TUESDAy, MARCH 3 , 2020. THE WASHINGTON POST eZ sU D5
ing an opponent to fewer than 40
points on 26 occasions. on of-
fense, their a pproach was bal-
anced, built around good execu-
tion and smart passing.
“I’ve been here three years and
love every single team I’m on, but
this team just has something dif-
ferent: our connection,” junior
guard Bella Perkins said. “A nd
that really contributes to how we
play on the court.”
With Saturday’s victory over
Bishop o’Connell, the Panthers
finished 32-4, their best record
since 2016 and one of the highest
win totals in the area.
“This is a team that does every-
thing they can to represent the
jersey of Paul VI well,” Allen said.
— Michael Errigorare rise for Loudoun County
There is a boys’ basketball sea-
son taking shape in Leesburg that
doesn’t coalesce often. Students
are shaking the bleachers with
their energy. Graduates from the
1960s and 1970s are finding
Coach mark Alexander after the
game and congratulating him.And Loudoun County’s magic
has not run out yet — the raiders
won Thursday what is believed to
be their first regional title since
1954.
“It’s a team of players where
every puzzle piece fits,” A lexander
said. “They’re happy with their
role, and they do their job, and
they pride themselves on defense
more than they do on their of-
fense, which is rare.”
other individuals in the county
— Trent Dawson at Loudoun Val-
ley, Jadon White at Tuscarora and
others — are pouring in more
points per game.
But they are all looking up at
Loudoun County. The raiders
even have the Dulles District play-
er of the year in point guard
matthew Anderson, a r eward for
season-long success.
The raiders beat Loudoun Val-
ley for a third time to win the
district and knocked off Kettle
run and millbrook last week.
They play George Washington of
Danville in the state quarterfinals
friday at riverside.
— Jake LourimFROM STAFF REPORTSIt’s tough to feel good about a
season-ending, 25-point loss, but
as the Coolidge boys exited the
court for the final time — with
heads hanging and eyes full of
tears after a 55-30 loss to Gonzaga
on friday in the D.C. State Athlet-
ic Association semifinals — a nice
moment took shape.
Instead of promptly leaving
G eorgetown’s mcDonough Gym-
nasium, 125-plus members of the
Colts community gathered near
the doors that led to the Coolidge
locker room and showered the
team with praise before chanting
in unison, “Coooooo-lidge!”
“remember this moment, the
score, the way your heart feels
right now, the love and support
that our community just showed,”
Coach Derrick Washington told
his team in the locker room. “Be-
cause four years ago it wasn’t like
this; no one would’ve cared. T his is
a testament to the work you all p ut
in.”
for Coolidge (17-10), this was
supposed to be the year the pro-
gram broke through and chal-
lenged for a D.C. Interscholastic
Athletic Association champion-
ship. But the Colts lost their first
game in that tournament to H.D.
Woodson after blowing a double-
digit lead in the second half.
Coolidge responded by win-
ning a pair of DCSAA tournament
games, including an upset of
Washington Catholic Athletic
Conference power St. John’s, be-
fore losing to eventual champion
Gonzaga.
“Ending your season with the
other team celebrating [stinks],”
Washington said. “But the fact
that we have a locker room full of
guys that are disappointed be-
cause they feel they could’ve beat-
en a top-20 team — a nd stands full
of fans that believe and support
us enough to come see us — says
all you need to know about where
we are and how far we’ve come.”
— Tramel Raggsrivalry continues on court
Northwest and Quince or-
chard have developed one of the
area’s top football rivalries over
the past decade — it’s a matchup
of montgomery County contend-
ers separated by 4^1 / 2 miles. While
the boys’ basketball programs
aren’t as strong, the rivalry con-tinues through the winter.
In the first round of the mary-
land 4A playoffs friday, students
decked out in black for Northwest
and red for Quince orchard
packed the bleachers in German-
town as the Jaguars beat the visit-
ing Cougars, 63-50.
