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Sports

Westfield High Weekly Sports Recap: Bulldogs' Field Hockey Season Ends at States

Varsity football marches on undefeated while field hockey and volleyball fall in playoffs

 

After a tremendous 20-4 season in 2011, the varsity field hockey team fell short against powerhouse Stafford Senior High in a fast-paced last Friday morning, 3-1. Westfield once again out shot its opponent by a margin of 24-15, but found difficulty capitalizing offensively. Bulldogs’ Head Coach Starr Karl said though disappointed, she felt it was a terrific game.

“We battled back the whole game. Their right wing, No. 20 was phenomenal and Abby Fallon and Rachael Ulsh shut her down,” said Coach Karl. “Our girls totally outplayed them in the second half and we just kept stepping up and ended up having 24 shots on goal. But we only had one corner in the second half.”

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Karl’s girls did indeed dominate the second half as they surrounded the shooting circle. But Westfield continued its struggle to finish, which would cost the team the match. Karl said the ball crossed the goal plane several times yet the players could not get their sticks on it and missed out on scoring opportunities. However, freshman forward Emily McNamara would put on the scoreboard 20-minutes into the second half.

“We really thought we were going to put another one in. After the game the Stafford coaches came over and said ‘you guys were really scary,’” Karl said. “I was really proud of the girls and said ‘If you play as hard as you can and at the end of the game we’re not on top, as long as you think you left everything on the field you can walk away and feel proud of yourselves’ and that’s what I thought we did.”

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Though knocked out of the tourney, Karl and her staff decided to have their squad spend the night to attend the final match the next morning. The coach said she wanted her players to see “what it takes to get there” and have time to bond once more before the season officially ended. Karl said it was a special moment for her team and the girls appreciated the opportunity.

Vision and confidence are the two greatest qualities a player will gain from her freshman to senior year of high school field hockey, Karl said. Ulsh and Rennyson, who both made first team All-Concorde, may only be sophomores but their coach believes the two rising stars are ahead of schedule even though they both switched positions this season. Karl said Rennyson and Ulsh have become even stronger players in their second year and will likely improve more next season.

Joining Ulsh and Rennyson on the first team All-Concorde are Meghan Winesett, who also won Concorde Player of the Year, Abby Fallon, Katie Winesett and Lauren Saltus. Kelly Duncan, Ashley Little and Colby Kidwell were chosen for second team All-Concorde. The Northern Regional Teams will be announced Monday, Nov. 14.

Westfield varsity football team extends postseason play 

Coach Kyle Simmons and his Concorde District Champion Westfield High Bulldogs (11-0) (4-7) in the first round of the AAA Division 6 Northern Regional tournament. The Rams’ defense held Westfield to just seven points until the fourth quarter when Bulldog tailback Kendell Anderson sprung into action to find pay-dirt and help solidify the victory, 21-3.

Matthew Pisarcik, who Simmons said managed the game very well, threw a three-yard toss to tight end Charles Johnson in the end zone to slam the proverbial door shut on Robinson’s season with less than five minutes to play. The win kept the Bulldogs’ perfect record alive along with the hope of a state championship. Anderson tallied 199 yards rushing and put Westfield on the board first with a 61-yard sprint across the goal line in the first quarter for the 7-0 lead. Following the touchdown, Robinson’s stout defensive line kept the Bulldogs in check for three and a half quarters, trailing by just four points in the fourth quarter. But Bulldog receiver Artie Pickett’s 50 yards on seven receptions kept the chains moving and Pisarcik, who threw for more then 100 yards and one TD, marched the offense into the red zone. Anderson then punched-in his second touchdown of the game from one-yard, capping off a short drive to give Westfield a 14-3 lead and the eventual win. Simmons said he believed his team played better offensively than the scoreboard showed but was impressed with Robinson’s performance.

“They were so good up front and in the middle,” he said. “Two of their inside guys are Concorde District players. It was good for our offense to fight through that.”

Westfield punter Connor Kirkham and the special teams unit insured the offense great field position throughout the entirety of the game. Kirkham averaged more than 40-yards per kick and pinned the Rams deep in their own territory at the one-yard-line late in the game. Simmons said Kirkham has been clutch for his Bulldogs and improved vastly during his senior year.

“Connor Kirkham had a heck of a night. We were really pleased with that and he did a nice job,” Simmons said. “He’s worked really hard, he’s a good athlete, he’s gotten better and he’s getting good at a really good time in the year for us.”

Bo Hartman and Justin Little each picked off Robinson quarterback Patrick Baker late in the game to end the Rams’ hopes of a Cinderella upset. Westfield now heads into the second round of the regional tourney, playing host to West Potomac. The Wolverines defeated Chantilly (6-5) on its home turf this past Friday, 35-7. Westfield beat the Wolverines earlier in the season but Simmons said West Potomac has improved since their last meeting.

“They’ve lost to , and they’ve lost to us: three division-six playoff teams who are still in it and they’ve thumped some other teams pretty good,” Simmons said, noting that since playing them, West Potomac has won every game. 

Westfield plays at home against West Potomac (8-3) in the second round on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Westfield volleyball team knocked out of regionals

Westfield High’s varsity girls’ volleyball (14-14) season came to a close after a strong and much improved performance in 2011. South County swept the Bulldogs 3-0 in the first round of the Northern Regional playoffs last Monday night but Coach Jim Bour said his team fought with heart and he feels positive about the future of his program at Westfield.

“We faced a better team with a little more seasoning and they kind of put the pressure on it and we gained experience,” said Bour regarding the South County match. “The way I look at it over the last three years we’ve gone six wins, 10 wins, 14 wins and event though that’s not the history of our program you can see we’re moving in the right direction.”

The Bulldogs finished the season at .500 and reached the regional playoffs for the first time since 2008. Nine players from this year’s roster return next season, including junior libero Jessica Turner and sophomore Morgan Tweddle, who both had outstanding seasons. The coach said he was extremely proud of the work ethic his team displayed both on and off the court. Bour believes every player gained valuable experience in both the district and regional tournaments. which should lead to an even better performance in 2012.

“It’s funny, every year I believe we should be in the state finals and that’s my 'glass is always half full' and that’s just how I am,” Bour said. “When you have meetings and you see the excitement and you see the commitment, you know ‘we are on the right track and we are going to be OK,’”

The coach said battling and , who made it to the playoff semis and finals this season, were two of the many memorable highlights in 2011. Though his Bulldogs lost those matches, Bour said you want your team to fight through those kinds of matches in order to become stronger. This past year, Bour’s team won the American Volleyball Coach’s Association Academic Award for the eighth year in a row—an award he hopes it will garner this year as well.

“I believe the classroom directly correlates with the hard work and success you’re going to need in life and on the court,” he said. “You can be an athlete and you can be an excellent student. That hangs in our locker and they know that’s a really big deal to me.”

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