Westfield readies for Lake Braddock and QB Caleb Henderson That quarterback, Caleb Henderson, is now a junior transfer at Lake Braddock. And Westfield, which graduated more than 40 seniors last season, will face him Friday in a possible playoff preview. The Bulldogs will field a defense that starts three sophomores and is still rotating new faces in and out, but Coach Kyle Simmons believes his team has an idea of how to win its matchup with the Bruins. "I think defensively, what helps the most is we're seeing a lot more of these offenses, spending more time defending it and the defense's beginning to catch up a bit," Simmons said. The thing that makes this type of offense most difficult to defend is when a quarterback is a [former Lake Braddock All-Met Player of the Year Michael] Nebrich-like kid. They have the potential to throw the ball but also pull it and make moves. Caleb is fast, but he doesn't have the wiggle that Nebrich had. The focus, then, for Westfield's defense will be on stopping the passing game and taking away the Bruins" most dangerous weapon - a top-rated pro-style quarterback. A major key for the Bulldogs also will be their play on offense. There, Simmons said, Westfield must limit its turnovers and win the field position battle, making life easier for the inexperienced defense. "The offense tries to have long drives," senior lineman Ned Johnson said. Big plays are not bad, but the offensive line definitely takes pride in four yards up middle and grinding out the clock. The offense will rely on a pair of running backs, Dalaun Richardson and Tyler Thrasher-Walker, who have each rushed for more than 160 yards. Quarterback Chris Mullins has also been impressive in the early going, and receiver Devon Burns provides a big-play threat. And while many were counting a revamped Westfield out while favoring the Bruins and Henderson, the Bulldogs players and coaches say there has been little said about extra motivation. "We don't feel like we have to prove anything to anybody," Johnson said. If we do what we know we can do, by the end they'll know we still can get the job done. Around the Northern Region After opening the season with a win over then-No. 7 Lake Braddock, Centreville (1-1) dropped back down following a week two loss to West Potomac (2-0). The defending Northern Region Division 6 champion certainly was showing the battle wounds from that season-opening win, however. Two starters have been lost for the season: Junior running back Christian Martey, whom Wildcats Coach Chris Haddock called a major college prospect, was lost with a torn ACL, and top lineman Antonio Choi is out for the year after sustaining a major concussion. Eight other players missed last week's game and will be held out again on Friday against Mount Vernon (1-1), but Haddock hopes the reps his players receive in the coming days lead to some growth for a very inexperienced roster.