By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C.
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When the Northern Region was permitted to expand its playoff format to include eight teams in both Division 5 and Division 6 last season, the Virginia High School League’s intent was for greater inclusion and, thus, added first-round drama.
Chalk one up for the VHSL.
In what proved the highest-scoring playoff game in the organization’s 94-year history — and the eighth highest-scoring game all-time in the state — fourth-seeded West Springfield outgunned fifth-seeded W.T. Woodson, 72-47, in a four-hour, fun-and-gun free-for-all on Friday.
“We have to do whatever it takes to win,” said Spartan Coach Bill Renner, whose team won back-to-back Patriot District titles for the first time in school history this year. “If one night our defense is struggling a little bit — I mean, they have a nice offense, they run like we run — if one night, if they’re not playing as well, we’ve got to make the plays.
“All I care about is whatever it takes to win. We’ve been fortunate over the last couple years that if we need to score, our offense steps up. … All we care about is having one more on the scoreboard.”
Added Cavalier Coach Trey Taylor, a West Springfield alumnus, on the historically high-scoring game: “It’s exciting because you always feel like you’re in the game, but then it’s frustrating not being able to stop the other team.”
After a pedestrian first half that left the Spartans with a 26-12 lead, the scoring pace immediately boiled over after half time as the teams combined for four touchdowns in the first 4 minutes, 3 seconds of the third quarter.
West Springfield junior running back Daniel Collins carried 13 times for 193 yards and two touchdowns in that period alone.
He finished with 26 rushes for a staggering 350 yards and three scores — remarkably, still 150 yards shy of the school and state record set nearly 13 years ago to the day by Damone Boone in 1995.
“Coach ripped us up at half time for not coming off the ball fast enough,” said Spartan senior center Will Mallon, whose line has led Collins to 619 yards and six touchdowns in the last two games. “I think we showed we learned our lesson when we came out on the first play of the third quarter and busted a touchdown by Daniel Collins.”
Collins took over the starting job when senior Brandon Bailey was lost for the year to a severe hand injury against South County in Week 7. Since taking over the top spot, Collins has rattled off four consecutive 100-yard games and scored a total of nine touchdowns.
“I was nervous because I knew I had to step up and everyone was counting on me to make the plays,” said Collins, who made a point to give a congratulatory pat on the rear to each of his blockers after all his scores. “So I just put that aside, practiced really [well], talked to my O-line and my coaches and just went from there.”
Added Mallon, a member of an offensive front that Renner boldly tabbed among the top in the region: “It’s a different style of running. We had to get used to how he cuts back and forth. … We went over it in practice and did a lot of reps with him because he likes to zigzag back-and-forth and spin on one foot.
“Brandon just hits the holes and goes forward. Daniel does a lot of moves and he’s good at it.”
For the junior-heavy Cavaliers (7-4 overall), the season comes to an abrupt end. But they retain a majority of the offense next season in starting quarterback Connor Reilly, running back James Johnson, tight end and defensive end Josh Hogan and running back Colin Dempsey, among a host of others.
However, the impact of the loss on graduating seniors Jacob Sweeney, a linebacker, and wide receivers Kirk Lewis and Max Waizenegger — a tandem that combined for 9 receptions, 245 yards and five touchdowns on Friday — can not be understated.
“We’ll try and find some other guys that can be play-makers in some other ways,” said Taylor, whose team moves to the Patriot District next season. “But Max was everything for us, in terms of kicking and receiving.
“Kirk, this was his first year playing football, he was in my algebra class. I talked him into coming out this year, he was a baseball kid and he stepped up. We’ll beat the hallways and see if we can find some more Kirks wandering around.”
The Spartans, meanwhile, are guaranteed another week of wandering around in the vicious Northern Region Division 6 playoff bracket, which has yielded a state championship game representative in each of the past eight seasons.
West Springfield (8-3) advances to face No. 2 Oakton (11-0) in the regional semifinals next week. The Spartans and Cougars met in their final preseason game 12 weeks ago at West Springfield, an offensive clinic which Oakton eventually won.
“I’ve got to go back and watch it again, it’s been so darn long,” Renner said. “I refused to watch it unless we got back to this point.”
Added Mallon: “We were really mad about what happened at the scrimmage. We’re going to come back hard, physical and do our work that we should have done in the scrimmage.”
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
W.T. Woodson 6 6 14 21 — 47
West Springfield 17 7 28 20 — 72
1Q – WT – Waizenegger 29 from Reilly (kick failed)
1Q – WS – McConnell 32 FG
1Q – WS – Tsibu-Gyan 17 fumble return (McConnell kick)
1Q – WS – Renner 1 run (McConnell kick)
2Q – WS – O’Connell 31 from Renner (McConnell kick)
2Q – WT – Johnson 2 run (pass failed)
3Q – WS – Collins 75 run (McConnell kick)
3Q – WT – Waizenegger 36 from Reilly (pass failed)
3Q – WS – O’Connell 40 from Renner (McConnell kick)
3Q – WT – Lewis 42 from Reilly (Johnson run)
3Q – WS – Collins 14 run (McConnell kick)
3Q – WS – Renner 5 run (McConnell kick)
4Q – WS – Collins 49 run (kick failed)
4Q – WT – Lewis 42 from Reilly (Waizenegger kick)
4Q – WS – Baber 3 run (Calderwood kick)
4Q – WT – Reilly 27 run (Waizenegger kick)
4Q – WS – Baber 16 run (Calderwood kick)
4Q – WT – Lewis 53 from Reilly (Waizenegger kick)
Passing
WT – Reilly – 15-for-31, 323 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT. WS – Renner – 20-for-31, 273 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT.
Rushing
WT – Johnson – 15 car, 75 yards, TD; Reilly – 7 car, 42 yards, TD; Dempsey – 3 car, 26 yards. WS – Collins – 26 car, 350 yards, 3 TD; Renner – 11 car, 54 yards, 2 TD.
Receiving
WT – Lewis – 3 rec, 137 yards, 3 TD; Waizenegger – 6 rec, 108 yards, 2 TD; Dempsey – 5 rec, 71 yards. WS – O’Connell – 12 rec, 180 yards, 2 TD; Kambinga – 1 rec, 32 yards; Tobin – 3 rec, 29 yards; Stallings – 3 rec, 25 yards.
Special Teams
WT – Waizenegger – 3-4 XP. WS – McConnell – 7-8 XP, 1-1 FG (32); Calderwood – 2-2 XP.
Total Offense
WT – 506 yards. WS – 742 yards. (*VHSL Record – 754 yards, Franklin County in 52-51 loss to Magna Vista, Sept. 6, 2002)
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