Oakton, Chantilly Set For Big Showdown
When Oakton and Chantilly kick it off on Friday night, plenty is at stake. An Oakton win sets up a showdown with unbeaten Westfield later this month. A Chantilly win makes the Concorde District race much more interesting...
Photo Credits: Barry deNicola (left) Marc Le Maitre (right)
Chantilly's Roger Strittmatter must have a strong game on Friday night to help the Chargers past 5-0 Oakton. If he does, the Chargers could be back in the hunt for the Concorde title....
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
One guy that wants to make sure Chantilly doesn't have success on offense is Oakton's Jack Tyler. Tyler is one of the most intimidating linebackers in the state. He will be a big factor in the outcome of Friday's game....
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
#9 CHANTILLY @ #5 OAKTON
KICKOFF: 7:30pm Friday
PREGAME: 7:00pm
AT: Oakton High School
MEDIA COVERAGE:
Gameday Radio Network Game of the Week
Live Radio Coverage Begins At 7pm
At www.GamedayMagazine.com
GamedayTV Replay Available On Tuesday
BROADCAST TEAM:
Andy Hayes - Play By Play
Bubba Purcell - Color Commentary
Ken Kincaide - Color Commentary
Scott Boccia - Sideline
VIENNA, VA - Plenty is at stake on Friday night when #5 Oakton hosts #9 Chantilly in a pivotal Concorde District football game. The Cougars are unbeaten at 5-0, and Chantilly is 4-1 after rebounding last week against the upstart Herndon Hornets. While there is still plenty of football left to be played this season, both the Cougars and the Chargers have to keep pace with unbeaten Westfield in the Concorde race.
The Cougars bring a quick strike offense to the gridiron on Friday with the talented Chris Coyer behind center, and tailbacks Jonathan Meadows and Trey Watts to his side in the spread. Oakton is averaging 35 points per game on offense, while giving up just 10.4 points per game on defense.
Oakton has also shown the ability to win games via the pass and the run, which should help them immensely on Friday night against a solid Chantilly defense.
The Chargers enter Friday's game against Oakton with a renewed confidence and a sense of urgency after dropping their first Concorde game against Westfield two weeks ago, and beating Herndon last Friday.
Chantilly boasts one of the area's best rushing attacks with tailback Torrian Pace in the backfield. Pace has accounted for 10 touchdowns already this season, and is averaging over 8 yards per carry.
The Chargers have another under-hyped weapon on offense in fullback Kevin McGrath. While he doesn't get too many carries each game, he makes the most of his opportunity when he does. McGrath is also a pivotal part of Pace's success with his blocking ability.
If the Cougars win, they keep pace with Westfield and setup possibly the game of the year in a few weeks that could decide the Concorde District title. If Chantilly wins, the Concorde race becomes a little tighter, and things will get really interesting in the final weeks of the season. Now, let's break this one down.
