LeComte: Oakton on Top? Duh!
Running back Trey Watts has proved to be a one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the Concorde District this year, and has helped lead the charge to Oakton's undefeated run...
Photo By: Marc Gold
Jonathan Meadows, along with Trey Watts, have provided for a nice one-two punch for Oakton, making them rise to the status of state title contender...
Photo By: Marc Gold
Everyone should've seen this one coming a mile away.
Oakton as the cream of the crop in the Concorde District? Yeah, OF COURSE we all saw that one! Right, isn't that what everyone is going to say?
Well, at least I wish I said that back in August when I ranked Oakton behind both Chantilly and Westfield in the Power Poll.
Granted, there were many, many people had Oakton pegged as the frontrunners to take the Northern Region Division 6 crown, but not me. Chantilly had Torrian Pace back, who's been every bit as good as advertised, and then there was Westfield, remember them? Yeah, they're the team which just won a state championship and had been nationally ranked.
As for Oakton? Pfff. They were 5-5 last year, and I didn't care if they had Keith Payne still on their team. They needed to show something to prove they should be the best team in arguably the best region in the state.
But now at Week 10 of the year, the 'duh' feeling has set in.
How could I, or anyone else, not see this? I feel like the Portland Trailblazers in 1984 who drafted Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan.
Chantilly lost Austin Decker, their receivers and bruising fullback and heart of their defense. And Westfield lost 40-plus seniors!
Meanwhile, Oakton had nearly everyone back! DUH! Of course they were going to be vastly improved, why did I have no faith in them?
I still can't believe I missed the boat on this one. I mean, I figured they were going to be improved, but being the clear-cut best team in Division 6? I just didn't see it back then.
But as of right now, there's no question Oakton is the best Division 6 team in the Northern Region, while also looking to be a very legitimate state title contender.
Running backs Trey Watts and Jonathan Meadows look unstoppable. Their offensive line, which is still rather young, has more than held their own. Their defense, particularly the linebackers, are the real deal. Heck, they have not just one, but two tremendous quarterbacks. It's like they've gone greedy. They have two great of everything!
But this is where I feel stupid because this should've been so predictable. This is pretty much the same exact team that experienced last year's 5-5 record. It's clear they were young then and it should've been obvious they would learn from their shortfalls. Yet for some reason I wasn't buying into anything. I wanted to see with my own two eyes if this much more experienced Oakton team would in fact be much better.
Well, they certainly have become a much better team, and they've commanded the attention from everyone in the Northern Virginia area, including me, and I've already forgotten that 5-5 record last year.
They wanted respect? Well they got it. They right now are the best in Division 6.
Remember too, this isn't something completely new to this Oakton program. They did win a state title in 2005 while also winning the region in 2002.
Can any of that success be duplicated when the playoffs start next week? Well, DUH! Look at this team! Of course they can, it couldn't be anymore obvious.