“Just about any sport between
the two schools, you’re going to
get a crowd out there,” Northwest
Coach BJ DeBuchananne said.
“You’re going to get the students
out there. People are going to be
pumped up for it, and they’re
going to come out and watch and
support.”
Similar to how Northwest and
Quince orchard’s football players
know one another from youth
programs, the basketball players
competed together in AAU. This
season, Northwest beat Quince
orchard in all three of their meet-
ings.
“It is a little bit special for them
to be able to go out and have
bragging rights, to say they swept
them,” DeBuchananne said.
— Kyle Melnickno star, no problem at Paul VI
In mid-January, when asked
about the surprising success of
his team, Paul VI girls’ coach Scott
Allen said the group was “ahead
of schedule.” At that point, the
Panthers were still weeks away
from the postseason. Yet the
coach still felt like the group was
performing well.
on Saturday, after that same
group won a Virginia Indepen-
dent Schools Athletic Association
state title to cap their season,
Allen took his description a step
further.
“This is the best culture team
that we’ve had in 18 years,” he
said. “They’re just simply amaz-
ing. They do everything for each
o ther.”
In past years, the team has
featured at least one nationally
recruited senior. The previous
two seasons it had even sent
someone to the mcDonald’s all-
American game. Although this
year’s roster featured plenty of
talent, the Panthers had no star to
build their identity around.
While they did lose star guard
Ashley owusu, who now plays at
maryland, the program returned
10 players from her supporting
cast. To gether they created a jug-
gernaut defense this winter, hold-HIgH scHool basKetball notesCoolidge gets perspective after its DCSAA run ends
D.c./prince george’s
boys’ player of the week:
g saveon Jackson, KIpp
t he junior had 18 points, seven
assists and eight rebounds during
the panthers’ 65-32 win over Model
school in the d.c. state athletic
association c lass a final sunday.girls’ player of the week:
g Zy’aire Hairston, Dunbar
behind the sophomore’s 16 points,
dunbar defeated Fr iendship
collegiate academy, 69-15, to
advance to the semifinals of the
dcsaa playoffs.Maryland
boys’ player of the week:
F anthony Wright, p aint branch
t he senior scored 21 points in the
panthers’ 61-54 win over blair in the
first round of the Maryland 4a
playoffs.girls’ player of the week:
g natalie Johnson, north point
the sophomore averaged 16 points,
four rebounds and 3.5 steals in
postseason wins over great Mills
and potomac.private schools
boys’ player of the week:
g trevor Keels, paul VI
t he junior stepped up for the
panthers in the Virginia
independent schools athletic
association title game, dropping
22 points in the panthers’ win over
st. stephen’s/st. agnes.girls’ player of the week:
g azzi Fudd, st. John’s
a bumpy junior season back from a
knee injury ended on a high note as
the two-time all-Met player of the
Year scored 17 points to lead the
cadets to the dcsaa class aa title.Virginia
boys’ player of the week:
g landon Hawes, p otomac Falls
the senior had 57 points and 33
rebounds in three games to lead the
panthers to the class 5 region c title.girls’ player of the week:
g lexi White, West springfield
during the grueling class 6 region c
schedule, White scored 20, 21 and
20 points in wins against lake
braddock, t. c. Williams and edison.paul Vi and st. John’s fell short in
the Washington catholic athletic
conference tournament last week,
but they added other titles over the
weekend.in saturday’s Virginia independent
schools athletic association
division i championship game,
paul Vi beat o’connell, 52-43. it
was the 14th consecutive year the
panthers claimed the league title.st. John’s topped sidwell Fr iends,
54-44, in the d.c. state athletic
association class aa championship
game sunday. the cadets claimed
their fifth consecutive title and
sixth in the past seven years.paul Vi and st. John’s move up in
this week’s rankings, giving the
Wcac three of the top five teams.
bishop McNamara, the Wcac
champion, rises to the top spot
after previous No. 1 riverdale
baptist suffered a loss at the
National association of christian
athletes division i tournament in
te nnessee.in Virginia, Marshall upset Madison
in the Virginia class 6 region d
championship game to hand the
Warhawks their first loss.
postseason action continues in
Maryland and Virginia this week.1. Mcnamara (27-5)
last ranked: 2
after winning the Wcac title, the
Mustangs were idle last week.
