Welcome back to the Monday (Afternoon) Quarterback. I'd like to take this moment to send a shout out to all those Mount Vernon Majors fans, the players and coaches, who came through with a win over Washington-Lee to advance to the Northern Region semifinals.

That being said, with the playoffs upon us, we'll be paying plenty of attention to the five teams that have qualified for the postseason -- Briar Woods, Broad Run, Loudoun County, Potomac Falls and Stone Bridge. So today, Extra Points will take one last look at the five teams that didn't make the playoffs. We'll look back at this season, take a glance ahead, and we'll tell you one or two players you should keep an eye on next season.

Before we get into that, I'm going to take a page out of Dan Steinberg's book and put up some truly bloggable stuff. Loudoun County's Joe Bushrod confused some with his jersey switcheroo on Friday night. Bushrod, who usually rocks jersey No. 1, switched to Brett Tagg's No. 4 against the Pride to honor a teammate who tore his ACL and MCL against Dominion and may miss the rest of his senior season -- meaning winter and spring sports. Bushrod will likely go back to the usual No. 1 this Friday, but you can see Bushrod wearing the No. 4 here and here and the usual No. 1 here.

Okay now let's get it going.

DOMINION (1-9, 1-6)

One Step Back: The Titans looked to improve upon the 2-8 record last year under new head coach Karl Buckwalter, who has been known to rebuild programs, but finished just 1-9 this season, a difficult start to the Buckwalter Era. Despite the porous record, Dominion's defense gave almost every district opponent a handful. Until the season finale against Potomac Falls in which they gave up 48 points, the Titans held Dulles District opponents to an average of 15.7 points. Having a stout defense is a huge cornerstone when building any team, and it's definitely something Dominion can look at as a positive from this season.

One Step Forward: What likely will be the focus of Dominion's coaching staff going into next season will be the offense, especially the offensive line play. Standout running back Deandre Reaves gained just 853 yards on the ground this season, 400 yards fewer than last season. And in fact Dominion gained just 1,037 yards rushing this season -- 243 yards fewer than Reaves' output last season as a freshman. Dominion also managed just 618 yards passing, and that is a number that must increase substantially for the Titans next season. Having a balanced offense will be crucial to success, but it will all start in the trenches for Dominion.

Keep An Eye On: RB Deandre Reaves - The playmaker will be back for this third varsity season and will be looking to get back to the numbers he put up as a freshman. Reaves has the size and speed to be a D-I back, and if he can get some space he's the most dangerous weapon on the field for Dominion.

FREEDOM (1-9, 0-7)

One Step Back: This summer, the Eagles had hopes of erasing the memory of a winless 2007 season and taking strides toward a .500 record and competitiveness in the Dulles District in 2008. Things started well, as they bounced back from a lopsided loss in their opener to knock off Brentsville 22-14 in their second non-district game. But the win came with a price, as the Eagles lost star running back Jeff Pugh - a dark-horse for the league rushing title - for the season to a back injury. Freedom struggled in the early going of their district schedule, losing their first five games by a combined 184 points. The team - which included 42 juniors, sophomores and freshmen - struggled with inconsistency on both sides of the ball all season and turned the ball over more than any other team in the league.

One Step Forward: Down the stretch Freedom was much more competitive. They hung around with district champions Broad Run in the early going and trailed by only eight points in the fourth quarter before eventually falling 44-22. In Friday's 'Bird Bowl' the Eagles played even better, leading at the half for the first time since week three before Briar Woods ran away with it after the break. With many of their young players getting their first taste of varsity football this season, expect the Eagles to continue that competitive streak early on next season. It's only a matter of time before they break through and find their footing in this tough district.

Keep An Eye On: WR Brian Orr - The junior receiver was one of Freedom's most consistent producers on offense this season. He closed strong with five touchdowns in his last five games and averaged 56.9 receiving yards in the seven games in which he caught at least one pass.

HERITAGE (6-4, 3-4)

One Step Back: After narrowly missing out on the playoffs with a 7-3 record a year ago, the Pride were poised to take the next step and reach the postseason in 2008 while challenging for their first district title. Things looked promising early on as they rolled to a 3-0 start with wins in their three non-district games, but Heritage came back to earth in a lopsided loss at Potomac Falls in their first Dulles District game. After losing a much tighter contest against Broad Run, the Pride won two straight before visiting Briar Woods with in a game with big-time playoff implications. They moved the ball well early but lost all their momentum - and a great deal of their offensive fire-power - when senior running back Ross Madison left the game with a leg injury. Heritage lost that game, but still had an outside chance to make the playoffs with a win against Loudoun County on Friday in Leesburg, but without Madison, they couldn't score enough points, falling 27-21 to end their season just short of the playoffs once again.

