WINCHESTER -- Maryland suburbia, in spots, is drenched in football tradition.

There are those classic Washington Catholic Athletic Conference battles between Good Counsel and Dematha, which draw crowds by the thousands every year; there is the recent rise of the Montgomery County Class 4A Sherwood Warriors, who often rank among Maryland's top 10 programs.

But perhaps no Maryland football program is steeped in as much tradition, and boils with as much pride, as that of the Seneca Valley Screaming Eagles, a school tucked away in the bustling city of Germantown.

Since 1975, the Eagles have won 12 Maryland state championships in the 3A and 4A classes, and are, more or less, a mainstay in the postseason.

"It's tradition: the hard work, the effort," explains Shenandoah University right guard Sean McKenzie, who graduated from Seneca Valley in 2006. "I remember being out there on the hot, black track and doing the 40-yard sprints; the 30-yard sprints; the 20-yard sprints, and so we were just dead.

"Doing the abs on the track, our backs are burning."

McKenzie laughed as he let his mind escape back to those glory days, when he bled and sweat for the postseason with the rest of the Eagles. And make no mistake, Seneca Valley earned every one of its playoff appearances. Cruise down Wisteria Drive on an autumn day, no matter the time, and there always seems to be at least one Eagle, clad in green and gold, running on that black ribbon of a track, gearing up for another run at the Maryland state title.

Travel four miles east, down Md. 118, though, and the tradition falters a bit.

Watkins Mill High School, home of the orange and blue Wolverines, has had a rough going in recent seasons, speckled with only a handful of bright spots. Shenandoah left guard Dennis Derricott remembers when in 2003, his sophomore season at Watkins Mill, the Wolverines lost 70-7 to their Montgomery County rival Eagles.

Or was it 77-7? Neither Derricott nor McKenzie could say for sure. The game had gotten out of hand, and so the score became too bloated to be worth remembering.

"It hurt," Derricott recalled. "But I had two more years on varsity to kind of redeem myself.

"I don't know what happened."

This season the Wolverines are limping through a 1-6 season, and even the Eagles are going through a rare four-loss season -- a season many schools might wear with pride, but one which McKenzie describes as "unfortunate."

Still, McKenzie asserts, a Seneca Valley team in a down year can surely compete with the Virginia high schools so many of his Hornet teammates hail from.

"Amongst the [Hornets] we have a lot of, 'My-high-school-can-beat-your-high-school' kind of thing," McKenzie laughed. "A lot of Virginia guys are real cocky about it.

"And then we'll actually go online and look at the national rankings ... and Seneca's ranked in the teens while Annandale and all them are ranked in the hundreds."

Derricott even made sure to point out that Watkins Mill, in his senior season, could have competed with the likes of Annandale and Oakton.

"My high school wasn't ranked too bad -- we went 4-6 my senior year and we were ranked 48th in the state at the end of the year," he said. "So we were actually still better than a nice amount of schools here that other people went to."

It's all in jest, to be sure -- McKenzie always makes sure to mention that his teammates are "all great guys, I give them credit, they're all great football players" -- but the high school football debate gives the Maryland duo yet another unifying link in their great friendship. A friendship which, surprisingly, began only after the two came to Shenandoah.

McKenzie and Derricott knew each other vaguely a few days into the 2006 season, but it wasn't until Derricott, wandering through McKenzie's dorm, by chance stepped into the Seneca Valley grad's room. Once the city of Germantown was mentioned, the two became "attached to the hip," as Derricott puts it.

They talked about their old hangouts -- like the numerous movie theaters which are scattered about Germantown, and the Rio Center in Gaithersburg, where they always spent their weekends, but never together.

And all at once, the two clicked.

"A lot of times we'll say the same thing, do the same thing," Derricott said. "It's kind of weird -- it's kind of creepy."

The creepiest part, Derricott chuckled, is how no matter what play is called on the football field, McKenzie always seems to be right there next to him, bursting downfield, or tailing him down the line of scrimmage. Brothers in arms no matter what happens.

A year ago that chemistry helped Shenandoah (1-7, 0-5 USA South) score 28 points on North Carolina Wesleyan (6-2, 5-0 USA South), albeit in a 47-28 loss to the Battling Bishops. This season, despite having only one win thus far, Shenandoah's brutal, physical offensive line has shown it can keep up with whatever defense the conference has to offer: The Hornet offense has been out-gained only twice this season.

