By Michael Pittinger
LoCoSports Staff Writer
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Sterling (October 1, 2016) – On a rainy night in Sterling, Park View High School was playing their Homecoming game against Loudoun County High School. Surprisingly, both teams threw the ball a lot in not so ideal weather conditions as the Raiders” passing attack proved to be more superior than the Patriots’ on the way to a 47-27 win.
“Last year this team was obviously a lot younger,” Loudoun County head coach Tony Rayburn said. “We’re still young as a team, we don’t have any seniors, but I think the kids that are back from last year are trying to build on some of the things they did last year.”
Both teams combined for 21 points in the first two minutes of the game. Park View senior running back Niko Hopkins scored two rushing touchdowns one from 68 yards out and another from 54 yards out – his only scores off the game as he left the game late in the first quarter with an injury .
Loudoun County sophomore quarterback Nick Barts rounded out the early scoring when he found receiver junior Dom Baah on a bubble screen for a 62-yard touchdown pass.
“Park View’s running back was a really good back,” Rayburn said. “I think he was sick or something and obviously that affected them greatly.”
The Raiders” defense would slow down the explosive Patriots’ offense after the first quarter only allowing Park View to score 13 points over the next three quarters of the game.
“Defensively, we made a few adjustments,” Rayburn said. “Our guys got use to the single wing, it’s a little bit of a different offense.”
Early in the second quarter, the Raiders gave their sophomore running back David Harris the ball for an 8-yard TD run to give Loudoun County a six-point lead.
The Patriots would drive down the field and get inside the Raiders” 20-yard line before a bad snap pushed them back to the 37-yard line. Park View would send out kicker Anthony Lampe to attempt a 52-yard field goal, but his kick fell just short.
The Raiders added on seven more points late in the second quarter to give them the 27-14 lead at the half.
At halftime of the rainy Homecoming football game, Park View Student Council Association sponsor Michael Verb announced senior Kisha Lim as the 2016 Homecoming Queen.
The Patriots came out of halftime slinging the pig skin around making some big completions. The biggest completion on the drive was a 4th-and-long play when Lampe dropped backed and found junior receiver Adam Throne open down the middle of the field for a gain of 42 yards.
Park View finished that drive off with a touchdown when Lampe found senior receiver Noah Helmick running a slant route for a 6-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter.
The Raiders would respond by scoring 20 unanswered points over the next 15 minutes to put the game out of reach. Loudoun County started the run by scoring a 59-yard touchdown pass from Barts to Beal midway through the third quarter.
The Patriots added six points late in the fourth to make the score a little bit more respectable when senior running back Kevin Lopez scored from one yard out.
“We feel like we are taking steps in the right direction but we’re not all the way there yet,” Rayburn said. “We did some good things and definitely have some things to work on.”
The Patriots will head to Leesburg to face the Pride of Heritage High School on Thursday night, October 6.
The Raiders will head to Sterling for the second straight week to face the Titans of Dominion High School on October 7.
Scoring:
1Q 10:49 PV Niko Hopkins 68-yard TD run (PAT failed)
1Q 10:34 LC Nick Barts to Dom Baah 62-yard TD pass (Carson PAT)
1Q 10:01 PV Niko Hopkins 54-yard TD run (2-point good)
1Q 4:39 LC David Harris 51-yard TD run (PAT failed)
2Q 11:50 LC David Harris 3-yard TD run (Carson PAT)
2Q 2:35 LC Nick Barts to Zac Beal 16-yard TD pass (Carson PAT)
3Q 7:38 PV Anthony Lampe to Noah Helmick 6-yard TD pass (Lampe PAT)
3Q 6:49 LC Nick Barts to Zac Beal 59-yard TD pass (Carson PAT)
4Q 11:40 LC Nick Barts to Hassan Turner 13-yard TD pass (Carson PAT)
4Q 5:46 LC David Harris 31-yard TD run (PAT failed)
4Q 2:55 PV Kevin Lopez 1-yard TD run (PAT failed)
Stats:
Passing
Loudoun County
Nick Barts 15-for-31, 253 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Park View
Anthony Lampe 12-of-20, 121 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Adam Thorne 1-of-3, 31 yards
Rushing
Loudoun County
David Harris 13 carries, 125 yards, 3 TD
Park View
Niko Hopkins 4 carries, 135 yards, 2 TD
Kevin Lopez 9 carries, 30 yards, 1 TD
Anthony Lampe 6 carries, 34 yards
