Oakton High School | Archive | December, 2008

By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

*Click the Photo and Video links above for multimedia from Friday’s games.

Oakton 78, Freedom-Woodbridge 33
*Click HERE for video from Oakton and Freedom-Woodbridge only.
*Click HERE for photos from Oakton and Freedom-Woodbridge only.

As the nightcap of the Cassel’s Sports Holiday Classic reached the half — with Oakton having the game in hand — Liberty coach John Tone, scouting his next opponent, mouthed one word: “Relentless.”

Only Freedom-Woodbridge could agree more.

The Cougars won for the 10th time in as many games this season with a statement, 78-33 win over the Eagles on Friday, advancing to square off with the Hurricanes in a much-anticipated semifinal.

“Everybody contributes a lot to this team,” said Oakton senior Brianna Johnson, who scored a game-high 17 points. “The new people we have coming to the team help out a lot. It’s just different style of play.

“Our style of play is very fast and it’s portrayed on the court.”

The 45-point win is only slightly more than Oakton’s 37.1 average margin of victory this season.

The Cougars (10-0) score 74.0 points per game. Only Mount Vernon (8-1) — at 64.3 points per game — is within 10 points of Oakton’s game average.

“It’s a definite confidence-feeling for our team, as a whole,” said Johnson, who, at one point in the third quarter, had equaled Freedom’s entire point output. “We know, as players, you can put it all on the court. [Your team] will get it back and you can get back in.”

Added freshman Caroline Coyer, one of seven Cougars to score seven or more points: “Everyone helps each other do well. Maybe I do a lot of things, but there [are] a lot of other people that do everything.

“That’s why we get a lot of 40-point wins.”

With Friday night’s convincing win — Oakton’s fifth by 40 points or more this year — it advances to face Liberty, who wowed the crowd with a 70-42 win over West Potomac, despite bringing only nine players on the four-hour trek from Bethlehem, Pa.

“Our focus is on us,” Johnson said. “We need to focus, as a whole team, on how to get better team.

“We can’t really worry about our opponent.”

Freedom   7   6   9  11  —  33
Oakton    23 21 21 13  —  78

Freedom — Williams 4 1-2 9; Hawk 2 2-2 7; Parker 2 2-3 6; Rivera 2 0-0 5; Collins 2 0-0 4; Jones 1 0-2 2; Stewart 0 0-1 0. Team totals: 13 5-9 33. Oakton — Johnson 7 3-4 17; Stephenson 6 1-2 13; K. Coyer 5 0-0 11; Borojeni 4 1-2 10; Cummins 4 0-0 8; McGartland 3 1-2 8; C. Coyer 3 0-0 7; Mahony 2 0-0 4. Team totals: 34 6-10 78. Three pointers — Freedom 2 (Hawk, Rivera); Oakton 4 (Borojeni, C. Coyer, K. Coyer, McGartland).


Liberty 70, West Potomac 42
*Click HERE for video from Liberty (Pa.) and West Potomac only.
*Click HERE for photos from Liberty (Pa.) and West Potomac only.

Before its first-round game against West Potomac, teams in the Cassel’s Sports tournament field knew little-to-nothing about Liberty, from Bethlehem, Pa.

Two hours later, no one could stop talking about the team.

The Hurricanes blew by the Wolverines, 70-42, had four players in double-figure scoring and connected on six three-pointers.

“It’s nice to see different teams,” Liberty coach John Tone said. “We like to come down and see different opponents. We get away for a few days and this is a nice area. We can take the kids Washington and walk around a little bit. It’ll be a nice weekend.

“But when it’s time to play, it’s time to play. Our defense really does everything for us. They have good shooters. We put a lot of pressure on them and it led to some baskets.”

Added senior point guard Dana Wieller, who scored 11 points: “We have a really strong district where we’re from. We play against pretty much the best. It’s definitely different to play against people you don’t know.

“We couldn’t prepare for it; we didn’t see any tape. But we just did what we do best and it worked to our advantage.”

The decisive win Friday came as a sigh of relief for the Hurricanes.

Liberty has already had two of its first six games postponed due to inclement weather and had to play on consecutivee days before the long drive south to the Cougar Holiday Classic.

“It was about a four-hour drive and we didn’t have our legs,” Wieller said. “It was a little nice … to get our confidence back, especially since we have 13 girls on our team, but we only had nine here today.”

