Week 2 preview: Time for some flippin’ football

Behind high-flying Jordyn Reid, Mount Vernon hit the ground running last week. (Image courtesy of Brian Barksdale)

The physical stress of football can be a grind for players at any level, and good coaches know that sometimes you just have to let your kids have fun.

Prior to last Friday’s game with Edison, Mount Vernon’s Monty Fritts allowed his team plan their own pregame run-in. The Majors decided to have junior running back Jordyn Reid lead the squad onto the field, and he did so in spectacular fashion.

Reid, seen above, was captured in mid-flight as he flipped through the air by photographer Brian Barksdale, a Mount Vernon parent. Reid’s aerial acrobatics, which can be seen on video here, caught Fritts off guard, but the coach didn’t mind one bit.

“He is an extremely athletic young man,” Fritts said of his all-district running back, who scored on the game’s first play against Edison. “He does it all the time, so I have no issue with it. … we really try to let the kids have their swag at home.”

Reid and the Majors never slowed down after their high-flying entrance, running out to a 35-0 first quarter lead and ultimately beating Edison 56-7 in the season opener for both teams. This week Mount Vernon is on the road, where they will face off with Langley (0-1) tonight at 7 p.m. Langley lost their season opener 40-7 to perennial power South County, surrendering more than 400 yards of offense to the Stallions.

Bird Bowl rivalry

Hayfield (1-0) travels to Edison (0-1) tonight for the annual “Bird Bowl” at 7 p.m. The Hawks have gotten the best of the Eagles recently, including blowout wins the past two seasons.

Hayfield, behind a host of new players, shot out to a 21-0 first quarter lead against Chantilly in last week’s opener before holding off the Chargers’ late rally to win 28-23. Quarterback Chase Soper threw for one touchdown and ran for another. Senior receiver Rayjuon Pringle hauled in Soper’s 50-yard TD, and also ran back a punt 81 yards for the Hawks’ first TD.

West Potomac hits the road

West Potomac (1-0) passed its first test of the 2018 season with a home win over Briar Woods. Junior quarterback JT Mayo led the Wolverines with his arm and his legs, running for a touchdown and hitting Quaronde Bennett for a 51-yard touchdown to put the game away in the fourth quarter.

This week the Wolverines travel to Burke to face off against non-district rival Lake Braddock (0-1) at 7 p.m. If the past few matchups between these two teams are any indication, this should be a good one. West Potomac held off Lake Braddock in the final minute last year for a dramatic 28-28 win. That gave the Wolverines their first victory over Braddock since 2007, and avenged a bitter overtime loss to the Bruins in 2016.

Lake Braddock was a preseason top 20 team in The Washington Post, but lost 42-21 to defending state champion Westfield in their opener.