Are you ready for some football? Throughout the month of August, VirginiaPreps.com gets you set for the 2023 High School Football season with content you can't find anywhere else.
As part of our comprehensive coverage, we count down the Top Ten Rankings for each classification. It's found exclusively on this web site with updates weekly during the season.
#10 - Fairfax Lions
What to Know: Call Fairfax Head Coach Trey Taylor an offensive wizard. At South Lakes, he turned the Seahawks around from 2-8 his first season at the helm to winning 32 of its final 39 games, averaging over 41 points per game in both 2016 and 2017. When he got to Fairfax in 2018, the program had gone through some tough times and it took a while to resurrect them as they suffered through six consecutive losing seasons before the breakthrough.
In 2021, Fairfax put up 38.6 points per game - best in school history at the time - on the way to a 9-2 finish. To put that in further perspective, their previous best scoring output was 32.6 PPG in 1966. They went on to break that at 43.2 PPG last year, winning each of their first 13 games by double-digits en route to the Lions capturing their first regional title since 1994.
Now gone and playing at Penn State as a linebacker is four-star Tony Rojas, who rushed dazzled on both sides of the ball with 2239 yards rushing and 35 TD's to go with 13 sacks and five forced fumbles. He was among a group of 19 seniors that graduated, but the cupboard isn't bare at Fairfax and the arrival of another highly coveted prospect - four-star linebacker and University of Georgia commit Kristopher Jones (6-3, 231) - has them quite optimistic they can remain in title contention.
Rated the No. 139 overall prospect in the nation for the Class of 2024 by Rivals.com and the state's top recruit, Jones was a First Team All-Region 5D performer at Mountain View. Look for him to also figure into the equation on offense at running back with his downhill running style. At quarterback, junior Tristan Edwards (5-10, 175) takes the reins with the athletic qualities to even line up at other positions as well. Junior tackle Travis McClain (6-0, 240), who doubles as a nose guard, leads a nimble o-line.
Senior Cameron Love (6-4, 195) gives them a lanky target in the passing game with a long stride and top-notch ball skills. Love, who plays strong safety on defense, holds a trio of offers to date from Emory & Henry, UVA-Wise and Virginia State. Even though replacing eight starters on defense will be a chore, Fairfax is confident about that side of the ball, especially with a set of linebackers that can be difference makers in Jones, senior Drew Taylor (6-2, 215) and sophomore Harry Maltese (6-0, 205).
A 2nd Team All-State selection a season ago, Drew Taylor has drawn interest from a host of schools, such as Davidson, Penn and William & Mary, among others. He will remain a key component on offense at tight end. Maltese possesses D-1 potential in his own right with his strength, ability to move and toughness from wrestling. Another breakout name on defense could be senior lineman Winsor Johnson-Andrews (6-5, 225), a converted wrestler who brings aggression.
The balance of a power running game and consistent passing attack can make defenses have to stay honest against the Lions. Meanwhile, the defense, even with some veteran departures, has elite level playmakers with Jones, Taylor and Love to not skip a beat. Circle the September 14th date on the schedule when South County rolls into town as Fairfax last year halted a four-game losing skid in the series and it may be the first of a couple meetings between two teams with sights on competing for the Region 6C crown.
Final Class 6 Rankings from 2022:
#1 - Freedom-PW (15-0)
#2 - Madison (11-4)
#3 - Fairfax (13-1)
#4 - South County (11-2)
#5 - Centreville (10-3)
#6 - Western Branch (11-3)
#7 - Oscar Smith (9-2)
#8 - Patriot (11-2)
#9 - Battlefield (10-1)
#10 - Manchester (11-2)
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com.
