Oakton, Westfield To Rumble For Title
When The #4 Ranked Oakton Cougars Travel To Play #8 Westfield On Friday Night, The Top Seed In The Northern Region Playoffs Will Be On The Line, And The Concorde District Championship. Our Live Gameday Radio Coverage Begins At 6:45pm.....
Westfield's Cole McInturff will play a big role in the outcome of this game with Oakton on Friday. McInturff has become one of Danny Fenyak's favorite targets on the edge.....
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
Ryan Harris doesn't take every snap, but when he is in, the Oakton Cougars usually make something happen on offense. Look for Harris to contribute to the Cougars in a big way potentially on Friday night.
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
#4 OAKTON (8-0) @
#8 WESTFIELD (7-1)
WHEN: Friday October 24th, 2008
WHERE: Westfield High School
KICKOFF: 7:30pm
PREGAME: 6:45pm
MEDIA COVERAGE:
The Gameday Radio Network
Game of the Week
Live Coverage Begins At 6:45pm
Online At GamedayMagazine.com
BROADCAST TEAM:
Grant Paulsen (Play By Play)
Andy Hayes (Color Commentary)
Derek LeComte (Color Commentary)
CHANTILLY, VA - If you like thousands of screaming fans, a game with playoff implications, and two well coached football teams all in the same place, then you might want to venture to Westfield High School on Friday night.
The #4 ranked Oakton Cougars (8-0) roll into town boasting the only undefeated record in the Concorde District. Oakton has been explosive this season on offense, and their defense has been suffocating at times. The Cougars have proven to be one of the better second half teams this season, as apparent last week against Robinson. They trailed in the first half, then blew the Rams off the field in the second half to win 43-31.
However, this week they will face the Concorde's most successful program in Westfield. The Bulldogs were running parallel with Oakton all year long, and also boasted an unbeaten record, but that was ended when Herndon beat them 29-28 last Saturday in double overtime.
Westfield could have been looking ahead to Oakton, but in the end, it doesn't matter. The Bulldogs still control their own destiny in the Concorde title race, but the pressure just got turned up a notch for the defending Div 6 state champs.
Both teams like to run the football, and both teams play great defense. The skill position players are dynamic, and the coaches are even better. It should be an absolute slugfest on Friday night when #4 Oakton meets #8 Westfield, and we'll have it right here online for you live at GamedayMagazine.com......Let's break it down!
KEY MATCH-UPS
Presented By: Ticonderoga Farms
Oakton Offense vs Westfield Defense:
The Cougars run the spread offense, and they are good at it. Oakton has two of the better tailbacks in the Northern Region in Jonathan Meadows and Trey Watts. Both players run well, and also catch the football out of the backfield. Watts is more of a playmaker in the passing game, and Meadows is explosive in the backfield. Bottom line is, Westfield has to stop these two guys if they want to win. If I had to bet what Bulldog defensive coordinator Kyle Simmons will stress this week in practice, it will be stopping the run first. If you allow Oakton to run the football, everything else opens up. However, if you take the run away, they have shown some vulnerability on offense at times this year.
Westfield will call on linebacker Ben Casper to help stuff the middle and slow down the spread attack option play. The Bulldogs can't key too much on Watts and Meadows though because quarterback Chris Coyer can hurt them as well. Oakton has a ton of weapons on offense, and because of that, the pressure is on Westfield in this match-up.....Advantage Oakton
Westfield Offense vs Oakton Defense:
The Bulldogs are downright nasty in the trenches when they have the ball. 2007 All Gameday lineman Tyler Barfield anchors the group along with seniors Tyler Delph and Tommy Verbanic. It is no secret why Westfield has won 7 games this year despite only returning 4 starters from last year's championship team. Their line play is a big reason why tailback Jordon Anderson is one of the area's leading rushers after week 8 of the season. Anderson doesn't need much of a hole either, his explosiveness has been impressive this season to say the least. Oakton must key on Anderson and stopping the Westfield running game. Herndon loaded up the line of scrimmage some and it worked, and I expect Oakton to do the same this week.
The danger that the Cougars have to worry about is junior Danny Fenyak at quarterback. He has lived up to the hype and played extremely well for a first year starter. As Chantilly saw in week 4, if you try to take the run game away, Fenyak can beat you. Look for the Cougars to try to confuse the young Fenyak with different pressure schemes, and coverages. However, Westfield hasn't won 17 of their last 18 games not knowing how to adjust to what they are seeing, and I expect them to come out and have success on offense in this one.......Advantage Westfield
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Presented By: House of Speed Fairfax
Oakton's Kevin Culkin - Senior Linebacker
Culkin had a monster game against Chantilly and tailback Torrian Pace. He was all over the field and really set the tone in that win over the Chargers with some big hits. Culkin plays opposite of Jack Tyler, a player every team makes sure their scheme accounts for, which should again open up some opportunities for him to play big on Friday. He's physical at 6'1 215lbs, and he's tough enough to take on the backs at Westfield head on. Look for #9 on Friday to be a key contributor to the Oakton defense.
