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EspañolAAA NORTHERN REGION
The 'Northern Region' is one of the four AAA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AAA Concorde District, the AAA Liberty District, the AAA National District, and the AAA Patriot District. Group AAA is the largest enrollment class for VHSL schools, and typically AAA is the most competitive level as well.
The Northern Region is comprised of most of the public schools in Northern Virginia, including all the public high schools in Fairfax County, Arlington County, Alexandria City, and one high school in Loudoun County. The region is also the smallest geographically of all the A, AA, and AAA VHSL regions, where boundaries have remained within the outer limits of Fairfax County for most of its history.
In 1965, the then nineteen schools in the Northern Reigon which competed at the AAA varsity level were first organized into three districts based primarily on geographic location. The Northern Region was originally made up of three districts. They were the 'AAA Northern District', the 'AAA Alexandria District', and the 'AAA Potomac District'. The Alexandria District had its name changed to the Gunston District within a few years. The Northern Region had these districts until 1976, when a fourth district, the Great Falls, was added. These districts served the region until the 1993-1994 school year.
The four current district names (Concorde, Liberty, National, Patriot) were adopted in the 1993-1994 school based on which division (5 or 6) of football they played in. The Concorde and Patriot Districts held Division 6 schools which are larger AAA schools; the Liberty and National Districts held only Division 5 schools which are smaller AAA schools.
The Northern Region realigned its districts once again in 2005 to equalize opportunities, in particular for football, for both the Division 6 and the Division 5 members due to membership changes and enrollment shifts since 1993. Again, the Liberty and National were to hold Division 5 schools and the Concorde and Patriot to hold Division 6. The alignment failed however due to South County Secondary School's opening which turned Hayfield into a Division 5 school in the Patriot District.
The reconfigured Northern Region overall has not changed the membership of most districts considerably, but some school rivalries have been thrown off by it because of district changes, including Fairfax/Woodson, Lake Braddock/Robinson, Stone Bridge/Broad Run, and Loudoun Valley/Loudoun County.
In 2005, Loudoun Valley and Stone Bridge, members of the AA Dulles District were moved to the AAA Northern Region due to enrollment increases in the schools. The Northern Region originally tried to keep both schools away from the region, but the VHSL forced them to accept the two Loudoun County schools anyway. Loudoun schools Broad Run, Park View, and Potomac Falls were Northern Region members before, but they joined before a 2001 VHSL provision was passed which would allow schools to play down a class due to transportation hardships, which both the Loudoun schools and the Northern Region used as a reason to keep its geography within Fairfax County. Both Loudoun schools attempted to remain in AA using transportation difficulties as a reason, but the plan failed because the VHSL did not believe either school's location warranted such a request. Thus, Loudoun Valley and Stone Bridge were forced to join the Northern Region, with Valley receiving an exemption to become a playoff only member of the National District and Stone Bridge joining the Liberty in all sports.
'Francis C. Hammond High School' and 'George Washington High School' were members of the Northern Region until 1971, when they consolidated into the newer T. C. Williams High School, as was portrayed in the 2000 movie ''Remember the Titans''. The city of Alexandria has had just one senior high school for its students ever since. After the consolidation, Hammond and GW were reconfigured to hold the city's 9th and 10th graders, with the 11th and 12th graders attending T.C. In the 1980s Hammond and GW were reassigned as middle schools.
'Fort Hunt High School' and 'Groveton High School' were both members of the Northern Region in the 1970s and the 1980s until they consolidated to form West Potomac High School in 1985. West Potomac uses the former Groveton High's facilities. Fort Hunt High School's facilities are now being used as the site of Carl Sandburg Middle School.
'Thomas Jefferson High School' of Alexandria was also a longtime member of the Northern Region until 1985 when it phased in the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology program. Though TJHSST and TJHS used the same building and have the same mascot (Colonials), they are still considered to be separate schools. Students at Thomas Jefferson High School were also eventually moved to nearby Annandale High School in 1987.
