By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor, Washington D.C.
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Despite the driving rain and a strained hip flexor, Oakton alumnus — and current Virginia Tech redshirt-freshman wide receiver — Ervin Garner stood on the sidelines to cheer for his alma mater during its Homecoming game on Friday.
Garner, who wore No. 10 during his break-out senior season in 2006, watched Cougar senior quarterback Chris Coyer — this year’s owner of the No. 10 jersey — spark Oakton to a 33-carry, 334-yard rushing clinic in a 42-3 win over visiting Langley.
“It’s great to see everyone come out and support us,” said Coyer, who carried three times for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the opening period. “The alumni get us more pumped up and we love it. We feed off it.”
Added Oakton coach Joe Thompson of Coyer: “He’s explosive, isn’t he?”
But for the unbeaten Cougars (5-0), who returned a Northern Region-high 19 starters from last season, it’s only the second time they have scored first through five games.
Two weeks ago against T.C. Williams, Oakton tallied all 39 of its points in the final 13 minutes, 39 seconds. And last week at Fairfax, it trailed 7-0 after the first quarter before erupting for 28 points in the second and sprinting to a 38-7 win.
“Going back to the T.C. game, I’ve told everybody that will listen — and not very many people are listening — they’re good,” said Thompson, who won the Division 6 Northern Region and Virginia AAA state titles in 2005. “They haven’t won, but they’re good, they were connecting. I’m still scared of them. … While it’s hard to fathom, that was a really good win for us.
“Every game,we’ve felt like we had control at the end of the game. It’s just been a matter of getting there. I think, tonight, we played a full four quarters.”
It was not as refreshing an evening for No. 8 Langley (3-2).
Third-year senior quarterback Danny Pritchett and his younger brother, Saxon leading-tackler Austin Pritchett, were both sidelined with injuries.
Langley was limited to 61 rushing yards on 35 attempts, 1.7 yards per carry. Oakton allowed just eight first downs, three of which came in the fourth quarter: Two from Oakton penalties and one on the game’s final play.
The lone bright spot for the Saxons came just :06 seconds before half time. Sophomore kicker Farhan Khan hit a 45-yard field goal — mud and muck notwithstanding — to cap a three-play, zero-yard drive that followed an interception by senior defensive back Tim Harmon.
“He’s made them over 50 in practice, no problem,” said Saxon coach John Howerton, who hosts reigning Liberty District runner-up Madison next week. “It was one of these flukes. He’s a soccer kid who said he wanted to kick. We didn’t have anyone else, boom. His technique might need work, but I think we’d be pretty stupid to do anything with it when he can slap them through like that.
“But we’re going to get them going, I’m not too worried about it. I’m pretty sure the kids are going to rise up and we’re going to make a surge for the playoffs … But anytime you lose your best two players, it’s going to hurt you.”
No. 2 Oakton, meanwhile, has already matched its win total from 2007 and playoffs are the talk of the Vienna town, too. The hot Cougar start could not be further from how devastatingly last season commenced.
Last year, through Week 8, Oakton needed just one win to clinch a playoff berth. But back-to-back losses to close out the season, including a controversial two-point conversion in a Week-10, 35-34 road loss to Herndon, abruptly ended the Cougars season and the high-school careers of 14 seniors.
“[The start] feels good, but we’re still hungry,” Coyer said. “We’re not going to be satisfied until December 7. We’ve decided as a team at the end of last season that we weren’t going to be that team.
“And everyone wants it so much more.”
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
No. 8 Langley 0 3 0 0 — 3
No. 2 Oakton 14 7 13 8 — 42
First Quarter
OK – Coyer 33 run (Goins kick) 2:13
OK – Coyer 72 run (Goins kick) :02
Second Quarter
OK – Watts 26 pass from Harris (Goins kick) 3:24
LG – Khan 45 FG :06
Third Quarter
OK – Meadows 11 run (kick blocked) 9:51
OK – Watts 31 pass from Coyer (Goins kick) :03
Fourth Quarter
OK – Gleich 6 run (Halleran pass from Harris) 1:37
Top Individual Performers
Rushing — LG: Helmer 27 carries, 63 yards. OK: Coyer 5 carries, 132 yards, 2 TD; Watts 7 carries, 72 yards; Meadows 10 carries, 69 yards, TD; Gleich 7 carries, 36 yards, TD.
Passing — LG: Kelly 5-of-13 passing, 86 yards, INT. OK: Coyer 7-of-9 passing, 100 yards, TD, INT; Harris 1-of-4 passing, 26 yards, TD, INT.
Receiving — LG: Sievers 2 receptions, 39 yards; Devlin 1 reception, 15 yards; Shafran 1 receptions, 14 yards. OK: Watts 3 receptions, 71 yards, 2 TD; Reynolds 1 reception, 17 yards; Meadows 1
reception, 16 yards; Vitale 2 receptions, 12 yards; Young 1 reception, 10 yards.
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