Local Gridiron Fails to Qualify for Post-Season

ALEXANDRIA, VA. - Following the '09 High School Football regular season, eight Division VI (larger schools) and eight Division V (smaller schools) teams advanced to the Regional Quarter-finals. There are 30 total schools in the Region - 15 Division VI and 15 Division V.

Among the 10 local public schools, T.C. Williams (5-5), West Potomac (2-8), Mount Vernon (0-10), Jefferson (0-10), Annandale (4-6), Washington-Lee (5-5) and Wakefield (1-9) did not qualify for this season's post-season.

Edison (7-3) and Yorktown (6-4) did qualify, but both lost their quarterfinal contest (the weekend of Nov. 13) to close out their respective seasons at 7-4 and 6-5 respectively.

This past weekend, the only local school still remaining alive - courtesy of a quarter-final win on November 14th and advancing to the most recent semi-final round was Hayfield.

The Division V Hawks of the National District, fresh off a 42-18 quarter-final win versus McLean, traveled to R.E. Lee (Springfield) to square off with the Lancers in a semi-final showdown.

In that contest, Hayfield led 3-0 after the first quarter was in the books.

Before a large crowd, the Hawks took a 10-0 lead in the early stages of the second quarter as senior running back Rayshawn Rigans punched in a six-yard run.

The homestanding Lancers of the Patriot District surged midway through the second quarter and eventually took a 14-10 lead - after Paul VI transfer Idreis Augustus scored from 30 yards out.

The Lee surge notwithstanding, the Orange and White Hawks responded with a late second quarter score to regain the lead at 17-14 at intermission.

In that sequence, senior left handed quarterback Anton McCallum connected with Rayshawn Rigans on a 16-yard scoring strike. With yet 24 minutes remaining in the contest, Hayfield nursed a precarious three point lead at halftime.

The lone score in the third quarter was a five-yard TD from Idreis Augustus and that scamper put R.E. Lee back on top 21-17 as the teams headed to the fourth quarter.

Had the game been 3 1/2 quarters long, Hayfield would have come out with the win as Rigans once again found the endzone.

This one was a 25-yard scoring strike from Anton McCallum and the Hawks took their final lead of the contest at 24-21.

Instead of the game being 3 1/2 quarters long, it was obviously 4 quarters long and the Lancers put the games final touchdown and decisive touchdown on the scoreboard to prevail 28-24 - namely a 24-yard run by Augustus.

The game proved to be an offensive showdown between the Hawks Rigans and the Lancers Augustus.

Both recorded three touchdowns apiece, but the Lancers also received an early first quarter score from Augustus's backfield mate Jazmir Williams to account for the difference.

The South Alexandria Hawks (merely 1-9 in the fall of '08) saw a dramatic turnaround this season as they moved from the Patriot District to the National District following the conclusion of the '08/'09 school year.

Hayfield, coached by interim head coach Roy Hill, finished this current campaign 9-3 overall - an amazing "plus-eight" in the win column.

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The Northern Region Championship Games are thus set.

On Friday November 27th, R.E. Lee will travel to Stone Bridge (Ashburn) for the Division V Title Contest (1:30 pm).

On Saturday November 28th, Lake Braddock will travel to W.T. Woodson for the Division VI Title Contest (1:30 pm).

(weather...permitting...).

Those two respective winners will then advance to the State Semi-Final Round - the following weekend.

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One of the two area high school football alumni playing in the National Football League is Episcopal ('04) alumnus Tim Hightower.

The 6'1 - 225 pound Hightower is a second-year running back for the Arizona Cardinals.

At the prestigious Alexandria private school in the early '00's, Hightower was coached by legendary Episcopal head coach Mark Gowin, before playing collegiately at the University of Richmond.

In the Cardinals November 22nd 21-13 win versus the St. Louis Rams, Hightower ran the ball 14 times for 110 yards and also caught two passes for 15 yards.

As of now, Arizona weighs-in at 7-3 overall in the NFC West (first place in that Division).

The other local player in the NFL is Cleveland Browns linebacker Eric Barton (Edison '95).