The anticipation had been building ever since the season ended with a playoff loss. The energy was coursing through the stands and translated onto the field. A sellout crowd of over 2400 students, faculty, and parents witnessed the start to a season with very big expectations. As the team emerged from the blue and green tunnel, the fans were at a fever-pitch. The students section, dressed in all white, was loud and energetic, propelling the Seahawks to a great performance. The Oakton team, coming off a win the week prior against Fairfax, was riding high and the Seahawks made sure not to overlook their energy.
The offense, led by wide receiver-turned-quarterback for the night Joe Dagbe got off to a slow start. An early field goal was the only score for South Lakes in the opening half. After one quarter, the score of 7-3 with Oakton on top relayed a sloppy first quarter. The second quarter was when the Seahawks really got the ball rolling. A flawless touchdown reception by Andrew Benedetto put South Lakes on top with a lead it would not relinquish. Another touchdown late in the 2nd made the halftime score of 17-7 the start to a big game offensively for South Lakes.
The 3rd quarter saw 17 more points scored, all by the Seahawks. Sophomore Anthony Giordano punched in his first varsity touchdown with a strong rushing performance. Dagbe added two rushing touchdowns as well, giving the ball to a young supporter on the sideline, making a fan for life in the process. As for the defense, the Seahawks stifled Oakton’s offense, especially the running game. They limited Oakton to 85 yards on the ground. South Lakes’ offense played very well, and the defense did the same, keeping Oakton from scoring another point after jumping out to a lead early. The team made the adjustments necessary to recover from a slow start and capitalized to win on a picture perfect Friday night.