December 31 - Paul VI Catholic High School has been named the magazine’s 2016 Junior Varsity Team of the Year as part of our year-end feature honoring Northern Virginia’s top teams.
The Panthers JV team went a perfect 20-0 under coach Billy Emerson, the program’s previous and now once again current varsity head coach, and was led by sophomores Tommy Russell, Jack Orr and Sam Freeborne and freshman Cortland Lawson. All four players were called up after the season and joined Paul VI’s varsity team for its postseason.
Comprised of 17 freshmen and seven sophomores, the team outscored its opponents 194-48, posting four shutouts and allowing three runs or less 14 times. The offense topped 10 runs in eight games, including a season-high 28 runs in a game at Carroll.
“We had a bunch of winners on our club, guys that refused to lose,” Emerson said. “We came from behind several times and won about four or five of those games in the last inning. It’s hard to win every game, at any level.
“Our kids worked hard every day, and it paid off.”
Other Nominees:
Langley High School: Coached by Matt Gilman, the Saxons JV went 12-2 to claim the unofficial 6A Conference 6 championship. The team outscored its opponents 113-43 on the season and snapped Madison’s 66-game winning streak behind the likes of pitchers Kenny Lippman and Michael Sevila, outfielders Alex Paul, Ryan Ibarguen, Jack Hoeymans and infielders Nick Gasparis and Chris Obolensky. Two of the Saxons’ wins came in extra-innings, and three were by shutout. “A great group of kids that took advantage of their opportunities, understood that the team was bigger than them and responded to pressure with a great competitive spirit,” said Langley varsity coach Kevin Healy.
West Potomac High School: Coached by Rob Kerr, the Wolverines JV went 11-2 and staked claim to the unofficial 6A Conference 7 championship during a season that featured a seven-game winning streak. The team collectively hit .325 for the spring and the pitching staff compiled a 1.69 earned run average. The staff was led by freshman Tyler Rulapaugh, who won four games and compiled a 1.33 ERA while striking out 34 in 31.2 innings, and the offense was paced by sophomore outfielders Kurt Sullivan (.429, 10 steals) and Vinny Crawn (.440, 13 runs) and freshman first baseman Jack Bachmore (.370, 10 RBI). “An extremely talented and versatile group that has a bright future,” Kerr said. “[We had] dominant pitching and a consistent lineup one through nine [that] kept teams off-guard all year.”
Note: All nominees were submitted by league administrators or team coaches.
Photo Courtesy of Paul VI Catholic Baseball