Westfield's Cole McInturff - Senior Receiver
When Danny Fenyak gets pressured, he often looks for senior Cole McInturff for a completion. McInturff continues to play well for the Bulldogs as apparent last Saturday when he caught a touchdown in overtime against Herndon. Westfield has some talent at receiver, but I believe McInturff is one of Fenyak's favorites, thus the reason Oakton better cover #4 on Friday night. He is big and fast, and has the ability to hurt any team down the field. Look for McInturff's name to be called often if Oakton stacks the line of scrimmage and dares the Bulldogs to throw the ball.
KEYS TO VICTORY:
Presented By: Moe's Southwest Grill
FOR OAKTON:
- Start Quickly, Avoid Falling Behind
- Establish A Passing Game Early
- Limit The Big Play For Westfield
FOR WESTFIELD:
- Win The Turnover Battle
- Force Oakton To Throw To Win
- Stop The 2nd Half Cougar Surge
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Presented By: The Fractured Prune
HEAD TO HEAD
Since 2000, the Cougars and Bulldogs have faced one another 10 times and the two teams have each won 5 times. It has been an interesting match-up primarily because Westfield has dominated the regular season games, and Oakton has dominated the post-season contests. Westfield holds a 5-2 advantage in the regular season, and Oakton is 3-0 against the Bulldogs in the playoffs. If you break down the scores in the last 10 meetings, the average score of this game is 21-20 in Westfield's favor. The last three regular season meetings have seen Westfield victorious by a scoring margin of 87 to 33.
2005 Flashback:
Oakton's biggest win over Westfield was most definitely in 2005, when a 10-1 Bulldog squad led by Evan Royster was shut down in the regional playoffs 42-24. The Cougars were led by Keith Payne, who eventually carried the Cougars on his back all the way to the State Championship and a 12-2 record.
2003 Flashback:
Westfield's Sean Glennon and Eddie Royal helped to dismantle Oakton in 2003 by a score of 44-20. Glennon and Royal led the Bulldogs to their first state championship and a 14-0 record, and many today still consider that Westfield team to be the best to ever play in this region.
OAKTON RECORDS SINCE 2000
2000: 5-5
2001: 7-3
2002: 10-4
2003: 6-4
2004: 10-2
2005: 12-2 (State Champions)
2006: 6-5
2007: 5-5
2008: 8-0
Overall: 69-30
WESTFIELD RECORDS SINCE 2000
2000: 6-4
2001: 4-5
2002: 10-1
2003: 14-0 (State Champions)
2004: 9-2
2005: 10-2
2006: 11-1
2007: 15-0 (State Champions)
2008: 7-1
Overall: 86-16
X'S AND O's
Presented By: Paintworx
JOE THOMPSON - OAKTON HEAD COACH
- Over the last 5 years has compiled an overall record of 42-18....
- Joe Thompson is in his 6th year as the head coach of the Oakton Cougars...
- Thompson's Cougars Have A 3-0 Record Against Westfield In The Post-Season
- 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 Landstown
TOM VERBANIC - WESTFIELD HEAD COACH
- Was Named the 2007 All Gameday Group AAA Coach of the Year
- Led His 2007 Westfield Team To The Group AAA State Championship
- Led His 2003 Westfield Team To The Group AAA State Championship
- Is 86-16 Since Taking Over The Program From Scratch In 2000
- His Teams Have Only Lost 7 Times Since 2002
EXPERT PROGNOSTICATION:
For those of you who follow my weekly picks on Gameday All Access on AM 1200 WAGE everyday from 12pm-1pm, last week was yet another solid performance by yours truly at 8-3. Westfield, West Springfield, and Sherando let me down, but hey, nobody else picked those losses either. When I look at this game between Oakton and Westfield, I think of bloody knuckles, intense momentum swings, and one of the best atmosphere's we'll see this fall. Westfield High School will be rockin on Friday night and for good reason. These two teams will be fighting for Concorde supremacy, and that should make for some interesting drama.
From what I've seen this season, Oakton has the horses just like Westfield did a year ago, but they haven't put four quarters of football together yet this season. Penalties, turnovers, and mistakes nearly cost them the Chantilly game, and if they play like that again on Friday night, it will cost them this game against Westfield.
The Bulldogs don't make many mistakes, and that is a key point to remember if you are trying to win your weekly pick'em contest like I am. In addition, Tom Verbanic and his staff have coached in a ton of big games, and they will have this young Bulldog squad ready for battle Friday. They seem to always elevate their play when the poker chips are stacked the highest on the table, and because they have only lost 16 games since their inception in 2000, the odds are in their favor.
However, there armor just got punctured last Saturday against Herndon. The Hornets gave Oakton a blueprint to beat the Concorde's Top Dawgs, and they will do their best to follow it. Oakton has talent at every position, but the key question is, can Joe Thompson's team play mistake free against Westfield? Thompson is one of the few coaches to boast 3 playoff wins against Verbanic and Westfield, and it is because he too knows how to prepare a championship team for battle.
The Cougars are tough on defense, and they have found a way to win every game this year. This game will be close, and if Oakton sticks to its game and doesn't get one-dimensional on offense, they have more experience and should win this bout. However, I would never want to face a Verbanic team after a loss, since they have only experienced that a total of 7 times since 2002.
Safe Pick......Westfield At Home
Westfield Bulldogs - 24
Oakton Cougars - 21
WEATHER FORECAST:
Presented By: LightningWear.com
Friday October 24th, 2008
Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the upper 40s.
