Three undefeated teams still soaring

STAFFORD — In the early regular season games, there are several match-ups between teams from different districts. Usually, the performance of these teams dictates the quality of the league they play in.

Taking that into consideration, the Commonwealth District is of high quality. That’s because they have a combined .666 winning percentage. Six out of eight have winning records. Three have yet to taste defeat — all rebounding from a rough 2008.

Riverbend was victorious only once last year, most recently beating defending Battlefield District champ Chancellor on Sept. 18.

The Bears scored 20 unanswered points and their defense forced three turnovers — including a fumble returned for a touchdown — and didn’t allow a point after an opening drive field goal.

Riverbend has heeded the advice of first-year head coach Todd Campbell, who has stressed improvement each week.

“If we can do that I don't see why we can't be in the hunt at the end of the season,” he said.

Despite being a program that has yet to see a winning record in their six seasons, the Bears’ expectations are no different than anyone else.

“This is a group that expects to win,” Campbell said.

Last season, Riverbend shared last place with North Stafford. Currently, the former cellar dwellers make up two-thirds of the penthouse in the Commonwealth standings.

The Wolverines eased past Halifax County, 46-17, in week one, which was followed by a hard-fought 20-15 victory against Gar-Field on Sept. 11.

Last week, they held down Potomac in a 17-3 triumph on the road.

North Stafford has many returning players form 2008, including quarterback Marcus Morrast, running back/defensive back Sean Walker, running back Torry Hart and lineman Adrian Hart.

One noted improvement has been the defense, which allowed over 35 points per game last year.

No team in the district has allowed fewer points than Massaponax. In addition, just one offensive touchdown has been scored against the Panthers.

One series that epitomized the team’s strong defensive effort came during a fourth quarter goal-line stand.

The Panthers stopped visiting Chancellor on four consecutive plays inside the 3-yard line, preserving a 13-7 win.

Offensively, Riverbend runs — but not in the conventional fashion. Its rushing attack is headed by a multi-headed monster in backfield. In the win against the Chargers, seven different Panthers took turns carrying the football, totaling 206 yards.

“We feel we have many capable guys,” said head coach Eric Ludden. “We have a lot of them playing both ways, too. So, it’s important to keep them fresh in the rotation.”

They used 12 different ball carriers to distance 326 yards on the ground in a 69-0 home win against Spotsylvania on Sept. 4. Leading the way was

Najee Harris, who had 78 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries.

Next up for Riverbend is Colonial Forge, who sits at 2-1, but in the bottom half of the standings.

Ludden feels that there are multiple reasons why the Commonwealth District has been one of the best top-to-bottom in all of Group AAA.
“It’s a great district in terms of talent,” he said. “The teams are also very well coached.”

Brian Wright is a contributing writer for the Stafford County Sun. Reach him at info@staffordcountysun.com.