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2011 VARSITY SEASON

 AUG. 10, 2011- ARLINGTON CONNECTION.COM

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."

Football Preview: Yorktown Patriots

by DAVE FACINOLI, Staff Writer

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."