KEY MATCH-UPS
Presented By: Moe's Southwest Grill
OAKTON FRONT SEVEN VS CHANTILLY OFFENSIVE LINE & BACKS
The Chargers can flat out run the football, and Oakton can flat out stop the run. Both teams are efficient at establishing the line of scrimmage, but in Friday's game, something has to give. Oakton's leader on defense is linebacker Jack Tyler, and for good reason. His size and speed causes problems for most teams that attempt to run on Oakton. Tyler will be given the unenviable task on Friday of stopping Chantilly's Torrian Pace! That is much easier said than done. The only way Tyler can accomplish this is if Oakton's front four on the defensive line can keep McGrath and that big Charger line from double teaming him. If they can play on the other side of the Chantilly line of scrimmage, the Charger offense will sputter. Look for Oakton to put 8 players in the box, and bring pressure up the middle on running downs. Despite Oakton's strong play on defense this season, with Pace, McGrath, and a line that has what I like to call some Big Uglies, I think Chantilly will run the football effectively......Advantage Chantilly
CHANTILLY BACK SEVEN VS OAKTON SKILL PLAYERS
On the flip side, the key match-up when Chantilly is on defense is centered around Oakton's skill players. The Cougars start and end with their quarterback play, and that means the pressure will be on senior Chris Coyer behind center. Coyer, who has shown everyone this year that he can beat you on the ground, will have the ability to throw the football on Chantilly's defense Friday. The reason is simple, Chantilly won't let Oakton beat them by simply lining up and running the football with Watts and Meadows. The Chargers will take that away by loading the line of scrimmage and blitzing their aggressive linebackers. Thus, for the first time this season, we could see Coyer have to win the game with his arm. The question is, can he do it? One big thing Oakton has going for them in this game is the fact they run the spread offense. Because head coach Joe Thompson can spread receivers and his two backs out wide, that should keep Chantilly from getting too comfortable with loading the box. The other key thing to note is that when you put too many guys close to the line of scrimmage, you can open up the opportunity for long runs and big plays down the field. Oakton has the horses in the stable to exploit an aggressive defense like Chantilly's, and I think they hold the advantage if Coyer can keep them honest by completing the routine passing plays......Advantage Oakton
KEYS TO VICTORY:
Presented By: Ticonderoga Farms
FOR OAKTON
- Score First, Make Chantilly Play From Behind
- Limit Pace's Long Runs, No Big Plays
- Capitalize On Turnovers and Win The Turnover Battle
FOR CHANTILLY
- Sustain Drives and Shorten The Game
- Mix Up Blitzes And Force Oakton To Throw To Win
- Don't Give Up On Running The Football
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH:
FOR OAKTON:
Chris Coyer - Quarterback
On the season, Coyer has rushed for 414 yards and 6 touchdowns. He is averaging 82.6 yards per game on the ground, and his ability to get the edge with his speed is what makes him dangerous. At 6'3 220lbs, Coyer runs a legit 4.6 in the 40 yard dash, and has broken several long runs this year. In addition, he has been effective in the passing game as well, completing 69.4% (36 of 45) of his passes and throwing for 4 touchdowns.
FOR CHANTILLY:
Torrian Pace - Running Back
Charger tailback Torrian Pace is off to a great start through 5 games. He has accumulated over 800 yards on the ground while scoring 10 touchdowns. He's on pace for a 1,600 yard season with 20 rushing touchdowns if he can duplicate his first half of the season.
COACHING BREAKDOWN:
Presented By: The House of Speed
MIKE LALLI - CHANTILLY HEAD COACH
- Mike Lalli is entering his 4th Year at the helm of the Chantilly Chargers football program...
- During his 4 years at Chantilly, he has overseen the tremendous turnaround in this football program...
- In 2006, he took his Charger team to the 2006 Virginia AAA Division 6 Championship Game
- Lead the Chargers to their first Northern Region Division 6 Championship in a decade in 2006...
- Known throughout the Northern Region as a great defensive minded coach...
- Played For Lou Holtz At Notre Dame as a defensive back....
- Over the last 3 years has compiled an overall record of 22-13...
JOE THOMPSON - OAKTON HEAD COACH
- Over the last 5 years has compiled an overall record of 39-18....
- Joe Thompson is entering his 6th year as the head coach of the Oakton Cougars...
- Graduated from George Mason University in 1994...
- The Cougars qualified for the post season 5 of the last 6 years....
- In 2005, Thompson led the Cougars to the AAA State Title by beating the nationally ranked Landstown Eagles...
