Virginia Team Beats Woodbridge in Season Opener

Woodbridge High School traveled all the way to Virginia to play what amounted to a scrimmage Friday night, losing to Fauquier of Warrenton, Va., 38-15. The teams played five quarters of football--four by the varsity and one by the junior varsity--but there were no kickoffs.

“It was disappointing, because we thought we would play it like a game,” Woodbridge Coach Rick Gibson said. “They had to call it a ‘jamboree,’ which is another word for scrimmage, so it wouldn’t count on their schedule. But it will count on ours.”

Woodbridge quarterback James Wyatt completed 16 of 27 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, and Billy Atkinson rushed for 55 yards on 11 carries to pace the Warriors.

The team has been in Virginia since Saturday and has toured Washington with stops at the White House, Capitol, Smithsonian and FBI building. Although the players hoped for a more competitive game Friday night, Gibson said it didn’t ruin the trip.

“Our main goal wasn’t to play a game as much as it was to bring the kids back here and tour Washington,” Gibson said. “We didn’t spend $40,000 just to play a game. The idea was to make an education out of it, too.”