AA Northwestern District
Encyclopedia
The AA Northwestern District is a high school
conference in the state of Virginia
that currently includes Frederick County
and Warren County
. The Northwestern District member schools compete in Region II
with the schools from the AA Dulles District
, AA Jefferson District
, and AA Evergreen District
.
The Northwestern District was not originally known for being strong in football
, yet the 2005 season brought about the dominance of Sherando and Liberty and the emergence of James Wood, Millbrook, and Brentsville as solid football teams.In 2007 Sherando reached the state finals. In basketball
, the 2005 Millbrook squad finished second in the region and fell in the state quarterfinals, one year after a last place finish in the district in their inaugural year. In 2008 the Millbrook squad won the state finals bringing the first state championship in basketball to the area.
of the AAA Northwest Region, and Warren County High School split in half to form Skyline High School.
2008 will see the addition of the Kettle Run High School Cougars in Fauquier County. The Cougars will compete in the Northwestern District as a full member in all sports but football, where they will play an independent varsity schedule for 2008.
2009 could bring even more change to the Northwestern District. Former members Liberty and Fauquier will be AA size again due to Kettle Run's opening, which has led to discussion on whether the district will be a ten-team entity after losing Central to Group A, or if it will split into two five-team districts. Such a split would likely see the three Frederick County schools join with Handley and one of the Warren County schools, while the three Fauquier County schools joined with the other Warren school and Brentsville. As of January 23, the VHSL still plans for the Northwestern District to include all ten teams.
The district was granted an appeal to the VHSL to split into two districts for 2009. The plan would be for Millbrook, Sherando, James Wood, Handley and Skyline to keep the Northwestern District name, and Brentsvile, Warren County, Fauquier, Liberty and Kettle Run to form the new AA Evergreen District
. Despite the proximity of both Culpeper and Eastern View High Schools to the Northeastern District members other than Warren County (Culpeper is currently in the AAA Cedar Run District with Liberty and Fauquier, and will also drop to AA), the two Culpeper schools will compete in Region I. Had those schools been part of the plan, Warren County would almost certainly have moved to the Northwestern District, keeping it with county rival Skyline.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
conference in the state of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
that currently includes Frederick County
Frederick County, Virginia
Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is included in the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. For ten years it was the home of George Washington. As of 2010, the population was...
and Warren County
Warren County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,584 people, 12,087 households, and 8,521 families residing in the county. The population density was 148 people per square mile . There were 13,299 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...
. The Northwestern District member schools compete in Region II
AA Region II
Region II is one of the four AA regions in the Virginia High School League. It is made up of four districts: the AA Dulles District, the AA Evergreen District, the AA Jefferson District and the AA Northwestern District....
with the schools from the AA Dulles District
AA Dulles District
The AA Dulles District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia, with all of its full time members from Loudoun County...
, AA Jefferson District
AA Jefferson District
The AA Jefferson District is a district in the Region II of the Virginia High School League. There are eight member schools. The District is named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, and as might be guessed, member schools are clustered around Charlottesville...
, and AA Evergreen District
AA Evergreen District
The AA Evergreen District is a high-school athletics conference in the state of Virginia that currently stretches from Warren County to Prince William County...
.
The Northwestern District was not originally known for being strong in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, yet the 2005 season brought about the dominance of Sherando and Liberty and the emergence of James Wood, Millbrook, and Brentsville as solid football teams.In 2007 Sherando reached the state finals. In basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, the 2005 Millbrook squad finished second in the region and fell in the state quarterfinals, one year after a last place finish in the district in their inaugural year. In 2008 the Millbrook squad won the state finals bringing the first state championship in basketball to the area.
Membership Changes
The Northwestern District has faced a great deal of change throughout its history. Due to the high rate of growth in Northern Virginia and the northern Shenandoah Valley, many former members have moved up to Group AAA for periods of time, such as James Wood and Sherando. The Northwestern District also experienced a large increase in membership of Loudoun County schools in the late 1990s and early 2000s which prompted the creation of an all-Loudoun County Dulles District in 2001. In 2007, Liberty High School moved to the AAA Cedar Run DistrictAAA Cedar Run District
The AAA Cedar Run District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools stretching from Manassas to Ashburn. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Cedar...
of the AAA Northwest Region, and Warren County High School split in half to form Skyline High School.