EXPERT PROGNOSTICATION:
Look, last week I was 7-4 in my picks, and I'm only 3 games out of the lead. So, you may not call me an expert, but I'm 39-13 on the season. Here's how I see this one going. While Oakton is the only one of these two teams to boast a state title ring in the last few years, Chantilly has won the last 3 meetings. Charger head coach Mike Lalli is 3-1 against Joe Thompson since taking over the Chantilly program in 2005. While the Chargers have struggled to beat rival Westfield, they have had Oakton's number each of the past two seasons. In those contests, the Chargers have put the Cougars away by capitalizing on key turnovers. In 2006, it was two costly Oakton interceptions that led to a playoff loss at Chantilly. One key part of Chantilly's success in their past 3 wins over Oakton has been the advantage they had at quarterback. Nate Worek and Austin Decker were more experienced in big games than Oakton's young quarterbacks. That dynamic has now changed, and the Cougars have the advantage with two signal callers that have been indoctrinated into the mainstream of the Concorde District. The fact is, Oakton is at home, and has more momentum than Chantilly at this point in the year. The Cougars may be hungrier too, after back to back disappointing finishes. Oakton is looking to make a run on a state title, not just a Concorde Title. Look for the Cougars to play well, and take care of the football in this game, and the fact that they have more playmakers on offense leads me to believe Oakton should be considered the favorite.......Oakton 28 - Chantilly 21
GAME NOTES:
If you take a deeper look at both teams and their schedules all the way through, right now Oakton's 9 other opponents have an overall record of 23-21. Chantilly's 9 other opponents have an overall record of 26-19. After this game, both teams will face two teams currently with winning records, and two teams currently with losing records.
OAKTON RECORDS SINCE 2000
2000: 5-5
2001: 7-3
2002: 10-4
2003: 6-4
2004: 10-2
2005: 12-2
2006: 6-5
2007: 5-5
Overall: 66-30
CHANTILLY RECORDS SINCE 2000
2000: 6-4
2001: 4-5
2002: 6-4
2003: 5-5
2004: 0-10
2005: 4-6
2006: 10-4
2007: 8-3
Overall: 47-42
HEAD TO HEAD SINCE 2000
Chantilly has won 5 of the last 9 meetings between the two schools, including a playoff win in 2006. The Chargers have outscored the Cougars 159 to 143 in that span. If you are a true numbers person, you may say the score should be 18-16 in Chantilly's favor on Friday night.
BOTH TEAMS AGAINST THE CONCORDE CONTENDERS:
Chantilly and Oakton surprisingly both have losing records against the other big opponents in the Concorde District (Westfield, Robinson, Centreville, Herndon). Chantilly is 12-30 since 2000 against those teams including Oakton, and the Cougars are 21-23 since 2000 against those teams including Chantilly.
FRIDAY'S WEATHER FORECAST:
Presented By: LightningWear.com
Friday (24 hours): Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.
OTHER GAMES ON THE GAMEDAY RADIO NETWORK FRIDAY:
OCTOBER 3rd, 2008
PARK VIEW @ FREEDOM
- Justin Waddle (Play By Play)
- Scott Boccia (Color Commentary)
STONE BRIDGE @ SOUTH LAKES
- Grant Paulsen (Play By Play)
- Glen Wooten (Color Commentary)
- Sean Frye (Scoreboard Updates)
CHANTILLY @ OAKTON
- Andy Hayes (Play By Play)
- Bubba Purcell (Color Commentary)
- Ken Kincaide (Color Commentary)
STONEWALL @ LIBERTY
- Derek Goode (Play By Play)
- Miller Bennington (Color Commentary)
BROAD RUN @ HERITAGE
- Bob Vlasic (Play By Play)
- John Murphy (Color Commentary)
- Gary Evans (Engineer)
DOMINION @ BRIAR WOODS
- Chris Starke (Play By Play)
- Vince Sacco (Color Commentary)
WOODSON @ WESTFIELD
- Derek LeComte (Play By Play)
- Mat Shannon (Color Commentary)
POTOMAC FALLS @ LOUDOUN COUNTY
- Tom Whipple (Color Commentary)
- Bruce Bornarth (Play By Play)
*Game Also Broadcast On AM 1200 WAGE
