When the Madison Warhawks (11-1) and Westfield Bulldogs (9-3) meet today in the championship game of the 6D North Region football tournament, the showdown is between teams that have combined to win the last eight such titles.
Madison has won the last three crowns and Westfield the five in a row before that, including a 17-7 win over the Warhawks in the 2018 high-school championship contest.
Westfield also defeated Madison, 31-3, in a 2016 region semifinal en route to winning the title. The Warhawks are yet to win over Westfield in a region-playoff game.
Kickoff for today’s [Nov. 25] region final is set for 1 p.m. at Madison in Vienna.
During a regular-season meeting between the Concorde District rivals in early October, Madison rallied in the final quarter to defeat host Westfield, 28-24. That was Madison’s fourth straight win over Westfield, all in the regular season.
Both teams won their first two region- playoff games. Second-seeded Madison routed the Langley Saxons, 42-6, in the first round and the Herndon Hornets, 37-7, in the semifinals. Sixth-seeded Westfield downed two Arlington teams – the host and third-seed Washington-Liberty Generals, 30-7, in the first round then the visiting Yorktown Patriots, 21-14, in the semifinals.
Westfield has three shutouts this season and its offense is led by senior quarterback Matthew Jenks, who is productive as a runner and passer, and runningback Kennedy Duda.
Madison has one shutout and has given up just 13 points in its last three games.
On offense, the Warhawks are led by quarterback Cael Yates (1,718 yards passing this season and 14 touchdowns, 225 yard rushing and five TDs), runningback Dominic Knicely (1,174 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns) and wide receiver Cord Yates (46 catches, 709 yards, seven TDs). Runningback Cole DeSimone has 342 yards rushing and five scores.
Including punt and kickoff returns, Knicely has 1,806 all-purpose yards this season and Cord Yates has 1,006 all-purpose yards.
The 6D North Region champion advances to the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state tournament to face the winner of Region B final between two undefeated teams – the Freedom Woodbridge Eagles (11-0) and the Battlefield Bobcats (12-0). That game is today [Nov. 25] at 3 p.m. at Freedom, the defending state champion.
NOTES: Madison will be playing in its 10th region final (five victories) . . . The Warhawks have won 10 straight region playoff games, all at home, over a four-season stretch. Its last loss in the region tournament was against Yorktown in the semifinals of the 2019 tourney, at Madison.