And because N.C. Wesleyan sports the top offense in the league, today's game might very well come down to which team can out-duel the other in a shootout.

"I definitely think we'll be able to move the ball because our line, we just got the angry mentality," Derricott said. "We like busting people up.

"That's the Germantown way, and, of course, the Shenandoah way, as well."

QUICKSBURG -- It looked as if Stonewall Jackson might have been unveiling a daring new color scheme when the Generals captains headed to midfield for the pre-game handshake and coin toss.

On Senior Night, the Generals' veteran players all earned the honor to trot out to the 50-yard line. Sprinkled significantly into that gaggle of red and white uniforms was the color blue, specifically in the pants four of those seniors were wearing. Dylan Dawson, Jordan Laughlin, Matthew Deavers and Colton Leitzel -- starters, one and all -- hobbled out among the rest of the senior group, and all four sported the dreaded blue-jean look that signifies injuries.

It was indeed an evil portent for Stonewall, as the depleted Generals eventually wore down against the Bison in a 19-0 loss on Friday night.

"It was a good, solid game which is what we expect when it's us against Buffalo Gap," Stonewall Jackson coach Dick Krol said. "We made some mistakes, we're a little short-handed -- some of the young kids stepped forward and did a good job."

Krol said those four injured seniors alone -- all injured in last week's game against Riverheads -- represented eight starters out of the lineup, and they weren't the only Generals out of uniform against Buffalo Gap (6-3). That lack of personnel forced Stonewall to become a bit creative in filling those spots, and Krol saw enough positive production from some of those fresh faces to consider keeping a couple out there even if his team does get closer to full strength next week.

The Bison threatened to make it a long night for Stonewall early, as Buffalo Gap marched straight down the field on the game's opening possession to punch in a touchdown. Bruising fullback Logan Huff (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) capped the eight-play, 58-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. The Generals would see much of Huff and his backfield mate Phillip Smith, who combined for 39 carries and 171 yards.

"He's tough, we knew coming in, but we didn't address him as well as we should've," Krol said of Huff. "We had some people at linebacker that hadn't been playing, and were a little hesitant. Heck, if I were playing at linebacker trying to tackle a kid that big, I'd be hesitant, too, especially when we're as small as we are. But basically, we did OK."

On their ensuing possession, the Generals unveiled one of their newest acquisitions when freshman Jared Getz, just up from the junior varsity squad, ripped off an 11-yard run to open the drive. Stonewall Jackson (2-7) moved from their own 34-yard line down to the Bison 29 before that march stalled, and the Generals never got closer to the end zone the rest of the night.

Buffalo Gap, which still entertains hopes of earning a playoff spot, found the going a little tougher after that first impressive drive. Another first-quarter march down the field ground to a halt at Stonewall's 3-yard line when the Generals' Tyler Laughlin stuffed Campbell for a 1-yard gain on fourth-and-goal. Stonewall's John Quinlan splattered another potential drive late in the second quarter with a sack that cost the Bison 12 yards on third down and helped keep the Generals within a touchdown at halftime.

"Our first drive was very good," Buffalo Gap coach Rob Maxwell said. "We got bogged down a little bit later on -- Stonewall changed some things on us with different fronts. We didn't get everything picked up, we didn't get everyone taken care of. But we played well enough to win the ballgame, and that was the most important thing."

Krol had few complaints about his team's effort, especially on defense.

"As long as we hit, I'm a happy camper," Krol said. "And we did hit some people."

The Generals fumbled away their first two possessions of the second half, and the second one cost them when Buffalo Gap's Preston Woods fell on the loose ball at his own 35. The Bison responded with a punishing 16-play drive that ended with Campbell's 7-yard touchdown run on fourth down that put his team up 13-0 with 11:55 to play.

Another Stonewall turnover led to more Bison points when Matt Gregory intercepted John-Michael Pirtle's pass attempt deep in Generals territory. Gregory finished the ensuing drive off by hauling in a 32-yard scoring strike from Tyler Campbell.

"Our kids stepped up and played," Maxwell said. "These folks just come right out after you, and we responded. The kids played hard."

