Are you ready for some football? Throughout the month of August, VirginiaPreps.com gets you set for the 2025 High School Football season with content you can’t find anywhere else.
As part of our comprehensive coverage, we count down the Top Ten Rankings for each classification. It’s found exclusively on this web site with updates weekly during the season.
What to Know: This Ashburn High School has not been open that long with their first season coming in 2019. While they have finished above the .500 mark three times under RJ Windows, the man who has been at the helm since the beginning, expectations are higher for the Tigers. They’ve dropped their last four playoff games and not advanced since the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign when they reached the State Semis and won the Region 3B crown. Of course, this fast-growing program moved up to Class 5 and now heads to the Class 6 level, part of a deep Region 6B field of contenders.
As Independence gears up for stiffer competition, Windows was able to lure out of retirement one of the living legends of the sport to join his coaching staff in Mickey Thompson, who won more than 300 games as a Head Coach and guided Stone Bridge to three State Championships before retiring after the 2023 campaign. Thompson will bring his expertise to be the offensive coordinator.
Look for immediate production when you couple the fact that 10 players who have started before on the offensive side of the ball will make up their attack, including three senior linemen in tackles Aydin Madhi (6-1, 240) and Nick Tillman (6-1, 260) as well as guard Jacob Oh (6-1, 250). Tillman was tabbed First Team All-Potomac District in 2024 and Madhi chosen 2nd Team All-District.
A steady triggerman should help Independence’s cause, too. That guy is senior Nick Nassib (6-1, 190),who already holds five school passing records, has produced 5024 yards and 40 TD’s over 32 games in his Tigers career. The four-year starter was a 2nd Team All-Potomac District pick last year. He should not be lacking for trusty options in the passing game with seniors Eric Harris (6-2, 180) and Luke King (6-3, 215) along with juniors Caidyn Parks (6-2, 170) and TE Kellen Patterson (6-6, 255).
Harris had 613 all-purpose yards – 440 receiving and 173 in the kick return game – to go with his 37 catches and 3 TD’s a season ago at Riverside. In the running game, sophomore Robert Kellen (6-2, 235) is a well-built looking prospect who thrived as a ninth grader, rushing for 848 yards and 6 TD’s to garner First Team All-Potomac District recognition. Another plus for Independence is that they should not have to ask many of these key offensive contributors to double and play significant snaps on defense.
Defensively, nine regulars are back for the Tigers with the front entirely intact, consisting of seniors Donald Wilson (5-9, 230), wrestler Nicholas Kellen (5-11, 200) and nose guard Kyuwon Park (6-3, 250). King was a 2nd Team All-District at outside linebacker, where he’s flanked by a trio of juniors in David Cage (6-0, 190), Elijah Meadows (6-2, 200) and Marcus Crivelli (6-2, 220).
On the back end, free safety Brad Peterson (6-0, 175) is not only a First Team All-PD performer, but a Division I lacrosse talent. Fellow senior Gabe Goitom (6-0, 175) joins him in the secondary to team with juniors in Parks and safety Julian Turpin (5-10, 170).
Big Cedar Run District tests to circle for this bunch will be on September 26th when Battlefield rolls into town and a visit one week before Halloween to Nokesville to take on Patriot. Winning either or both of those would accelerate the belief of making a realistic playoff push.
More on the Tigers from Jim McGrath on the V.I.P. Board Here
Final Class 6 Rankings from 2024:
#1 – Oscar Smith (15-0)
#2 – Madison (14-1)
#3 – Lake Braddock (11-3)
#4 – Colonial Forge (10-4)
#5 – Washington-Liberty (12-1)
#6 – Highland Springs (9-4)
#7 – Battlefield (11-1)
#8 – Patriot (9-4)
#9 – Westfield (9-3)
#10 – Glen Allen (10-2)
Matthew Hatfield has served as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com since 2016 and been writing for the web site under the Rivals umbrella dating back to 2004. Matthew also has served as the Play-by-Play Voice for Old Dominion Women’s Basketball since 2021. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates. To contact Matthew, please e-mail [email protected], and be sure to Subscribe to CoVA Sports TV, where you can watch and hear his Podcasts.
