Hornets attempt to end skid

ORANGE — With a new Jefferson District season comes new faces, new roles, and a clean slate. One thing that remains in the minds of Orange County’s returning players and supporters, however, is a certain losing streak.

Two-time defending district champion Monticello will begin its bid for an impressive third consecutive league title at Orange (1-2) tonight. In the process, the Mustangs will try to extend their 15-game JD win streak, and claim their eighth straight over the rival Hornets.

Orange senior running back Dominique Walker would like nothing more than to put an end to that streak tonight.

Walker, a four-year starter and All-District performer in ’08, leads his team into battle in his fourth and final attempt to knock off the Mustangs, and explained what it will take to end the drought this evening.

“I think it’s my time to step up, and I think we have a really good chance [to beat Monticello] this time,” Walker said. “We need to be crisp, we need to run hard and stay focused all the way to the end. Three years they’ve beaten us — it would be great to finally beat them my senior year.”

Orange coach John Kayajanian, who refers to the 5-foot-9, 200-pound Walker as a “clean-up man,” looks to his workhorse as not just one of his few senior leaders, but also as a bit of a coach on the field.

“With a young offensive line, he’s been a leader for us and has done a good job,” Kayajanian said.

Kayajanian relied heavily on Walker’s leadership and field vision during the team’s first three games as junior wideout Amir Waller was out with an injury.

“It means a lot, because if someone misses an assignment, especially in the passing game, he has to pick up and he makes up for the mistakes as the lead blocker,” said Kayajanian,  “and that’s a big thing for us, especially for the young kids.”

Waller, a big part of last season’s success, has been practicing with the team and will likely make his 2009 debut tonight, and Walker can’t wait.

“I think most of the defense is going to have to keep their eyes on him,” Walker said. “He adds more talent and that might make them a little more worried.”

Walker is getting more accustomed to playing alongside junior quarterback Cameron Hughes, who had big shoes to fill heading into camp — those of star Quintin Hunter, now a true freshman wide receiver at Virginia.

“We’re trying to have more momentum and have a faster pace as we start this season,” Walker said. “It’s working out pretty well so far. I’m just trying to get a lot of first downs so that we can move the chains and give Cameron a better chance to throw.”

Walker went on to say that a district crown along with a postseason appearance would complete his career dream of seeing the team picture hanging up at the school at season’s end.

Monticello has been a recent force in the JD, edging out Orange for the crown each of the last two seasons. In fact, the Hornets are 37-16 since the start of the 2004 season (32-8 in the JD), but have not made an appearance in postseason play.

Orange has finished 5-1 in the district three of the past four years (2005, ’07 and ’08), with the one loss coming to — you guessed it — Monticello.

As a result, the Mustangs won a state title in 2007, made it to the semifinals last year. In 2005, the two teams tied with Louisa County, who went on to represent the district in the postseason.

Kayajanian admits that Monticello has had the upper hand since the Hornets’ last series win in 2001, when Jimmy Stevens rushed for over 300 yards. He knows that a win tonight could be the key to getting off the skid and seizing early control in a competitive league.

“In this district, a lot of teams can beat a lot of different people every night,” Kayajanian admitted. “Both teams, especially us, we want to get off on the right foot. Those kids believe they have our number, so we have to convince our kids that we’ve got to start things rolling here.”

Monticello has experienced early struggles, and comes into tonight’s match-up with an unusual sub-.500 record (1-2). After dropping a 56-6 home loss — the worst in school history — at the hands of state power Powhatan a week ago without several key players. Expect Bicknell’s troops to be hungry to bounce back.

“That wasn’t an indication of the real Monticello team,” Kayajanian said. “They’re well coached and I have a lot of respect for [Bicknell]. They’ll be back.”

Star rusher C.J. Page returns to the Mustangs lineup tonight after having to watch the Powhatan loss from the sidelines, and Mustangs fans will be glad to have him back. The senior ran for 123 yards a game in the first two contests.

Tonight’s game will be Orange’s third on the young season against a team that advanced to the playoffs a season ago — Monticello, Chancellor, who finished 12-1, and Group AA, Div. 3 defending champion James Monroe, which handed Orange a rare 14-0 home-opening shutout last week.