2. paul VI (32-4) lr: 4
in the Visaa division i
championship game, the panthers
beat o’connell, 52-43.
3. new Hope (24-9) lr: 5
the tigers lost to Hamilton Heights
christian academy (tenn.) in the
Naca division i tournament.
4. riverdale baptist (26-4) lr: 1
the crusaders fell to New Hope in
the Naca division i tournament.
5. st. John’s (22-9) lr: 12
With a 54-44 win over sidwell
Fr iends, the cadets won the dcsaa
class aa title.
6. c.H. Flowers (21-1) lr: 6
the Jaguars beat oxon Hill, 57-42,
in the prince george’s county
championship game.
7. Howard (22-0) lr: 7
the lions play arundel i n the
second round of the Maryland 4a
playoffs.
8. national christian (24-8) lr: 9
For the second time this season,
the eagles beat capitol christian.
9. Madison (25-1) lr: 3
the Warhawks’ undefeated run
came to an end with a 37 -35 loss to
Marshall in the Virginia class 6
region d championship game.
10. georgetown Visitation
( 19-12) lr: 8
the independent school league
class aa champion fell to st. John’s
in the dcsaa class aa
quarterfinals.11. sidwell Friends (28-6) lr: 10
the Quakers lost to st. John’s,
5 4-44, in the dcsaa class aa title
game.
12. o’connell (24-7) lr: 11
the Knights fell to paul Vi in the
Visaa division i championship
game.
13. churchill (21-1) lr: 13
the bulldogs face Walter Johnson
in the second round of the
Maryland 4a playoffs.
14. old Mill (20-1) lr: 15
the patriots begin the Maryland 4a
playoffs against Meade.
15. loudoun Valley (22-0) lr: 16
the Vikings won the Virginia
class 4 region c title with an
87 -52 victory over Millbrook.
16. Marshall (22-6)
lr: not ranked
the statesmen beat Madison,
37 -35, in the Virginia class 6
region d championship game.17. pallotti (20-7) lr: 14
the panthers’ season is over after
they fell in the interscholastic
athletic association of Maryland a
conference title game.
18. West springfield (23-5)
lr: nr
in the Virginia class 6 region c
championship game, the spartans
beat edison, 50-33.
19. Dunbar (26-4) lr: 19
the crimson tide fell to sidwell
Fr iends in the dcsaa class aa
semifinals.20. elizabeth seton (20-10)
lr: 20
after a loss to st. John’s in the
Wcac quarterfinals, the
roadrunners’ season is over.
Dropped out: No. 17 great Mills,
No. 18 south lakeson the bubble: stone ridge,
colgan, edison, osbourn park[email protected]Neither paul Vi nor gonzaga was
satisfied coming into last week,
having bowed out of the
Washington catholic athletic
conference tournament without
the title. both programs took out
their frustrations on state
tournament brackets: the
panthers captured the Virginia
independent schools athletic
association division i title, and
gonzaga took care of business in
sunday’s d.c. state athletic
association class aa final.
in Virginia, the state quarterfinals
are set. south county, Washington-
liberty, centreville, lake braddock,
potomac, riverside, potomac Falls
and loudoun county are the local
teams still competing. Quarterfinal
games are Fr iday night.
the Maryland bracket is still in the
regional stage. tuesday night will
feature a packed slate of games,
highlighted by a matchup of
programs that moved up the
rankings this week: No. 6
st. charles and No. 7 oxon Hill.
1. DeMatha (30-3) last ranked: 1
the Wcac champions were idle last
week.
