Head Coach Tony Verducci enters his third season at the helm of the Cardinal football program looking to return to Virginia’s Independent Schools division I football playoffs after missing the event last season. The Cardinals’ schedule gives the Alexandria school three home dates to open the 2009 campaign before venturing a mile and half to St Stephens/St Agnes on Sept 26 for an intra-city rivalry contest. Bullis School returns to the football “dance card” after a ten-year absence to play Ireton’s homecoming game and Woodbury Forest, St Albans, and Friendship Collegiate School replace Bishop McNamara, Bishop O’Connell and Paul VI.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to replace our WCAC and diocesan rivals, but it became an issue of playing our biggest games and some of our toughest opponents in the first three dates of the season. That can quickly put you in a hole with our poll-based playoff system in the VISFA that historically we were hardpressed to overcome.” explained AD Bill Simmons. “The WCAC games didn’t count toward that championship and O’Connell and PVI have limited flexibility this year to accomodate our needs, so we decided it was best to move in directions that were advantageous for our football program. We have not abandoned these relationships, but we are trying some new approaches. You will see both schools on our JV card, we will scrimmage at PVI, and we will work to get these rivalry schools back on our future schedules.”
The Redbirds continue an exciting rivalry with neighboring St Stephens as the Cardinals will hope to make it three straight over the Saints in late September. Riverdale Baptist follows Archbishop Carroll to Alexandria and Woodberry Forest will make its first appearance in Alexandria in 21st century. Bullis comes to Alexandria for homecoming on Oct 3rd, then Ireton will travel three straight weeks into DC and Richmond to face St Albans and Sidwell Friends in between a journey down to call on the always tough St Christopher’s School. The Alexandria school ends the home schedule with a senior day tilt with Friendship Collegiate School before the regular campaign draws to a close with a night game on Nov 3 at St Mary Ryken. Mark your calendars for senior day, not only to bid farewell to a large number of Cardinals but the previous two encounters with FCS have been thrilling one-point games, the Cardinals winning on a two-point conversion with six seconds left in the game in 2006, and FCS scoring a two-point conversion in OT during the 2007 season.
With a late scheduled start this year the Cardinals begin workouts on August 11th for two-a-day practices and will camp at Randolph Macon Academy from Aug 16th to the 21st in Front Royal. Ireton returns to scrimmage PVI’s Panthers on Aug 25th in Fairfax at 7pm and head to Thomas Jefferson on August 28th for their final tune up before opening the season at 3:30pm on Friday, September 4 with the Lions of Archbishop Carroll at Fannon Field.
Bishop Ireton 2009 Varsity Football Schedule (home games in CAPS)
Fri Sep 4 ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 3:30pm
Sat Sep 12 RIVERDALE BAPTIST 2pm
Sat Sep 19 WOODBERRY FOREST 2pm
Sat Sep 26 @St Stephens/St Agnes 2pm
Sat Oct 3 BULLIS (Homecoming) 2pm
Sat Oct 10 @St Albans School 2pm
Sat Oct 17 @ St Christophers School 1pm
Sat Oct 24 @Sidwell Friends School 2:30pm
Sat Oct 31 FRIENDSHIP COLLEGIATE(senior day) 2pm
Sat Nov 6 @St Mary Ryken 7pm
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