On Friday, Sept. 20, the Phoenix football team dominated the Park View Patriots in a 76-0 blowout to mark their first win of the season. Along with a Student Council Association (SCA)-hosted tailgate, several military organizations were fundraising during the event to support veteran families.

Before the game, SCA held their “America Out” tailgate with cotton candy, cornhole, field games, and decorative painting. The American theme was in support of military families, with fundraising tables from the Ashburn Chapter of the American Legion, Veterans Moving Forward, and the Oscar Mike Military Connect Club. 

The Oscar Mike Military Connect club was holding their own “Purple Up” fundraiser at the tailgate to sell shirts and sweaters for fundraising. “We’re running the military connect club with the Ashburn’s American Legion Chapter and the charity that we’re donating to with the proceeds of the t-shirts,” senior John Lunn said. “[This is important to me because] my family is [a] military [family], and growing up, it kind of sucked having to move around from country to country not knowing people, so I want to help make sure that that’s not a problem here for other kids.” 

The tailgate also had an abundance of games for attendees to enjoy, such as football, volleyball, cornhole, face and sign painting, and cotton candy. The events kept morale high, lightening the mood before the game, especially after the Sept. 5 tailgate was canceled due to inclement weather. “I think [the tailgate] went really well, and I saw a lot of things that people enjoyed, like face painting, tattoos, and I think it was a great show of school spirit,” senior communications officer Saanvi Movva said. “I feel like it was good that the first one was canceled because people were busy back then and weren’t as excited, so a lot more people came this time, and we just liked how it turned out.”

The game’s opening ceremony was spearheaded by choir director Jordan Markwood, leading Rock Ridge Sings, and a combination of Rock Ridge’s feeder schools, including Elaine Thompson Elementary School, Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School and, Stone Hill Middle School, in singing the national anthem and the Rock Ridge Alma Mater while Herndon High School’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) members bore the Virginia and American flags.

The first quarter was a fierce start for the Phoenix, gaining a strong three touchdown lead, leaving the score 21-0 with a large morale boost. Junior quarterback Siddharth Konduri played a massive role in putting the Phoenix ahead with his two rushing touchdowns and 218 passing yards. The second quarter showed much of the same skill and playmaking, giving the Phoenix a commanding 49-0 lead from four touchdowns, one of which from senior running back Shamar Ferrell. Ferrell dominated the game with a total of two rushing touchdowns and 81 rushing yards.

The halftime show followed a new celestial theme, with stars as props, and the band performing their performance titled “Stargazing.” During the performance, junior Grace Monét Carper performed a solo that left the audience, and the scene, starstruck.

The second half of the game stayed forceful for the Phoenix, as they shut down the Patriots with three touchdowns back-to-back in the third quarter by junior wide receiver Xavier Smith and senior defensive back Julian Ogletree, with the score being 70-0. One final rushing touchdown by Konduri without a field goal to end the fourth quarter ended an impressive night for the Phoenix. The Phoenix won with a 76-0 blowout. 

The next home game the Phoenix play will be on Oct. 10 against the Dominion Titans.

Edit: One of the captions previously stated that Siddharth Konduri was a senior, but has been revised to correctly state he is a junior.

Gallery • 10 Photos

Lucian Tiller

Sophomores Rithvik Ravishankar and Akhil Koranath painting patriotic signs during the tailgate to show support for the Phoenix.