Cougars Dethrone Bulldogs, Win Title 30-18
Ryan Harris and Oakton run wild during their huge 30-18 road victory over Westfield...
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday
Westfield's Zach Sargent tries to contain Oakton running back Jonathan Meadows, who helped lead his team to a convincing 30-18 win...
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
CHANTILLY, VA - Since 2000, the Oakton Cougars and the Westfield Bulldogs have been near equals. Both have won state championships, and both had won 5 games against one another. Well, that changed on Friday night after Oakton rolled to a 30-18 win to stake claim to the Concorde District championship, while taking a one game advantage against the Bulldogs in a series that is always under the microscope.
The Cougars, who had been a 2nd half team most of the season, punched first in this heavyweight bout when Oakton's Chris Coyer found a streaking Jay Young down the left sideline from 56 yards out. The extra point was good and Oakton led 7-0 with 5:57 left in the first quarter.
The Cougars chewed the first 6 minutes of the 1st quarter on their first drive, and after a stop on defense, Oakton then struck again when senior Trey Watts hit pay dirt on a 80 yard touchdown run. Oakton led 14-0, and the Bulldogs looked like they were shell shocked.
Just as Westfield looked like they were going to be forced to punt again, senior Jordan Anderson broke free from the pile and left the pack for a 78 yard touchdown run. Anderson's run gave Westfield life again, and the home crowd erupted. The extra point failed though, and the score remained in Oakton's favor 14-6.
Anderson then scored again with 7:19 to go in the 2nd quarter to make the score 14-12, and this time Westfield went for two, but the conversion again failed.
With time running out in the 1st half, Oakton's Jonathan Meadows put the Cougars in scoring position with a long run. The Cougars had to settle for a Ray Goins field goal, and led at the half 17-12.
Walking off the field, Head Coach Joe Thompson said he was pleased with how his team had played, but was emphatic that the Cougars better start scoring touchdowns in the red zone instead of field goals.
His boys listened to that message as Oakton scored first in the 3rd quarter when Coyer took off on a quarterback draw play and raced to the end-zone from 30 yards out. The Cougars led 24-12 with 2:36 to go in the 3rd, but Westfield wasn't about to back down.
The Bulldogs answered on the next drive when quarterback Danny Fenyak hit senior Evan Winfrey from 40 yards out on a deep post route. The Bulldogs failed to convert the two point try, and the score remained 24-18 in Oakton's favor with 11:24 to go in the 4th quarter.
After the Westfield defense held, the Bulldogs got the ball back and had a chance to take the lead. However, Oakton stiffened on defense, and stopped Anderson on a 4th and 1 to force a turnover on downs.
The Cougars then put the game in the hands of Coyer, who proceeded to hit tight end Wade Reynolds on what turned out to be the play of the game. With Coyer rolling to his left and under pressure, he tossed it up to Reynolds who was wide open running across the middle of the field. The 6'7 Reynolds then proceeded to run practically untouched to the end-zone, diving for the pile on to ice the game for Oakton.
The Cougars converted the extra point and led 30-18, and after a few tries, Westfield turned the ball over on downs. Oakton ran the rest of the clock down and celebrated its first regular season win over Westfield in years.
After the game, an excited Joe Thompson said this win was something to be proud of.
"Any time you can beat a hallmark type team like Westfield, you feel good about it," said Thompson. "That's how I felt, because we needed to come in here and win, because as far as I'm concerned, they are still the champs until someone knocks them off."
While Thompson was happy with the win, he was quick to mention that there is still plenty of football left to be played.
"I told Tom Verbanic that I hope I never see him again," Thompson said with a laugh. "I respect the heck out of their program, and I respect what their players do on the field, and to beat them means a lot to me."
Oakton improved to 9-0 on the season, which is only the second time in school history a Cougar team has reached that milestone. Thompson told the team after the game that it was his belief that no Oakton team had ever finished 10-0, something his 2008 Cougars could do with a win over Herndon next week.
Westfield dropped to 7-2 with the loss, and will finish out their regular season against Centreville next week at home.
*Check back for more Game photos and Video from Friday's Concorde District Title Bout, and watch the full replay of the game on Tuesday right here online at GamedayMagazine.com.......
