<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2ev37e_0vkIVsHt00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ev37e_0vkIVsHt00" width="1662" height="1247" ><figcaption>Because of safety concerns due to its youth and inexperience, two-time defending Class 6 state champion Freedom-Woodbridge will only play six varsity games this season.&nbsp; David Fawcett/InsideNoVa</figcaption></figure>After nearly a month of waiting, the Freedom-Woodbridge High School football team begins its regular season Friday with a home game against Gar-Field. It will be the Cardinal District opener for both teams.Gar-Field is the last team to beat Freedom in a Cardinal District game. Since their 20-16 loss Sept. 25, 2021 to the Red Wolves, the Eagles have won 17 straight district games. Freedom is the three-time defending district champion. Freedom, the two-time defending Class 6 state champion, canceled its first three games of this season due to safety concerns. With a young and inexperienced roster. Freedom will play only a six-game schedule, all against district opponents.Freedom, which entered the season on a 29-game winning streak, was initially scheduled to host Coolidge (DC) Aug. 30, followed by a home game against Varina (Sept. 6) and then an away game at DeMatha (Sept. 13). The Eagles’ bye week was Sept. 20.Freedom was initially slated to only play nine regular-season games after a scheduling conflict on the part of St. Michael the Archangel. Like in 2023, the Eagles wanted to play St. Michael in their regular-season finale. But St. Michael could not accommodate that request this season because the first round of the VISAA playoffs begins Nov. 8-9.When informed of Freedom’s plans, Coolidge, Varina and DeMatha had the option of receiving a forfeit, scheduling another opponent to fill in the open date or playing a nine-game schedule.Coolidge head football coach Kevin Nesbitt said the school took a forfeit. DeMatha head coach Bill McGregor said the Stags will stick with their nine-game schedule. Varina director of student activities Lamont Thomas said his school will play a nine-game schedule as well.Varina was able to initially find another opponent to fill the Freedom date. But Thomas said the Henrico County-based school had to cancel its game against visiting Bishop McNamara the day of the game because a number of the Varina players were sick.When the Virginia High School League power ratings are released Oct. 7, Varina will have its points total divided by the number of games it played.Freedom, which is fielding only a varsity team this season, has only eight players back from last season’s 14-0 squad, two of whom are seniors. That group has little if any varsity experience. Overall, the Eagles list 50 players on their most updated roster.Freedom underwent a huge roster makeover after Hayfield announced in February it had hired head coach Darryl Overton away from Freedom to take over the Hawks' program. Hayfield is a Fairfax County public high school in the Alexandria area.With one exception, who went to St. Michael the Archangel in Spotsylvania County, Overton’s coaching staff followed him to Hayfield. Paul Ronga is Freedom's current head football coach. He is a former head coach in New York state and most recently Wyoming.Of the 36 potential returning players from the 2023 roster for the state final, 28 are no longer playing for Freedom.All of Freedom's returning starters and key up-and-comers, transferred to other schools, including Hayfield. The Hawks’ most recent roster, dated Sept. 21, lists eight Freedom players from the 2023 team, including four starters: senior linebacker Braxton Hunt, senior defensive back Jachai Hughes, senior running back and two-time Class 6 offensive player of the year Jeffrey Overton Jr. and senior lineman Justyce Robinson (second-team all-district).In addition, Cameron Prosper, who began playing with the Freedom boys basketball team in January after beginning the 2023-24 school year at Bishop Ireton in Alexandria, is listed on the most current Hayfield football roster as well. The junior was a first-team all-Washington Catholic Athletic Association Metro Division defensive end in 2023 for the Cardinals’ football team.Fairfax County Public Schools’ superintendent Michelle Reid announced Aug. 27 that a two-month investigation found Hayfield’s football program did nothing wrong regarding transfers and eligibility.Coolidge’s Nesbitt expressed frustration about the last-minute scheduling change. He said the school asked Freedom in March if it could get out of the contract due to Freedom’s head coaching change, but Freedom denied the request.Nesbitt said Coolidge heard rumors in May and June that Freedom’s program might be in flux. He said Coolidge reached out to Freedom in June for a status update. But Nesbitt said Coolidge never heard back from Freedom until the week before the scheduled game when Freedom informed Coolidge of its plans to cancel the game.McGregor heard rumors as well, but nothing was official until DeMatha was informed by Freedom Aug. 20 that it needed to cancel the game. McGregor said he wished DeMatha could have known earlier about the cancellation so the Stags could find another game, but he understood the rationale behind Freedom’s decision.“You don’t want anyone to get hurt,” McGregor said.</div></body>

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NewsBreak

Freedom-Woodbridge football finally kicks off Friday

After nearly a month of waiting, the Freedom-Woodbridge High School football team begins its regular season Friday with a home game against Gar-Field. It will be the Cardinal District opener for both teams. Gar-Field is the last team to beat Freedom in a Cardinal District game. Since their 20-16 loss...