Entering this season, much of the outside buzz surrounding the North Stafford High School football team was focused on Kenaz Sullivan.
Sullivan certainly lived up to the hype. The junior wide receiver and defensive back has 808 yards receiving and nine touchdowns on offense and 83 tackles and four interceptions on defense. His growing list of scholarship offers has reached 32, with the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Virginia and Virginia Tech courting him.
However, the Wolverines are no one-trick pony. A handful of other stars have emerged on both sides of the ball, playing a huge part in securing North’s first regional championship and state playoff berth in six years.
The Wolverines (10-3) will look to reach the state title game for just the second time in program history when they host West Springfield (11-2) in a Class 6 state semifinal showdown at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
North will be without Sullivan’s services Saturday. He suffered a right leg injury early in the first quarter of last Saturday’s 49-33 regional championship victory over Woodbridge and did not return to the game. But his absence didn’t make much of a difference.
Senior wide receiver Antwan Barnes ignited the Wolverines’ offense with two first-half touchdown receptions, including a dazzling one-handed grab. Senior running backs Alon Lester and Kayden Bowens had a field day on the ground, with Lester rushing for 206 yards and a pair of scores, and Bowens adding 106 yards and a touchdown of his own.
North’s defense forced six turnovers, and Javier Hubbard was in the middle of the action. The junior defensive back returned two fumbles for scores and recorded an interception. Meanwhile, senior linebacker Corey Lawrence took up residence in the Vikings’ backfield with 11 tackles and four sacks —three of which caused fumbles.
“We’re a balanced team across the board,” Wolverines head coach Marquez Hall said. “You can’t just worry about one guy on offense or defense, because we’ve got playmakers all over the field.”
The standout performances of the aforementioned players have been a recurring theme for North this fall.
Barnes leads the Wolverines with 36 catches, is just behind Sullivan with 751 receiving yards, and has scored nine touchdowns. Lester and Bowens have combined for 1,237 yards rushing and 20 scores.
Hubbard has five interceptions—two of which he’s returned for touchdowns. Lawrence, who was named the Region 6B defensive player of the year earlier this week, has an eye-popping 27 sacks and over 100 tackles. He’s also been a special teams nightmare for North’s opponents, blocking eight kicks.
“We’re dangerous because we’re hitting on all cylinders,” Barnes said. “We’ve felt like we’ve been the underdogs, and now we’re proving [why] we’re still playing in December. Why not us?”
Senior quarterback Chase Sullivan expanded on Barnes’ theory of what’s gotten the Wolverines this far.
“We have some of the best athletes in the state on our team,” said Sullivan, who’s thrown for 2,678 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for three more scores. “They take this game very seriously and have confidence in one another.”
For North to take the next step toward its “state title or bust” goal that Hall said he and the players set well before this season started, it’ll have to overcome a red-hot West Springfield squad.
Last Saturday’s 28-14 Region 6C championship win over rival Lake Braddock was the Spartans’ 10th victory in a row. They’ve reached the state playoffs for just the second time in program history thanks to a trio of offensive stars and a stingy defense.
Quarterback Scott Lewis is a dual-threat with 2,115 yards and 27 touchdowns through the air and 519 yards and eight scores on the ground. His favorite target is wideout Jevon Austin, who has 57 receptions for 859 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Running back Dillan “Boobie” Wickham has rushed for 1,584 yards and 12 scores while also returning a kickoff for a touchdown.
Linebacker Zach Norton has racked up 166 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions. He’s the linchpin of a defense that’s allowing just 244 yards and 13.7 points per contest.
“They’re a very good team,” Hall said of the Spartans. “But there’s that saying that it’s not about the X’s and O’s, it’s about the Jimmys and Joes. And I’ll take my Jimmys and Joes over anybody’s in the state.”
The winner of Saturday’s game will take one step closer to making history, as both programs are looking for their first state title. North lost 35-27 to Meadowbrook in the 2004 championship game, and West Springfield fell 17-8 to Hampton in the 1980 title tilt, which is its only other appearance in the state playoffs to date.
Saturday’s other Class 6 state semifinal matchup features defending champion Oscar Smith (11-1) visiting Madison (9-4) in a rematch of last year’s championship game. The winners of Saturday’s semifinals will meet for the state title on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 11:30 a.m. at James Madison University’s Bridgeforth Stadium.
