One thing is certain. Sometime around 10 p.m. on Oct. 22, a football team from Arlington will be in first place in the Liberty District.
The Wakefield Warriors host the Yorktown Patriots in an all-Arlington clash for first place starting at 7 p.m. Friday nigh. Each team enters the high-school contest with undefeated district records – Yorktown (5-3 overall) is 4-0 in the league and Wakefield (4-3) is 3-0.
The winning team will still have to win its remaining league games to be assured as the outright district champion. Yorktown will have one contest left on its schedule, and Wakefield one or two, depending if the Warriors make up an earlier game against Herndon postponed because of COVID issues.
The outcome could also determine which team earns a 6D North Region tournament playoff berth, as the losing team might fall short of qualifying.
“It’s a big game for sure, and it’s two Arlington teams. That’s going to be pretty neat and exciting,” Yorktown coach Bruce Hanson said. “I saw Wakefield play earlier in the season, and they looked pretty good against a good [undefeated] Fairfax team.”
Wakefield hasn’t had much luck against Yorktown in recent years. The Warriors have lost 25 straight times to Yorktown, last defeating the Patriots in 1995 by a 30-7 score. The Warriors have lost 17 in a row to Yorktown at Wakefield.
Yorktown has shut out Wakefield three of the last four times the teams have met. They did not play during the shortened COVID campaign held in March and April.
Each team carries a three-game winning streak into the showdown, with a shutout apiece each. Yorktown averages 39.3 points in those victories and Wakefield 20.
Wakefield coach Wayne Hogwood said his team has been playing well since losing three of its first four games to start the season.
In another Oct. 15 high-school game involving an Arlington football team, the Washington-Liberty Generals (2-5) will be looking for their third win in a row when they host the Justice Wolves (3-4) at 7 p.m. in non-district action. The Generals need to win that game, then their final two contests, to have any chance of making the 6D North Region playoffs.
* The first-place Madison Warhawks (6-1-2-0) have a big Concorde District road high-school football game on tap at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 when they play the Westfield Bulldogs (4-3, 1-1).
Madison defeated Westfield for the first time during the previous season to win the Concorde crown. Westfield had been the multi-time defending champion.
The Warhawks have won six straight games, three by shutouts, and average 39.7 points per game in those victories. Westfield averages 23.4 points per game overall.
The South Lakes Seahawks (4-3, 2-0) are tied with Madison for first in the Concorde.
* In a Saturday, Oct. 23 private high-school game, the Potomac School Panthers (3-3, 1-0) visit the St. James Saints (4-1, 2-0) of Maryland at 2 p.m. in a clash for first place in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Each team defeated Flint Hill in their previous games – St. James winning 17-14 and Potomac School 25-6.