The Westfield Bulldogs had another good season last year under Kevin Harris, winning 21 games and the Concorde Tournament before falling to Woodson in the State Quarterfinals. This year, however, the Bulldogs have a state title in mind, with most of their main core having been together for years now.
Just about everyone is back for Westfield. Seniors Jemon Price and Colin Stemberger man the backcourt. Price is probably the best pure bulk scoring guard on the public school side in Northern Virginia, while Stemberger is the prototypical, pure point guard–about as court savvy and competent as you can get. Include Isaiah Brown, Jr. in the mix as the third starter. He can play the three and guard bigger players, as well as man either guard spot. He’s unselfish, and can hit from everywhere with his smooth shot.
In the frontcourt, both senior stalwarts return in Will Robinson and Mathias Lee. Robinson is a tall shooter who improved his all-around game tremendously last year, while Lee can dominate inside with his skill and athleticism, as well as get up and down the court in a hurry. There aren’t many public schools that can match up effectively with those two up front.
That’s an impressive senior starting five, and scarily, there’s a lot of depth behind them. Mathias’ little brother, sophomore Malachi, is smaller than Mathias but athletic and already experienced. He and Carter Brooks, a very skilled guard, both made our All-Freshman team last year. Their fellow sophomore, guard Ryan Stemberger, hasn’t played much yet but certainly is capable of it. If that wasn’t enough, senior guard Tyler Dahm provides yet more depth. Plus, another one of Coach Harris’ sons, Jaydon, will play on the varsity as a freshman.
It’s going to be difficult for almost anyone to beat Westfield this year. Opponents should pray for foul trouble, preferably in the frontcourt, and a great many three-point shots to go in to have a chance.
Westfield’s main antagonist the past couple years, the two-time defending state champion South Lakes Seahawks, will have to get used to life without Jordan Scott this season. He’s at Michigan State, and the Seahawks also graduated a very good senior class alongside him. Plus Merrick Rillstone, who would have been a senior this year, transferred to a prep school instead of returning to Reston. Rillstone was a star who scored 21 points in the state title game versus Woodson.
The cupboard is not bare, however, as nine players return who at some point got experience on the varsity last year. Senior guard Mekhai Ramos made impressive strides last season, developing as a ball-handler and a defender. He didn’t have to score last year, but he will have to use his quick burst this season to deliver more points. 6’3″ senior forward Brady Theis figures to play a lot as well. He had some impressive rebounding games last year and can defend on the perimeter and down low.
Familiar program names like (Nathaniel) Zschunke and (Joshua-Benjamin) Dagbe will dot the roster and there’s very good reason to expect one or both of those guys will break through this season. There will be lots of spots up for grabs, and a lot of competition for those spots. Playing defense will be important, as always in Coach Mike Desmond’s program.
One key player could be 6’5″ junior Jaden Edwards. If Edwards can become a scoring threat down low, it would help to open up the Seahawks’ long-range attack.
South Lakes should be inconsistent, especially early, but the defending state champs still look like a playoff team.
The Centreville Wildcats finished third in the district in the regular season last year, but it will be tough for the Wildcats to do that again after losing nine seniors, including star guard Jaxson Davis.
Still, some really good players return under second-year coach Gordon Person. Jaxson’s little brother Maddox can fill it up in a hurry from both long range and at the rim. The junior has a very good chance to eventually make a similar impact as his brother.
Davis will have two good running mates in junior guard Soren Kyne and senior forward Kobe Clement, both of whom were rotation players last year. Kyne is a good defensive player and at pushing the ball after he picks a pocket. Clement is tall, has good bounce, and can handle the ball, especially against bigger players. He’s also good in transition. Both Kyne and Clement have shown they can score, now they’ll have to provide more of it with more minutes.
Person will have to rely on a lot of young talent around those three. If Centreville is to finish in the top half of the district, multiple additional contributors are needed, though Davis will provide a lot of the scoring.
It seems like the Madison Warhawks lose a good senior class every year but remain competitive year in and year out. Last year the Warhawks finished last in the Concorde during the regular season, yet still made it to regionals after a win in the district tournament. The Warhawks even defeated McLean on the road in the first round of the Northern Region Tournament before falling to South Lakes.
