AUG. 10, 2011- ARLINGTON CONNECTION.COM
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Yorktown Focuses on Repeating as District Champs
Patriots remember postseason loss to W-L in 2010.
By John Roetman
Linebacker
Josh Bunche found motivation in last year’s loss to the Generals, using
a negative to better prepare himself for football after high school.
Head
coach Bruce Hanson said losing to W-L for the first time during his
nearly-three-decade tenure as leader of the Patriots was tough, but the
team takes pride in its 2010 accomplishments. Hanson even showed a sense
of humor toward the defeat, saying he no longer had to worry about
others talking about his flawless record against the Generals.
Yorktown
lost to W-L for the first time in 28 years last season, making for a
sour end to an otherwise successful campaign. The Patriots went 9-1
during the regular season — including a 14-0 win over W-L — and captured
the National District championship before falling short in the
playoffs. While the Patriots would enjoy getting back at the Generals,
Yorktown’s primary focuses are repeating as district champions and
competing at the regional level.
"Certainly, that loss was a
tough loss for us to take," Hanson said. "I think our kids won’t take
W-L lightly ever again. … [The Generals] played really well that day and
we didn’t play very good. They deserved to beat us.
"We still
take great pride that we were district champs and beat them for the
Arlington County championship. They stuck it to us in that playoff game,
there’s no doubt about it, but we’re not going to cry over that. We’re
going to try to win the district again and try to beat W-L again when we
play them."
Fullback
Austin Browne (senior, 5-11, 230), running backs Josh Bunche (senior,
5-6, 175) and Micah Gregory (junior, 5-10, 155) and Bishop O’Connell
transfer Marvin Stewart (sophomore, 5-11, 160) are playmaking candidates
for the Patriots. Nick White (5-8, 216), Mason Snider (6-2, 205) and Charlie Whelden (6-0, 280) return on the offensive line.
Defensively,
Bunche is a key athlete who will move back to outside linebacker after
playing inside linebacker last year. Bunche said he gained 10-15 pounds
from working out — due in part to the experience of losing to W-L — and
hopes to get noticed by colleges.
"Literally, right after that
day, I just told myself I’m not going to lose [to W-L] my senior year,"
Bunche said. "I saw how bad it hurt the other seniors, so from that day
on I’ve … just been working out [really] hard. … I don’t want to beat
[the Generals], I want to embarrass them."
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AUG. 31,
2011- SUNGAZETTE.COM |
Football Preview: Yorktown Patriots
by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer
With a number of key players returning from last season’s National
District championship team, and the addition of some talented newcomers,
the Yorktown Patriots have the strong potential to defend their title
this fall.
Yorktown opens its 2011 high school campaign Thursday,
Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m. against visiting Wilson from Washington, D.C. in a
non-district clash. The next week, on Sept. 9 at home, Yorktown begins
district play by hosting the Wakefield Warriors. The Patriots were 9-2
overall last season and 7-0 in district play. Over a two-season stretch,
Yorktown has won 11 straight regular-season district games.
No matter what its talent level, Yorktown’s goal is, always the same, according to Hanson. “Every
year, we are going to think we have a shot at winning the district,” he
said. “I think there is a lot of improvement in our district this
season, and we have a chance to be up there.”
Yorktown’s spread
offense will consist of a running formation and a four-wide-receiver
passing alignment. Senior quarterback and three-year starter Jordan
Smith leads the offense. He is a big threat as a runner and passer.
On defense, Yorktown is small, but
with a talented secondary, according to Hanson, solid linebackers and
some questions on the line. The
top linebackers are Josh Bunche, Browne, Donnelly and Rockelli.
Anchoring the defensive line are Snider, White and Colin Johnson.
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SEP. 4,
2011- SUNGAZETTE.COM |
Yorktown Wins Big in Football Opener, Wakefield Loses
by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer
For the seventh straight year now, the Yorktown Patriots have opened
their season the same way - with a victory over the Woodrow Wilson
Tigers (1-1) from Washington, D.C. The latest win came Sept. 1
when Yorktown won in a rout, 48-13, as sophomore transfer Marvin Stewart
led the way in a variety of ways.
“He had quite a night, and it was a good way for us to
start with a win like that,” Yorktown coach Bruce Hanson said. “Wilson
was big, and that had us concerned. We were able to move the ball on the
ground and in the air.”