Liberty (Pa.)       15 15 26 14  —  70
West Potomac      7   8  11 16  —  42

Liberty — Repasch 6 0-1 12; Wieller 4 2-2 11; Shumock 4 0-0 10; Reynolds 3 2-2 10; Serratelli 3 3-4 9; Robinson 3 0-0 7; Knipe 3 0-2 6; Strohl 1 1-2 3; Drexel 1 0-0 2. Team totals: 28 8-13 70. West Potomac — Artis 6 1-2 16; McFall 3 5-7 12; Banks 2 1-2 5; Liverpool 1 0-0 3; Kelly 1 0-0 2; Nolton 1 0-0 2; Wood 1 0-0 2. Team totals: 15 7-11 42. Three pointers — Liberty 6 (Reynolds 2, Shumock 2, Robinson, Wieller); West Potomac 5 (Artis 3, Liverpool, McFall).


Potomac Falls 75, Wakefield 37
*Click HERE for video from Potomac Falls and Wakefield only.
*Click HERE for photos from Potomac Falls and Wakefield only.

Heading into the season, Potomac Falls coach Lynn Ewald knew 5-feet-7-inch senior Sara Hibson was 40 rebounds shy of the school’s all-time record, 377.

Heading into the Cassel’s Sports Holiday Classic opener on Friday, Ewald made an admittedly overdue double-take on how progress towards the mark.

He’s certainly glad he did.

With her third rebound of game, which came minutes before halftime, Hibson passed the Panthers’ career rebounding mark, finishing the night with five, bringing her all-time total to 380.

It was one of a handful of highlights for Potomac Falls as it doubled-up Wakefield, 75-37, to advance to a semifinal date with Stone Ridge (Bethesda, Md.).

“I’m pretty proud,” said Hibson, who scored seven points. “I owe a lot to my coaches … they all had to work with me, most of them, for three years now. It’s pretty incredible.
 
“Our program has been having some trouble, but we’ve really been picking it up and working hard. And this just shows that our hard work is paying off. I’m just so happy to get this.”

Added Ewald: “When I counted them up the day before the game, I was like, ‘I’m glad I counted them up today.'”
 
Something else Ewald would have regretted overlooking was how many of his players scored on Friday. All 11 of dressed Panthers not only entered the game, but all scored and 10 made a field goal.

Potomac Falls outscored Wakefield by at least seven points in each quarter.

“We had a little rough time this season,” said Hibson. “We talked before the holiday break that we really needed to change our attitude, pick it up and just increase our intensity.
 
“The girls took it to heart and worked hard. It shows by the score.”

Added Ewald: “We talked about it. We wanted to take this tournament and the three or four practices we have after it as an opportunity to get out of the district in a fun effort.

“We didn’t want to be up 23 at half time and win by 25. Not to pour it on or anything, but to keep the intensity is what the idea was.”

Wakefield           9   6  10 12  —  37
Potomac Falls   17 21 17 20  —  75

Wakefield — Butler 5 8-14 19; Prosise 2 2-3 6; Miriam 0 4-9 4; Doyle 1 1-2 3; Silberman 1 0-0 2; Johnson 0 2-4 2; Moore 0 1-2 1. Team totals: 9 18-34 37. Potomac Falls — Jeffries 3 10-14 16; Stephens 4 4-4 12; Short 3 4-6 12; Berry 3 2-2 8; Howard 3 1-2 7; Hibson 2 3-4 7; Herrera 2 1-2 5; Battle 1 0-0 3; Reid 1 0-0 2; Stanley 1 0-0 2; Hooper 0 1-2 1. Team totals: 23 26-36 75. Three pointers — Wakefield 1 (Butler); Potomac Falls 3 (Short 2, Battle).


Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

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Girls Beltway Basketball

Top 10 Rankings

Many D.C. area girls’ basketball teams will find an additional gift underneath the tree this Christmas in the form of a ranking as DigitalSports unveils its first “Beltway Ballers” poll of the 2008-2009 season.

Check back after the holiday tournaments for the next Top 10 release: January 5, and every Monday thereafter.
*Records as of Monday, Dec. 22*

1. Riverdale Baptist (Ind.) 7-1      

2. Eleanor Roosevelt (Prince George’s) 3-1 

3. Paint Branch (MOCO) 5-0       

4. H.D. Woodson (DCIAA) 5-3       

5. Good Counsel (WCAC) 7-0          

6. Bowie (Prince George’s) 4-0       

7. Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. (Prince George’s) 4-0       

8. Thomas S. Wootton (MOCO) 5-0

9. North Point (SMAC) 5-0                  

10. Forest Park (Prince William) 4-0

Other teams receiving votes:

Bethesda Chevy-Chase (MOCO)

Elizabeth Seton (WCAC)

Bladensburg (Prince George’s)

Central (Prince George’s)

Oakton (Northern Region)

Click HERE to view the Washington, D.C. Area page of DigitalSports.com.

