The Concorde looks to be the most open it has been in several years. A mass exodus of seniors from powerhouse Madison and loads of talented freshmen across the board will allow for intense competition and a frenzy for the top spot to ensue. We’re looking forward to it.
While the Warhawks may be entering rebuilding mode and a new era, Madison could still win this district.
The back-to-back-to-back state champion Warhawks return Kayla Dixon as their lone starter from last year’s team. Alongside her is guard Sarah Link, who will bring championship experience as well and can contribute on both ends of the floor. Both received Honorable Mention recognition in the district last season and are capable of scoring.
Those two will lead the Warhawks through games in which a lot of schools will be looking to get some payback. Stella Gougoufkas and Avery Griepentrog are two other guards who we expect to step into bigger roles. Head Coach Kirsten Stone, who is entering her fifteenth year, thinks it will be a competitive season as well.
South Lakes is a team that could find themselves playing for the district title. They will begin their own new era under head coach Rob Robinson, after Christy Winters Scott stepped down in the spring after 17 seasons. Robinson had been a varsity assistant for a while and Head Coach of the JV team last year. The Seahawks return all-district players in post Jessica Dornak and point guard Renee Timbers, both multi-year varsity players who should continue to improve in their last year together. They could be one of the best 1-2 punches in the area.
South Lakes also lost a good chunk of seniors, but have a solid program and always seem to have players ready to step up. Mia Branch, Mackenzie Kingswell, Alia Terrell and Idinah Williams-Baffoe are also returning. They are definitely in the mix for a district title and possibly more.
Another team on the rise is Centreville. The Wildcats have nine returners, including five seniors. Two of those players who will be leaders for the Wildcats are Ryleigh Thurston and Hannah Wakefield. Thurston will be a floor general once again for the Wildcats in her last year, and Wakefield will be right beside her doing all the little things you might not see in the stat sheet each night. Plus, another excellent freshman class arrives at Centreville this year that will supplement the significant young talent already there (Myah Henderson, Kennedy Parrott, etc.)
Coach Josephine McLane expressed that all of her returners have put in work into their games, and is excited to see her team make a deep run into the postseason this year.
Josh Regan’s Chantilly Chargers will be young again this season, but not without talent. He told us that a lot of their success will hinge upon how quickly those young players can acclimate to the varsity level. Helping them adjust will be the previous season’s freshman standout Emerson Mustard and all-district performer Maddie Bernet. Alongside her will be a pair of seniors in Elizabeth Smith and Emma Tan.
The youngsters include freshmen Alivia Tarry and Alex Wilson, and sophomore Caroline Donovan and junior Kaitlyn Tarry from junior varsity teams that excelled in the last two seasons.
The Westfield Bulldogs are another team with a good chunk of returners, all of which Coach Noel Klippenstein has already observed are ready to be leaders. All-district performer Bella Bruce, Sam Etzler, and Emma O’Connor will be the core of a team that will look to further in post-season play after making it to regionals last season.
Closing in on thirty seasons with Oakton, Coach Fred Priester’s Cougars remain one of the most consistent, fundamentally sound teams in the area. Leading them will be senior forward Caitlin Crump, the Christopher Newport commit and double-double machine. Grace Hansen and Maddie Kinsel will be alongside her, and together they are Oakton’s ‘triple threat,’ all players who all received all-district honors last season. Junior Finley Tarr who came off the bench last year should step into a bigger role this year as well.
All teams open up their season in non-district play soon later this week. Like we said, this season
promises to have the most parity across the board in years and we are excited to see it unfold.
–Max Nagle
@MaxWritesHoops