Yorktown, which had two turnovers, amassed 415 total yards, 322 of them were rushing. Patriots’
running back Austin Browne had 107 yards rushing and scored on a
38-yard run, and Da’Jhaun Short scored on a six-yard run.
Yorktown
senior quarterback Jordan Smith completed 5 of 11 passes for 93 yards
and he ran for a pair of touchdowns on short runs of one and four yards. Also on defense for Yorktown, lineman Cullen Johnston scored on a
35-yard fumble return after Josh Bunche sacked the Wilson quarterback to
force a fumble.
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SEP. 10,
2011- SUNGAZETTE.COM |
Yorktown Blanks Wakefield in Football
by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer
The outcome was so lopsided and the contest non-competitive that
the winning coach didn’t quite know how to evaluate the result. “It’s always good to get all of your players into a game,” said
Yorktown Patriots coach Bruce Hanson, after his team (2-0) routed
the visiting Wakefield Warriors, 68-0, last night in a National
District showdown.
The Patriots led, 21-0, with 4:29 left in the first quarter,
were ahead 28-0 after one period and were up 55-0 at halftime.
Yorktown’s final two first-half touchdowns came with second
stringers.
On defense for Yorktown, Josh Bunche, Colin Johnston and Browne
were among the players who had sacks. Browne added an interception
that he returned 32 yards.
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SEP. 17, 2011- VIRGINIA PREPS.COM |
RHS Productions
Yorktown 41 Herndon 7 Final: Coach Hanson's 200th Career Victory!!
Congratulations to Coach Bruce Hanson on this historic milestone.
Patriots jumped out to 21-0 lead in the 1st qtr. 34 to 7 at the half. Sophomore-M.J. Stewart, Jordan Smith, Austin Browne and Josh Bunche had big games for Yorktown. Stewart had 4 TDs, including an 80 yd. run. Smith had a 60 yd. keeper, 2 TDs and ten pass completions. Browne had a 70 yd. run and several tackles. Bunche laid down the hammer on defense.
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SEP. 24,
2011- SUNGAZETTE.COM |
Football Roundup
Patriots Shut Down the Hawks
by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer
With a 21-0 victory over the visiting Hayfield Hawks last night,
the Yorktown Patriots (4-0, 2-0) cleared a big hurdle in their
attempt to successfully defend the team’s National District
championship. The reason is because Hayfield and Yorktown are regarded as the
district’s top high school teams. So with a win over Hayfield (3-1,
1-1) now accomplished, the Patriots will be the favorites to win
their remaining five district contests.
“It’s a big and a good win for sure,” Yorktown coach Bruce Hanson
said. “We stuck in there tonight and our defense was just stifling.
Our defense is a lot better than I thought it would be.” Yorktown’s defense held Hayfield to just 99 total yards, of which
only eight were passing.
Yorktown led 7-0 at halftime by virtue of a one-yard touchdown run
by quarterback Jordan Smith and Colin Hitt’s extra points. In the
third period Yorktown scored its other TDs on a 10-yard run by
Marvin Stewart (91 yards rushing) and a 42-yard run by Austin
Browne (65 yards rushing).
On
defense for Yorktown, Stewart and Josh Bunche had
interceptions.
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OCT. 22,
2011- SUNGAZETTE.COM |
Yorktown Wins Big in District Game
by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer
With a 55-6 home rout over the winless Falls Church Jaguars last
night in National District action, the Yorktown Patriots (8-0, 5-0)
moved within two games of completing their first 10-0 regular
season under longtime head coach Bruce Hanson. Yorktown can complete that perfect high school campaign with
victories over Mount Vernon and Washington-Lee in its final two
games.
Against Fall Church, Marcus Stewart led the way with a 95-yard
interception return for a touchdown an a 40-yard punt return for a
score. He also rushed for 49 yards and one TD. Also for Yorktown, Austin Browne had 65 yards rushing and a
touchdown, Allen Green ran for 31 yards and a score, Josh Bunche
had a three-yard scoring run and Mason Hitt kicked seven extra
points.
Yorktown led, 41-6, at halftime and had 320 total yards. The regular-season district win was Yorktown’s 16th in a row over a
three-year period. The Patriots won the district crown with a 7-0
record last fall.
