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Overdue thoughts on states
The high school state finals happened two weekends ago, now, so all of my thoughts are probably expired to the point of being spoiled. But, I just wanted to share a few observations.
- Broad Run softball is one of the best-coached high school programs I've ever encountered. Ed Steele just keeps on winning -- recently claiming a third straight title -- no matter who's playing on his team. He helped his girls pull out a No. 1 national ranking in 2008. Yet, no matter how many tallies end up in the win column, it's a fundamentals-first approach. You see it written on their white board in their dugout, and you see it in the Spartans' never-ending hustle.
- Broad Run girls' soccer are winners through-and-through. The Lady Spartans, who just won a second consecutive state title -- the first time it's ever happened in Virginia AA girls' soccer -- are an absolute delight to watch. They exemplify success on every level. It starts with physical strength, and these girls have speed and strength to match any team they face. The Spartans also play smart, exhibiting patience and precision to back up their physical talent. The most important aspect of the Broad Run girls' play on the field is something deeper than brains or brawn: heart. It's a team full of stars, but every one of them seems content to pass first and shoot second. Claire Collins said she even sometimes wishes her stars would be more selfish and use their talent advantage over other teams.
- I really, really wanted Loudoun Valley to win the softball state championship. In part because I've never covered a state championship team before. Also in part because my fabulous cousin Jeanne Cahan plays first base for the Vikings. How cool would it have been to interview her and her teammates post-championship game? Really cool. Despite a 1-0 loss in the state title game, I'm really proud of the Vikings. Great season, girls!
- The Broad Run state semi-final game was a lot of fun in spite of the Spartan loss. The game itself was alright; Broad Run kept the score within a few goals until Langley pulled away in the fourth quarter. What made the game for me, though, were the Spartans fans. Besides the plentitude of parents and vocal cheering support, there was a nice corps of old-fashioned hecklers. I assume they were Broad Run students. Heckling opposing players is borderline bad sportsmanship, but in this situation it seemed mostly in good fun. The hecklers even drew a response from a Langley player, which I'm sure the player ended up regretting. This only fueled the hecklers more. The quote of the game from the hecklers came after Broad Run goalie Kenny McAdow stopped a shot with his helmet. "Way to use your head, Kenny!" It drew laughs from the fans.
Anyways, things have calmed down a bit, and we don't have to cover a dozen high school events per week now. We can take our time and focus on some features. I spent most of this week putting together a feature about Olympic hopeful Keslie Tomlinson, which will be in today's paper. I'll probably write another post at some point giving her a shout-out.
Who was the leading scorer in girls' high school lacrosse for Loudoun County?
Ashton Marshall, a junior at Foxcroft School had 65 goals and 32 assists in 14 RUNNING TIME games, more goals than Shannon Harkey, the Loudoun player of the year.
Was there anyone else that had more than 4.6 goals a game, more than 65 goals?
Posted by locolaxer
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