VF98_C_Madison

Celebrating 40 years serving the greater Springfield community.

The Fairfax Connection October 1 - 7, 1998

Unbeaten Lee stifles Madison
by Randal Smathers, The Connection
     Madison football coach Gordon Leib sighed when asked if his team has the best 0 - 4 defense in Northern Virginia.
    "Yeah, I hate to say it, but we probably do," he said, following a second straight late-game, 3-point loss, this time 6 - 3 at home against Lee (2-0 Liberty District, 4-0 overall) last Friday night.
     "It was a tough game," said Leib. "We were hoping for at least overtime."
     Rob Collier hit two field goals in the fourth quarter, the second coming from 47-yards with 22 seconds left in the game, to give Lee the win.
     Madison (0-4, 0-1) opened the scoring on a 30-yard Sam Sutton field goal in the first quarter.
     "We utilized the clock," said Leib, "but we're got to cross the goal line."
     Defense is clearly not this team's problem. The Warhawks, led by senior linebacker Dillon Ginley, have surrendered just 9 points in the last two games, and have not given up a touchdown in 11 quarters, including last week's 3-0 loss to Edison and three quarters of a 16-0 loss to Lake Braddock, one of the region's best teams. Of the six winless teams entering play last week, only Madison had allowed less than 95 points. The Warhawks have still only given up 46 points.
     Of course, all those zeros in its score lines means that Madisonhas not scored a touchdown since its opener, when wide receiver Steve Owensby and tailback Darrel Walker scored in a 21-14 overtime loss to Oakton.
     Part of the problem is the fact that Walker hasn't played a down since spraining his ankle in the Oakton game, along with starting fullback Adam Wilkinson missing the last two games, and a host of other injuries, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
     "Our line is improving, but there's so much turmoil in the backfield it is like starting from new each week," said Leib.
     Leib had eight players going more or less full time on Friday.
     That included junior defensive tackle Ryan Ruffin, who was pressed into service as a fullback on Friday and responded with 57 yards on 15 plays.
     "He played every down on defense, so we had to spell him on offense," said Leib, although he said he is impressed by his team's overall conditioning.
     He is also impressed by their resiliency. "They bounced right back," he said. "We're just waitying for the biscuit, for the week when they get a reward for all the hard work."
     This Friday, madison gets an excellent chance to win, when the Warhawks travel to Broad Run (0-1 Liberty, 0-4 overall). The Spartans have allowed more points (175) than any other defense, so something will have to give.
     The lancers, meanwhile, host undefeated Park View in a district matchup.

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