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NOV. 19,
2011- SUNGAZETTE.COM |
Yorktown Advances to Region Final
by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer
Next up for the undefeated Yorktown Patriots is the Northern Region
Division 5 championship game. The No. 2 seed Patriots (12-0) play the No. 4 seed South County
Stallions (9-3) in that high school contest in Arlington on Friday,
Nov. 25 at 1:30 p.m. Yorktown reached the region final by routing the No. 6 seed Lee
Lancers, 51-15, in a semifinal Nov. 18 in Arlington. The Patriots
last played in the region final in 2003, when they lost to the
Madison Warhawks. Yorktown last won the region in 1999.
“We have South County at home on our fast [artificial] turf. I
think that is an advantage for us,” Yorktown coach Bruce Hanson
said. In
the semifinal against Lee (7-5), the Lancers won the coin toss, but
deferred, giving Yorktown the ball first. The Patriots immediately
took advantage and capitalized on Lee’s strategy when Marvin
Stewart (135 yards rushing) capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive
with a 29-yard scoring run. Mason Hitt added the extra point, and
Yorktown took a 7-0 lead that the Patriots would only quickly
increase.
Yorktown led, 14-0, at the end of the first quarter and had 204
total yards in that period. The Patriots were in front and firmly
in control, 28-0, in the second quarter. By the end of the third
period, the Patriots led 51-8.
Lee had 243 total yards, but did not produce any big plays. Said Hanson: “Our defensive coaches came up with a good plan and
the players implemented that.” Entering the game, Hanson said Lee was a team capable of scoring a
lot of points and he thought the Lancers were the “best” and “most
dangerous” squad the Patriots would face so far in 2011.
On
defense for Yorktown against Lee, Micah Gregory and Tyler Donnelly
(30-yard return) had interceptions, Brian Owens had two sacks and
Josh Bunche had two tackles for losses. Against South County, Yorktown will face a team that has won nine
straight games, including a 25-3 semifinal road win over No. 1 seed
and defending champion Stone Bridge (10-2).
NOTE: The Patriots have won two region
championships during Hanson’s 27-year tenure as head coach – in
1999 and 1988. Yorktown finished with 9-4 records both years.
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AUG. 31,
2010- SUNGAZETTE.COM |
Football Preview: Yorktown Should Be a Contender
by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer
What might be the best thing about the Yorktown Patriots this coming
season is the high school team has a good deal of versatility and depth
at many different positions. As a result, veteran Yorktown coach
Bruce Hanson says there is excitement about his team in regard to making
a serious run to win the National District championship this fall.
Yorktown and Hayfield are expected to be two of the top district
contenders. “We’re kind of excited,” Hanson said. “We have some players
and we have progressed pretty good. I like the mix of our guys.”
Some of the Patriots’ top players for the team’s second-year spread
offense are senior running back Khalil Doles; junior quarterback Jordan
Smith; junior brothers Kevin and Kyle Bailey at running back or wide
receiver; senior wide receivers David Bernhardt and Devin Gaby; junior
running back Austin Browne; senior linemen Gunther Poth, James Krech,
John Todd, Mark Karua; and junior linemen Nick White and Charles
Whelden.
Many
of those players on offense also will play on defense, like Rogers,
Smith, Gregory, senior James Pope and the Baileys in the secondary;
Krech, White, and junior Mason Snider on the line; and Browne, Poth,
Bernhardt, juniors Tyler Donnelly and Josh Bunche and senior Maliek
Wilson at linebackers.
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OCT. 16,
2010- THE WASHINGTON POST.COM |
Another shutout for Yorktown's defense
By James Wagner
As it has all season, the Patriots' defense carried the team to a
victory, this one a 24-0 win over Stuart in Arlington. Yorktown (6-1,
4-0) remains the best team in the Virginia AAA National District. It has
held its opponents to roughly nine points a game and overall has four
shutouts this year.
Entering the game, Stuart looked poised to cause Yorktown trouble with some of its athletic playmakers such as running back Chris Kirby and quarterback Javonte Robinson. But Yorktown linebacker Austin Browne had another feeling.