From 1996-1999, 'Broad Run High School' of Ashburn and 'Park View High School' of Sterling were admitted to the Northern Region in the Liberty District. 'Potomac Falls High School' of Sterling opened in 1997 and was also a member of the Northern Region as a member of the Concorde District from 1997 until 1999. In 1999, all three schools dropped back to Group AA and returned to the Northwestern District because their enrollment numbers dropped significantly due to Potomac Falls' opening.
From 2005-2007, 'Loudoun Valley High School' of Purcellville, entered the Northern Region as a full member for football and as a playoff only member for other sports in the National District. The school's distance caused travel concerns among Loudoun Valley and other district members. Loudoun Valley moved to the AAA Cedar Run District of the Northwest Region after its two year stint.
'Fall Sports Champions'
★ 'Cheerleading: Chantilly'
★ 'Boys Cross Country: Oakton'
★ 'Girls Cross County: Lake Braddock'
★ 'Field Hockey: Westfield'
★ 'Golf: Oakton'
★ 'Division 5 Football: Edison'
★ 'Division 6 Football: Chantilly'
★ 'Volleyball: Westfield'
'Winter Sports Champions'
★ 'Boys Basketball: T.C. Williams'
★ 'Girls Basketball: Edison'
★ 'Girls Gymnastics: Herndon'
★ 'Boys Swimming: Robinson'
★ 'Girls Swimming: Fairfax'
★ 'Boys Indoor Track: Westfield'
★ 'Girls Indoor Track: Centreville'
★ 'Wrestling: Langley'
'''Spring Sports Champions'''
★ 'Baseball: Oakton'
★ 'Boys Lacrosse: Robinson'
★ 'Girls Lacrosse: Oakton'
★ 'Boys Soccer: Jefferson'
★ 'Girls Soccer: Centreville'
★ 'Softball: Robinson'
★ 'Boys Tennis: Robinson'
★ 'Girls Tennis: Jefferson'
★ 'Boys Track: Westfield'
★ 'Girls Track: Lake Braddock'
''
★
★ italics means the champion hasn't been named yet''
'Fall Sports AAA Championships'
★ 'Cheerleading: Stone Bridge'
'Winter Sports AAA Championships'
★ 'Boys Swimming and Diving: Robinson'
★ 'Girls Swimming and Diving: Yorktown'
'Spring Sports AAA Championships'
★ 'Boys Lacrosse: Robinson'1
★ 'Girls Lacrosse: Oakton'1
★ 'Boys Tennis: Robinson'
★ 'Boys Soccer: Jefferson'
★ 'Girls Soccer: Lake Braddock'
Lacrosse, being newly accepted as an official sport by the Virginia High School League, is unclassified; so Oakton and Robinson's titles are not AAA.
The Wachovia Cup is given to the top school in AAA (as well as AA and A) to schools who consistently win championships in a wide variety of activities. Points are awarded to schools who win state championships, runner ups, etc., and are tallied up at the end of the year.
Frank W. Cox High School of Virginia Beach and the AAA Eastern Region won the Wachovia Cup for athletics for Group AAA in the 2005-2006 school year.
Though the Wachovia Cup is not given based on divisional play (like football), of the top 10 finishers for the Wachovia Cup, 8 of the 10 were Division 6 football schools. Stone Bridge was the highest finisher in the Wachovia Cup which had a Division 5 enrollment. Had the sport of lacrosse been included, which was officially recognized by the Virginia High School League in 2006, Oakton would have taken first, and Robinson would have also risen in the standings.
Here are the Northern Region members that finished in the top 10 in the 2005-2006 school year for athletics:
★ 2nd Place: Lake Braddock
★ 4th Place: Oakton
★ 5th Place: Robinson
★ 7th Place: Chantilly
★ 8th Place: Stone Bridge
The Wachovia Cup for Academics is given based on the same criteria as the Athletics Cup, except that points are based on academic activities sponsored by the VHSL. In the 2005-2006, Chantilly won the AAA Academic Cup. The Northern Region dominated the Academic Cup standings, with four of the top five schools being Northern Region members, five of the top 10 finishers being members, and nine of the top 20 being Northern Region members.