*Teams in consideration for the Beltway Ballers poll include those in the DCIAA, Loudoun County, Montgomery County, Northern Region, Prince George’s County, Prince William County, Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and WCAC, as well as other independent private schools*

Wish to chime in on the Beltway Ballers poll? E-mail James A. McCray III: tmccray@digitalsports.com

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By Eric Avissar
Robinson Senior, DigitalSports Intern

With a quick steal that turned into a slam dunk on a one-man fast break by senior forward Brandon Kuter to start the game, Robinson sent the home fans into an intense frenzy right out of the gate. The Rams were able to maintain the same intensity on the court throughout the game, never trailing in a convincing, 65-54 win over visiting Oakton.
   
The dunk by Kuter was two of his six points, but still played a very important factor throughout the game as he spurred the 10-2 run to start the game. Kuter also played a crucial role on the defensive end of the floor, with nine rebounds and a block.

“Brandon did a phenomenal job defensively tonight,” Robinson Coach Bobby Nelson said. “He won’t always be our leading scorer, but he can still be very important.”

On the offensive end sophomore C.J. Cleaves lead the Rams’ charge, scoring 16 points on mostly jump shots while finding openings in the Cougar defense. Cleaves said that he felt his shot was on tonight, and the key to victory was the intensity the team felt was lacking on Tuesday night’s loss to Centreville.

“We have showed great signs of being able to play great in spurts,” Cleaves said. “We just have to keep it going like we did jumping out in the first quarter and maintaining that intensity.”

Added Nelson: “We sought to bounce back after what I saw that the intensity was not there. In the Concorde District, we always have to come out focused against whoever we play. We wanted to make sure our intensity stepped up, our defense stepped up, and that we made them play our style of game.”

For the Rams, the only major test of the game came early on in the second half. Holding a 33-24 lead at half time, the Rams expected Oakton to make a push after playing down the entire first half. The Cougars were able to cut the lead down to six at one point, but never came any closer. The Rams steadily re-built their lead to 16 points by the end of the third qaurter.

“When you’re playing down the whole half, anyone will come back right out of the second half and fight,” Nelson said. “We knew the first two minutes of the third quarter would be very important, and I am very happy with the way we were able to maintain our lead out there.”

Along with Cleaves and Kuter’s performances, the Rams were also led by senior guards Stephen Boettke and Tommy Hanson, who scored nine points a piece.
   
The Cougars, meanwhile, were led by sophomore forward Adi Hajrovic, who scored a game-high 20 points, and junior Kris McNeil and sophomore Steele Shemeld, who added 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Cougars (0-6 overall, 0-2 Concorde District) are struggling early this season and are winless through six games. None of those losses, however, have been by more than 11 points.
   
Robinson (3-3, 1-1) will look to use this win as momentum heading into a Tuesday road game against Heritage of Loudoun County.

“We definitely came out and played much better … the way coach drove home to us in practice,” Kuter said.

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By Angela Watts
Assistant GM, Washington D.C. Metro Area

** Click the links to the left, above the video, to access a photo gallery and dozens of highlights from Tuesday’s game.

Oakton Coach Fred Priester was more than a little fired up by the time his unbeaten Cougars made their way back to the bench at the end of the first quarter of what proved a 68-57 victory Tuesday night at Westfield.

But what he fussed at the girls for wasn’t for playing recklessly, but for playing scared.

“In our seven previous games we played we pretty much jumped out real fast in the beginning,” Priester said. “But Westfield has always been well-coached and will always be a hard team to play … and we’re young.

“So I thought we came out too timid. We really weren’t attacking on offense. And they were doing a good job of running their offense, so they were dictating the whole tempo. 

“My big thing was that I didn’t was us to get taken out of our game, which is what was happening in the first quarter. So I was pretty rough on the kids in between the quarters about being afraid. You can’t be afraid to go out there and play. It’s a game. It’s not like if you miss a shot someone’s going to execute you. We can’t back down like that.”

And from the moment the second quarter started, the Cougars didn’t.

