The County Chronicle

The online newspaper of Loudoun County High School

Feb
22

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An Inside look at Gavin Pitts’ journey to his commitment to Virginia Tech University

Category: Sports Tags: ,

Matt Starchville | Sports Writer

Gavin Pitts drops back and scans the field for an open receiver.
Photo Credit: Loudoun County Quarterback Gavin Pitts

On January 23, starting quarterback Gavin Pitts committed to Virginia Tech University. He has played football all his life. It was only a matter of time before he was recognized for his hard work and dedication.

“I started playing football when I was four years old and have played ever since,” Pitts said.

In addition to football, Pitts plays baseball for the Captains.

“I have just always been a multisport athlete but have always loved football,” Pitts said.

Pitts didn’t always go to Loudoun County High School. He previously went to Woodgrove and transferred to County going into his junior year. This was a big change not only for school but from a football aspect.

“It was difficult at first because as a quarterback I had to earn the respect and trust of my teammates and coaches,” Pitts said. “I made it a challenge for myself and it only made me a better player. It also made me realize that I would be able to step up in those situations.”

The biggest challenge that Pitts faced or any football player for that matter moving to a new school was the process of learning the new offense and the play style of the coaches.

“At Woodgrove I was more of a running quarterback, which didn’t fit my play style,” Pitts said.

Pitts had had the opportunity to accomplish something that not many high school athletes can say they have done, navigating the college recruitment process during a pandemic.

“It was a very different experience than a lot of other students,” Pitts said. “I think I’m speaking for the whole 2021 class when I say that this process was not exactly easy. When everything shut down last March was right when a lot of colleges had camps and visits, but all of those events got cancelled which limited exposure.”

The biggest problem with everything getting shut down is the exposure aspect. It’s difficult when recruiters only know athletes through videos or highlight reels.

“It was difficult to find interest at first because the coaches at the universities couldn’t see couldn’t see the aspects that count,” Pitts said. “The biggest thing that helped me get recruited was putting myself on social media and allowing coaches to see my film of me throwing to my teammates Tariq Sims and Jimmy Kibble.”

With those techniques the offers for Pitts started to come in.

“My first offer was from Catholic University which is a division three school in Washington D.C.,” Pitts said. “My other offers were from Dickinson College, Colby College, Valparaiso University, and I was talking to William and Mary a little.”

Pitts has a really good relationship with the Virginia Tech coaches, which influenced his decision.

Not only has Pitts had to deal with COVID protocols during his college recruitment process but has also had to deal with it during practices leading up to their upcoming high school season.

“For me specifically, I think the hardest part is not being able to be close to my teammates,” Pitts said. “They are enforcing the rule of staying six feet away from anyone which has made it hard to run a practice normally. I’m not able to get the kind of connection with my teammates that I would have liked.”

Feb
15

By

Football continues preparing for upcoming season

Category: Sports Tags: ,

The Loudoun County football team practices last year during a regular football season. Now the Captains, they have been practicing through COVID protocols to play an abbreviated season just like last year. Photo courtesy of Tariq Sims.

By: Matt Starchville Staff Writer

Practicing during this pandemic has not been an easy task, but with the precautions put in place by the school board and the Virginia High School League, athletes have been able to practice. The football team started their gatherings over the summer and has been taking certain steps to ensure the safety of the players while still preparing for the season.

“When we first started practicing again in mid-July, we had to temperature check when everyone arrived and they had to answer a series of questions about if they have any symptoms,” Coach Matt Reidenbaugh said. “Once they are clear they have to wash their hands in the bathroom which has a limit on how many people are allowed in there. Then when they did that, they were allowed to go on the field, but they have to wear a mask.”

Practices and workouts have definitely changed since last year. Last year, athletes could practice with masks and practice as a full team. The restrictions started over the summer and have increased as the COVID-19 numbers rose.

“Our players have to bring their own water and have to stay 10 feet apart for social distancing,” Reidenbaugh said. “In the beginning we weren’t allowed to have any equipment, so no footballs. We also weren’t allowed to lift at the start. As we went through the weeks our players were to bring one piece of equipment from home like a football or dumbbell.”

Weightlifting is a big part of the offseason of high school football, especially this year. The weight room is where the players get stronger. This year the format and rules were different but that didn’t change the mentality of the team. This year, athletes are not allowed to work out with a partner, so they can’t have a spotter which is really important with the player’s safety.

“When we are in the weight room anytime a player touches a weight or a bar, a coach has to go over to them and spray and wipe down the bar before the next person can use it,” Reidenbaugh said.

The Loudoun County football team has overcome challenges, adjusting to the rules so that they can practice and get ready for the season.

“Probably the biggest challenge for us was they wanted us to stay in pods of 10 people while we worked out and practiced,” Reidenbaugh said. “We broke up our guys into groups based on position so the wide receivers were a pod, the running backs were a pod, and the defensive and offensive lines were a pod. This wasn’t too bad because all the positions usually practiced together anyway.”

Masks were another challenge the players faced. “Since they were moving around all the time and breathing heavily it was sometimes hard to breathe,” Reidenbaugh said.

“The players all had good attitudes towards these rules because they were willing to comply with any rule if it meant that they could practice and eventually play the game they love,” Reidenbaugh said.

