Playing what their head coach described as the team’s “most complete game of the season,” the host Madison Warhawks won a fourth straight 6D North Region football tournament the afternoon of Nov. 25 by routing the Westfield Bulldogs, 31-7, in the Nov. 25 championship game in Vienna.
“We played a great football game in all phases,” Madison coach Justin Counts said. “We did what we wanted and needed to do on defense, offense and special teams.”
The region title was Madison’s sixth in the high-school program’s history, with four runner-up finishes.
What Madison (12-1) did on defense was hold Westfield (9-4) to 140 total yards, including just 15 in the second half. Of the total yardages, 72 came on one second-quarter scoring pass play.
On offense, Madison gained 302 total yards, including 224 rushing. Junior runningback Dominic Knicely led the way with 154 yards on the ground, including touchdown runs of 62, three and two yards.
Quarterback Cael Yates completed five passes for 78 yards and rushed for 43. One of his completions was an eight-yard scoring pass to Darren Knicely (two catches for 44 yards). Cord Yates had two catches for 12 yards, ran for five yards and returned punts for positive yardages. Thaddeus Krush caught a screen pass for 22 yards that helped set up a touchdown.
Knicely’s 62-yard scoring run and Julian Hopewell’s extra point gave Madison a 7-0 first-quarter lead.
“The guys up front blocked well, made it happen and I did what I can do,” Knicely said of his long TD run. “That score set the tone for our running game the rest of the way.”
Starting fullback Cole DeSimone had seven yards rushing on three carries and was a key blocked, Dominic Knicely said.
Westfield tied the game at 7, then Madison pulled away by scoring the final 24 points. The Warhawks led 17-7 at halftime and scored a touchdown each in the final two quarters. Hopewell booted a 34-yard field goal to close the first half, set up when Luke Salvosa blocked a Westfield punt.
Madison’s final three touchdowns consisted of long drives consisting of 12, nine and 11 plays spanning 66, 73 and 76 yards and consuming nearly 18 minutes, with Danika Pfleghardt booting three extra points after each score.
“Dominic broke one, but it was those short four-yard running plays that we kept getting to gain yards and kept the drives going,” Counts said.
Madison’s offensive line consisted of Tanner Hall, Mason Noory, center Ari Rosenberg, Maukon Khazami and Theodore Lewis.
Linebacker Luke Jarvis was one of Madison’s leading tacklers on defense, including a sack and other tackles for losses.
“The key was we kept their quarterback [Matthew Jenks] contained today and did not let him run the ball, and we came out with high energy on defense,” Jarvis said. “We kept our defensive line fresh by rotating players.”
Said Counts: “The defense really rallied to the ball well.”
Jenks had just 11 yards rushing and was sacked three times.
Other top tacklers for Madison were Jackson Ambruzs (sack, two tackles for losses), Vann Pappas (sack), William Gates (sack), Oscar Espanol (sack), Brenen Gephart (sack), Charlie Backman, Joseph Gore and Jack Vaught.
The only time Westfield crossed midfield into Madison’s territory during the game wa on the long 72-yard touchdown pass.
Next up for Madison is a Virginia High School League Class 6 state tournament semifinal against the defending champion and undefeated Freedom Eagles (12-0) of Woodbridge. Freedom defeated Madison, 48-14, in last season’s state final to finish 15-0.
In Freedom’s three Region B tournament victories this season, the high-scoring Eagles won by 75-7, 52-26 and 50-7 scores. The team has won 27 straight games over two seasons.
NOTES: Madison also allowed only seven points in winning the past two region championships games, each over Centreville, 22-7 last fall and 35-7 in 2021 . . . The region playoff victory was the 11th in a row for Madison over four seasons, all on the Warhawks’ home field.