Getz finished with 72 rushing yards to lead the Generals, who managed only 110 yards of total offense.

"He's quick," Krol said of Getz. "He's got a future. We're going to see him for three more years."

SHENANDOAH -- Matt Sherfey could only watch from the sideline as his defense faced a fourth-and-13 in the final seconds.

The Falcons held a 6-point lead, but all it would take was one slip-up by the defense to give Page County the victory. As Panthers quarterback Dakota Wolf took the snap, Sherfey froze, watching as Wolf scrambled around, looking for an open receiver. Then the delivery came. The ball sailed out of Wolf's hands, spiraling toward an open receiver downfield.

A second later, the ball was on the ground. Incomplete pass. Central ball.

"Yeah, baby," Sherfey said to himself as he trotted out to take the final snap.

And as Sherfey took a knee to let the last few seconds tick away, he stood up and congratulated his teammates as Central sealed a 22-16 win over Page County. It wasn't the prettiest win for Sherfey, but one the junior quarterback felt was needed for the team's morale.

"Sloppy," Sherfey said about the win. "But it's one of those games where you're just happy to get out of there with a win. I think it was the first game where we were able to put the ball in the air, and then pound the ball on the ground. We really ran the ball hard tonight. That was the key thing, and our defense stepped up. Overall it was a good game, but it just didn't look like it because it was so sloppy."

For the first time all season, the Falcons' offense was fueled by its running game, led by the duo of tailback Leon McCray and fullback Derek Copenhaver. Appropriately nicknamed "Smash and Dash," according to Copenhaver, the two combined for 185 yards on the ground, 133 from McCray.

"It was nice," Copenhaver said. "Our offensive line, I think they enjoyed it going to the run blocking and not having to worry all about pass blocking. This week was the first week I had ever started at fullback, and it worked out pretty nice. The running backs weren't getting any kind of contact until three-plus yards, and that's always big when you can get three or more yards on every play. It's huge."

More importantly, the success on the ground allowed Sherfey to open up the passing game, using the play-action to draw the Panthers' defense closer to the line of scrimmage.

"It opens up everything," Sherfey said. "We're able to come off some play-action and open up some stuff in the middle of the field and deep down the field. It was a lot easier for reads tonight."

But while Central's rushing attack helped move the chains, it was the Falcons' bread and butter, the passing game, that accounted for several big scores Friday night. After falling behind 8-0 on a 57-yard run by Wolf, the Falcons responded quickly, as Sherfey found Seth Bauserman for a 56-yard strike to tie the game at 8.

Just before the end of the first half, Sherfey again made a big play with his arm. After the original play broke down, Sherfey was forced to scramble in the pocket. The junior eventually found Seth Wymer downfield, who caught the pass at Page County's 1-yard line before backing into the end zone for the score.

In the second half, it seemed whatever Page County did on offense, Central had an answer. After Wolf tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 16, Sherfey led the Falcons' offense straight down the field on their ensuing drive for the go-ahead score. All in all, Sherfey finished with 172 yards through the air, throwing two touchdown passes and one interception. Meanwhile, Wolf was contained to just 96 yards in the air, but did most of his damage with his legs, rushing for 140 yards in the loss.

"I thought we played him pretty well," Central coach Mike Yew said. "At first we let him get outside, and we preached early and all week to stay in our lanes and contain him, but the kid is so talented he keeps so many plays alive for a long period of time -- it's tough on defenses when you're that talented. But he made some big plays. He's a tremendous quarterback."

The win for the Falcons puts them at 5-4 on the year, and Yew said after suffering back-to-back heartbreaking losses, Friday's win helps take the sting out ... a little, anyway.

"I'm pleased with the way our team played," Yew said. "We ran the ball well tonight, which is something we haven't done in the past. We threw the ball well at times when we needed to, but for a lot of reasons they didn't understand, I told them the thing was making a stand at the end. When [Page County] got the ball, the defense stepped up and made big plays. But it's just good to get back in the win column after a couple of tough losses."

STRASBURG -- The Strasburg Rams finished off their season Friday night with a disheartening loss that summed up much of the season. Strasburg has struggled this season with a young squad who hoped to end the year with a win for the nine seniors who were playing the last game of their high school careers.

