Last night Episcopal High School varsity football team captured the IAC (Interstate Athletic Conference) by defeating Georgetown Prep 17-7. It was the first IAC football title in 10 years. Congratulations to all the players, coaches, and fans!
Washington Post article and video with player interviews:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/vincent-notzons-forced-fumble-sends-episcopal-past-georgetown-prep-and-to-the-iac-title/2016/11/04/dde492a0-a2ac-11e6-a44d-cc2898cfab06_story.html
The IAC has become one of the more competitive leagues in the D.C. area. The Washington Post ranks the top 25 from all surrounding leagues, and EHS has been in the top 10 most of the year. Prior to their win against GPrep, they were ranked #9.
If you are looking for a highly respected football program and coaching staff, look no further than Episcopal High School. Coach Voulgaris, who previously coached and turned the Taft School’s football program into a NE champion in 2011 (having previously lost 51 of 56 games), has quickly become one of the most respected high school coaches in the D.C. area. The program gets much D1 - D3 recruiting attention as evidenced by the last couple of seasons which has seen players go onto to play at USNA, Northwestern, Michigan, Harvard, Rutgers, USC, Penn State, UNCCH, and W&M.
Here is an interesting article about the pipeline of Canadian students to EHS and realizing their NCAA dreams.
The 8-0 Maroon conclude their season next Saturday (11/12) when they travel to Woodberry Forest School to play the 116th consecutive game on the gridiron. Always played on the second Saturday in November, “The Game” is one of the longest running high school football rivalries in the U.S. To bystanders the WFS vs EHS football game might seem like just another game, but to students and alumni of these two Virginia boarding schools, it’s practically the only game. Senator John McCain, an alumnus of EHS, has compared the charged atmosphere to the Army/Navy rivalry, “The intensity at the Episcopal vs. Woodberry game equaled that.”
Woodberry Forest is one of the four 100% all boarding schools in the U.S. EHS is another. Located a short distance from Charlottesville, VA, WFS campus is located in the middle of a forest. It is pristine and on a sunny day in November, surrounded by foliage, it might be one of the most beautiful high school campuses in the U.S. Unlike the co-ed EHS student body, WFS is 100% boys and the EHS student body takes full advantage of this glaring difference. My favorite Spirit Week sheet hanging from a girls dorm in 2014 jabbed, “What do WFS boys dream of? EHS girls!” All ribbing aside, part of what makes “The Game” so special is the mutual respect and admiration of each other. Win or lose the student body and alumni appreciate how both schools are steeped in deep traditions, values, and purpose.
Spirit Week begins in earnest this Monday with the student boy dressing up each day in a different theme. Sheets with friendly slogans and cheers will adorn the campus. Come Friday, parents and alumni arrive from all over the globe for the “The Spirit of the High School” dinner. Then at 9 pm on Friday night, a student rally is held outside complete with a raging bonfire. This is unlike any high school pep rally, nor should it be.
On Saturday morning parents will rise early and travel to Woodberry to prepare the student/parent/alumni tailgate party. Around noontime, boys dressed in white shirt and tie, girls in black or maroon dresses (school colors) will arrive via motor coach and race over to the tailgate party. Buttons with “Beat Woodberry” will be distributed. With anticipation building, the students will assemble and make their way to the Johnson Stadium for pre-game festivities which include mutual friendly hazing. Last year an EHS freshman (dressed as a Tiger) was carried in a make shift wooden coffin by the EHS cheerleaders to the delight of the student body. Woodberry countered with something… Then each student body assembles on their respective end of the field and forms a tunnel to welcome their team onto the field. Students return to the stands and a joint WFS/EHS boy/girl choir sings the National Anthem. It is quite a spectacle. The game will be live streamed online so alumni from all corners of the globe can watch from afar. Incidentally the 100th game was televised on ESPN. Here is a link if you wish to watch:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/woodberry-forest-live
Last year “The Game” was played at EHS and it ended in a tie. The last time EHS traveled to WFS in 2014, they were underdogs, having lost 6 in a row to the Tigers. Despite the longshot odds, EHS was victorious 28-17. I will never forget, nor will the WFS players that year, forget watching the EHS student body rush the field to congratulate their team. This year WFS features a high powered offense, averaging over 40 points per game and led by the top high school quarterback in VA, who is committed to UVA. EHS has one of the top ranked defenses and perhaps the best running back in the state of VA. It should be an epic battle. GO HIGH SCHOOL!!