One Step Forward: Heritage leaves the district and AA football next season to join the AAA Cedar Run District. They'll also leave behind their coach, Wes Driskill, who has stepped down after leading the Pride in each of their first six years as a program. This season Driskill went back and forth between senior QB Zach Gordon and sophomore Brian Rody. The 6-foot-3 Rody will likely be Heritage's starter next season and the development of his big arm could reshape an offense that has relied primarily on the running game in recent years. Rody gained valuable experience this season and will be expected to work on his game in the off-season and come back to lead the Pride in a challenging district in 2009.

Keep An Eye On: WR Dan Dykema - Only a sophomore, the 6-foot-2, 165-pound receiver gives Rody a big target downfield. He's a good route-runner and is taller than most defensive backs in the league, giving him a big advantage on jumps balls in the end zone. Dykema had 19 receptions for 247 yards and three touchdowns this season and also returned a fumble for a score. His role will continue to expand in 2009.

LOUDOUN VALLEY (1-9, 1-6 Virginia AAA Cedar Run)

One Step Back: The Vikings battled to a 1-9 finish in their first season under new Coach Danny McGrath, with their only win coming against 0-10 Culpeper. Keep in mind, however, that Valley played one of the (if not the) toughest schedule in Virginia. Despite facing three undefeated teams and two two-loss teams, Loudoun Valley hung around for the most part in its games. Yes, they had their toughest results against the three unbeatens, losing by a combined 154-13, but those are teams that outscored opponents by an average of 31.715 points, with Stone Bridge second in the area (42.545 avg. margin of victory). Valley's defense played tough, often keeping the Vikings in the game, and like we talked about with Dominion, that is a huge building block for any team.

One Step Forward: Danny McGrath will finally get a whole year to actually prepare with his team, working with them in the weight room, in summer camps, etc., and will have all that time to really start implementing his offense. That offense is where the most improvement must come. Valley scored just 75 points all season, and that number has to increase by a lot next year if the Vikings hope to put more 'W's on the schedule. But with a more structured offseason environment, less chaos and a lot more people likely buying in to what McGrath is selling, Loudoun Valley has a lot to look forward to next year.

Keep An Eye On: LB Kevin Wiley - The sophomore linebacker had an outstanding year on defense for the Vikings. I saw Wiley work out this offseason and he has good size, speed and athleticism and will be utilized often in his junior season for Loudoun Valley.

PARK VIEW (3-7, 2-5)

One Step Back: Park View and the playoffs had become synonymous in recent years, but the Patriots find themselves sitting at home this November after an up-and-down season with a very young roster. Coach Andy Hill had nine freshmen starting on his offense at different points this season and just about the same number rotating in on defense. Their biggest win of the season came in a comeback victory at John Handley in their third game, handing the Judges their lone loss on the season to this point. The Patriots hung with several of their league opponents but could only manage victories over Dominion and Freedom. The defense played well in stretches but the offense struggled to put points on the board for most of the season, averaging 18.3 per game and being held to 14 points or fewer in half of their games.

One Step Forward: A number of players got their feet wet at the varsity level this season, which should make things easier for Hill when camps starts up again in August. With 24 current juniors on the roster, they'll go from one of the youngest Dulles District teams to one of the oldest and will hope that veteran leadership can help guide them back into the postseason. Nowhere will that experience be more valuable than at quarterback, where the Patriots have three returning players who saw time this fall. Junior Brandon Lee leads the way as the front-runner for the starting job after a 1179 yard, 10 touchdown campaign. He probably has the strongest arm of the bunch and his legs (he also rushed for 7 scores), make him more of a threat in the pocket. Sawyer Hackett, also a junior, was solid toward the end of the season and completed 44 of his 75 passes for 511 yards and five TDs. Rounding out the trio is freshman Jonathan Wooten whose only real action came in the fourth quarter of Friday's loss to Broad Run. He looked poised and was very accurate, completing 5-of-6 passes for 48 yards and rushing for a late touchdown. It will be interesting to see who emerges from the group and whether one or two of these guys is used at a different position at some point to keep as much talent on the field as possible.

Keep An Eye On: RB Daryus Beale - The junior finished ninth in the district with 452 rushing yards on 110 carries. The 4.1 yards per carry average was the lowest among top ten rushers but was directly attributed to defenses keying on the run and stacking the line of scrimmage. With the development the quarterbacks, things should open up for the running game, meaning Beale will have more space to make cuts up the middle and bounce to the outside where he can make use of his best asset - his speed.