Prince William football notebook: Battlefield’s defense is locked in; Woodbridge nabs critical win
Version 0 of 1. Offensive firepower always seems to be the recurring theme when people bring up Battlefield football these days. That’s understandable when you have perhaps the area’s most complete wide receiver in Villanova commit Zac Kerxton, who helped the explosive Bobcats post 146 points in three postseason outings last year. But first-year Coach Jared Van Ecker, a former middle linebacker in college, knows Battlefield can’t simply rely on its razzle-dazzle spread attack to garner the school’s first state title since 2010. That’s why he preaches an old quote to his new team: “Defense wins championships. Offense determines by how much.” It appears the Bobcats (6-2, 2-0 Conference 8) are getting the message. Led by an experienced secondary that’s allowing the front seven to create pressure in the backfield, Battlefield is giving up just 9.6 points per game this season, its latest effort a 21-9 victory over Osbourn on Friday. “We just trust each other and have each other’s backs on the field,” senior corner Collin Parker said. “We know that everybody’s going to do their job, and that’s huge in our success.” Parker and company put the clamps on a much-improved Osbourn offense that had found an extra gear in guiding the Eagles to three wins in their previous four games. A versatile cover man weighing offers from Navy, Columbia and Penn, Parker held Osbourn’s most explosive playmaker, Desmond Woodson, to his first scoreless outing since the Eagles’ 14-12 loss to Potomac on Sept. 11. Junior linebacker Theo Key added to Osbourn’s misery with a 66-yard pick six that helped Battlefield go up 21-0 at halftime. Battlefield’s biggest revelation on defense has been middle linebacker Josh King, a 190-pound sophomore who needed little time to adjust from freshmen football to the varsity ranks this year. The 15-year-old models himself after Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, whose relentless ferocity King mimics in getting after the quarterback and stopping the run. “He’s an extraordinary young man who’s got great knowledge about the game of football, and he’s got the skills to back it up,” Van Ecker said. “I think he’s going to be something special in the next couple years.” The Bobcats get a bye this week before taking on winless Stonewall Jackson and then closing the regular season against conference foe Patriot (2-5, 1-0). After dropping three games in four weeks, the Woodbridge Vikings knew they needed to stop the bleeding if they hoped to make the playoffs this year. Their 26-13 loss to Riverbend on Oct. 9 put them at 3-3 and ranked them No. 17 on the Virginia High School League’s power points list of 6A South schools, just outside the coveted No. 16 spot that draws the line between playoff contenders and playoff spectators. Woodbridge (4-3, 1-1 Conference 4) got back in the conversation with a crucial 18-15 win over Forest Park (4-3, 0-1) on Friday. “This win kind of puts us back in the loop,” first-year Woodbridge Coach Gary Wortham said. “It gives these guys the opportunity to maybe play in the postseason, which they weren’t able to do last year. That’s been the goal for us as a staff is to get these kids back into postseason play, so that win for us [on Friday] was extremely critical.” The Vikings took a 12-0 lead into halftime but went down 15-12 going into the fourth quarter Friday. With just over five minutes to play, senior defensive back JaVaughan Burrus snagged an interception and took it 35 yards to the house for the game-winning score. Woodbridge faces a tall task this week against a Colonial Forge outfit that beat Hylton (6-2, 3-0 Conference 4) 24-16 on Friday. “They’ve got to put the pads on just like we do,” Wortham said. “I respect every opponent I play. We treat every opponent like it’s a big game, and we’re going to continue to do that.” More from AllMetSports Top 20 rankings Loudoun: Dominion’s new scheme; Stone Bridge gets a boost Stone Bridge knocks off Broad Run | Video Madison rolls past South Lakes | Photos Westfield edges Robinson in defensive struggle |