Browne forced two fumbles and recovered three. His biggest came in the
second quarter with Yorktown leading, 10-0. The Raiders had marched 68
yards on seven plays to the Yorktown 7-yard line. But Yorktown
linebacker Josh Bunche, who also finished with an interception, hit a running back's hands. Browne then stripped and recovered the ball, swinging the momentum back to Yorktown.
That was one of four Stuart first-half fumbles. Stuart's first two
drives lasted one play each with Kirby, who had run for 270 yards in the
past two weeks, fumbling the ball twice. And when Kirby did run,
Yorktown defenders quickly wrapped him up, holding him to no yards in
the first half and 34 yards on 13 carries for the game.
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OCT. 16,
2010- SUN GAZETTE.COM |
Yorktown Remains in Sole Possession of First
by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer
Yorktown (6-1) blanked visiting Stuart last night,
24-0, to remain undefeated and firmly on top in the district with a 4-0
record. Stuart, which blew out both
Washington-Lee and Wakefield of Arlington in its previous two high
school games, fell to 3-4, 2-2. The Raiders last swept Arlington’s three
teams in the same season way back in 1995, Stuart’s last winning
season. That year was also the last time Yorktown lost to Stuart.
The Raiders are an improved team this fall, and that got the attention
of Yorktown head coach Bruce Hanson.
In
last night’s game, however, the Raiders could not overcome six
turnovers (four lost fumbles) and a stingy Yorktown defense that allowed
only 62 yards rushing and 190 total yards. The shutout was Yorktown’s
second straight. “Our defense has been playing so well and
continues to get better,” Hanson said. “Our linebackers were making
plays. They get around the ball so well and we have hitters. Tonight we
made a fast team look slow. They couldn’t run the ball.”
Stuart fumbled on its first
two plays. David Bernhardt, the night’s homecoming king, recovered the
second of those fumbles and returned the ball seven yards to the Stuart 3
yard line. Two plays later, Khalil Doles (63 yard rushing) scored on a
three-yard run, Michael Dola added the extra point, and Yorktown had a
7-0 lead with 6:11 left in the first period.
The Raiders lost
another fumble on their next possession that was recovered by Austin
Browne. Yorktown moved into field goal position, where Dola converted
from 26 yards and the Patriots had a 10-0 lead early in the second
period. A third lost Stuart fumble, again recovered by Browne, this time at
the Yorktown 1-yard line midway through the second quarter, may have
been the game changer. A touchdown would have pulled Stuart within 10-7. Yorktown
added a late second-period touchdown on a leaping catch by Kyle Bailey
on a 34-yard pass from Jordan Smith. Dola kicked the point after, and
Yorktown led 17-0 at halftime.
The only score of the second half came on Smith’s 13-yard fourth-quarter pass to Bernhardt, and Dola’s conversion. “We didn’t get a lot in the second half, but our defense continued to play well,” Hanson said. Most of Stuart’s yardage came in the second half,
when the Raiders two turnovers were interceptions by Bailey and Josh
Bunche, who also had three tackles for losses in the game.
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OCT. 27, 2010- CONNECTION NEWSPAPERS.COM |
Bailey Twins Lead Stout Yorktown Defense Patriots with chance to clinch district title against Mount Vernon.
By Jon Roetman
Yorktown head football coach Bruce Hanson stood on the field at
Greenbrier Stadium during Monday’s practice and talked about how well
his defense has played this season. The Patriots, 7-1 overall and 5-0 in
the National District, are holding opponents to 8.4 points per contest
in 2010, including three shutouts.
Seniors Kyle
Bailey and Kevin Bailey are the leaders of a Yorktown defense that has
held all but one opponent — undefeated Centreville — to 16 points or
fewer en route to the top of the district standings. The Patriots have a
chance to clinch their first district championship since 2006 when they
host Mount Vernon at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 29. The Majors are 4-1 in the
district one year after a winless 2009 season.
Helping Kevin and Kyle
Bailey on defense have been outside linebackers Maliek Wilson (senior)
and David Bernhardt (senior), inside linebackers Austin Browne (junior)
and Josh Bunche (junior) and linemen Mason Snider (junior), Nick White
(junior), James Krech (senior) and Andrew Moyer (senior). "Our defense has been playing tremendous," Hanson said. "We’ve been real happy with our defense."
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AUG. 31, 2010- SUNGAZETTE.COM
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