By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, DigitalSports.com
VHSL AAA Division 6 State Semifinal Final
Oscar Smith (13-0) at Oakton (13-0) — November 29 at 1:30 p.m., Oakton Stadium, Vienna, Va.
It was stunning that several Northern Region pundits pegged No. 2 Oakton as the underdog last week in the Division 6 regional final against No. 4 Chantilly at home.
The Cougars proved — again — that they are the class of the county with 52-14 win over the Chargers, scoring the first 52 points of the game and allowing only 49 first-half yards.
This week against Eastern Region champion Oscar Smith, the underdog role would seem more appropriate. The Tigers will be bigger, stronger and faster than the Cougars. There is no team in the Northern Region like Oscar Smith.
But no one is as deep as Oakton.
HISTORY
The Cougars recorded their first 10-0 regular season in their 41-year history in 2008 and could reach the team’s third state final since 2002 with a win.
The Tigers have never been to a state championship game in the program’s 55-year history. Oscar Smith fell in three straight Eastern Region finals before finally breaking through last year. It had its first undefeated regular season in its 50th-anniversary campaign in 2004.
The last time Oakton faced an Eastern Region opponent was Landstown — which featured five-star recruit Percy Harvin, now at Florida — in the 2005 state final. The Eagles entered as heavy favorites, but Cougar senior running back Keith Payne rolled up 250 yards and four touchdowns in a stunning 28-7 Oakton win.
And that game was at the Beach. This time, it is in Vienna.
QUARTERBACKS
Oscar Smith has the top quarterback in Virginia in the class of 2010 in Phillip Sims. Sims smashed the previous state tournament record with 480 yards in last year’s three-point home loss to Westfield, breaking the old mark by 72 yards.
Last year, he threw for 3,100 yards and 33 scores; this season, he has 2,590 passing yards and 31 touchdowns.
Oakton features dual-threat senior quarterback Chris Coyer, who holds offers from Temple and Ohio. He has 1,306 passing yards and 1,155 rushing yards and has peaked at the right time, essentially ending the Cougars’ two-quarterback system.
One week after accounting for nearly 400 yards against West Springfield, he registered five of Oakton’s seven touchdowns in last week’s one-side regional championship game.
Oscar Smith coach Rich Morgan said, on record, that he felt as though Coyer’s legs are a much more significant threat than his arm, so expect the Tigers to stack the box against him.
That’s where the versatility of the Cougar backfield must be made clear on Saturday.
RUNNING BACKS
Oscar Smith senior running back Perry Jones had a career night in Friday’s 28-21 win over Ocean Lakes for the Eastern Region Division 6 title.
The University of Virginia-signee had 30 carries for 229 rushing yards and all four Tiger touchdowns. Jones combines of 4.4 speed with a 350-pound bench and 500-pound squat. His ability to get the extra yard will force the Cougars to repeat their defensive performance from last weekend against Torrian Pace.
Oakton features a true two-back backfield in seniors Trey Watts and Johnny Meadows. Meadows had a game-high 20 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown last week, while Watts, a first-team All-Region kick returner, scored twice.
Watts has 24 touchdowns on the season, a team best.
The Cougar balance will prove incredibly valuable if they have the late game lead, but they have to get there first.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Again, Oscar Smith has a receiver that will strike fear into Northern Region secondaries. Last year, Todd “So Rare” Harrelson broke the box score with 15 receptions for 354 yards and three touchdowns in the Westfield loss, as he took a red pen to the V.H.S.L. state record book.
This year, senior Timmy Smith enters with 59 catches for 1,317 yards and 19 touchdowns receptions, plus four kick-return scores.
He is an electric player that must be accounted for on every down. Smith is signed to Virginia.
Oakton can only hope to spread the ball around to its deep corps of wide receivers, which has watched junior Matt Chandler and senior Ryan Harris emerge in recent weeks. With that pair lined up alongside seniors Jay Young and Wade Reynolds, the Cougars post a formidable cast.
But Smith alone may counter Oakton’s depth.
LINEBACKERS
This match-up, although not necessarily head-to-head, may decide the outcome.
Oakton features the Northern Region’s best corps of linebackers in seniors Jack Tyler, Kenny Hanson and Joey McCallum.
Tyler is the Northern Region Defensive Player of the Year.
But Tiger senior Jerod Askew is rated the No. 6 linebacker in the nation on Rivals and the top run-stopper in the 2009 class. He had 112 tackles and 14 sacks last year.
Oscar Smith is allowing 5.0 points per game for a reason.
COACHES
Oakton Coach Joe Thompson is 51-19 in six seasons at Oakton, but 8-2 all-time in the postseason. Thompson’s Cougars won both games en route to the 2005 state title in his only career appearance in the state tournament.
Oscar Smith Coach Rich Morgan is 71-9 in seven seasons and the Tigers are 2-3 all-time Eastern Region championship games under his guide. His career state tournament record is 0-1.
The Cougars’ record under Thompson speaks for itself as to who holds the advantage here.
FINAL WORD
Oakton showed an uncanny ability to keep drives alive last week against Chantilly, converting 9-of-15 first downs in third- and fourth-down situations.
That will be needed Saturday as Oscar Smith, ranked No. 6 nationally on Rivals and No. 7 on ESPN, will be significantly stronger than any team it has faced all year.
Oakton is unranked in the Rivals 100, but is No. 50 nationally on ESPN.
To be frank, though, the Concorde District streak of eight-straight state championship game representatives has never been in greater jeopardy.
That includes last season’s 24-21 road win for Westfield over Oscar Smith.
An unnamed Westfield coach even admitted anonymously that the Bulldogs — who won the rest of their games by an average of 31.3 points — would have lost to the Tigers nine out of 10 times.
Oscar Smith has that score posted on its lockers and has used it as motivation all season.
Maybe Oakton can do the same thing with the continued pile of stories that come out and tab them as underdogs.
And for the first time this season, a story on these pages can be added to the list.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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