2008 will see the addition of the Kettle Run High School Cougars in Fauquier County. The Cougars will compete in the Northwestern District as a full member in all sports but football, where they will play an independent varsity schedule for 2008.
2009 could bring even more change to the Northwestern District. Former members Liberty and Fauquier will be AA size again due to Kettle Run's opening, which has led to discussion on whether the district will be a ten-team entity after losing Central to Group A, or if it will split into two five-team districts. Such a split would likely see the three Frederick County schools join with Handley and one of the Warren County schools, while the three Fauquier County schools joined with the other Warren school and Brentsville. As of January 23, the VHSL still plans for the Northwestern District to include all ten teams.
The district was granted an appeal to the VHSL to split into two districts for 2009. The plan would be for Millbrook, Sherando, James Wood, Handley and Skyline to keep the Northwestern District name, and Brentsvile, Warren County, Fauquier, Liberty and Kettle Run to form the new AA Evergreen District
AA Evergreen District
The AA Evergreen District is a high-school athletics conference in the state of Virginia that currently stretches from Warren County to Prince William County...
. Despite the proximity of both Culpeper and Eastern View High Schools to the Northeastern District members other than Warren County (Culpeper is currently in the AAA Cedar Run District with Liberty and Fauquier, and will also drop to AA), the two Culpeper schools will compete in Region I. Had those schools been part of the plan, Warren County would almost certainly have moved to the Northwestern District, keeping it with county rival Skyline.
Member schools
- James Wood Colonels, WinchesterJames Wood High SchoolJames Wood High School is located at the northern tip of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia and is a part of the Frederick County Public School system. It is located at 161 Apple Pie Ridge Road....
- John Handley Judges, WinchesterJohn Handley High SchoolJohn Handley High School is an endowed public high school located in the city of Winchester, Virginia. It was founded by a grant from Judge John Handley, hence the school mascot, the Judges. Construction on Handley High School started in 1922, and continues to the present day...
- Millbrook Pioneers, WinchesterMillbrook High SchoolMillbrook High School is a public high school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school is part of the Wake County Public School System. It is located near East Millbrook Middle School...
- Skyline Hawks, Front RoyalSkyline High School (Virginia)Skyline High School is located at 151 Skyline Vista Drive in Front Royal and serves students residing in the western part of Warren County, VA. The school is and educates 1,186 students as of school year 2007-08. Andrew Keller is the current principal...
- Sherando Warriors, Stephens CitySherando High SchoolSherando High School is a public secondary school within Frederick County, Virginia, and is part of Frederick County Public Schools. The school is located east of the town of Stephens City.-History:...
Former Northwestern District Members
- Brentsville District Tigers, NokesvilleBrentsville District High SchoolBrentsville District High School is a public high school in Nokesville in unincorporated Prince William County, Virginia, United States, and part of Prince William County Public Schools...
(now in the Evergreen DistrictAA Evergreen DistrictThe AA Evergreen District is a high-school athletics conference in the state of Virginia that currently stretches from Warren County to Prince William County...
) - Broad Run High SchoolBroad Run High SchoolBroad Run High School is a public secondary school in Ashburn, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, and is part of the Loudoun County Public Schools system ....
of Ashburn, Virginia (now in the Dulles DistrictAA Dulles DistrictThe AA Dulles District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia, with all of its full time members from Loudoun County...
) - Clarke County High School of Berryville, Virginia (now in the Bull Run District)
- Fauquier High SchoolFauquier High SchoolFauquier High School is a public secondary school in Warrenton, Virginia. The school is part of Fauquier County Public Schools and is located at 705 Waterloo Road. Curtis Grady was here-History:...
of Warrenton, Virginia (now in the Evergreen DistrictAA Evergreen DistrictThe AA Evergreen District is a high-school athletics conference in the state of Virginia that currently stretches from Warren County to Prince William County...