Oakton, led by senior forward Erin McGartland, outscored Westfield, 17-6, in the second quarter to turn a seven-point, first-quarter deficit into a four-point lead at half time. The Cougars then exploded out of the gates again in the third quarter, scoring the first seven points after the break to extend their lead to 31-20. 

The Bulldogs narrowed the gap to single-digits on occasion, but the Cougars (8-0, 1-0 Concorde District) always promptly responded. In the end, it was Oakton’s ability to strike from behind the three-point arc that proved the difference.

Oakton only totaled two more field goals than Westfield in the game — and the two teams scored 17 and 16 points from the foul line, respectively — but the Cougars sank seven shots from behind the three-point arc as opposed to one for the Bulldogs. Six of Oakton’s seven three-pointers came in the second half, three of which were at the hands of senior guard Sasha Borojeni.

“We can score some points in bunches, and you saw that tonight,” Priester said. “Westfield played really, really well and they made us earn everything we got. But once we got a little bit of space then the kids moved a little better and got a little more confidence.”

McGartland, who scored all seven of Oakton’s first-quarter points, finished with a team-high 19 while freshman guard Caroline Coyer added 15 and three other players — Borojeni, freshman guard Katherine Coyer and sophomore guard Zora Stephenson — added nine points a piece.

Westfield junior guard Shelby Romine paced the Bulldogs with 19 points, and junior guard Jessica Andre added 10.

“This was the kind of game that, early in the season, no matter if you win or lose you go back and say, ‘What did we learn from that?’ ” Priester said. “We’ve got a young team and these are great learning experiences. But it’s nice if you can happen to get a win, and in the district to top it all, while you learn.”

Email: awatts@digitalsports.com

Oakton         7  17  20  24 — 68  
Westfield    14    6  16  21 — 57

Oakton: McGartland 5 8-9 19; C. Coyer 6 1-1 15; Borojeni 3 0-0 9; K. Coyer 2 5-8 9; Stephenson 4 0-1 9; Cummins 1 3-4 5; Majony 1 0-0 2; Johnson 0 0-1 0. Team totals: 22 17-24 68. Westfield: Romine 4 10-12 19; Andre 4 2-2 10; Barondess 4 1-2 9; Knox 3 2-3 8; McNamara 4 0-1 8; Sutton 1 1-2 3. Team totals: 20 16-22 57. Three pointers: Oakton 7 (Borojeni 3, C. Coyer 2, McGartland, Stephenson); Westfield 1 (Romine).

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Join us on Saturday, December 20, 2008 – 11:00 A.M. as the Eagle Bank Bowl proudly presents the DigitalSports.com 2008 Washington D.C. Area “Most Dedicated” Football Players of the Year!


DigitalSports.com has selected eight deserving Washington D.C. Metro student athletes to receive this honor for the dedication they have shown towards their football teams, their high school, their community and their families.  These athletes will be recognized at RFK Stadium when Wake Forest takes on The U.S. Navel Academy in the first-ever Bowl Game contested in the Nation’s Capital.  Scroll down to view this year’s honorees. 

Come be a part of sports history and show your Dedication to D.C.’s Most Dedicated!


Click here for ticket information!

	Bryn Renner, Quarterback, West Springfield H.S. (Fairfax County, VA) In two seasons as a starter, Renner threw for 5,872 yards and 67 touchdowns; Renner has committed to play college football at the University of North Carolina.
	Patrick Thomson, Quarterback, Stone Bridge H.S. (Loudoun County, VA) Thompson threw for a school record 4,424 yards and 51 touchdowns over the past two seasons and will be playing his college football at Wake Forest.
	Zach Thompson, Tight End, Stone Bridge H.S. (Loudoun County, VA) A devastating blocker, Thompson averaged 17 yards a catch and helped Bulldogs to a 27-2 record over the past two seasons and has also committed to play college football for Wake Forest.
	De’Antwan Williams, Running Back, Woodbridge H.S. (Prince William County, VA) Williams, who recently committed to Rutgers, compiled 6,909 rushing yards during his career, which ranks sixth all time in Virginia High School history.
	Jeremiah Mathis, Tight End/Defensive End, DeMatha H.S. (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) A 6-foot-3 two-way starter, Mathis helped lead DeMatha to its sixth Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title.
	Zack Splain, Quarterback, Sherwood H.S. (Montgomery County, MD) Splain led Sherwood High School to the 4A Maryland State High School championship while throwing 35 touchdowns and only four interceptions this season.
	Peter Athens, Quarterback, Huntingtown H.S. (Southern Maryland Athletic Conference) Athens, a three-sport standout, passed for 1,550 yards and 15 touchdowns to lead Huntingtown to its first-ever Southern Maryland Athletic Conference championship.
	Anthony Wright , Running Back, Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. H.S. (Prince George’s County, MD) Wright rushed for 1,760 yards and 21 touchdowns this past season and helped lead Wise High School to its first ever 4A South regional championship.