Here are the Northern Region members that finished in the top 10 in the 2005-2006 school year for academic activities:
★ AAA Champion: Chantilly
★ 2nd Place: Westfield
★ 3rd Place: Langley
★ 4th Place: Jefferson
★ 7th Place: McLean
Though most schools are placed in the same district as their primarily rival school's, the Northern Region's small size has allowed many of its members to have heated rivalries, many which involve two schools in different districts. Below is a list of notable Northern Region rivalries:
★ Centreville/Chantilly/Westfield
★
★ ''These three schools in western Fairfax County share a heated rivalry with one another''
★ Fairfax/Woodson
★ Falls Church/Stuart
★ Hayfield/T.C. Williams
★
★ ''Fueled by the recent success of both school's basketball programs and their proximity''
★ Herndon/South Lakes
★
★ ''A very heated rivalry since South Lakes opened in 1978, which split Reston into two schools.''
★ Lake Braddock/Robinson
★
★ ''One of the most heated rivalries in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia with the state's two largest schools, but has declined in recent years due to Robinson's move to the Concorde District and the widening gap between the two athletic departments.''
★ Lake Braddock/West Springfield
★ Langley/McLean
★
★ ''One of, if not the most heated rivalry in all of Virginia. Students from these two schools hate each other with a passion. Their extremely close proximity, and their students' affluent competitive background, fuels this cross-town rivalry.''
★ Lee/West Springfield
★ Madison/Marshall
★ Madison/Oakton
★
★ ''Cross-town rivals, although not in the same district.''
★ Wakefield/Washington-Lee/Yorktown
★
★ ''Arlington County's rivalry''
★ DigitalSports Northern Virginia: Gives in depth coverage on all Northern Region schools except Stone Bridge
★ Loudoun Prep Sports: Gives in depth coverage on Stone Bridge
★ TCC Sports: Gives in depth information on many Northern Region schools
★ Langley High School's baseball site's section on Northern Region schools
The Northern Region is comprised of most of the public schools in Northern Virginia, including all the public high schools in Fairfax County, Arlington County, Alexandria City, and one high school in Loudoun County. The region is also the smallest geographically of all the A, AA, and AAA VHSL regions, where boundaries have remained within the outer limits of Fairfax County for most of its history.
History of the Northern Region
Past Northern Region Districts
In 1965, the then nineteen schools in the Northern Reigon which competed at the AAA varsity level were first organized into three districts based primarily on geographic location. The Northern Region was originally made up of three districts. They were the 'AAA Northern District', the 'AAA Alexandria District', and the 'AAA Potomac District'. The Alexandria District had its name changed to the Gunston District within a few years. The Northern Region had these districts until 1976, when a fourth district, the Great Falls, was added. These districts served the region until the 1993-1994 school year.
Major Changes in the Northern Region
Current District Names
The four current district names (Concorde, Liberty, National, Patriot) were adopted in the 1993-1994 school based on which division (5 or 6) of football they played in. The Concorde and Patriot Districts held Division 6 schools which are larger AAA schools; the Liberty and National Districts held only Division 5 schools which are smaller AAA schools.
Attempted Realignment of 2005
The Northern Region realigned its districts once again in 2005 to equalize opportunities, in particular for football, for both the Division 6 and the Division 5 members due to membership changes and enrollment shifts since 1993. Again, the Liberty and National were to hold Division 5 schools and the Concorde and Patriot to hold Division 6. The alignment failed however due to South County Secondary School's opening which turned Hayfield into a Division 5 school in the Patriot District.
The reconfigured Northern Region overall has not changed the membership of most districts considerably, but some school rivalries have been thrown off by it because of district changes, including Fairfax/Woodson, Lake Braddock/Robinson, Stone Bridge/Broad Run, and Loudoun Valley/Loudoun County.