In their way stood the Mustangs from George Mason, who were looking to write the final chapter in a turnaround from a dismal season a year ago. The Mustangs have ridden their defense all year, carrying the team, and the game plan didn't change against the Rams.

"These kids have played six close games this year and won all six of them," Mustangs coach Tom Horn said. "They are not real explosive, but they play the scheme well and do what we ask of them."

After an early score, the Mustangs did just enough on offense as their defense played solidly, not allowing the Rams to take advantage of several opportunities to edge Strasburg, 21-14.

"I don't think they showed us anything different from when we played last year," Rams coach Mark Roller said. "We just weren't able to pick up some blitzes and we didn't make some plays. It's difficult to win when you can't capitalize on some of the drives like we had."

George Mason started the night with a grueling seven-minute drive as they pounded the Strasburg defensive line with their power running game. The Mustangs spread the ball to four different backs with similar success against the Rams' defense. Ben Taylor capped the drive with a 6-yard scamper into the end zone to put his team ahead 7-0.

After forcing the Rams' offense off the field quickly, the Mustangs went back to their bread and butter as they continued to chip away at the Rams. Another 6-yard touchdown run, this time by Chris Saraus, put the Mustangs up by two scores early in the second quarter.

The Rams responded quickly with a 43-yard kickoff return by Sheldon Stickley to give his team excellent starting position at the Mustangs' 42. Facing a third-and-5 situation, the Rams converted on a 17-yard pitch to Kaleb McKelvey to keep the drive alive, setting up a first-and-goal. Two plays later, Tanner Orndorff scored to cut the lead in half on a 3-yard touchdown run.

Still trailing as the second half began, Strasburg caught a break when the Mustangs' Henry Darmstadter's kickoff hit a teammate and the Rams recovered to start the opening possession at their own 47. The stingy Mustangs' defense forced Strasburg to punt however to end the drive.

"That kickoff that was a bad play that cost us field position," Horn said. "We just hung in there on defense and made some plays. Field position was a battle all night and we were very fortunate we only gave up the one score because of it."

Both teams traded punts through the third quarter, with the Rams backing up the Mustangs twice, but each time Strasburg was unable to convert. After a 23-yard punt by George Mason, returner Stickley made a big play on special teams again, returning a punt to the Mustangs' 27 to give the Rams their best starting field position all night.

After marching to the 12, the Rams faced a third-and-1 as they looked to swing the tide of the game. A run by Michael Reynolds failed, but the Rams stayed on the field, hoping to convert on fourth down. This time Reynolds dropped back to pass. A toss into the flats to a wide open Orndorff was dropped and the Rams turned the ball over on downs as they failed to capitalize again.

"When we lost here last year, we hit rock bottom," Horn said. "We told ourselves that we didn't want to be in that position or feel that way again. I am just real proud of these guys and how well they have stuck together this year."

The drive summed up the season for the Rams as they failed to take advantage of their opportunities. The Mustangs drove down the field on a nearly six-minute, 88-yard drive that was capped by a Saraus score.

Roller said losing Tanner and McKelvey will be tough.

"Tanner [Orndorff] and Kaleb [McKelvey] have been the heart and soul of this team this year," Roller said. "We missed that pass, but they made plays and split most of the carries tonight. They have just been the backbone for our team this year and we will miss them."

Strasburg scored on a late touchdown, but it was too late as they ran out of time and now must look forward to next season.

"We have some young guys who have been playing for a couple of years, so we have some experience," Roller said. "I think the biggest thing we need to do is get in the weight room this offseason. We played bigger and stronger teams this year that just pushed us around. The key is the weight room and we need guys that will dedicate themselves to that to help us next year."

STRASBURG -- For two sets, the fun was back in play for the Strasburg volleyball team.

The Rams went out to big leads in each set and Rappahannock County could not keep up as Strasburg looked to be a sure bet to gain a sweep in Thursday night's Bull Run District tournament semifinal.

The win would instead take four sets. The Panthers scored the first 4 points of the third set, then came all the way back from a 5-point deficit to keep their season alive for another set. The Rams finally got it done late and gained a 3-1 (25-15, 25-10, 22-25, 25-17) win to advance to Saturday night's final, in which they will host Madison County at 7 p.m.

