Park View Wins Wild One over Pride to Set up the Battle of the Unbeatens in Ashburn

Football sponsored by  The Original steakhouse

By: Dan Sousa

Sterling (Nov. 8, 2007) – I have to admit that I waited this long to detail Park View High School’s 33-15 win over Heritage last Friday … because I couldn’t make heads or tails of the game. Seriously, there were 13 turnovers and the teams had an amazing 33 possessions.

Now that I think about it, the win, which improved Park View to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the AA Dulles District, spoke volumes about why the Patriots should win Friday’s match-up with  the equally undefeated Broad Run Spartans.

And it spoke volumes about why the Patriots should also lose this Friday.

I know, I know … very confusing.

You see Park View is the  most exciting team to watch in Loudoun, not only because of their big-play ability behind quarterback C.J. Leizear (a school and area all-time best season of 2,674 yards and 29 touchdowns) but also because they tend to also turn the ball over … a lot. Six times in the win over Heritage.

(If you are talking offense, then Stone Bridge makes a strong case for the most exciting team with playmakers such as Jeron Gouveia, Ryan Moody, Kareem Alexander and Patrick Thompson, but the Bulldogs don’t turn the ball over. I don’t think I have seen SB make six turnovers in a game … heck, after three, Bulldog players might be better off going to the opposing bench than heading towards coach Mickey Thompson).

You really don’t have time for any concession stand runs during a Park View game because if they have the ball on their own 8, they are liable to reel off a 91-yard pass play such as the Leizear to Ryan Pick catch-and-run play in the third quarter which set up the only touchdown of the second half that would break open a 23-15 game.

And the Patriots are just as liable to give up interceptions, fumble kickoffs, fumble punts and even fumble the ball after a 40 or 50 yard pass play.

Yes, it is possible for a 9-0 team to have made 27 turnovers on the season. It helps if your defense is just as aggressive … the Patriots have snatched 16 interceptions on the season, including seven against Heritage Friday to balance out the 16 the offense has given up. The Pats also have 16 fumbles recovered.

For some of the chain crew members at Park View this season, working a Patriot game is the closest thing they will get to training for a marathon as they run and down the field as the ball changes hands.

Friday’s game with Heritage was a like a cross between an Arena League football game and the old World Football League (I’m really dating myself here if you remember the WFL). Park View gave up five fumbles and an interception, but the PV secondary had what had to be a school record seven picks.

Heritage showed moxy by coming back from a 13-0 first quarter deficit to tie the game at 13-13 … this all in the first quarter.

The Patriots scored three times in the first half on Leizear to Danny Foley touchdowns. Each play looked like the two basketball players were already practicing for the hoops season (tryouts next week! Lace up the high-tops boys!) as Leizear put a jump ball up for Foley in the back of the end zone and each time the 6-foot-4 Foley hung in the air to grab the ball for a score. He would have had a fourth score in the half but he was flagged for a loose ball foul … er, I mean offensive pass interference.

Park View looked to just blow the game open with a 13-0 lead with 6:57 still left in the first quarter, but the Pride offense put together a 51-yard scoring drive — Heritage had a short field after failed onsides kick —  and then later Kyle Nelson hit running back Ross Madison for a 56-yard gain to set up a second score.

Heritage, which gave the ball away on each of its first possession in each half, could and should have done even more damage in the first half as the Pride had earlier taken over at the PV 19 after a fumbled kickoff but the Patriot defense forced Heritage to turn the ball over on downs at the 11.

During the game, the Heritage defense gave its offense the ball in Patriot territory four times, twice inside the Red Zone and the Pride could not manage a single point on all those possessions.

Park View junior Josh Jones had three of the seven interceptions including a key pick at the Park View 3 to stop a Heritage go-ahead drive in the second quarter after the Pats had fumbled away a punt return.

After Foley’s third score, Heritage’s defense just absolutely punished Leizear with three consecutive sacks, the final one in the end zone to make it 20-15 with 5:54 left in the half. After Jones’s interception, Park View was forced to punt and Heritage, with only 2:27 to go in the half, failed to run the clock out and the Pride gave Leizear 1:18 to work with

And that was plenty of time for the senior, having what has to be the greatest season by any quarterback in Loudoun history, to move the Pats down the field. It helps when you are in your third year starting and headed for the playoffs for a third straight season.

When the penalty on Foley negated the score with less than 10 seconds left, Clayton Parker drilled a 38-yard field got to make it 23-15 Park View at the half.

It was a different Park View team to emerge from the locker room in the second half. The Pats finally took what Heritage was offering and that was room to run between the tackles. Johnston piled up 134 of his 147 yards in the second half as PV was content to establish a ground game.

Sort of … as Park View coach Andy Hill often has the soul of a run-and-shoot offensive coordinator so PV has trouble going for any stretch without something fun called.

It will be interesting to see what Broad Run does this Friday against Park View’s offense. If you put an extra defensive back in the game, which might be needed to stop the passing attack which includes Foley, Pick, and one of the area’s top receivers this season, Tommy Sedeski, then you risk letting PV run the ball. Don’t forget, PV has been toying with the single wing in recent weeks and we can expect to see a few new wrinkles this week.

In fact, both Broad Run and Park View probably have saved a few pages in their playbooks marked “Week 10”. Both teams have had plays this season that make you wonder if Inspector Gadget is one of the assistant coaches.

Park View’s defense has been overlooked because of the offensive fireworks the team puts forth but this is a Patriot team that held Briar Woods to just one score and in the second half Friday, the Pride were held to minus-40 yards rushing on 16 attempts when you figure in Nelson’s loss of 31 yards on six sacks.

Broad Run, behind Breon Earl and Kenny McAdow, will want to establish its running attack Friday but they will probably have to get around the corners as the middle of the field is the domain of Park View defensive tackle Thomas Mulabah who has 71 tackles on the season, 33 of them for losses, including 11.5 sacks. To watch the 280-pound Mulabah chase down a quarterback is just plain scary.

And if stats were counted for penalties, Mulabah no doubt leads the league in being held and Broad Run has had a history of piling up some penalties. A team that protects the football (just nine turnovers in nine games for BR), has outstanding special teams players (they block punts the way a starving vegetarian attacks an all-you-can-eat salad bar) but the one weakness for BR might be penalties.

Here is what to expect Friday night … rain, cold, fake punts (Broad Run fakes so many punts that a non-fake for them is really a fake, if that made any sense), trick plays, onside kicks, amazing catches, great passes, interceptions, fumbles, cheering students, parents, alumni and just plain interested folks, maybe as many as 3,000.

And if that wasn’t enough, the two teams just might do battle again the following week in the playoffs … but lets take one Game of the Century at a time. 

Drive Chart for Park View’s 33-15 win over Heritage (turnovers in Red)

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