The visiting Yorktown Patriots (6-3, 5-0) took over sole possession of first place in the Liberty District with a 34-13 win over the Wakefield Warriors (4-4, 3-1) in an all-Arlington high-school football showdown Oct. 22.
The win was the fourth in a row for Yorktown this season and snapped Wakefield’s three-game winning streak. With a victory in its final regular season game, Yorktown will be the outright district champion.
Yorktown led Wakefield 13-0 at the end of the first quarter, was ahead 27-7 at halftime and amassed 392 total yards, of which 238 were rushing.
Wakefield had 328 total yards but turned the ball over four times, a couple deep in Yorktown territory.
“We were able to move the ball at will and I think we won soundly,” Yorktown coach Bruce Hanson said. “We are happy with the win and our players know we are in first place and can win the district.”
Yorktown’s leading player on offense was runningback Xandar Starks. He had 76 yards rushing, and ran for two touchdowns and caught a 15-yard scoring pass. Patriots’ quarterback James Yoest had a hot hand throwing the ball, completing 11 of 12 passes for 154 yards and two TDs, the other of 35 yards to Mason Cunningham (seven catches, 109 yards).
“We have James and he creates a lot of things and Mason is really good out there,” Hanson said. “They are hard to stop.”
Also for Yorktown, Tyler Randles had 50 yards rushing (eight-yard touchdown run), James Midberry caught two passes for 14 yards and rushed for 44 more, Scott Hodgkins had 33 yards rushing, Miles Fang ran for 29, John Porter had a catch for 16 and Tomas Edmeades booted four extra points.
On special teams, Yorktown blocked a punt and on defense Jack Martinez, Michael Atubire and Jackson Heflin recovered fumbles.
Wakefield quarterback Jack McAvoy was 10 of 25 passing for 185 yards and Caine Poythress 3 of 3 for 32. Alan Peck had five catches for 112 yards, Branden Cohen five for 72, and Poythress two for 28. McAvoy threw a touchdown pass to Peck.
On the ground, Michael Guruli ran for 60 yards, Anthony Louis for 24 (touchdown run) and Mario Martinez for 21.
Rhys Carlson and Leo Pacheco recovered fumbles for Wakefield.
* The Washington-Liberty Generals (2-6, 2-2) led 13-0 and 21-7 but eventually lost to the visiting Justice Wolves, 40-28, in non-district Oct. 22 high-school football action. The loss snapped W-L’s two-game winning streak.
The Generals were hurt by penalties, a lost fumble, a kick return for a touchdown and the loss of starting runningback Jackson Broadwell in the first quarter with an ankle injury.
“The loss of Jackson was huge. We didn’t have a running game after that and had to rely on just throwing the ball all over the place,” W-L coach Josh Shapiro said.
The Generals did move the ball through the air well as quarterback Ryan Jones was 28 of 47 passing for 378 yards and no interceptions and three touchdown passes. Quinn Brennan caught 11 passes for 185 yards and a TD, Jay Barolo had seven receptions for 61 yards and two scores, Jackson Nowinski had five catches for 86 yards, and Jack Myers three for 17 and rushed for 20 yards. Broadwell had 26 yards rushing on three carries before his injury.
“Jackson already was off to a good start running the ball on his three attempts,” Shapiro said.
Elijah Hughes had a touchdown run for the Generals.
* The Bishop O’Connell Knights (4-4, 1-2) were blanked by the host Carroll Lions, 54-0, Oct. 23 in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Metro Division action. The Knights trailed 41-0 at halftime.
O’Connell still has the edge over Bishop Ireton (1-8, 0-3) to earn the fourth and final WCAC Metro Division playoff berth.