2. paul VI (27-8) lr: 3
the panthers bounced back from a
second-place finish in the Wcac
with their second Visaa title in
three years.
3. st. stephen’s/st. agnes (28-4)
lr: 2
the saints came up short of a
second consecutive postseason
sweep, falling to paul Vi in the
Visaa division i title game.
4. gonzaga (25-10) lr: 6
the eagles used a strong second
half to take down Wilson in the
dcsaa championship game.
5. st. andrew’s (24-4) lr: 5
the Mid-atlantic athletic
conference champion’s season is
complete.
6. st. charles (23-1) lr: 8
the spartans beat Huntingtown to
win the southern Maryland athletic
conference title last week.
7. oxon Hill (21-3) lr: 10
the clippers took down eleanor
roosevelt in the prince george’s
county championship game and
then beat Huntingtown in the first
round of the Maryland 3a south
region bracket.
8. potomac (Md.) (21-2) lr: 12
duane Mason finished with 15
points as the Wolverines routed
Northern, 76 -48, in the first round
of the Maryland 3a south region
bracket.
9. Wilson (24-5) lr: 11
the tigers, making their third
consecutive appearance in the
dcsaa final, lost to No. 4 gonzaga.
10. theodore roosevelt (29-2)
lr: 4
the d.c. i nterscholastic athletic
association champion stumbled in
the dcsaa bracket, falling to
carroll in the quarterfinals.
11. st. John’s (23-9) lr: 7
the cadets fell to coolidge in the
dcsaa quarterfinals.
12. eleanor roosevelt (18-4)
lr: 9
the raiders fell to oxon Hill in the
prince george’s county
championship game.
13. national christian (22-6)
lr: 13
the eagles were idle last week.
14. potomac (Va.) (22-3) lr: 15
the panthers beat Massaponax to
win the Virginia class 6 region b
championship.
15. south county (25-3) lr: 17
the stallions took down lake
braddock to win the Virginia
class 6 region c title.
16. Middleburg academy (23-5)
lr: 14
For the second year in a row, the
dragons lost to blue ridge in the
Visaa division ii semifinals.
17. rock creek christian (26-7)
lr: 16
the eagles beat New Hope
academy to advance to the
semifinals of the Maryland private
school championship.
18. springbrook (19-3) lr: 18
the blue devils will face sherwood
on tuesday in the second round of
the Maryland 4a North region
bracket.
19. KIpp (31-4) lr: not ranked
the panthers won the dcsaa
class a championship for the
second year in a row.
20. centreville (19-5) lr: nr
after winning the Virginia class 6
region d title, the Wildcats will face
lake braddock in the state
quarterfinals.
Dropped out: No. 19 episcopal,
No. 20 t. c. Williams
on the bubble: Mclean school,
richard Montgomery,
loudoun county, potomac Falls
boys’ top 20 gIrls’ top 20lone issue holding up a Williams
return as “financial.”
of course, money is always the
biggest i ssue. Williams’s a gent ap-
proached the team late in 2018,
not long before c ancer was discov-
ered on Williams’s scalp, asking
for a contract extension. Williams
said in November that the team
refused, saying it didn’t want to
hand out a new contract two years
in advance.
His demands are likely to be
similar now. If he is going to
return, he will want a new deal
that is in line with what a seven-
time Pro Bowl left tackle would
make on the open market, a figure
that could approach $19 million
per season, following the $18 mil-
lion-per-year extension signed by
Philadelphia Eagles right tackle
Lane Johnson last year. Williams
has leverage, too: The free agent
tackle market is thin.
But that is a hefty price —
especially for a player who will be
32 when next season starts and
has had injury issues — and the
redskins will need to weigh their
options while also considering a
long-term deal for Scherff and
other spending in free agency.