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By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C.

Last season, Fairfax girls’ basketball began its rebuilding process — a euphemism for what was a tough, 1-22 season in which the team never scored more than 45 points.

This year, thanks to two top-flight freshmen, a slough of returning players, a new attitude and the addition of the area’s top junior, a Rebel yell is being heard throughout the Northern Region.

Lauren Burford, a 6-feet, 1-inch transfer from St. John’s, has led a tenacious Fairfax team to a 3-1 start — taking just three games to triple last season’s win total.

Burford is the leading scorer on a Rebel unit that has exceeded last year’s offensive high-water mark all four times it has taken the floor.

“Coming in and being part of such a turnaround is great,” said Burford, ranked No. 34 nationally in the class of 2010, according to ESPN. “We doubled our win outtake in the second game. That was awesome.”

Even more awesome is Burford’s ability to make those around her better.

The Rebel offense, albeit still young with only two seniors on the roster — Lisa Charney and Megan Godwin — is running more smoothly every week.

“I came in and played some fall league games,” she said. “That really helped with some chemistry. I’ve known some of the girls since eighth grade, so that helped out a lot, too.”

Burford, though, is no stranger to accolades. Her club team took fifth place at the AAU Nationals in West Chester, Ohio, in July.

She also received honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore last year in the elite Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC).

But Burford does not underestimate the quality of competition in the Concorde District, a league that only gets deeper with her addition.

“They said it’s just as tough [here],” said Burford, an honors student. “I’m ready for the challenge to start.

“I definitely want win to Concorde District games.”

E-mail: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS!

Cox
Communications is proud to serve the residents of Fairfax County, and
is honored to present the Cox ON DEMAND High School Performer of the
Week trophy award to the standout player from a Fairfax County team
weekly.

Please send nominations to:
awatts@digitalsports.com

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By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

Oakton senior Chris Coyer could be seen motivating his basketball teammates in the huddle during every time out of the Cougars’ 11-point home loss on Monday night. 

Watching, one could never know how close he was to unspeakable tragedy last Saturday.

Coyer, the Concorde District Offensive Player of the Year, started at quarterback against eventual state champion Oscar Smith at home in the Division 6 state semifinal.

With three minutes left in the first quarter of a scoreless game, Cougar coach Joe Thompson called a quarterback draw, a staple in the multi-faceted Oakton offensive. Coyer entered the game with 1,155 rushing yards.

But, on this carry, Coyer scampered right for a first down. He lunged forward, reaching for extra yardage.

Coyer was struck head-on by an incoming Tiger linebacker. Simultaneously, he was hit in the upper back from behind by another Oscar Smith defender.

It was the latter blow that came a fraction of an inch from permanently altering Coyer’s life.

The hit cracked Coyer’s C-7 vertebrae at the base of his neck, causing the quarterback to fall lifelessly to the field. He left minutes later via ambulance and, after hours at the hospital, learned he was two-to-three millimeters from compromising his sympathetic nervous system.

That injury would have left Coyer paralyzed.

“I remember every bit of it,” he said, recently free of a neck brace. “I cut to the right, lowered my shoulders to hit the outside backer and their middle backer hit me from behind on contact. It snapped my head back and created the fracture.

“It’s in the base of the neck. It’s in the spinous process in the back, right where the lump is on your back for each vertebra.”

Yet, miraculously, just 10 days after the break, Coyer has nearly full range of motion in his head and neck and plans to begin rehabilitation next week. He will re-enter the weight room shortly thereafter.

At the time of the injury, Coyer held football scholarship offers from Temple, Central Michjgan and Ohio University.

All three schools have kept their commitments and other universities maintain their courtship, broken back notwithstanding.

“It has not affected [my recruiting] at all,” said Coyer, who passed for 1,346 yards and 17 touchdowns to four interceptions last season. “Colleges are still just as interested. They were worried at first when they found out that I had fractured a vertebra in my back.

“But after finding out that it was stable, that it would heal fully and that I’d be able to come back to football, they’re just fine.”

Even more astonishing, Coyer hopes to return to the Oakton basketball team this season. He is one of only three seniors on the roster.