The Warhawks lost seven talented seniors this offseason but still should remain dangerous. A second-place finish in the district wouldn’t shock us, but neither would another last place finish in the Concorde, where there’s little room for injury or error.
6’6″ junior center Liam Whitehouse’s progress will be key. In recent years the Warhawks’ offense has flowed through their talented bigs, and Whitehouse has demonstrated the ability this offseason to produce significantly. If he can be that rock in the middle, it’ll help sag defenses and perhaps draw some heat from some inexperienced guards that will be playing varsity for the first time this season.
Another key returnee is senior guard Sage Huang, who provides much-needed stability and familiarity for Coach Kevin Roller in the backcourt. Huang didn’t score too much last year, but he provided tenacity, ball-handling, and tough defense. He’ll have to provide that again with more minutes, along with some key baskets in close games.
The frontcourt should be rock solid with small forward types junior Thomas McKee and senior William Fuechter also back. Fuechter had a good year last season, sometimes coming off the bench and sparking the offense. He can hit threes and get to the line, and also provide rebounding help. McKee has looked good this offseason and could be a breakout candidate this year. He’s got pretty good size, guard skills, works hard, and has the look of an eventual consistent double-digit scorer.
Depth is a concern, but Madison’s JV was one of the better teams in the district last year, so we think guys will step up. While the range of outcomes for the Warhawks is considerable, the top half of the district is usually a pretty safe bet.
We’ve heard talk recently about two teams, the Oakton Cougars and Chantilly Chargers, being deep sleepers this year after finishing fourth and fifth in the Concorde last season. Though we hang out with a lot of crazy people, it isn’t crazy talk.
Oakton only loses three seniors from last year. Though those graduated players (Zach Hansen, Hamza Mohamed, and Blake Lucca) were important, a ton of experience and depth returns. There’s ample ball-handling, starting with senior point guards Michael Zhang and Jack Jones. Zhang is a superior ball-handler and pest defender, while Jones is an extremely well-balanced player who can get hot from long range.
The Cougars are also extremely loaded at the wing, with lots of shooting, defense, and players comfortable in transition. Senior small forward Bennett White is one of the most underrated long-range shooters in the area. Seniors Preston Schwartz and James Burke were both rotation players last year that contributed significantly, senior small forward Ben Ainsworth can shoot, and junior Deylen Jones is a superior all-around athlete who also excels at football.
Oakton used to be known as a slow-it-down, grind-it-out team, but it’s hard to imagine Coach David Brooks won’t try to play an up-tempo, pressure defense game this season with his depth and type of personnel. The big questions will be with rebounding and interior defense, which Mohamed and Hansen provided last season. Senior Kyle Kelker is the only returnee to our knowledge who fits the traditional 4-5 mold.
Oakton is not going to be a fun team to play. They are talent-rich in defense, ball-handling, and shooting, and will have at least 8-9 experienced seniors on the roster.
Chantilly graduated a lot of seniors last year, but have still looked solid in preseason competition. That’s because a lot of the Chargers’ returnees were all pretty much significant contributors last year. Junior guard Mateo Alvarado played a lot as a sophomore and he is a good ball-handler and shooter. If he gets in the lane, which he is very good at, he has lots of options to dish to. We really like junior guard Jayden Wade, who flashed the ability to score consistently last season.
Then, there’s rugged senior guard-forward Vivaan Desai. Desai provides a lot of things, and we expect him to be an all-district performer this season. He scores, but also makes an impact relentlessly crashing the boards.
“I am excited for him, our returning senior guard, who has grown significantly over the spring and summer,” Chantilly Coach Rodney Carmichael told us when we asked about Desai. “He currently has D2 and D3 offers and will probably gain some more interest in the next three months.”
Two forwards that also return to help Desai on the boards are Sahas Manchireddy, a cerebral senior forward, and Eyad Elgali, a leaper who can jump out of the gym.
“I like my team; I like the youth and experience we have with our young players,” Carmichael said. He also told us he’s aware there’s no rest for the weary in the Concorde.
“We are growing as a program after some long seasons, so the future is bright. We have loaded up our schedule this year to challenge ourselves against stiff competition before district play, and we hope that this is a formula for success.”
–Chris Jollay