NOVA NINETEEN (Final)
1. Bishop Ireton (24-9)–Mission accomplished. The Cardinals are your private school DI state champs after besting PVI in the title game. Lose some pieces, but can definitely repeat if the fantastic junior class mostly returns (Brooks, Anderson, Hagans, Manning, Washington, Wilson, Knight).
2. Paul VI (19-15)–Don’t be fooled by the record and the string of 16 straight state titles ending–this was a very good year for the Panthers. They overcame a ton of adversity, played a world-class schedule, and by the end of the year were as tough as just about anyone.
3. Woodgrove (29-1)–A fairy tale season ends in a Class 4 state championship for the Wolverines with a victory over Hampton. A legendary class leaves but…hope you noticed Woodgrove’s younger players this season. Everybody certainly noticed freshman Amaya Ramey in Richmond.
4. Potomac School (21-9)–As impressive as some of the Panthers’ wins were, so were their losses. First-year coach Krystal Ferguson showed they could hold their own against top ISL and WCAC teams. The Panthers will miss Zoe Myslewicz down low, but their main firepower returns, to include freshman sensation Sabrina Anderson.
5. Osbourn Park (24-4)–OP gave Thomas Dale all it could handle in the state semis, falling by just a few points. Dale wrecked OP earlier in the year, which shows you how far the Jackets progressed. Their scoring is in their sophomore class, so they’ll be state contenders again next year.
6. Centreville (23-4)–Fell to eventual state champ Manchester in the state semis, but what a season for the Wildcats–an undefeated regular season in the tough Concorde and Northern Region Champions. Lose some really good senior pieces, but Parrott, Caraus, Kang, and other young talent returns.
7. Robinson (25-3)–Ho-hum, another district and regional title for the unsung TJ Dade, as well as a 25-win season. Sure, it helps when you have (junior!) Georgia Simonsen, but this guy puts together a disciplined, defensive-oriented squad every year it seems.
8. Briar Woods (25-2)–An extremely memorable senior class of Tia Chen, Hope Drake, Noelle Cabiness, Giuliana Bohmer, Sienna Casillas, plus others exit after a 25-win season and a state tournament appearance. The Falcons program is in good shape with Raven Short.
9. Virginia Academy (15-9)–A great end to the season with a road win over Steward, a team that had beaten VAA earlier in the year. That netted the Patriots another DII VISAA title. Lose some key seniors including Elyse Autrey, but Leah Keyes and others return, plus they’ll have a nice new gym to play in.
10. Edison (22-4)–Upset right away at regionals, but another fantastic season for Dianne Lewis and her team. Went undefeated in the National–which includes Hayfield–and should be as good or better next year as the Eagles lose solid seniors, but only three of them.
11. South County (19-7)–The Stallions announced themselves as contenders in a hurry this year under new (but experienced) Coach Rudy Coffield. We figured they’d improve, but they were very good almost immediately. First Team All-Occoquan Laila Tull returns next year, as does considerable other guard talent.
12. Oakton (22-7)–Another good year for the Cougars, highlighted by Fred Priester getting into the VHSL Hall of Fame. His team won the Concorde District Tournament and should be even better next year with a strong core returning, to include sophs Brooke Chang and Sophie Toole, plus frosh Jocelynn Kinlaw.
13. Gainesville (20-7)–Fell to Centreville on the road at states. Daniel Nemerow’s team lost once at Boo Williams and then only to NOVA 19 teams. Sophomore forward-center Peyton White is going to be a star next year for the Cardinals, if she isn’t already.
14. Langley (21-4)–The Saxons faltered a little down the stretch, losing twice to McLean and getting upset by a solid Chantilly team at regionals, but that doesn’t take away from another fantastic year. Amanda Baker’s team beat squads like #7 Robinson, and Anya Rahman still isn’t a senior…
15. McLean (17-8)–Pat Deegan’s squad came on strong toward the end of the season and should be even better next year with only two seniors gone. A very strong junior class powered by Vilte Kacerauskaite, Alyssa Evans, and Tatum Olson will be even harder to stop next season.
16. Hayfield (20-6)–The Hawks are for realz, with a lot of young talent that should power them for years. Adrianna Albritton is a talented, significant loss, but the Hawks only had one other senior on this year’s roster.
17. Tuscarora (20-7)–Tuscarora really had kind of remarkable season this year considering all the very young players the Huskies used in their rotation. The Dulles regular season champs lose the athletic, versatile Alysa Carrigan, but that young talent also took a nice leap this season.
18. John Handley (22-1)–Just one loss for the Judges, though it was a key one in the regional tournament. Two solid seniors will be gone, but a good many key pieces return, to include sophomore star Reagan Edsell.
19. W.T. Woodson (16-12)–Wrapped a good, thpugh somewhat inconsistent year with a surprise run to the state tournament with wins over #10 Edison and West Potomac. Got a win over #7 Robinson in the regular season, too. Emma Komaily leads a pretty solid core returning next season.
Others Receiving Votes–Meridian (22-6), West Potomac (15-11), Loudoun Valley (17-7), Episcopal (22-5), Stone Bridge (18-8), Freedom-Woodbridge (16-7), Madison (12-13), Chantilly (13-13)