A return to the floor would mean a three-month turnaround, going from near paralysis to suiting up for the Concorde District playoffs.

“We have a young team this year,” said Coyer, a 6-feet, 3-inch forward for the Cougars. “I plan to be back towards the end of January, hopefully make it for some sort of playoff run.”

E-mail: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

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By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

**CLICK HERE for photos.

**CLICK HERE for videos.

After coming within one win of its first Dulles District championship in over 40 seasons in 2007-08, the Raiders are putting on an early-season encore performance reminiscent of last year’s run.

Loudoun County, which won its first seven games last year, is perfect through four tests this season after its 63-52 road win over Oakton on Monday.

But coach Brian Blubaugh is proving to be a professional in guarded optimism.

“We got off to a good start last year, but we’re really, as a team, just focused on the district,” he said. “We want to do well in that and we’ve just been pumping to our game on Friday with Park View.

“These are all well and good — these non-district games — but they are all in preparation for Friday. That’s when they really start to count.”

Loudoun County’s first-week successes come as no surprise, though. The Raiders, although having graduated second-team All-Region nominee Donne Lucas, returned eight seniors from last year’s unit.

“All our seniors know our plays and our young guys know our plays, too,” senior point guard Joe Bushrod said. “I think we have two people that haven’t played in the program yet. They’re picking it up pretty quick.

“They don’t play a lot of minutes, but when they do they’re making their free throws like they did at the end. And everyone knows their plays. When we actually do run it, we get people on their heels.”

Added Blubaugh: “A couple of those guys have been here for three years, all on varsity. Rick [Cottom] and Timmy [McLister] and Joe have been on varsity for three years.

“Even Bret Tagg, who is another starter who is out for the year, he’s another one. He’s helping coach now.”

And, as it was in the Raiders first three wins, Bushrod led the charge.

The do-everything senior has scored 20 or more points in every game this season and recorded the team-high in points in all four Raider wins. But that’s not to say Bushrod, who scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half, failed to get other scorers involved.

He used every bit of his handling mastery to bounce passes to eager perimeter and interior shooters, with style that left even Cougar fans audibly impressed.

“I’d rather pass for three than shoot for three,” said Bushrod, who was fouled four times in the opening four minutes because of his elusiveness. “I think it comes naturally, rather than trying to be flashy. Sometimes you have to make the flashy pass, but sometimes it gets me in trouble, too.

“I try to get my assists up, it’s definitely a goal for me that my coaches have given me. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, I have to run for it.”

Added Blubaugh on Bushrod: “If you get close on him, he’s going to go by you and you have to hand check. Or, if you lay off of him, he can also shoot the three. He’s tough to defend sometimes.

“[Cougar junior Kris McNeil] was a heck of a shooter but he fouled out basically trying to guard Joe.”

Oakton showed signs of life down the stretch, but never cut the Loudoun County lead to less than four points after the first quarter.

The young Cougars are without one of their three seniors for an estimated three months, losing senior post player Chris Coyer in the first quarter of last Saturday’s Division 6 state football semifinal. He fractured his C-7 vertebrae in Oakton’s 10-7 loss to eventual state champion Oscar Smith.

Coyer, though, is optimistic he can return to the lineup in time for the Concorde District playoffs.

“I plan to be back towards the end of January and hopefully make it for some kind of playoff run,” said Coyer, who holds football scholarship offers from Temple, Ohio University and Central Michigan. “My leadership role is especially important because we have a young team this year. These guys are still learning.

“We have a lot of guys who are on varsity for the first time. It’s necessary to have that leadership within the team.”

E-mail: pmurphy@digitalsports.com

Loudoun County  14  17  11  21  —  63
Oakton                 10   9   12  21  —  52

Loudoun County – Bushrod 5 11-13 23; Ferrell 4 2-2 10; Campbell 3 1-3 10; Cottom 4 1-3 9; McLister 1 0-0 3; Larson 1 0-0 2; Mrkonjic 1 0-0 2; Fitts 0 2-2 2; Hoy 0 2-2 2. Oakton – Shemeld 4 3-4 14; McNeil 4 2-3 12; Larson 3 2-5 8; Koutris 2 1-2 5; Stottlemyer 1 2-2 5; Daley 2 0-1 4; Hajrovic 1 0-1 2; McCormick 0 1-2 1. 3-Pointers – Loudoun County 6 (Shemeld 3, McNeil 2, Stottlemyer); Oakton 6 (Campbell 3, Bushrod 2, McLister).

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