Fall Sports Preview: McLean: 'Pillars of the Program'

Twenty years ago Demby Banbury set a modest goal for herself. She wanted to coach high school sports for 20 years. Following the conclusion of McLean High School’s 2004 field hockey season she will have achieved that goal. And then she’s walking away.

After spending parts of those 20 years as head coach of the swimming and diving team, girls lacrosse team, girls tennis team, and most notably, the field hockey team coaching has been a significant part of Banbury’s life. It has given her bonds with her players, championships on various levels, and even her husband, John Banbury, the principal of Oakton High School whom she met during her tenure with the swim team. But now, Banbury has decided to step away from her accustomed role to focus on her new position as McLean’s Physical Education Department Chair and spend time with her five-year-old Pierce, who is now getting involved with sports himself.

“When I began here, I wanted to coach for twenty years,” Banbury says. “Now with ten years remaining I want a new challenge.”

The final leg of her previous challenge began with the field hockey team’s season-opening victory over Fairfax High School. A solid start for what Banbury hopes will be a successful season.

“I want to go out with a bang,” Banbury says.

This season Banbury kept an abnormally large roster of 24, to provide her successor with as many experienced players as possible after the graduation of the team’s 11 seniors.

Despite a relatively inexperienced team, Banbury has been pleased with the progress her girls have made.

“The improvement has been amazing. They are so hardworking,” Banbury says. “They’re like little sponges running around out there. Just soaking everything up.”

The Highlanders have been putting that experience to use lately, winning their first two games of last weekend’s Herndon Tournament before falling in overtime to North Stafford, the eventual tournament champion.

“That was great experience for us, great practice,” Banbury says. McLean finished the tournament with a record of 2-2, which combined with other scoring elements, placed the Highlanders fourth out of 16 teams.

Monday night the team lost to Centreville, but despite the loss there were some important positives.

“I feel a lot better about our chemistry as of last night,” Banbury says. “I’m very optimistic for the rest of the season.”

Leading the campaign to send their coach out with the desired bang are a host of Highlanders whose play has impressed the departing Banbury. Among them is Kathryn Mooney, a junior playing on the forward line.

“She’s just so full of finesse,” Banbury says. “I have to keep telling her to stop dodging all of the defenders all of the time.”

Others set to contribute are senior Leslie O’Neil, who was named to the Herndon All-Tournament Team, junior midfielder Paula Rogo and senior defender Megan Blumenthal.

Banbury has also been impressed by the recent play of Mary Kate Corcoran.

“All of the sudden it just clicked,” Banbury says. “I’ve been amazed. She’s really been stepping up big lately.”

Senior Vanessa Lazar tends the net for the Highlanders this year and while Banbury lauds her athletic play, she equally values her leadership as a team captain.

“She’s got a really good voice,” Banbury says. “She provides me with another pair of eyes from a different perspective.”

The road to a potential final district championship will be a hard one, with tough games remaining against Langley, Madison, Marshall and Woodson, but any potential success won’t be what Banbury misses most when the final whistle sounds on her coaching days.

“I love traveling with the team,” says Banbury, who has journeyed with her squad to destinations that have ranged from up the road to Marshall High School to Disney World.

“They’re great kids. They’re focused, motivated, great leaders. I already miss the interaction with the kids.” Football

McLean High School Head Football Coach Rick Rivera says that he’s no stranger to teams coming off of “lean years.” When he first joined the staff at Colonial Forge High School as the Offensive Coordinator, that team was only in its third year of existence. The Colonial Forge varsity compiled a 9-1 record Rivera’s first season there. After a 1-9 finished in 2003, McLean fans would be thrilled to see even a remotely similar turnaround.

Rivera and his Highlanders started off on the right track, besting Washington and Lee 14-9 last Friday, already equaling last season’s win total.

“Coming off a season like last year everyone checks you off as a win on the schedule,” Rivera says. “Every game will be a dogfight. We’ve got to play near perfect football to be competitive. Last week we had two huge mistakes that almost cost us the game.”

Fortunately for the Highlanders those mistakes didn’t cost them, and McLean claimed its second victory in two years.

“I told the guys that we’re kings for a week,” Rivera says. “Next week it starts over again.”

Rivera holds that he will leave no play unutilized in pursuit of victory.

“The coaches that I’ve worked with have always stressed that you leave no stone unturned,” Rivera says. “Last year we ran a five-yard out six plays in a row because it worked.”

The Highlanders won’t shy away from passing the ball this season. Quarterback J.D. Oldenburg passed 23 times for 136 yards against Washington and Lee, including a 19-yard touchdown to wide out Brendan Griffin. McLean won’t be lacking in their ground game either with running back Billy Corey already posting a 100+-yard game.

Griffen and Tom Haffey will serve as Oldenburg’s primary targets at receiver.

Defensively, inside linebacker Marshall Forest (“He’s a ferocious hitter,” Rivera says.) and Shane Mills will anchor the efforts.