun County (5-2, 2-0) will look to bounce back when they host Region 4D Handley in Leesburg.
“This is still a game we have to learn from,” Bishop said. “We can never be comfortable no matter what our record is. We’re still looking to go 1-0 every week, but we know we still need to improve.”
Scoring Plays
| Period | Time | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Q | 11:44 | Loudoun Valley | Zach Detweiler to Finn Bradley 59-yard TD pass (Charlie Tierney PAT) | 7-0 |
| 1Q | 3:25 | Loudoun Valley | Zach Detweiler to William Seeley 13-yard TD pass (2pt failed) | 13-0 |
| 2Q | 11:21 | Loudoun County | Landon Kibble 1-yard TD run (Tre Feeney PAT) | 13-7 |
| 2Q | 8:45 | Loudoun Valley | Charlie Tierney 22-yard field goal | 16-7 |
| 2Q | 3:36 | Loudoun Valley | Zach Detweiler to William Seeley 13-yard TD pass (Charlie Tierney PAT) | 23-7 |
| 2Q | 0:30 | Loudoun County | Landon Kibble 4-yard TD run (2pt failed) | 23-13 |
| 3Q | 5:04 | Loudoun County | Anthony Immel 1-yard TD run (Tre Feeney PAT) | 23-20 |