By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

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Herndon (4-5, 1-3) at Westfield (5-4, 4-0)
PowerPoint Ranking: Herndon - 11th (Div. 6); Westfield - 5th (Div. 6)
Offensive Rank (ppg in Division): Herndon - 7th (23.0); Westfield - 10th (20.8)
Defensive Rank (ppg in Division): Herndon - 12th (26.3); Westfield - 4th (16.6)
Last Week: Herndon lost to Chantilly, 35-7; Westfield won at Centreville, 24-7
All-Time Series: Westfield leads, 8-2

Last season, the Hornets stunned the Bulldogs, 29-28, in double overtime to snap a 22-game Westfield winning streak.

The Bulldogs entered with wins in 65 of their last 67 regular-season games.

Westfield is hotter this year, though with a much less attractive record. Since a 1-4 start, it is unbeaten in the Concorde, has the strongest schedule of any 5-4 team -- or any team not named Lee, for that matter -- and, with a win, could win the district outright.

No district opponent has scored more than 14 points in regulation against the Bulldogs. In fact, only Stone Bridge and Woodson have among their nine opponents, teams ranked No. 1 in Division 5 and Division 6, respectively.

Among the teams Westfield has held to that 14-point-in-regulation mark: Lake Braddock, Robinson, Lee, Chantilly and Centreville. Every one of those teams is a top-six scorer.

Tom Verbanic and company are guaranteed no worse than the No. 6 seed in Division 6, but are virtual locks for a 4-5 match-up with South County. The only question is where.

Herndon is all but eliminated, but wouldn’t mind this momentum boost heading into next year. In his first game back from injury, third-year quarterback Zack Ozycz was held to 7-for-22 passing for 52 yards and the defense yielded 342 yards on the ground.

The Hornets have to improve both those numbers if they are to play spoiler. The Bulldog defense is littered with studs, anchored in the middle by linebacker Dylan Doty and on the line by senior B.J. Bordley

Though senior Danny Fenyak was held to 5.0 yards per attempt last week at Centreville, he threw and rushed for scores, captained two scoring drives of 11 yards or more Westfield's offense did not turn the ball over -- the defense lost their fumble on an interception return.

Herndon needs to get the ball on the ground and move the chains more than nine times if it to spring the upset.

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com