With a less experienced team in some spots and a difficult schedule, Flint Hill Huskies’ coach Kirk Peterson said it will be extremely important for the football team to play mistake-free ball if the high-school squad wants to have another winning season.
“We have to be a very disciplined and a smart football team. Penalties can’t exist, and our time of possession will be key,” Peterson said.
Flint Hill had a championship campaign last fall by winning the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 3-0 record, finishing with a 7-3 overall mark and losing a close game in the semifinals of the four-team Division I private-school Virginia state tournament. The Huskies were ranked third a year ago in the final regular-season Division I state poll.
Flint Hill begins the 2024 season with a home game against Blue Ridge on Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. Blue Ridge finished second in the Division II private-school state tourney last fall. This Huskies’ schedule also includes games against defending Division I state champion Benedictine, 2024 state runner-up Trinity Episcopal and MAC rival Maret, which was 12-1 last season, second in the MAC and won the D.C. State Athletic Association Class A championship.
In addition, Flint Hill plays three other teams that had winning or .500 records a year ago, and faces St. Michael the Archangel, ranked sixth in last season’s final Division I state poll. An often Division I state-ranked Woodberry Forest team also is on the schedule.
“Our schedule is brutal. It will be all gas and no brakes,” Peterson said.
One of the strong parts for the Huskies will be the number of returning skill-position players, giving Flint Hill speed on offense.
Senior starting quarterback Caleb West returns along with wide receivers Vic McNeal, Kobe Davis, Ty Harris, Karig Waters and Bryce Stewart. West was a second-team all-state quarterback last season.
Trey Johnson and Paris Borden will be new runningbacks, transfers from other high-school teams.
Stewart and Davis were second-team all-state defensive backs last season, and returning linebacker Jeffrey Wells made second team. Kendall Jones is another key player looking to have a breakout season for the Huskies.
Wide receiver/defensive back Damien Snell is another top returner, along with linemen Matt Nakomto, Luke Richardson and Saad Ali.
NOTE: Flint Hill will play only two teams in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference this season – Maret and St. James – as the league is in a bit of a flux and question going forward, at least football-wise. Regular MAC rivals Potomac School and Sidwell Friends are not on Flint Hill’s schedule this fall.
