Atom Smashers

Last Friday night, the Lake Braddock Bruins obliterated Annandale 62-7 on Homecoming night. The game was disastrous from the beginning for Annandale. On their first three drives, the Atoms had three blocked Punts and the Bruins quickly raced to an early 21-0 lead. Things would only get worse from there.
By the end of the first quarter, the Bruins had doubled their lead to make it 42-0. Lake Braddock was 3-0 coming into the game and dominated the entire night. Annandale only converted two first downs on their own without the aid of penalties.
Lake Braddock also forced three interceptions and recovered three fumbles it was an outstanding display in front of the home crowd. Offensively, LB QB Daniel Lipovski threw two touchdowns and ran for another. The running game was dominant as well. Simply put Annandale had NO answers for the Bruins.
The Atoms recovered a fumble deep in Bruins’ territory leading to their SOLE touchdown. Annandale is now 1-4 and will face Cardozo at home next Friday. The Atoms’ only win of the season was at home in week 3. Where they shut out John Lewis High School 28-0. Meanwhile, Lake Braddock will take on South Lakes and Alexandria City on the road before their next home game.

Week 3 Wrap up

Week3 saw some impressive action for the Patriot District, including an impressive 3-0 start from the Lake Braddock Bruins. Lake Braddock defeated North Stafford 48-8. Stafford now has a 0-4 record.
Meanwhile, archrival Robinson is also undefeated, with a 4-0 record as they convincingly beat Chantilly 35-24 on the road. It was the closest anyone came to beating Robinson since their week 1 thriller against South Lakes
Another undefeated team resides in the Patriot District. The West Springfield Spartans have stormed out to a 3-0 start. Making the Patriot District a dangerous force.
Annandale on the other hand is struggling at a 1-3 record, they lost their last game 28-13 and will face Lake Braddock this Friday.

Season Opener Thrills

Last Friday, the Robinson Rams opened their football season against the South Lake Seahawks. Robinson won 35-28, but the game was deceptively lopsided at first.
Robinson scored a Kick Return touchdown on the opening play, then missed the extra point. On the ensuing drive for South Lakes, they punted poorly and Robinson scored. The Seahawks continued their misfortune on the next drive as their QB Max Daum (Senior) got sacked and lost the ball to the Rams inside their 25-yard line.
Robinson scored a third touchdown and added a 2pt-conversion, quickly building a 21-0. However, The Seahawks weren’t going to give up that easily.
Throughout the latter half of the first quarter, the Seahawks scored 14 unanswered points, cutting the lead down to 21-14. In the Second quarter, both teams swapped touchdowns. Giving the home crowd a 28-21 lead at halftime
Neither team could score in the third quarter their defenses reigned supreme. Though oddly enough, on a dry August night, there were many fumbles and muffed returns committed by Robinson.
The Rams were on the ropes until late in the fourth quarter when they scored on a 39-yard touchdown run that would put the game away. South Lakes would score on an impressive one-handed catch for a score on the next drive. But it was too late as the Rams would go on to drain the remaining time on the clock.
The Rams will look to go 2-0 against the Annandale Atoms at home, while the Seahawks will try to rebound against Alexandria City on the road.
South Lakes fought admirably, losing to Robinson 54-14 in last year’s season opener they had a lot to prove. Despite losing, they showed great strength and perseverance.

Senior Night Fight

Tuesday night, the Bruins played the Woodson Cavaliers in a defensive thriller. Woodson came away with a 1-0 victory on the road to improve to a 7-3 record. Meanwhile, Lake Braddock fell to 1-9-1, despite the disappointing loss on Senior Night. The game was a battle of wills despite Lake Braddock’s poor record. They kept Woodson at bay until the second OT period.
Both teams came close to scoring in regulation, only to be denied by the goalies. Including one would-be score by Woodson at 6:08 in the second half.
Woodson scored an apparent goal, but the referee called it a save, RIGHT before it could be counted as a goal. But it was too close to call causing an outcry from the Woodson sideline.
Lake Braddock hasn’t won a game since the season opener against Hayfield at home. Since then, they’ve been 0-9-1, with only three games left. Woodson will face Alexandria City on the road and finish the season at home against West Potomac.

The New Girls in Town

During the past week, George Mason’s Women’s Basketball team has earned a few new faces. They’ve recently acquired Trinaisia Kennedy from Marist and Graduate transfer Riley Childs from Boston University.
Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis hopes that these new players will help boost Mason up for the 2022-23 season. The girls ended last year with a 10-19 record after a 2-1 start.
Childs was a standout player in Boston, notching 628 rebounds, 591 pts, and 9 double-doubles during her career Boston. Childs is a rebounding machine, averaging 7.7 rebounds per game which is fifth in Boston’s history. She led the team in rebounds in her Sophomore and Junior years.
She missed most of her senior season due to injury but still pulled off great feats. She nabbed 6.6 rebounds per game and 5.9 points. She hit double-digit points four times during the sixteen games she played.
The Terriers went 67-43 during Childs’ time there and got to the Patriot League Championship in 2021.
Kennedy helped Marist win a championship, she led the Red Foxes to the MAAC last season. She brings a winning attitude which could help the Patriots rebound next season.

