Football: Loudoun County secures senior overnight victory over rival legacy

Leesburg, Virginia – Senior Night is always a joyous occasion for student-athletes and their families. A culmination of four years of hard work and a chance to be honored before the final home game of the regular season. The Loudoun County High School football team already knew they had qualified for the playoffs, so the seniors knew it wouldn’t be their last game.

However, the Captains’ Senior Night turned out to be against Crosstown Heritage, which raised the bar even further. And on a very cold evening, Loudoun County celebrated its seniors with a 21-7 victory over Pride on November 5 in Leesburg.

“I told them earlier this week that I had a love-hate relationship with Senior Night,” Loudoun County head coach Matt Reidenbaugh said. “The biggest compliment I can give them is that it doesn’t end tonight because they won the right to play as many weeks as possible here in November. As for tonight, we played a great team and that was the goal; a neighborhood game with Héritage, which is having a great year. It means a lot whenever you can beat a quality opponent.

Loudoun County got off to a quick start taking first possession of the game for a touchdown when senior quarterback Jimmy Daughtrey executed it from 7 yards. The PAT was missed, so the captains had a 6-0 lead.

“Jimmy Daughtrey is the center of our team,†said senior wide receiver Brendan Boyers. “He always shows up in the spotlight and in tough times. He’s just a great player, a great person to have around and a great team leader. “

With just over two minutes to go in the first half, the captains turned the ball on the downs and pride was able to capitalize when senior quarterback Braden Smith found senior receiver Kyle Alt for a 12 touchdown. yards with 0:09 to play. the clock to take a 7-6 lead in the half.

“We knew one of the biggest challenges would be to contain the guys they have on the outside. They have some very good receivers in DeShawn Allen and Emmanuel Darko. Braden Smith can run a bit and throw it, so we knew we would have our hands full there, â€Reidenbaugh said. “I think everything we did was right, but they just made a few plays before half-time, so we tweaked a few things and settled in at half-time. Our front and linebackers played phenomenally which made things a little easier in the second half at the back. “

Heritage kicked off the second half, but soon after handed it over to the captains as Daughtrey intercepted Smith on the Heritage sideline, his fourth interception of the season. That interception would lead to a 1-yard run from Daughtrey for another touchdown – his 15th rushing touchdown and 29th total touchdown of the season – to put Loudoun County in the 13-7 lead.

Jimmy Daughtrey is the center of our team. He always shows up in the spotlight and in tough times. He’s just a great player, a great person to have around and a great team leader.

—Brendan Boyers, Senior Receiver for Loudoun County

“He’s the toughest kid on the court,” Reidenbaugh said. “He’s a playmaker, and he’s not your prototype quarterback. He’s a different kind of kid. I would say he’s not a quarterback – he’s a football player – but he’s extremely coachable. He has come a long way in playing the position this year. As for him on the pitch, I just trust him.

The Loudoun County defense kept the pride offensive in check all evening. Heritage returned the ball on the downs with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter, but reportedly recovered the ball on its own 12-yard line with 2:12 left, behind 13-7. The captains’ pass rush, however, would force a bad pitch and senior athlete Jimmy Kibble was able to pull it out and essentially seal the game.

“Our defense has really strengthened,†said Daughtrey. “I think our line was a big influence in all of this, forcing Braden to pull out of his pocket and make some really good plays. We were lucky enough to pick some of them, get our hands on and put them in some tough places. “

Loudoun County junior running back Jason Murray, who ran for 97 yards on 16 carries, would put the icing on the cake with a 3-yard touchdown with two minutes remaining to make it 21-7.

Before the start of the match, the Captains (5-2, 8-2) and Pride (5-2, 8-2) knew they had qualified for the VHSL Region 4C tournament. Despite the loss, Dulles District No. 2 Heritage will host Northwestern District No. 3 James Wood in Leesburg on November 12 at 7 p.m., while Dulles District No. 3 Loudoun County will travel to Northwestern District No. 2 Handley on November 13. at 1 afternoon

“We can go to practice,†Daughtrey said. “Some teams have to return their gear after tonight, but we are fortunate to be able to go back to training and work on some of the mistakes we made and try to improve as a team.”

Caroline Layne captured over 200 photos during the game!

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