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For Westfield, it’s a family affair
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Westfield QB Mike Glennon, left, celebrates with his teammates after their 42-14 victory over Woodbridge to win the Virginia Group AAA Division 6 state championship in Charlottesville on Saturday.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - It was an idea hatched four years ago in Richmond as Mike Glennon, now the Westfield quarterback, watched older brother Sean and his Bulldogs teammates hoist the Group AAA Division 6 state championship trophy.
That memorable day was a once-in-a-lifetime experience unlikely to be repeated. But Mike Glennon, then a gangly eighth grader, still stood on the field amidst the wild celebration and pictured himself under center with a state title on the line. He wasn’t the only one.
Nine Westfield football players who contributed in some way to Saturday’s 42-14 state championship win over Woodbridge in Charlottesville also were in attendance that day in Richmond watching their older brothers do the same.
“A lot of us had brothers on that team. That was a great day and we wanted to win a state championship just like they did,” said Mike Glennon, who broke his older brother’s school record this season with 32 touchdown passes. “We knew we had the potential to do it and worked hard all four years. It finally paid off.”
The second-ranked Bulldogs one-upped the 2003 state title team by winning all 15 of their game thanks to an extra Northern Region playoff round. Westfield went 14-0 the first time. The Bulldogs’ explosive offense averaged 38.2 points per game. Only two of their 15 wins were decided by fewer than 24 points — a 28-16 victory over Chantilly and the 24-21 state semifinal win at Oscar Smith. And that’s from a senior-laden team unlikely to have any high Division I-A players other than Glennon, who has verbally committed to North Carolina State.
“I honestly believe [Westfield’s coaching staff] has to be one of the best in the country. Those [assistants] do a tremendous job and the kids appreciate how much work is put in on their behalf,” said Westfield coach Tom Verbanic. “We’re not a bunch of D-I players. But that has something to do with why we work as hard as we do in order to be successful.”
Senior linebackers Brian Kennedy and Mike King epitomized a group that didn’t need nationally-ranked recruits to whip opponents. The 5-foot-8, 162-pound Kennedy was region defensive player of the year as a junior and a first-team pick again in 2007. He finished with 66 tackles, three interceptions, including one in the state final, two defensive touchdowns and three fumble recoveries.
King led the Bulldogs with 86 tackles, including a game-high 11 in the state final. Defensive tackle Chris Leon and safety Tucker Karl also were first-team all-region selections. Linebacker Kyle Goffredo, who returned an interception for a touchdown in the state final, was named second-team all-region.
Brothers in Arms
» The Westfield brother combinations who played for the 2003 and 2007 state championship teams include: Brent and Grant Bowden; Sean and Mike Glennon; Ryan and Ross Lavin; Thomas and Brendan McDonald; Travis and Ashton Moss; John and Charlie Ohrnberger; Jeff and Peter Perley; David and Nate Radke; Kevin and Brian Stewart.
Comments from Examiner Readers
3:09 PM MST on Mon., Dec. 10, 2007 re: "Executives lock horns over football game"
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7:51 AM MST on Mon., Dec. 10, 2007
re: "Executives lock horns over football game"
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Examiner Reader said:
Smith and Ulman are both fruitcakes. I would not wipe my feet on either one of them.
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Examiner Reader said:
I can't beleive the Examiner fell for this obvious political stunt to get press on the backs of high school athletes. This isn't the pros and this isn't the super bowl. One of the main reasons student athletes use Steroids is because of the pressure to win at all cost. Having the County Executives bet on the game, is first a demonstration for the kids and second it puts additional pressure on the teams to win, since the county execs control most of the school budget. Now that River Hill has won, I'm sure that Jim Smith will try and turn this into more cheap press. I hope the examiner doesn't fall for it this time. The real stars are the student athletes.
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