Hot and Cold

The last four games have been impressive for George Mason’s Softball team. Mason started the season 3-5 during the Furman Tournament and the Aggie Invitational. But they officially started the season 3-1 at home in a four-game series against Lafayette College.
Mason won the first game 5-3, then won the second game 5-4 during their first day of doubleheader action. That was Saturday on Sunday, the teams split the doubleheader with a 9-6 Patriots win. But the weekend ended with a disappointing 2-1 loss.
Mason is now 6-6 on the season and plays again this afternoon against Coppin State at home. Coppin is 0-10 thus far, Mason will look to continue Coppin’s losing streak.
Despite having a .295 average overall, the team lacks an offensive punch. Mason only has 2-home runs while their opponents have 6. Mason also needs to maintain a higher level of consistency.
The past weekend was an example of how good this team can be firing on all cylinders. Mason will have a chance to play more consistently with the doubleheader tomorrow. Their next few games are against St. Bonaventure this weekend. Then a 2-game series against Morgan State. All five of these games are at Mason.
Both teams have a combined 6-17 record, but Mason can’t take these games lightly. If they’re going to turn the tide, they can’t underestimate these teams. This week will have a big impact on the Patriot’s season, so they must be sure to take advantage of these matchups.

Game On

Monumental Sports is bringing Esports to D.C. and has more in store. Two weeks ago, Monumental Sports unveiled its new facility, District E in Chinatown near the Verizon Center.

This 14,000 sq ft building will not only house gamers but also provide a unique gameday experience serving as a place for fans to hang out before and after a Wizards or Caps game. The venue will also be a hub for other events at the Verizon Center. Including Concerts and other shows.
The goal is to provide a year-round destination for not only gamers and sports fans. But to also provide a place for Independent events and a better culinary experience.
The purpose is to provide a local spot for Monument Sports Entertainment franchises to compete and train as the gaming community grows. This includes Wizards District Gaming and Caps Gaming. MSE is also planning on eventually expanding globally by establishing an East Coast Satellite Office to connect overseas.
District E will also have viewing parties, corporate events, and other programs to broaden their appeal.
The origins of District E go back to 2016 when MS invested in aXiomatic. Since then, eSports has included NBA 2K Wizard’s District Gaming which has won back-to-back NBA 2K League Championships. MSE also owns equity in Team Liquid, Epic Games, Niantic, Dapper Labs, and Nifty games.
The official grand opening is set for Fall 2022 and looks to provide a unique experience for the gaming and sports-loving community. The announcement of more partners to grow the brand will be announced in the Summer. The sky truly seems to be the limit for District E.

Summer Fun is Coming

Last week, the St. James Facility announced their in-person Summer camps this year. From June 6th-August 26th, participants aged 6-15 will be able to choose from 16 different sports. These include Swimming, Rock Climbing, and Flag Football, among others.
Enrollment for these camps is available on The St. James’ website. This includes full and half-day camps that are promising their campers the best Summer ever.
While the Pandemic rages on, the opportunity to maintain a sense of normalcy is essential to stomaching this.
The facility provides over 30,000 square feet of indoor play space for the campers. Providing plenty of space for Summer fun throughout the season.

A 50/50 Season

George Mason’s Men’s Basketball team has been on a rollercoaster ride this season. They started with a 4-game winning streak, only to lose 7 of the next 10-games. There were a few games canceled and postponed due to COVID. Including a primetime matchup with Wisconsin and Coppin State.
The Patriots are ranked 13th in the A10 and will look to get above .500 this weekend against Dayton and St. Joseph’s home. Both of these games should help them move up in the conference.
At 7-7, Mason has 15-games left to turn things around as they try to regain their winning ways at the start of this season.
Their last game against George Washington was a 77-76 loss on the road. Mason has a 2-3 record on the road while having a 5-1 record at home. The Patriots haven’t won a conference game this season, so both that and their road record will have to improve if they look to go far this season.
To do this, the Patriots will look to their key players. Josh Oduro (Junior) leads the team in scoring with 221 points this season. Defensively, Oduro has 14 steals and 19 blocks. Other key players on the offense are D’Shawn Schwartz and DeVon Cooper, who’re the 2nd and 3rd highest scorers on the team.
Despite their so-so record, Mason is outscoring their opponents 1016-938 and has shown poise that can turn into more points and wins down the line. They’ve just been in several close games that resulted in losses.
Mason has been on a two-game losing streak after winning 3-straight. Mason started with a 4-0 record before losing their next 5. The Patriots need to play more consistently to turn this season around.

A Rough Loss

On Thursday night, West Springfield’s Girls Varsity Basketball team lost a heartbreaking 45-44 loss to nearby rival Lake Braddock. The Spartans struggled to stave off the Bruin’s offense and their fouls. Nevertheless, they fought to the finish.
The first quarter ended with West Springfield down 15-10, but the Spartans outscored the Bruins 17-12 in the second quarter to go into halftime tied at 27. It was a pretty physical game, aside from the fouls, there were several jump ball situations. At times it seemed more like a brawl instead of a basketball game.
The Spartans offense led by Senior Elizabeth Chasteen racked up 18 points in the valiant effort by the Spartans. West Springfield came into the game with a strong 4-1 record. They were pretty dominant the past few games. So they should quickly regain their swagger.
Near the end of the game, it looked like the Spartans could pull it off. Freshman Kaelyn Allen hit a three-pointer halfway through the fourth quarter to give the Spartans a small lead. But the Bruins scored a few threes to take the lead. West Springfield tried their best to get the ball back. But Lake Braddock kept them away from the net for the remaining few seconds.
West Springfield’s next game is a tournament tomorrow with a yet to be determined opponent.