Loudoun County Controversy
In 2005, Loudoun Valley and Stone Bridge, members of the AA Dulles District were moved to the AAA Northern Region due to enrollment increases in the schools. The Northern Region originally tried to keep both schools away from the region, but the VHSL forced them to accept the two Loudoun County schools anyway. Loudoun schools Broad Run, Park View, and Potomac Falls were Northern Region members before, but they joined before a 2001 VHSL provision was passed which would allow schools to play down a class due to transportation hardships, which both the Loudoun schools and the Northern Region used as a reason to keep its geography within Fairfax County. Both Loudoun schools attempted to remain in AA using transportation difficulties as a reason, but the plan failed because the VHSL did not believe either school's location warranted such a request. Thus, Loudoun Valley and Stone Bridge were forced to join the Northern Region, with Valley receiving an exemption to become a playoff only member of the National District and Stone Bridge joining the Liberty in all sports.
Former Members of the Northern Region
Alexandria City Schools
'Francis C. Hammond High School' and 'George Washington High School' were members of the Northern Region until 1971, when they consolidated into the newer T. C. Williams High School, as was portrayed in the 2000 movie ''Remember the Titans''. The city of Alexandria has had just one senior high school for its students ever since. After the consolidation, Hammond and GW were reconfigured to hold the city's 9th and 10th graders, with the 11th and 12th graders attending T.C. In the 1980s Hammond and GW were reassigned as middle schools.
Fairfax County Schools
'Fort Hunt High School' and 'Groveton High School' were both members of the Northern Region in the 1970s and the 1980s until they consolidated to form West Potomac High School in 1985. West Potomac uses the former Groveton High's facilities. Fort Hunt High School's facilities are now being used as the site of Carl Sandburg Middle School.
'Thomas Jefferson High School' of Alexandria was also a longtime member of the Northern Region until 1985 when it phased in the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology program. Though TJHSST and TJHS used the same building and have the same mascot (Colonials), they are still considered to be separate schools. Students at Thomas Jefferson High School were also eventually moved to nearby Annandale High School in 1987.
Loudoun County Schools
From 1996-1999, 'Broad Run High School' of Ashburn and 'Park View High School' of Sterling were admitted to the Northern Region in the Liberty District. 'Potomac Falls High School' of Sterling opened in 1997 and was also a member of the Northern Region as a member of the Concorde District from 1997 until 1999. In 1999, all three schools dropped back to Group AA and returned to the Northwestern District because their enrollment numbers dropped significantly due to Potomac Falls' opening.
From 2005-2007, 'Loudoun Valley High School' of Purcellville, entered the Northern Region as a full member for football and as a playoff only member for other sports in the National District. The school's distance caused travel concerns among Loudoun Valley and other district members. Loudoun Valley moved to the AAA Cedar Run District of the Northwest Region after its two year stint.
2006-2007 Region Champions
'Fall Sports Champions'
★ 'Cheerleading: Chantilly'
★ 'Boys Cross Country: Oakton'
★ 'Girls Cross County: Lake Braddock'
★ 'Field Hockey: Westfield'
★ 'Golf: Oakton'
★ 'Division 5 Football: Edison'
★ 'Division 6 Football: Chantilly'
★ 'Volleyball: Westfield'
'Winter Sports Champions'
★ 'Boys Basketball: T.C. Williams'
★ 'Girls Basketball: Edison'
★ 'Girls Gymnastics: Herndon'
★ 'Boys Swimming: Robinson'
★ 'Girls Swimming: Fairfax'
★ 'Boys Indoor Track: Westfield'
★ 'Girls Indoor Track: Centreville'
★ 'Wrestling: Langley'
'''Spring Sports Champions'''
★ 'Baseball: Oakton'
★ 'Boys Lacrosse: Robinson'
★ 'Girls Lacrosse: Oakton'
★ 'Boys Soccer: Jefferson'
★ 'Girls Soccer: Centreville'
★ 'Softball: Robinson'
★ 'Boys Tennis: Robinson'
★ 'Girls Tennis: Jefferson'
★ 'Boys Track: Westfield'
★ 'Girls Track: Lake Braddock'
''
★
★ italics means the champion hasn't been named yet''
AAA Championships Won By Northern Region Schools in 2006-2007
'Fall Sports AAA Championships'
★ 'Cheerleading: Stone Bridge'
'Winter Sports AAA Championships'
★ 'Boys Swimming and Diving: Robinson'
★ 'Girls Swimming and Diving: Yorktown'
'Spring Sports AAA Championships'
★ 'Boys Lacrosse: Robinson'1
★ 'Girls Lacrosse: Oakton'1
★ 'Boys Tennis: Robinson'
★ 'Boys Soccer: Jefferson'
★ 'Girls Soccer: Lake Braddock'
Lacrosse, being newly accepted as an official sport by the Virginia High School League, is unclassified; so Oakton and Robinson's titles are not AAA.
