By Michael Pittinger
LoCoSports Staff Writer
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Sterling (October 30, 2015) – On a night when the Park View High School Patriots honored their seniors, the Loudoun Valley High School Vikings would come to town looking for a win to help solidify their playoff spot. Loudoun Valley (7-2) would do just that by fending off a late Park View (2-7) rally, 40-29.
“We got out of here with a win,” Vikings head coach Anthony Long said. “That win was exactly what we were looking for tonight.”
The Patriots started with the ball on their own 30-yard line with an unusual formation: there was no one in the backfield at the start of the play. Senior quarterback Chase Jefferson then came in motion from the left side of the formation to take the direct snap on the run. Jefferson was then able to get to the outside and race down the field for a 70-yard touchdown to give Park View the lead in under 30 seconds. That score would be the only one the Vikings’ defense allowed the rest of the first half.
“We started fast but then during the second quarter we gave up some big plays and let some of our mistakes linger and had trouble changing momentum,” Park View head coach Mick Mullins said. “I made some aggressive play calls that didn’t work out and put us in some bad field position which did not help our defense.”
Loudoun Valley would also score on their first drive of the game, finished off when junior quarterback Nick Kallivokas found senior receiver Trey McDyre for an 18-yard touchdown reception. That would be the first of 40 straight points for the Vikings.
Perhaps the biggest play by the Vikings in the game was midway through the second quarter when Kallivokas dropped back to pass and had to scramble around to avoid the aggressive Patriots’ pass rush — led by senior linebackers Johnathan Baltimore and Austin Pittinger and sophomore linebacker Caleb Donofrio. Kallivokas would end up finding a wide open receiver in the form of senior running back Joesph LaFonte who took the ball 69 yards for the score.
The 40 first-half points would be all the points the Vikings would be able to score. That was thanks to a tough Park View defense and Loudoun Valley giving its starters a rest in the second half of the football game.
“We played hard,” Long said. “We decided to give our backups a chance in the second half.”
Park View received the second half kickoff and would pursue a long drive – which lasted almost eight minutes – capped off by junior running back Nikolai Hopkins who scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.
“I was proud of the heart and character shown by the players during the game,” Mullins said. “We asked them to come out in the second half and ignore the score and just play football fast and have fun.”
The final score of the game came late in the fourth quarter when Jefferson dropped back to pass on fourth-and-goal and found senior running back Giovanni Lopes for a 7-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone.
“Park View didn’t give up,” Long said. “They fought hard.”
The Patriots onside kick attempt would be recovered by the Vikings, who subsequently ran the clock out to end the game.
“They showed tremendous heart and pride in how they performed in the second half,” Mullins said. “It would have been easy to just lay down, but they fought and put a scare into Valley in the fourth quarter.”
Football: @LVHS_Jungle 40, Park View 29 FINAL per @mikepitting
— LoCoSports (@LoCoSports) October 31, 2015
Prior to the start of the game, Park View honored their seniors in their last home game. The Patriots had just seven seniors on their roster this season.
“This is the smallest senior class I have ever coached. They have all been through a lot during their four years of Park View football, arguably the hardest four years in Park View football history. They have experienced numerous coaching changes, and they have had many players that started with them not continue,” Mullins said. “The seniors who remain have demonstrated courage, heart and determination that other young men might not ever have to demonstrate. They have had to overcome negativity from their peers, from some of their teachers, and even from their friends; however, they continue to battle and work to get better. I am proud of this group of seniors because of all of the obstacles they have had to overcome during their career and the character they have shown in that effort.”
The Vikings will host crosstown rival Woodgrove in Purcellville on November 6, while the Patriots travel to face crosstown rival Dominion in Sterling in a game where Park View could play postseason spoilers for the Titans.
“If we start the first half of next week, the way we finished this game,” Mullins said. “We should have some fun during the Battle for Route 7.”
Scoring Plays:
1Q 11:37 PV Chase Jefferson 70-yard TD run (Lampe PAT)
1Q 10:51 LV Nick Kallivokas to Trey McDyre 18-yard TD pass (Reeley PAT)
1Q 8:14 LV Nick Kallivokas 3-yard TD run (PAT failed)
1Q 2:18 LV Nick Kallivokas to Trey McDyre 47-yard TD pass (Reeley PAT)
2Q 8:18 LV Nick Kallivokas to Joesph LaFonte 69-yard TD pass (PAT failed)
2Q 5:35 LV Tyler Hunt 1-yard TD run (Reeley PAT)
2Q 0:00 LV Tyler Hunt 30-yard TD run (Reeley PAT)
3Q 4:34 PV Nikolai Hopkins 1-yard TD run (Lampe PAT)
3Q 0:00 PV Chase Jefferson 9-yard TD run (Lampe PAT)
4Q 4:28 PV Chase Jefferson to Giovanni Lope 7-yard TD pass (2pt good)
Stats:
Passing
Loudoun Valley
Nick Kallivokas 5-for-8, 175 yards, 3 TD
Derrick Goings 1-for-2, 6 yards, 1 INT
Park View
Chase Jefferson 7-for-16, 83 yards, 1 TD
Adam Thorne 0-for-1
Rushing
Loudoun Valley
Tyler Hunt 6 carries, 62 yards, 2 TD
Nick Kallivokas 5 carries, 12 yards, 1 TD
Joseph LaFonte 11 carries, 47 yards
Park View
Chase Jefferson 23 carries, 105 yards, 2 TD
Nikolai Hopkins 14 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD
Steven Berrios 2 carries, 11 yards
Michael Hernandez 2 carries, 6 yards
Receiving
Loudoun Valley
Trey McDyre 2 receptions, 65 yards, 2 TD
Joseph LaFonte 1 reception, 69 yards, 1 TD
Duron Norris 2 receptions, 41 yards
Jonathan Sedmak 1 reception, 6 yards
Park View
Giovanni Lopes 4 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD
Brandon Burdick 1 reception, 11 yards
Carl Gamon 1 reception, 9 yards
