South Lakes Looks To Keep Its Season Going In the Right Direction Vs. Hungry Madison Squad

By BRIAN McNICOLL

South Lakes High football coach Jason Hescock said he knew his team had had a good offseason – the Seahawks had done well in the weight room and the classroom, in 7-on-7 leagues and at 7 a.m. workouts.

But coming into Friday night’s game at Madison with a two-game lead over the Warhawks in both overall play and in the Concorde District? “Didn’t have it chalked up that way … that’s for sure,” Hescock said.

It is indeed somewhat of a shocker, South Lakes didn’t win a game after Week 4 last year and finished 2-8, 0-6 in the Concorde. The Seahawks went into the Madison game not trying to clinch a playoff spot – as they would Friday night with a victory in Vienna – but to stave off elimination.

It didn’t happen. After a stalwart first half in which South Lakes was tied into the last two minutes and trailed just 14-7, the Seahawks gave up two quick touchdowns and ended up losing, 35-7.

Now it is Madison needing a win to keep playoff hopes alive. The Warhawks, who were undefeated until they lost in the state championship game last year, come in 3-4, 0-2 in the district with losses to Westfield (17-16) and Centreville (35-32) in a game the Wildcats clinched with a big pass play in the final minute.

“They’re wounded, like a caged animal,” Hescock said. “We’ve been there. There’s an urgency to win. They will bring everything they have, and although they don’t have the record this year, it’s Madison. They have a winning culture. They know how to win. They know how to execute. And we better be ready.”

Indeed, a look at the resume shows this Madison team could be just a victory away from returning to the Concorde District race. The Warhawks’ other two losses came to Stone Bridge, probably the highest-rated public school in Northern Virginia this season, and to Lake Braddock, which has emerged as the favorite to win the Patriot District.

Against Centreville, they twice erased two-touchdown deficits and were poised to force overtime when a defensive back went for an interception on a short pass and the Centreville receiver made the catch and had nothing but green grass in front of him.

Madison running back Matthew Wieler rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, and the Warhawks passed effectively throughout the game. But it wasn’t enough.

Meanwhile, South Lakes continued to recover from its Herndon loss with a second straight Concorde District victory, this time a 33-28 victory over Chantilly that was not as close as the score indicated.

Nick Picarelli, who had a big touchdown catch in last season’s Madison game, had his biggest night as a Seahawk last Friday against Chantilly with six catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Picarelli, who owns the school record with a 98-yard TD catch last year against Chantilly, had TD catches of 72, 30 and 29 against Chantilly. “He’s such a weapon,” said quarterback Christian Wyatt after the Chantilly game. “He just beats his man and I can put the ball there and trust him to get it.”

Hescock said the good offseason put the Seahawks in the position they are now – players got stronger and faster and more sure of their ability to play together; coaches also improved in various ways – but that we’ve arrived at the point of the season where it will take a tremendous effort to prevail.

“We talk about managing these moments – how do we handle it when things go bad, which you know they will at some point? Are we ready for that? Ready to recover and go to the next play?” Hescock said. “Our goal is to corral them … to keep them from getting away from us, which they are good at doing. We have to be ready every single moment, make plays in the open field, stay in our lanes and be responsible.:

Asked which players were most important to prevailing this week, Hescock said “Whoever makes the first mistake. If that person handles it and recovers and goes well the rest of the game, it’ll set an example and we’ll be in good shape. If we let mistakes lead to more mistakes, we won’t be.

“But we know what we did in the offseason. We know what we’ve done since the season started. This is a different year. A different team. A different recipe. I look forward to this big test, and I know the Seahawks do too.”