Wachovia Cup
The Wachovia Cup is given to the top school in AAA (as well as AA and A) to schools who consistently win championships in a wide variety of activities. Points are awarded to schools who win state championships, runner ups, etc., and are tallied up at the end of the year.
Athletics
Frank W. Cox High School of Virginia Beach and the AAA Eastern Region won the Wachovia Cup for athletics for Group AAA in the 2005-2006 school year.
Though the Wachovia Cup is not given based on divisional play (like football), of the top 10 finishers for the Wachovia Cup, 8 of the 10 were Division 6 football schools. Stone Bridge was the highest finisher in the Wachovia Cup which had a Division 5 enrollment. Had the sport of lacrosse been included, which was officially recognized by the Virginia High School League in 2006, Oakton would have taken first, and Robinson would have also risen in the standings.
Here are the Northern Region members that finished in the top 10 in the 2005-2006 school year for athletics:
★ 2nd Place: Lake Braddock
★ 4th Place: Oakton
★ 5th Place: Robinson
★ 7th Place: Chantilly
★ 8th Place: Stone Bridge
Academics
The Wachovia Cup for Academics is given based on the same criteria as the Athletics Cup, except that points are based on academic activities sponsored by the VHSL. In the 2005-2006, Chantilly won the AAA Academic Cup. The Northern Region dominated the Academic Cup standings, with four of the top five schools being Northern Region members, five of the top 10 finishers being members, and nine of the top 20 being Northern Region members.
Here are the Northern Region members that finished in the top 10 in the 2005-2006 school year for academic activities:
★ AAA Champion: Chantilly
★ 2nd Place: Westfield
★ 3rd Place: Langley
★ 4th Place: Jefferson
★ 7th Place: McLean
Rivalries
Though most schools are placed in the same district as their primarily rival school's, the Northern Region's small size has allowed many of its members to have heated rivalries, many which involve two schools in different districts. Below is a list of notable Northern Region rivalries:
★ Centreville/Chantilly/Westfield
★
★ ''These three schools in western Fairfax County share a heated rivalry with one another''
★ Fairfax/Woodson
★ Falls Church/Stuart
★ Hayfield/T.C. Williams
★
★ ''Fueled by the recent success of both school's basketball programs and their proximity''
★ Herndon/South Lakes
★
★ ''A very heated rivalry since South Lakes opened in 1978, which split Reston into two schools.''
★ Lake Braddock/Robinson
★
★ ''One of the most heated rivalries in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia with the state's two largest schools, but has declined in recent years due to Robinson's move to the Concorde District and the widening gap between the two athletic departments.''
★ Lake Braddock/West Springfield
★ Langley/McLean
★
★ ''One of, if not the most heated rivalry in all of Virginia. Students from these two schools hate each other with a passion. Their extremely close proximity, and their students' affluent competitive background, fuels this cross-town rivalry.''
★ Lee/West Springfield
★ Madison/Marshall
★ Madison/Oakton
★
★ ''Cross-town rivals, although not in the same district.''
★ Wakefield/Washington-Lee/Yorktown
★
★ ''Arlington County's rivalry''
Member Schools
External links
★ DigitalSports Northern Virginia: Gives in depth coverage on all Northern Region schools except Stone Bridge
★ Loudoun Prep Sports: Gives in depth coverage on Stone Bridge
★ TCC Sports: Gives in depth information on many Northern Region schools
★ Langley High School's baseball site's section on Northern Region schools
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