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No. 4 Chantilly High School Chargers — Northern Region, Division 6, Class AAA Concorde District
Head Coach: Michael Lalli, fourth year.
Career Record: 37-42 2007 Record: 8-3 overall, 4-2 district (Northern Region Division 6 Quarterfinalist).
Returning Starters: 4 offense/4 defense.
Key Losses: TE Jacob Barren; OL Doug Boyle; FB Antonio Cross; QB Austin Decker; LB Mike Quigg; TB Bugsy Urrutia.
Top Returners: OT Andrew Crawford, Sr., 6-6, 270; C Brendan Murphy, Sr., 5-10, 220; RB Torrian Pace, Sr., 5-10, 220; OG/LB Isaac Sine, Sr., 6-3, 220.
Fresh Faces: RB/DB Mike Farris, Jr., 5-9, 165; WR/DB Kris Martin, Jr., 5-9, 170.
Game to Watch: Week 9, Oct. 24 at Centreville
Although the past two seasons have established the Chargers as a Northern Region powerhouse, Chantilly has lost 12 straight games to Centreville, dating back to the Chargers’ state championship run in 1996. In last year’s Sully Bowl, the Wildcats held the Chargers scoreless through 47 minutes of play en route to a 19-6 victory. This Concorde closer should provide some late drama for the state’s best district.
Stadium: Chantilly High Stadium (Capacity 6,000).
A Load in the Backfield
By Angela Watts
Managing Content Editor, DigitalSports.com
Twenty-seventh in a series.
Even sitting on Chantilly’s tennis courts, hunched over and helping to lead his teammates in some early-morning stretching drills, it’s easy to spot Charger senior running back Torrian Pace.
That’s because the 5-foot-10, 220-pound returning all-state rusher is widely regarded as the most physically imposing player in all of Division 6 in the Northern Region.
And according to Coach Michael Lalli, fans — and opponents — haven’t seen anything yet.
“He’s bigger and he’s stronger,” Lalli said of Pace, who boasts a 4.47 time in the 40 and a 33-inch vertical leap. “This is the first season where he’s really worked out hard because he didn’t play basketball and he went to work with different trainers to work on his body.
“So he should be a little better built to take the pounding that he’s going to take this year.”
But it’s much more than mere physical attributes that Lalli expects will add some umph to Pace’s game this season. Perhaps even more importantly, he’s progressed from a mental standpoint as well.
“He’s just more prepared this year,” Lalli said. “His knowledge of the game is far better, and so we can use him in different positions. He understands football now, where as two years ago he was just a big kid with a big body. Now he’s got more flexibility with the understanding of how to play football.”
That will be key for the Chargers this season, because while they rank among the favorites to win the Concorde District crown, they return only eight starters from a year ago. On offense, the count is three returning offensive lineman and Pace.
“I think offensively we’re going to have to try and mix things up a little more and throw it a little more to keep people out of the box and focused on Torrian all the time,” Lalli said. “I don’t know if we’ll be quite as explosive offensively as we were last year, but we’ll be able to do some stuff and we’ll be pretty good. We have kids who can make some plays for us out there.”
Chantilly also has what is expected to be a much-improved defense to rely upon.
“Even though the kids who are out there now didn’t necessarily get a ton of playing time or weren’t technically starters a year ago, we do have a lot of guys with experience coming back there,” Lalli said. “And with that, we’re playing with a lot more confidence, too.”
A Tradition of Excellence
Lalli pointed out that for the past eight season, a team from the Concorde District has advanced not just to the Virginia AAA state playoffs — but all the way to the championship game. In fact, 10 of the last 12 title games have been host to a representative from the league that is often classified as the best in the state.
Chantilly started the streak with its own title run in 1996, following by a Robinson championship in 1997, a Centreville crown in 2000 and another Rams victory in 2001. Oakton then took a turn, finishing as the state runner-up in 2002, followed by a Westfield victory in 2003, a Robinson appearance in 2004, an Oakton win in 2005, a Chantilly appearance in 2006. Westfield’s second state title capped a 15-0 campaign in 2007.
Now that is history.
“Being in the district that we’re in, every year there is someone who is expected to go to the state title game, whether it’s an unexpected team like us two years ago or Westfield that was expected last year,” Lalli said. “Either way, you know you’re going to have great competition even when there’s not one clear-cut No. 1 team. We still always know that we’re going to be challenged pretty much every week, whether it’s going to be from a superstar individual athlete or just a great team playing together.
“Winning never comes easy around here.”
Taking the Reigns
Replacing the dynamic Austin Decker at quarterback for the Chargers will be senior Roger Strittmatter, who transfered to Chantilly from Paul VI a year ago.
Strittmatter (6-1, 215) is more of a drop-back passer than the elusive Decker, but will benefit from working behind an offensive line that returns three starters, including standout senior guard Isaac Sine.
“Roger’s had a year with us, and he’s really progressed,” Lalli said. “He’s doing a really good job right now. He’s more of a passer than he is a runner, but he’s coming along with the running game, too. The biggest thing is he’s a smart player with the ball.
“He understands his role well and he makes good decisions. That’s all we’re asking of him.”
Quotable
“This is a very confident group. Sometimes a little too confident. But they’re hard working — it’s the strongest group we’ve had in four years in the weight room — and that’s where they get the confidence from. We just have to get that confidence and focus it in the right areas.”
— Chantilly Coach Michael Lalli
** Note: DigitalSports’ Preseason Top 10 was chosen by staff members Angela Watts, Jimmy Thomas and Phil Murphy with input from randomly-selected coaches around the Northern Region.
Email: awatts@digitalsports.com
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