Eagles lose to Vikings in thriller

With his team knelt down in front of the far end zone breathing heavily, Woodbridge senior wide receiver Darius Smith walked back and forth in front of his teammates vehemently saying "that's heart right there, that's all heart right there."

Heart, determination and shear will is what the Woodbridge Vikings needed to make it through Friday night's game against visiting Colonial Forge on Sept. 11.

Darius Parson's six-yard touchdown run on the Vikings' second play of the fifth overtime gave the Vikings a 50-44 win and provided a dramatic end to a game that none of the participants will soon for-get.

Parson, who scored the game clinching touchdown in last week's win over Loudoun Valley, went straight up the middle, carrying three Colonial Forge defenders into the end zone with him.

"Like I said last week I just followed the [offensive] line," said Parson as he attempted to un-buckle his shoulder pads. "We have a good offensive line, so I just followed them."

Parson, who did not play football last fall, has quickly become a legitimate threat for the Vikings (2-0) with two touchdowns in two games and timely tackles on defense.

Woodbridge coach Keith King, who was less then satisfied with his team's performance last week against Loudoun Valley, praised his team's ability to persevere Friday.

"That was exciting," said King."Five overtimes is a lot of overtimes. My hats off to our kids."

Parson talked about how he and his teammates kept telling each other to stay together and not give up, saying "We played hard and we have talent. We are a family."

Parson's touchdown came two plays after Colonial Forge (1-1) took what proved to be a critical gam-ble.

On fourth and goal from the Woodbridge 2-yard line, Eagles coach Bill Brown decided to go for a touchdown instead of kicking a go-ahead field goal. Quarterback Blake Froanapfel rolled to his left and threw incomplete, leaving the game tied and giving Woodbridge a fresh set of downs and 10 yards away from the end zone.

King and Brown, two of the area's best coaches, have a history that dates back an entire decade.

King was the Potomac Panthers head coach in 2000 when the Panthers ended the Hylton Bulldogs 39 game winning streak, 29-19, one game shy of tying the state record for consecutive wins.

The Bulldogs coach at that time was Bill Brown.

"We both know each other pretty well and I knew Bill was going to be well prepared," said King."

King defended Brown's decision on the fourth down play saying that at that point in the game you "try and think of ways that you can pressure the other team."

The game saw seven lead changes and three touchdown performances from both starting quarterbacks.

Woodbridge quarterback Frank Buckley completed just seven of 23 passes, but finished with four scoring tosses. One went to Michael Herrity in the first quarter for the Vikings' first score and two of them went to Smith, one in the fourth quarter and the other in the third overtime.

Buckley's other touchdown pass went to Dwight Wilkins in the second overtime that gave the Vikings a 34-27 lead and prompted King to consider going for a two-point conversation instead of a extra-point kick.

Froanapfel's numbers were slightly better completing 14 of 34 passes for 247 yards and the three touchdown's, but came up short on his last attempt of the night that ultimately proved costly for the Eagles.

Buckley, who also caught a touchdown from Smith in the first overtime that would've won the game for the Vikings if not for a blocked extra point, drew the ire of King last week for not locating open receivers. But following Friday's performance, Buckley received nothing but praise from his head coach.

"Frank played the way we expected him to tonight," said King. "He made great decisions and great throws."

King also talked about his team's growth, saying how quickly a game like Friday night's can cause a team to grow up.

"They make plays, but because of their age they stumble sometimes," said King. "We have young kids who are aging quickly."

Smith, who finished with three touchdown receptions, commited Wednesday to Wheeling Jesuit College in Wheeling, West Virginia to play basketball. He is receiving a full scholarship.