South Lakes Could Be In For a Battle of Big Plays Against West Potomac on Friday Night

By BRIAN McNICOLL

South Lakes High football coach Jason Hesock was ready with the cross-sport metaphor for what he expects out of the Seahawks’ game against West Potomac Friday night at 7 at South Lakes.

“When we get the ally-oop, we need to convert the slam dunk,” Hescock said. “We need to convert. And we need to manage the moments. Because there are going to be big plays both ways, and we have to be ready to respond.”

The Seahawks are a 99-yard kickoff return from being 3-0, leading Prince William County power Battlefield into the final 30 seconds of the game before falling 20-16.

Senior running back Dalton Blakeney, who had a great week of practice according to Hescock, rushed for 76 yards on 18 carries against the Bobcats. It was his first game with less than 100 yards and fewer than 20 carries.

Junior quarterback Christian Wyatt continued his extremely accurate passing, completing 21 of 25 for 175 yards against a team that did a good job of keeping the pressure on and preventing long passes. On the season, Wyatt is 54-of-72 for 571 yards and three touchdowns.

But Wyatt threw his first two interceptions of the season against Battlefield – the Seahawks’ last play of the first and second halves. And the Seahawks lost two fumbles in the game and one the previous week – giving them three on the season. Last year, South Lakes lost only four fumbles all season.

“It was addressed,” Hescock said. “We work on it every week, but we’ve definitely been taking a closer look.”

West Potomac comes in off its bye week with a 1-1 record. The Wolverines lost to West Springfield, 19-0, in their season opener, then routed Mount Vernon, 42-7, in the battle for Route 1 supremacy.

Against Mount Vernon, senior quarterback Ben Knapp went 12-of-14 for 106 yards and a touchdown, and the Wolverines ran for 223 yards. Against West Springfield, the Wolverines passed for 120 yards but rushed for just 20.

“With them, it’s always the speed,” said Hescock, who was an assistant coach at West Potomac for 10 years before coming to South Lakes. “They are going to make big plays. You just have to manage those moments.”

Hescock says the Wolverines employ what their coaches call "Blitzkrieg defense.” “They’re very aggressive. They like to play man coverages. They also do a lot of other looks … creating havoc wherever they can.”

Asked if this would create an advantage for South Lakes’ receivers on the outside, Hescock pointed to another advantage. “We’re excited to try to run against it,” he said, adding that tackle Milo Wilkins “has really taken on a leadership role with the offensive line and gotten them playing better.”

He’s also excited to see his defense line up against West Potomac. The Seahawks have forced some turnovers themselves in the early part of the season. They have had a fumble recovery and an interception in each of their last two games.

South Lakes junior defensive back Cameron Soto had “ a tale of two halves,” Hescock said. “One with some stuff you’d like to fix, but the other he had 17 tackles. He gets better every week.”

Colin Wall, a junior linebacker, also is expected to play a key role. “He shows up on the film every week,” Hescock said.