The South Lakes football team faced off the Oakton Cougars for this year’s homecoming game. Both our South Lakes football team’s the Oakton football teams’ record was 3-2 heading into this game. Besides this being a homecoming game, it was the first game of the Concorde District where teams are fighting to make the playoffs.
The game started with the Seahawks receiving the ball. Joshua Dagbe caught the ball and got a forty yard return. With some good runs, the Seahawks were unfortunately stopped and had to punt. However, a game changing tackle for loss by Senior Labeed Zaib, set up the Cougars to punt. The Seahawks got the ball back and had great runs by Quarterback Christian Wyatt, but unfortunately the Seahawks had to punt. The Seahawks defense was ruthless against the Cougars this drive with Linebacker Logan Legler, setting the tone with a tackle for loss on the first play of the drive. Then the Cougars drive quickly ends when Linebacker Colin Wall forces a fumble and the Seahawks recover the ball on the 45 yard line. Unfortunately, the Seahawks couldn’t reach the first down marker and had to punt, which marked the end of the first quarter.
Starting off the second quarter, defensive player Lucien Chang tackles the running back for a loss of five yards, ultimately forcing the Cougars to punt the ball. However, the punter drops the ball and tries to scramble but is slammed by Junior, Cam Soto, to turnover the ball. Unfortunately, the Seahawks couldn’t get the first down and had to punt. The Cougars moved the ball down the field and got a touch down plus a two point conversion to make the score 0-8. The Seahawks get the ball back looking to score the equalizer with a minute and seven seconds left in the second. The Seahawks drove down to the red zone but got stopped and had to settle for a field goal. It was kicked by none other than Senior Nick Bertoni, making the score 3-8, which ended the second quarter.
Kicking off the third quarter, the Cougars unfortunately got a touchdown but the extra point was blocked by defensive tackle Sebastian Valencia, making the score 3-14. The Seahawks flew down the field with great runs by Running back Dalton Blakeney but could only get a field goal, making the score 6-14. The Cougars get the ball back, but on the first play of their drive, Valencia drives through the Cougars O-line sacking the quarterback for a loss of five yards. The Seahawks get the ball back and storm down the field with catches by players Nick Picarelli and Joshua Dagbe.
The Seahawks are on the goal line late in the third quarter, down by eight needing a touchdown. Blakeney runs it in for the touchdown and Wyatt runs it in for the two point conversion tying the game 14-14. It’s the fourth quarter and the Cougars are back on offense looking to score. South Lakes defense held them to a 4th & 1 and got the stop to turnover the ball back to the Seahawks. The Seahawks rolled down the field all the way to the red zone, but unfortunately got stopped and had to settle for a field goal, which took the lead making the score 17-14 with six minutes and thirty seconds left. The Cougars have the ball back and are down by three points. The Cougars went down the field and scored a touchdown, then getting the extra point and making the score 17-21. The Seahawks get the ball back with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Wyatt made several great throws and scrambles to get the Seahawks on the one yard line. Blakeney got the ball on zone left to punch it in for a Seahawks touchdown, taking the lead late in the fourth quarter. Then Bertoni kicked it in to make the score 24-21, Seahawks on top. The Cougars got the ball back but had poor time management and the clock ran out, giving the Seahawks the victory over the Cougars in a comeback win.
Coach Hescock talked about what that mentality was heading into the fourth quarter in which he said, “This is our game. We trust our conditioning, tempo, how we play and how we trust our physicality. We know that it’s like a boxing fight, we’re going those body jabs and eventually your hands are going to go down for the knock out.” We also talked to Wall about what he felt after forcing a fumble. “It felt awesome, I was running off the field immediately. I was screaming, I was pumped,” he said.
With the Seahawks completing the comeback win against the Cougars it puts the Seahawks 1-0 in district games and their record 4-2.