The biggest element of this COVID season that high school sports has to face is the constant change in plans and regulations whether it’s for the season or restrictions for practices or weightlifting.

“For us it is the weekly changes of the protocols and the expectations for me as the head coach,” Reidenbaugh said. “My job is to organize everything and plan everything and make sure that our players and coaches are prepared, but when everything is changing it’s really hard to do that because the rules could change next week or even the next day.”

With the rules changing often the communication between the Virginia High School League and the schools has to be clear, and that has been improving over the course of the pandemic.

“I think that it has definitely gotten better since the beginning,” Reidenbaugh said. “In the beginning it was a huge challenge for [VHSL] because it is obviously new to all of us. Communication was definitely the biggest challenge in the beginning with keeping people in the loop about what is going on. Since they have done a great job keeping us safe and informing the coaches, players, and parents.”

The pandemic has shortened football’s season, which just intensifies every game like no other season has done before.

“For our team it is a huge point of emphasis and again we just try to take it one game at a time,” Reidenbaugh said. “The beauty of it, though, is everyone plays the same schedule as us.” This year, there are seven teams and six games. “So everyone plays everyone, which means we can’t lose as many games and each game will be under a microscope,” Reidenbaugh said. “My message to the team has been that we know that if we want to be the best, we have to beat the best and we play Broad Run first, who is a really good football team.”

Jan
12

By

Podcast: Episode 2 (Tariq Sims)

Category: Sports Tags: , ,

Check out our latest podcast in which we interview Tariq Sims on football, babies, and how the pandemic has impacted him: https://youtu.be/2-CoRZC_SwI

Oct
21

By

“New for all of us” – Sims looks forward to the final season of his high school football career

Category: Sports Tags:

“New for all of us”

with pandemic, mascot change, and delayed season, Sims looks forward to the final season of his high school football career

Jevonte Herron | Staff Writer

T Sims

Tariq Sims, the star wide receiver for Loudoun County High School, warms up for late night Friday football during last year’s season. Sims now prepares at home for his last high school football season, which is scheduled to begin in February, according to VHSL guidelines. Photo courtesy of Jim Klimvicisz. See more at https://jklimphotos.smugmug.com/

Tariq Sims believes that because he is a senior now, he is one of the people on the football team that people look up to.

‘’Being a senior has made me feel like I am being looked up to by a lot of the lower classmen which makes me push myself even harder to set an example for them to carry on the legacy we have created at the county,” said Sims.

Sims thinks the season will be different without having their big crowds due to the COVID 19.

“Of course we love our fans, parents and students who come to support us, if we focus enough on the game and have team energy I’m pretty sure we will be fine but it will be a huge loss in our history because we get pretty big crowds,” said Sims.

The pandemic has helped Sims establish his outlook about taking everyday seriously and giving your best at all times.

“Don’t take everyday for granted,” said Sims. “Make everyday count, every rep count. It could be your last year playing football ever again. You don’t want to grow old saying ‘I wish I could’ve broken this record.’ Make that happen so the kids under you can watch that and be like, ‘man, I want to do the same thing but better.’”

Due to coronavirus, their workouts just started, but he has been getting workouts in with a few of his teammates.

‘’As a team we just started doing workouts recently due to COVID and the cancellation of our season, but me and a couple of guys always got together and ran routes or did field work to stay in shape, and get better on our agility,” said Sims.

Sims, a D1 athlete next year at Old Dominion University, is feeling really good about the work he has been putting in and helped him earn a scholarship.

“Being a D1 athlete is an amazing feeling because it’s something I have been working for my whole life and it was definitely very hard to get here,” said Sims. “I’ve been doing this sport for 11 years and to see that my work has paid off to get to where I am at right now. It’s only making me more motivated to keep on going. You have to do the little things to get here, like grades are most important when it comes to being a D1 athlete, but the most important part of it all is getting the education for my family and graduating.”

As Sims focuses on his last year at County he is ready to be a leader of the new renamed Captains. The Loudoun County School Board voted to replace the former mascot “Raiders” due to its associations with slavery.

“Once a Raider always a Raider, but to me it doesn’t really matter we are still the same, and we have a new coaching staff, so yes it is different to an extent because this is new for all of us but it doesn’t change how we are going to approach the upcoming season.”

Head football Coach Matthew Reidenbaugh believes Tariq can do big things this season.

“As soon as Coach Reidenbaugh saw me he said that I can do huge things this upcoming season and I look forward to it,” said Sims.

As he looks beyond high school, Sims thinks Old Dominion University is a good school for him, in terms of both education and the athletic department

“Well when I was thinking about picking where I wanted to continue my next four years, I wanted to go somewhere I could make a difference at, not just a school that wins games all the time,” said Sims. “I Looked at it as I want to go somewhere I will feel comfortable with the coaches and players. They have a great business program and that’s the main reason, obviously, because education comes first. Then the fact it is by the beach is also a huge plus, it is an FBS school and I want to win a championship and play in a bowl game.”

When he considers his future, Sims feels confident about his decision to atttend ODU.

“I was very proud, one because it was my first full ride scholarship offer and because it’s actually a pretty well known school in Virginia, the coaching staff is amazing, my future teammates are already family, we even have a group chat, my position coach Tony Lucas is a cool guy who I can talk to almost about anything.”

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