Battlefield Reaches Overseas for Competition

At the end of every season, coaches around the area typically examine the next season's schedule to see if there are any holes they must fill with new opponents.

Usually, schools post openings on a Web site provided by the Virginia High School League or make calls to other area schools. But as Battlefield Coach Al Ford looked for opponents at the end of last season, he ventured outside of the box to fill a spot.

Using a contact he had overseas, Ford looked to organize a game with a foreign team.

"There were a lot of hoops we had to jump through to play a school from another country," Ford said. "So we started inquiring about that last year and into the summer, and then got the ball rolling in July."

After getting approval from the VHSL, Ford set up a game with the Tuggeranong Vikings, an 18-and-under club team from Canberra, Australia. And last week, the Battlefield boys' team hosted Tuggeranong for two nights, with members of the Vikings' contingent staying at the homes of the Bobcats' players.

During their stay, Tuggeranong players took a tour of Manassas National Battlefield Park, attended classes at Battlefield and visited D.C. museums. Then on Thursday night, the teams played in Haymarket.

"I didn't expect it to be that fun. I thought it would be awkward," said Battlefield junior guard Evan Payton. "But after they came to my house, it was a lot of fun. . . . They were coming from across the world, so it's a blessing for them to come to Haymarket to play us."

The Vikings showed some fatigue playing their eighth game in a 10-day stretch, which included stops in Wisconsin, Chicago and New York. Battlefield (7-4, 4-0 Virginia AAA Cedar Run) won, 79-42.

But the lessons the Bobcats took away from the experience provided the real value behind scheduling an Australian team, Ford said.

"For them to have the experience of having Australians come over for two days, I think it widened their scope . . . even though it was a short experience," Ford said. Hosting the players "made that exchange of ideas and habit and culture something that could take place at an intense level, even if it was only two days. It benefited both teams."

Balance Powers Woodson

When W.T. Woodson guard Max Lenox went down with a knee injury over the summer, the Cavaliers' chances looked bleak entering this season.

Losing Lenox meant losing his 14.4 points per game from last season's 19-7 team, but W.T. Woodson (8-4, 4-0 Virginia AAA Liberty District) has rallied in the junior's absence behind a balanced unit that has had six players lead the team in scoring in its first 12 games.

"We don't have a guy that can dominate you, but we have a lot of guys that can hurt you," Cavaliers Coach Doug Craig said.

Senior guard-forward Stephen Stepka had 26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in Friday's 59-46 victory over South Lakes -- a win that moved the Cavaliers into first place in the Liberty District.

Stepka, a 6-foot-6 swingman, has helped fill the scoring void left by Lenox, proving his scoring prowess early this season with 77 points in three games at the Ronald Curry Christmas Classic Tournament in Hampton, where he was the tournament's leading scorer.

Sophomore John Schoof (10.2 points per game) has been thrust into the starting lineup, and he's leading the team in assists with four per game.

"Early in the year we wanted to make sure he wasn't overwhelmed," Craig said of Schoof. "If Max were here, he'd be coming off the bench. I'd say our most consistent player from game to game has been John. He's not going to blow by you, cross you up or dunk on you, but he knows how to play."