Preview: Oscar Smith vs. Oakton
Oakton's Jonathan Meadows shows off his acrobatics in an earlier game vs. Herndon. Meadows will be called upon greatly to lead the Cougars to victory this Saturday...
Photo By: Gameday Magazine
The Oakton defense, shown here stopping West Springfield's Bryn Renner, will be faced with the daunting task of stopping Phillip Simms and the Oscar Smith offense...
Photo By: Gameday Magazine
OSCAR SMITH at OAKTON
Division 6 state semi-finals
Kickoff: 1:30 PM
Where: Oakton High School
MEDIA COVERAGE
The Gameday Radio Network
Live coverage begins online at 1:00 PM
BROADCAST TEAM:
Tom Whipple - Play by Play
Mitch Rodgers - Color Commentary
THE RUNDOWN:
Throughout the 2008 season, Oakton has been flawless. Going 13-0 and winning both the Concorde District and Northern Region championships, things couldn't have gone any better for head coach Joe Thompson's squad. They stand just two wins away from capturing their ultimate goal of winning a state title.
But now things get significantly tougher for the Cougars. Enter in Oscar Smith, a team nationally ranked that boasts several big-time DI-A prospects. They're fast, physical and big. Hailing from Chesapeake, down in the Hampton Roads area, the Oscar Smith Tigers have become the kings of the Eastern Region in Division 6.
They're no stranger to the big stage, as they won their region last year before falling to Westfield in the state semi-finals. Yet a lot of their key playmakers are back in 2008, leading some to believe that this year's squad is better than the one which fell to Westfield last year.
And while Oakton has never seen a team as talented as Oscar Smith, the Tigers have never seen a team like Oakton. The Cougars play exceptional defense, are extremely diverse on offense and are physical in the trenches.
All in all, the two teams combine for quite a matchup, one that has the entire Northern Virginia area buzzing. With the game being hosted by Oakton, expect another big crowd because it's the two titans of Division 6 fighting for the same coveted trophy.
They're two teams with the same dream. Who will win out? Who will go home? We break it all down for you here and tell you who will live to fight another day!
KEY MATCHUPS:
Presented By: Fuddruckers of Ashburn
Oakton Linebackers vs. Oscar Smith run game
Last week, Oakton did what no other team had managed to do and that was shut down Torrian Pace. Pace, who is arguably the area's best back, put up monster numbers on every team this year except Oakton. So we know Oakton can defend against the run game. Their linebacker trio of Jack Tyler (region player of the year), Kevin Culkin and Joey McCallum may be the best in the area. They'll be assigned the task this week of stopping not only explosive back Perry Jones, but also to limit quarterback Phillip Simms. Simms is classified as a dual-threat quarterback and has the ability to burn defenses with his feet as well as with his arm. So will the Oakton linebackers step up once again or will the Oscar Smith run game prevail once more?
Advantage: Oakton... if they can stop Torrian Pace twice in the same year, they can stop Jones and Simms this weekend.
Oscar Smith passing game vs. Oakton back seven:
For those unfamiliar with Oscar Smith, they are a lot like Texas Tech in that they use a pass-first spread offense. While they're not afraid to run ball out of the I-Formation, they are near lethal with their ability to pass the ball. Their quarterback, Simms, is widely considered one of the best 2010 quarterback prospects in the country. They feature a wide receiver, Tim Smith, who is committed to UVA, and is a very dangerous downfield threat. While we highlighted the Oakton linebackers earlier, they have several shutdown corners in Trey Watts and Andrew Leonard. They've shown in the past they can limit opposing offenses, but can they do it against one of the best aerial assaults in the state?
Advantage: Oscar Smith...Phillip Simms is a special talent that doesn't come around too often. With the threats he has to throw to, he'll win this battle.
Oakton run game vs. Oscar Smith linebackers:
The weapons Oakton can utilize make them extremely dangerous. In addition to running backs Trey Watts and Jonathan Meadows, they feature two dual-threat quarterbacks in Chris Coyer and Ryan Harris. Coyer in this postseason has exploded for huge numbers and has 15 touchdowns and 15 rushing touchdowns on the year. Yet Oscar Smith has what it takes to deter the firepower of Oakton. They feature one of the best linebacker prospects in the entire country in Jerod Askew, a Tennessee commit. Along with Raysean Richardson, the Tiger defense has proved to be very hard to get by. Is this the time then that the Oakton rushing game is stopped?
Advantage: Oakton...Despite the presence of Askew, the Oakton offense is too diverse to be stopped. Expect Coyer and Watts to again post big numbers.
KEYS TO VICTORY:
Presented by Integrated Sports Medicine
For Oakton
-Limit Phillip Simms any way you can
-Shut down Tim Smith
-Win the line of scrimmage
For Oscar Smith:
-Avoid a slow start
-Win turnover battle
-Stop Oakton run game
EXPERT PROGNOSTICATION:
If this game was anything like last year's contest between Westfield and Oscar Smith, then the fans will be in for a treat. We're expecting the Oscar Smith offense to put up points just by looking at their body of work throughout the year. This is an offense fairly similar to West Springfield's and we were able to see what Renner was able to accomplish.
What this game could really come down to is the effectiveness of the Oakton offense. If they can get the job done, then they have a shot at advancing. But if the Oscar Smith offense is able to limit Oakton to under 20 points, then the Tigers win this one. But from what we've seen of Oakton this year is they will rise to the occasion. Their offense will put points on the board and the defense will make the necessary stops.
Oakton 30 - Oscar Smith 27
