By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area
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Westfield (1-4, 0-0) at Oakton (3-2, 0-0)
Last Week: Oakton lost to Edison, 18-14; Westfield lost to Woodson, 28-7
Playoff Position (SOS): Oakton (Div 6) 5th; Westfield (Div 6) 13th
To avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 2001, Westfield has to beat two of these three opponents: Oakton, Robinson and Chantilly.
And that’s assuming wins over both Herndon and Centreville, as well as a couple of Patriot-District triumphs for West Potomac.
The Bulldogs are third from the bottom of the Division 6 PowerPoint ratings, ahead of only the Saxons and Wolverines.
Westfield’s first three losses came by a total of five points and to teams whose records are a combined 13-2. But last week, against Division 6 two-seed Woodson, it fell by three scores at home, allowing 9.80 yards per pass attempt.
The Bulldogs were held to 2.91 yards per rush, while allowing 4.94.
The Cougars’ home loss, while decidedly closer, was no less depressing. Oakton fell to Edison, 18-14, allowing 15 unanswered second-half points. It had one second-half first down, which came on a penalty.
The Cougars ran 18 plays in the first quarter to the Eagles’ four, but for the third time this year were held scoreless after halftime. This season, opponents hold a 51-13 scoring advantage in the second half.
In the fourth quarter of the last three games, Oakton is 4-for-13 passing for 32 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions.
Even with the immense second-half scoring disparity, the Cougars have the third best scoring defense in Division 6.
They are hands down the best first-half team in the region. They’ve yielded just 30 total first-half points, 6.0 per game. Expect specific attention to strong closure against the battered, dipping Bulldogs.
For Westfield to spring the upset, it has to yield fewer yards. It may sound like an oversimplification, but the Bulldogs have allowed over 300 total yards in each of the last four games.
Oakton leads the all-time series 6-5 with four meetings decided by four points or fewer. The all-time scoring differential is only four points, 230-226, in favor of the Cougars.
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
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