"I just think we got down on ourselves a little bit," Strasburg senior hitter Jenna Smoot said. "We had a couple plays go the wrong way, and the momentum fell the wrong way for us. I think we got lazy. We battled back in the fourth set, [but] it was not a thrilling night for us."

When the Rams (20-1) were playing well, Smoot (11 kills) lowered the boom with her windmill-style attacks, Lauran Agnew (nine kills, 19 assists) and Jaclyn Ayers (seven kills, 22 assists) were dealing and hitting, and Stephanie Conde (seven kills) and Casey Spiker (six kills) were providing plenty of support with their spikes.

In the first set, Strasburg opened a 15-6 lead and coasted. The second set was every bit as lopsided as the score, as the Rams sprinted ahead 18-5.

When the third set began, Rappahannock County (13-8) gained some confidence with a 4-0 start. Still, Strasburg moved out to 13-8 and 17-12 leads. The match seemed all but over.

But down the stretch, the Rams struggled. Strasburg got just two kills and Rappahannock County closed with a 13-5 run. When Addie Swindler got a block for set point, the Rams knew they would have to dig a little deeper.

"You've got to stay up and keep attacking," Strasburg coach Suzanne Mathias said. "I realize, at times, that's hard. But against a good team you've got to be able to do that throughout the match."

Though they have been pushed to the limit [five sets] twice in the late season by Madison County and Clarke County, respectively, the Rams have survived to win each of their 11 Bull Run matches.

Smoot can attest to the fact that giving up a few sets to opponents only eaves open the door for a potential upset.

"I think as a team we know there's a target on our backs in the district and there has been for the past couple years," Smoot said. "I think sometimes we forget that we have to come out every night and play well because every other team is going to battle hard."

For much of the fourth set, the Rams got life back into their attacks. Conde drilled three kills. Smoot also had three, the third giving Strasburg a 20-12 lead. An ace by Ally Kauffman and an attack error by the Panthers had the lead at 10 and the Rams only 3 points from wrapping it up.

The Panthers decided they wanted to play a bit longer. Four straight points by Rappahannock County cut the Rams' lead to 6, and Mathias called a rare timeout and wasted little time reminding her team of their purpose.

"I needed to -- I had watched enough," Mathias said. "Really, I try to let them figure it [out] on their own and bring it back on their own. If they can't, then I'll do what I need to do."

Smoot agreed the pep talk worked, saying: "She kind of lit a fire underneath us and told us to play hard, play with heart, and play with pride. I think we finished pretty well and got the job done. And at the end of the night, that's all that matters."

Following the timeout, the Panthers missed a serve and Ayers, in turn, got a soft serve to drop for an ace to leave Strasburg a point shy of winning the match. Another block by Rappahannock County extended the set to another rally, where another missed serve ended things.

Mathias, who praised the play of Kauffman -- "She dug some balls she had struggled with [before]" -- knows the Rams will have to bring a more steady attack and solid hitting in order to beat Madison County on Saturday.

"We attacked and blocked with them last time [a 3-2 win on Oct. 22, at home]," Mathias said. "We've just got to match the hustle and enthusiasm they'll bring. If my girls do that, we're in pretty good shape."

HARRISONBURG -- Heather Stout's eyes were fixed on the tall, glimmering gold trophy awarded to the Shenandoah District tournament champions. The gaze of her eyes said she wanted the trophy; the tear in her eye said she didn't get it.

Instead, as she and the rest of the Stonewall Jackson volleyball team watched the girls of Riverheads scream and swarm around the prize, Stout was left to wonder, what if?

What if only a few more passes had hit their mark; what if setter Whitney Wilkins wasn't forced to race around the court, chasing down those errant passes; what if only a few more serves had stayed in play?

Then that trophy might be hers, and that tear might be shed for a happier reason.

"I think we did play hard, and that we never give up, and we're not a team that just thinks, 'Well it doesn't matter, we're not going to give it our all,'" Stout said. "Because we do [give it our all], we're a very competitive group and it's hard to lose to [Riverheads] three times in a row when they haven't had a [district] loss on them -- it's tough."

But Stout still takes credence in the fact that her season still breathes. Despite Stonewall's 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-23) loss to Riverheads in the Shenandoah District final at Eastern Mennonite University, the Generals will play at Strasburg on Tuesday in the Region B quarterfinals.

