Dixon Finds a Rivalry Fit for a King's

Hassan Dixon thought he knew a little something about rivalries. He played the past two years at Good Counsel, which squared off with DeMatha both in the regular season and the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference final each year in some of the most anticipated games in the Washington area.

Then, over the summer, Dixon transferred to Northwest. This week, he learned firsthand about the Battle for the King's Trophy -- a rivalry like no other in Montgomery County, and perhaps the metropolitan area.

"I thought it was going to be [a] big comparison," said Dixon, who rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns in his Northwest debut last week, a 23-14 victory at Whitman. "But when I got here, I realized how close [Northwest and Seneca Valley] are. Good Counsel and DeMatha are too far away. We're like right down the street, so it's really different like that."

While DeMatha and Good Counsel may have come together from separate corners, Northwest (1-0) and Seneca (1-0) are more like siblings. Northwest opened in 1997, with students from an overcrowded Seneca Valley. It was all part of a lesson the Northwest coaching staff teaches its players at the start of the week.

"I don't think [Dixon] realized how big it is," Northwest Coach Andrew Fields said. "The biggest thing is the kids need to know about the history of this rivalry."

The 5-foot-8, 155-pound Dixon backed up Maryland recruit Caleb Porzel last year at Good Counsel, and because the two share almost the same build and blazing speed, there wasn't much of a chance for him to get on the field for the Falcons this season.

"He was in a situation where he wanted to shine as a junior," Fields said. "We're thrilled to have him."

Dixon, whose father, Zachary, played running back for five NFL teams from 1979 to '84, is jumping into the rivalry at a particularly tense point. After the teams split the four meetings from 2003 to '06, with the four games decided by a total of 13 points, Seneca Valley won, 34-13, last year.

Last year's margin, however, foreshadowed an ugly finish, marred by claims from the Northwest bench that the Eagles were running up the score. After intercepting the Jaguars with 93 seconds left, Seneca Valley inserted its starting offense, and, after attempting a long pass, ran for the final touchdown with 23 seconds left.

The teams jawed at each other following the final whistle, and several players and coaches needed to be restrained, keeping the teams from the customary postgame handshake.

"It was a lot of misperception; there were only a few people from each team" involved, Fields said, "but it was definitely a little more than heated.

"It's all about business this year."

Northwest at No. 15 Seneca Valley Tonight, 6:30