Herndon Football Team Young and Improved

When Herndon senior quarterback Zach Ozyck graduated last summer and walked-on at James Madison University, Hornets fans began to panic back home. Ozyck lead the varsity team both on and off the field for three seasons and questions loomed on who would replace him and the several other seniors who had left for college.

However there was one man who never panicked – Hornets head coach Joe Sheaffer.

During camp he held open competition at every position because he felt last year's team became overconfident midway through the season. He said the team should have played much better and would have had more checks in the win column if they had kept their heads on straight.

"Last year they felt a sense of entitlement," Sheaffer said. "This year there is no guarantee. The best will play."

Sophomore quarterback Ky Parrott performed great in the off-season showing potential and won the starting position. "He is not over his head. He gives me confidence running the offense," Sheaffer said.

For now, Sheaffer said Parrott's job is to focus on "managing the game." As the season progresses Sheaffer will implement more of the playbook into Parrot's hands. But for now the coach needs some questions answered by his young QB.

"Can he run the game? Can he be mistake free? Does he know the right formations?" Sheaffer asked pointedly.

Two games are on the books and Herndon has a record of 1-1 with a dominant win over Jefferson, 41-0, and loss to McLean, 14-27. Herndon's offensive line has played strong and blocked well especially in the running game. Chris Glazier, Ronnie Cooke and Josh Schow looked unstoppable against Jefferson combining for more than 300 yards on the ground.

Glazier had more than 110 yards in the first half alone and Schow added another 50 of his own in the second half.

"Josh [Schow] is a real football player … our best blocker in a skill position. He is our best offensive player," Sheaffer said. "We want to grind it, wear you down," he said.

Parrott accomplished his job and marched his team down field drive after drive against Jefferson and threw the first two touchdowns of his young career.

The Hornets' defense manhandled the TJ offense and only allowed one decent drive but linebacker Matt Fehr put it to an abrupt stop with a hard hit outside the red-zone and TJ had to punt once again. "He's (Fehr) got some impact in him. He's compact," Sheaffer said.

Special teams however had their woes all night. A blocked punt, back-to-back penalties on a kick-off and a muffed kick return kept Jefferson in the game during the first half. "We do that again, we won't win," Sheaffer said.

Unfortunately for Herndon the miscues and penalties could not be overcome in the McLean game and they ended up with their first loss of the year. Parrott also showed rookie mistakes for the first time this season.

"His effort was very good but, as I said, he needs to manage the game and he had trouble with the center exchange," Sheaffer said.

The Highlanders took advantage of Herndon through the air and on the ground. "We didn't tackle well in the secondary," Sheaffer said. The final score of the game was 27-14, with McLean taking the win.

The Hornets are hungry and want to prove they are a better team than last year and that youth is not a bad thing, Sheaffer said. He said he knows this season is about growth and wants his team to come together as a unit.

When the chemistry starts clicking this team can do big things with the talent they have this year.

The Hornets defend their new turf field against long time rival South Lakes Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.

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