[email protected]move on from Haskins.Williams and scherff
The redskins have met with
left tackle Trent Williams and
right guard Brandon Scherff in
recent days. With roughly $61 mil-
lion in salary cap space and two
weeks remaining before free
agency, Washington has to figure
out what it will do with i ts top two
offensive l inemen. rivera has said
many times that protecting the
quarterback — whether it’s
Haskins o r someone else — i s a top
priority.
rivera seemed outwardly con-
tent with conversations he has
had with both players. Scherff, a
free agent, is a candidate for the
franchise tag if he and the team
can’t agree on a long-term con-
tract extension. Williams’s situa-
tion is more complicated after he
did not play last season because of
a dispute with previous team
president Bruce Allen.
Several people in the organiza-
tion have been encouraged by ri-
vera’s initial talks with Williams,
and Williams has engaged with
people inside t he building beyond
rivera. one person with knowl-
edge of the situation d escribed theback in free agency, a player tal-
ented enough to push or even
potentially beat out Haskins for
the starting job — b ut not one who
will demand an outrageous con-
tract. Among the names men-
tioned most were the Te nnessee
Titans’ marcus mariota and the
New orleans Saints’ Te ddy
Bridgewater, though some specu-
lated that Case Keenum, who
started several games for Wash-
ington last season, could be a
possibility, too.
Yes, the redskins met with
T agovailoa and LSU’s Joe Burrow
at the combine and probably will
bring both in for visits at the
team’s practice facility, but this is
something typical for a team in
Washington’s position. As rivera
said last week, you “never know”
what will happen as the draft
draws near, and he seems aware of
the fact that disguising the team’s
intentions with the second pick
could h ave an effect on the q uality
of trade offers the team receives
for it.
So, even though drafting a
quarterback at No. 2 remains a
possibility, none of the team’s ac-
tions to this point are necessarily
a signal that they are ready toaren’t t aking Tua. I can’t s ee it in a
million years.”
The reality is, new coach ron
rivera probably hasn’t settled on
what he’s going to do with that
choice, even as many coaches and
talent evaluators from a round the
league suggest three scenarios:
Draft Young, draft Ta govailoa, or
trade the pick for multiple first-
round choices. When asked at the
scouting combine last week in
Indianapolis w hether he has an
ideal trade, rivera paused for five
seconds before saying: “I have a
wish list. I don’t t hink it’s f easible,
though.”
What does seem certain is that
rivera does not want to do a slow
build. Several times since his hir-
ing Dec. 31 he has referred to his
impatience and desire to win
quickly, and he reiterated that
sentiment at the combine.
“our plan is to be competitive
as quickly as we can,” rivera said.
“We’re not here to wallow around
and build for something. We’re
here to try and do it the right way,
and if it takes a year, great. If it
takes two, great. But our intent is
to get it turned around as quickly
as we can, but the right way.”
Here is a sense of where the
redskins stand on a couple of key
issues coming out of the combine:Quarterback
rivera repeatedly has said he
likes Dwayne Haskins, the quar-
terback Washington selected in
the first round of last year’s draft.
Several key team officials say pub-
licly and privately that they, too,
like Haskins. They t alk a lot about
the time Haskins has spent work-
ing out at the team facility and
seem encouraged that he wants to
take the redskins’ receivers on a
vacation so they can throw togeth-
er and build a bond.
rivera also insists he will h ave a
quarterback to compete with
Haskins, whether it’s Alex Smith,
who is still rehabilitating from his
devastating 2018 leg injury, or a
player currently outside the orga-
nization. When pressed on how
serious a battle he wants that
quarterback to wage with t he still-
developing Haskins, rivera
deemed it “very competitive
c ompetition.”
many c oaches and talent evalu-
ators talking off the record at the
combine said they believe rivera
will sign a starting-level quarter-redsKIns from d1For the Redskins, speculation goes beyond the draft
cHarlie Neibergall/associated press
Conventional wisdom has the redskins selecting Ohio state’s Chase Young with the draft’s second pick.