) - Kettle Run High School, Nokesville (now in the Evergreen DistrictAA Evergreen DistrictThe AA Evergreen District is a high-school athletics conference in the state of Virginia that currently stretches from Warren County to Prince William County...
) - Liberty High SchoolLiberty High School (Bealeton, Virginia)Liberty High School is a public secondary school in Bealeton, Virginia. The school is part of Fauquier County Public School System and is located at 6300 Independence Avenue.-History:...
of Bealeton, Virginia (now in the Evergreen DistrictAA Evergreen DistrictThe AA Evergreen District is a high-school athletics conference in the state of Virginia that currently stretches from Warren County to Prince William County...
) - Loudoun County High SchoolLoudoun County High SchoolLoudoun County High School is a public secondary school in Leesburg, Virginia. It is located on 415 Dry Mill Road SW in the Town of Leesburg and is part of Loudoun County Public Schools. It currently serves students who live in western and southern Leesburg, Middleburg, and Lucketts.-History:The...
of Leesburg, Virginia (now in the Dulles DistrictAA Dulles DistrictThe AA Dulles District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia, with all of its full time members from Loudoun County...
) - Loudoun Valley High SchoolLoudoun Valley High SchoolLoudoun Valley High School is a public secondary school in Purcellville, Virginia. The school is part of Loudoun County Public Schools and is located at 340 North Maple Avenue in the Town of Purcellville...
of Purcellville, Virginia (now in the Cedar Run DistrictAAA Cedar Run DistrictThe AAA Cedar Run District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools stretching from Manassas to Ashburn. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Cedar...
) - George Mason High SchoolGeorge Mason High SchoolGeorge Mason High School is a comprehensive public high school serving the independent City of Falls Church. It is located in the unincorporated area of Idylwood, in Fairfax County, Virginia, adjacent to Falls Church City....
of Falls Church, Virginia (now in the Bull Run District) - Osbourn High SchoolOsbourn High SchoolOsbourn High School is a secondary school for grades 9–12 located in Manassas, Virginia, United States and the sole high school of the Manassas City Public Schools system.-History:...
of Manassas, Virginia (now in the Cedar Run DistrictAAA Cedar Run DistrictThe AAA Cedar Run District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools stretching from Manassas to Ashburn. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Cedar...
) - Park View High SchoolPark View High School (Sterling, Virginia)For schools of a similar name, see Park View School .Park View High School is a public secondary school in Sterling, an unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States...
of Sterling, Virginia (now in the Dulles DistrictAA Dulles DistrictThe AA Dulles District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia, with all of its full time members from Loudoun County...
) - Potomac Falls High SchoolPotomac Falls High SchoolPotomac Falls High School is a public secondary school in Sterling, Virginia unincorporated area in Loudoun County, Virginia. The school is part of the Loudoun County Public Schools system and is located on 46400 Algonkian Parkway...
of Sterling, Virginia (now in the Dulles DistrictAA Dulles DistrictThe AA Dulles District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia, with all of its full time members from Loudoun County...
) - Stone Bridge High SchoolStone Bridge High SchoolStone Bridge High School is a public secondary school in Ashburn, a community in Loudoun County, Virginia.The school is part of Loudoun County Public Schools and is located on 43100 Hay Road...
of Ashburn, Virginia (now in the Liberty DistrictAAA Liberty DistrictThe AAA Liberty District is a high school conference in the state of Virginia that includes schools from Northern Virginia. AAA is the largest enrollment class of the Virginia High School League and also typically the most competitive level in Virginia high school sports.The Liberty District...
) - Warren County Wildcats, Front RoyalWarren County High School (Virginia)Warren County High School is located in Front Royal, Virginia. It was, for nearly 80 years, the only public high school in Warren County, Virginia. The mascot is a Wildcat and its colors are maroon and white. Warren County competes in VHSL activities in the Evergreen District, Region II, Group AA...
(now in the Evergreen DistrictAA Evergreen DistrictThe AA Evergreen District is a high-school athletics conference in the state of Virginia that currently stretches from Warren County to Prince William County...
)