As the fall sports season gives way and winter practices begin, Battlefield hasn't been willing to quite end the autumn just yet. During the last month, members of the cross country and golf teams qualified for states and the Battlefield football team is headed back to the regional playoff.

Football

Making it to the post-season is becoming a time-honored tradition for the Bobcats' varsity football team and this year is no exception. Battlefield (8-2 overall, 3-1 district) closed out the regular season with a commanding 41-0 win over Cedar Run District foe Loudoun Valley on Friday night.

With only one loss in the district and a school population that qualifies Battlefield for the Division 6 playoffs, the Bobcats seem to be returning to form with a run-heavy backfield led by top rushers Cedric Agyeman and Nagee Jackson.

Battlefield lost more games during the regular season this year than any time since 2006, which still puts BHS among the area's best competitors. Prior to the 2010 campaign, the last time Battlefield dropped a game was on opening day 2007.

This year, with a new-look offense helmed by quarterbacks Devon Green and Ryan Swingle, the Bobcats fell to Hylton, a traditional Prince William powerhouse from the Cardinal District, and Osbourn, the undefeated district champion.

After the 24-21 loss to the Eagles Oct. 15, Battlefield won its next three games and is set to host Gar-Field Friday at 7 p.m. The Bobcats blanked the Indians 31-0 during their regular season meeting on Sept. 16.

Cross Country

Haben Zemichael led both Battlefield squads at the Northwest Regional race Nov. 4 in Charlottesville with a 12th-place finish in the field of 111 runners, completing the 5K run in 16:31. The freshman turned out to be the only one in his grade level to crack the top 15 and one of just three freshmen to even break the top 40 overall.

Zemichael's sophomore teammate Conner Lee checked in with the boys' second best finish, ending up less than a minute behind the BHS frontrunner at 17:15. Senior Nathan Moyer (17:34), sophomore Luke Mazzu (17:34) and senior Owen Malinowski (17:53) rounded out Battlefield's top five. The Bobcat boys came in ninth place overall with 187 points.

Meanwhile, sophomore Nicole Carter once again served as pace setter for the girls as she registered a top-10 time of 19:29. Though her run put her in seventh place out of 106 runners, she tallied just five points for her team as two of the top runners raced as individuals.

With senior Marina Capalbo (19:54) not too far behind and sophomore Hannah Schwennesen (20:32) registering only 24 points, the Bobcat girls were in good shape to finish in the top half of the 14-team field, which they did by coming in sixth place overall with 128 points. Junior Rachel Thompson (21:14) and sophomore Kristen Loehle (21:21) checked in as Battlefield's fourth- and fifth-best runners at regions.

The Group AAA state championship is due to be held this Saturday, Nov. 13 at Great Meadows in The Plains of Fauquier County.

Golf

After Brendan Pastor made a sterling showing for the boys with a Top 25 finish in mid-October, the girls team followed suite and headed down to the Red Wolf Golf Course in Virginia Beach for the Group AAA state match on Oct. 25-26.

Senior Karishma Thiagaraj, the team's number one prospect entering the two-day tournament, came in third place by shooting a 2-under 70 on the first day of the competition. Her younger sister Khushboo Thiagaraj snagged a top-5 spot and earned a medal of her own with back-to-back performances of a 73 and 72, giving her a tie for fifth place.

Myla Brown meanwhile "shot her best rounds of the season," according to head coach Tom Metts. Her rounds of 83 and 84 put gave her the team's third-best showing for the tournament and gave the Bobcats three golfers qualified for the second round.

Battlefield's contingent was not done there, with three players finishing within shouting distance of the cutoff score of 89. Olivia Kil sank a 91, Grace Kim finished one stroke back at 92 and Marisa Riley registered a 95 for the day.