When It Counts Most, Flint Hill Plays Best to Win MAC DAVE FACINOLI Staff Writer
A day later when the scores counted for real, the Flint Hill Huskies played much better than they had practiced on the same golf course 24 hours earlier. The result earned the high-school team the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Athletic Tournament GOLF Conference championship at Beaver Creek Country Club in Hagerstown, Md. Flint Hill won the 18-hole event Oct. 18 with a 329 team score, three strokes better than the runner-up Maret Frogs. The title was Flint Hill’s fifth in six years. The team was third a year ago. The Huskies were led in the 2016 event by junior Jack Hoel, the tournament’s individual champion with a 4-over-par 76, a round that included four birdies. “Everything happened on the day that it needed to happen for us,” firstyear Flint Hill coach Duncan Purcell said. “We had a practice round on the same course the day before, and we didn’t play very well. Only one player broke 90.”
Flint Hill School players and coaches stand with the championship banner after winning the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament crown last week. PHOTO FROM FLINT HILL
Flint Hill wasn’t necessarily the tournament favorite. “A couple of people told me when I took the job that this would be a transition year for the team, and if we finished third, we would do well,” Purcell said. “The players dug deep, worked hard, and it worked out.” The other three scores that counted in the team scoring for Flint Hill were an
80 by senior Colin Farrell for fifth place, an 86 by senior captain Brian Riggione and an 87 by junior Nick Stern. Freshman Ethan Dolin shot 89 and junior Jay Chang 96. Hoel’s round did not start well. He was three over after three holes. He charged back by finishing with three birdies on the front nine and added another on the back.
“I was happy with the 76,” said Hoel, who was 10th individually a year ago. “On the fourth hole, I kind of flipped the switch and started playing and hitting the ball better. I had no three-putts, and that was a big thing.” Hoel said the team wasn’t surprised it won, but wasn’t necessarily expecting to win either. “We didn’t know how it would go. Nobody thought we would win, so we didn’t have high expectations,” Hoel said. Flint Hill finished the regular season with an 8-5 overall record and 5-2 against MAC rivals. Daniel Andersen, Ananya Chowla, Yuyang Chu, Michael Johnson, Michael Schuler, Brendan Wheeler and Zain Zahir were other players for Flint Hill. “Those player really pushed the six we played in the tournament and that made our team stronger,” Purcell said. The Potomac School Panthers were fifth with a 362 finish, and led by an 88 from sophomore John Fleming and an 89 from sophomore Ethan Shapiro. “That’s kind of where I thought we would finish,” Potomac School coach Dan Lehman said.
Madison Bounces Back with a Shutout; Marshall Wins Big A Staff Report
After losing their first game of the season last week, the Madison Warhawks (7-1, 4-1) got back in the win column in a big way with a 60-0 home blowout victory over the visiting and winless Fairfax Rebels on Oct. 21 in Liberty Conference high school football action.
FOOTBALL ROUNDUP Madison remains in second place in the conference behind South Lakes and Hayfield, both 5-0. Find details from Madison’s win at www.insidenova.com/sports/fairfax. n In other Oct. 21 Liberty Conference games involving teams in the Sun Gazette’s coverage area, the Langley Saxons (1-7, 1-4) lost at home to the undefeated South Lakes Seahawks, 42-14; and the winless McLean Highlanders (08, 0-5) fell on the road against the Wash-
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coach Christina Carroll, who has 169 career wins. “This team has learned how to play better and together.” Marshall was 3-3 after six games of the regular season. A few days prior to the tournamet final, Marshall survived at Edison in a 3-2 overtime win in a regular-season match. In that victory, Marshall freshman goalie Gillian Dumont stopped six straight shots at one point. “We didn’t play our best at their field,
ington-Lee Generals by a 55-19 score. For Langley, quarterback Danny Hosley was 12 of 25 passing for 256 yards and an 80-yard touchdown pass to Daniel White, who had seven catches for 205 yards and he ran five yards for Langley’s other TD. Sami El-Rafey and Lachlin Pitts each had two catches for 10. Hosley rushed for 48 yards. For McLean, Carter Govan was 8 of 21 passing for 144 yards. Gavin Legg had five catches for 111 yards and Omar Varela four for 61. n In a Capitol Conference Oct. 21 game, the host Marshall Statesmen (3-5, 2-2) rallied from a 10-6 halftime deficit to defeat the defending champion Wakefield Warriors, 42-10, before a homecoming crowd. For Marshall, quarterback Markel Harrison ran 75 yards for a touchdown and threw a 75-yard scoring pass. Marshall scored 22 points in the third quarter to take control. so we knew we could play better against them this time,” Carroll said. “Our game plan was to attack from the outsides and not go down the middle as much.” Marshall took a quick 2-0 lead in the final on goals off corners by Setota Tesfu, who had two in the win, and Elysa Warren. “It was a big deal to score quick like that,” Carroll said. Edison scored with 4:12 left in the first half to cut the lead to 2-1. Midway through the second half, Marshall had added two more goals, was in front 4-1, and in control. Tesfu, Audra Scheinman and Diana Dombrowski scored Marshall’s secondhalf goals. Dumont got the win in goal.
Harrison ran for 99 yards and was 5 of 8 passing for 156. Elijah Weske caught three passes for 121 yards, Andrew Margiotta had 51 yards rushing, Brendan Dudding 34 and Thomas Peterson 31. Weske had 75- and 27-yard touchdown receptions. Margiotta had three scoring runs, Harrison ran for a conversion and another short touchdown, and Carlos Mezza kicked multiple extra points. n In a non-conference Oct. 21 contest, the host Oakton Cougars (2-6) lost to the Broad Run Spartans, 33-6. The loss was Oakton’s fourth in a row, all against teams that have winning records this fall. For Oakton, Matt Prosser booted field goals of 44 and 22 yards, giving him eight field goals this season. Running back Nate Brodsky rushed for 53 yards and quarterback Paul Campo was 6 of 14 passing for 55 yards. Thando Muchemenyi, a Marshall senior captain, said the team’s strategy was to keep attacking and scoring. “We wanted to keep getting the ball in,” Muchemenyi said. “We were so much more intense this time than the last time we played them, and we all worked to keep playing that way and communicating. We’ve been playing well.” The win was Marshall’s fifth in a row this season. In the semifinal victory over Lee, Muchemenyi and Alyssa Maynard scored two goals each, and Dombrowski and Scheinman had one each. Those players are all among Marshall’s top scorers. Top defenders have
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n The Potomac School Panthers (4-4) defeated host St. John’s Catholic Prep, 30-11, in a non-conference privateschool game in Maryland on Oct. 21. Senior running back Ricardo Facey ran for 72 yards on 15 carries, giving him a total of 1,069 for the season. He has scored 17 touchdowns. The win gives Potomac School two more victories than the team won last season, with two games still to play this fall.
MORE ON THE WEB For much more high school sports action, details and stories, like what’s happening with girls field hockey, Flint Hill football, girls volleyball, and girls state golf, and Flint Hill School golf and soccer, visit our Web site at www.insidenova.com/sports/fairfax. been Anna Zelenski and Katherine Delta. Next for Marshall is the 5A North Region Tournament, which begins on Halloween. Marshall could receive a first-round bye in its fourth straight appearance in that 5A region competition. The region’s top two finishers advance to the 5A state tournament. For another story about Marshall’s regular-season play, visit www.insidenova.com/sports/fairfax. NOTE: In the four years the Capitol Conference Tournament has existed, Marshall has won three straight titles and finished third in 2013. October 27, 2016 25