But that pesky little question -- what if? -- still swirled in Stout's head. What if Stonewall had taken that first set, when the score had tied 13 different times, and the Generals had a 21-20 lead before consecutive blocks by Kayla Baugh and Kelsie Floyd secured the lead for Riverheads? Indeed, each set "was anyone's game," though Riverheads always managed to put forth just a bit more effort, to play with just a bit more emotion, down the final stretch of each set.

"We had some serving-out in critical moments when the games were in the 20s," Stonewall coach Sophie Stout said. "You've got to sit back at the service line and keep that ball in play, and we didn't do that.

"There were a couple times that happened, and the serves have to be in when Heather's at the net -- that's our time to score."

Everyone seemed to have their own reasons as to why the Generals had fallen so far Thursday after playing so well Wednesday, when they swept Luray in the district semifinals to earn a regional berth: Heather Stout said the offense didn't click quite as well; Wilkins mentioned that her sets were a little off; and Sophie Stout concurred that Stonewall's passes faltered some.

All three seemed to agree, though, that perhaps the loss was the result of something more abstract. Maybe after leaving everything on the court Wednesday night, in a win-or-go-home match, there was nothing left come Thursday night.

"It was just a big 180-[degree] turn from how we played [Wednesday] night," Heather Stout said. "We covered like crazy, we talked to well together, we were moving the ball and everything, and I think that tonight we didn't do any of that.

"I don't know if we left it on the floor last night or what happened."

It didn't help that the Gladiators' tall blockers were ubiquitous, notching 12 blocks in the match and holding Generals hitters Ashlie Clar and Nadene Pence to three kills each.

"They did read us a lot," Wilkins said. "You could hear them on the other side of the court, as soon as the pass was up: 'Outside, outside.'

"They knew where it was going."

And even when Heather Stout called for a dummy play, meant to draw opposing blockers to her side of the court, leaving Wilkins to feed the open hitters on the opposite side, Riverheads easily recovered.

"Usually they don't have a lot of blockers there, but tonight it seemed there was always one there," Wilkins said.

Heather Stout had a match-high nine kills. And although no Gladiator out-hit Heather Stout, Riverheads distributed 33 kills among eight different players. Floyd had seven kills, as did Katie Coffey, Tiffany Flesher and Kristen Moody, the Shenandoah District player of the year. Stonewall had 20 kills, three aces and five blocks.

Following the match, Heather Stout was named first-team all-district, along with Central's Brea Hingardner. Wilkins and Pence earned second-team honors.

But for Heather Stout, the awards seem to be nothing more than a shadow in the back of her mind. With at least one more volleyball match left this season, they have to be.

"There are two teams in this district that are [playing in regionals], and I think the two teams that deserve it the most are going," she said. "The thing that I'm most happy about is I'm still playing volleyball next week.

"I'm just going to take this loss as a positive and move on from it and know that Tuesday night, it's all-or-nothing on the court -- win-or-go-home -- and that's all we can do is play 110 percent."

STRASBURG -- The third-seeded Madison County Mountaineers faced a familiar foe when they lined up across the net from second-seeded Clarke County in a Bull Run District tournament semifinal match on Thursday.

The squads split their earlier head-to-head matches, and tied with 7-3 district records.

A week off didn't seem to bother Clarke County as it won the first set, but Madison County took the next three sets for a 3-1 win (21-25, 25-12, 25-19, 26-24).

All four of the Eagles' first offensive points in the opening set were aces -- one by Chelsea Nelson to open the set, followed by a trio from Amy Hagerdon (match-high17 kills), and four aces) as Clarke built a 6-2 lead.

An Eagles service error gave a side out to the Mountaineers and their third point. They responded with four more, on a soft spot kill by Ellie Hill and two deep spikes by 6-foot-2 senior middle hitter Tori Puryear (12 kills, three aces, two blocks).

Neither squad got more than a 3-point lead until the scoreboard showed a tie at 16. The Mountaineers then committed two errors and two player violations to one by the Eagles, who gained a 20-16 advantage.

The Mountaineers (13-9) bounced back with a kill by Samantha Cubbage and a kill and net-topping ace by Hill (five kills, three aces), while Nelson smacked a power-alley kill for the Eagles to create a tie at 21.

