Any high school football team — but especially a young one — deserves time to find itself. An identity is rarely formed in the sloppy and experimental Fridays of September. Often, the hope is that the group will know its preferred style and be able to execute it by the time the air grows cold and the games matter more.
Or, as Centreville Coach Jon Shields has put it to his program, the aim is to play your best brand of football by the time there’s frost on the pumpkin.
“I told them, ‘When the frost is on the pumpkin, we need to be able to play great defense and run the football.’ And we’re starting to get to that point. The frost is almost on the pumpkin,” Shields said before laughing. “I don’t even know where I got that from, but it’s something I’ve been saying this year.”
On Friday night, the Wildcats looked secure in their ground-and-pound identity as they pulled past South Lakes, 27-13, in front of a homecoming crowd in Clifton.
Wildcats junior running back Isaiah Ragland finished with four touchdowns, three of which came in the fourth quarter. Centreville graduated 26 seniors last spring and came into this season with a number of sophomores and juniors, including Ragland, playing big roles. Youth doesn’t always lend itself to physicality, but the Wildcats had no choice in what approach to embrace. After all, they play in the Concorde District.
Widely seen as one of the area’s most competitive leagues, the Concorde is made up of Centreville, South Lakes, Chantilly, Madison, Oakton and Westfield. They are large programs with strong numbers and proud histories. In the Concorde, the late-season district schedule is known to derail many a promising start.
Even if you can survive it, that five-game gauntlet can drain you before the postseason. Simply put, these teams beat each other up.
“In this district, you know its going to be hard-fought and gritty all four quarters,” Ragland said. “No game is easy. You just have to keep chopping the wood.”
Friday’s victory moved both the Wildcats (6-2) and the Seahawks (4-4) to 2-1 in district play.
The Wildcats seemed intent on sticking to the plan early in Friday’s victory. Ragland took the ball 69 yards to the end zone on his second touch, and the defense followed by forcing a three-and-out.
That pattern reemerged after South Lakes took a 13-7 lead with nine minutes remaining. Ragland scored a touchdown, and the defense got a key three-and-out. Ragland scored another touchdown, and the defense forced another quick punt.
Finally, for good measure, Ragland torched the Seahawks again with a 66-yard touchdown. He returned to his team’s sideline beaming with four fingers in the air.
“This is a young group with great chemistry,” Ragland said. “All we care about is fighting for each other.”
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