Madison's first service error and an attack error, followed by Hagerdon's third kill of the set, gave the Eagles a 24-21 lead. A Mountaineers attack error was the set-winner for the Eagles.

In the second set, momentum abandoned the Eagles as they lost focus and committed nine attack errors and a service error to create a 17-12 deficit.

The Mountaineers then rode an 8-0 run, as Cubbage held serve and laced an ace, Puryear got three kills and junior setter Jordan Aylor (27 assists, three kills) got the set-winning kill on a hit from a faked setting move.

"[Aylor's] a first-year setter, so you can see the talent she's picked up just in this year," Mountaineers coach Lindsay Von Herbulis said.

The Mountaineers closed out the third set with a 6-1 run, with two aces by Hill, including the set-winner.

The fourth set was closely contested throughout, with neither squad scoring more than three consecutive points.

The Eagles (11-8, 7-4 Bull Run) got six kills and an ace from Hagerdon, two kills and an ace from Molly Keesling and a kill from Clara Thiel among their first 20 points.

The Mountaineers' offense was provided by two kills each from Puryear and Cubbage, and kills by Cameron Farmer, Hill and Aylor, who also made two down-blocks, in reaching 19 points.

The next 10 points at this crucial point in the match were scored on errors and player violations -- six by the Eagles and four by the Mountaineers.

Puryear smacked a hit into the net and stomped her feet on the floor in frustration as she gave the Eagles their 24th point. The Eagles returned the favor by knocking a hit beyond the baseline for an attack error, giving the Mountaineers their 25th point.

FRONT ROYAL -- Josiah Patrick knows there's going to be some trash talking tonight.

With his team hosting cross-town rival Warren County, and the Hawks' playoff hopes at stake, Patrick expects nothing less. But as the leader of Skyline, the junior quarterback also knows not to fall into the trap of running his mouth. He knows his teammates can't afford to fall into that same trap, or it might cost them.

"We try not to run our mouths on the field," Patrick said, "even though those guys are probably going to try and get into our heads during the game. We just have to think about winning."

That statement tells you all you need to know about Patrick, the 6-foot, first-year starter, who just a few months ago was given the reins of the Skyline offense and asked to lead the Hawks on the field. It's been a season of growth and maturation for the Hawks, who have seen their fair share of high and low points.

But it's been a season of development and accomplishment, too. With a win tonight, the Hawks will be in position to claim a spot in the district playoffs. They'll need some outside help, however. Dominion must lose in order for the Hawks to have a shot, but the Skyline faithful remain just that.

None more so than Patrick, who is coming off arguably his best performance last week in a heart-breaking loss to Sherando. In that game, Patrick threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, eclipsing the 700-yard mark for the season.

"He's throwing the ball with some good velocity, he's making good decisions and he's understanding what our kids can do -- which helps," Skyline coach Heath Gilbert said. "He's done a really nice job, too, when we've had protection breakdowns where he can buy some time for himself. He's progressed, definitely."

But while his mechanics have improved throughout the season, it's his increase in confidence that has Patrick hopeful for the future. Before the season started, Patrick admitted he was a little timid in the pocket, and was really worried about making the "big mistake."

Now, his confidence is soaring. After completing just 25 passes through his first six games, Patrick has thrown for 22 completions in his last three contests, raising his completion percentage to 51 percent on the year.

"As the season's gone on, the coaches have done a great job of coaching me into better situations and putting me in good spots," Patrick said. "Our offensive line has done a great job blocking, and the receivers are making plays. Last week, I think I had more confidence throwing the ball. I wasn't too worried about making mistakes, and the receivers made plays all over the place."

The guy making the most plays recently for the Hawks' passing game isn't even a wide receiver. Running back Cliff Woodard has emerged as a threat in the Hawks' passing game, hauling in a team-high 21 passes this season. Woodard, who has rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns on the year, has been a constant staple in the running game, but with his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, he has been the perfect complement to Patrick in the passing game and a formidable threat for the Skyline offense.

Just don't expect any trash talking from either of them if it happens tonight.

"He's been great," Patrick said. "He's so fast. I don't know if there's much more you want when you can give it to the guy on a screen and he can take it to the house every time. It's pretty awesome."