Seahawks Turn To Talented Sophomore For Leadership On The Road

By BRIAN McNICOLL

South Lakes High’s second half performance against Madison last Friday took Seahawks Coach Jason Hescock “to a weirdly dark place.”

The team had not endured a half like that all year. The Seahawks were outgained 153-minus 17 on the ground and 88-14 through the air and controlled the ball for only 8:37 of the final 24 minutes as Madison pulled away with three second-half scores for a 49-16 victory.

But there was one bright spot, and it came from a player who has come from a minor contributor early in the season to a focal point of the Seahawks offense and defense. Joshua Dagbe, a sophomore, led the Seahawks offense with 129 receiving yards on seven catches. He scored both of South Lakes’ touchdowns on passes of 17 and 33 from junior quarterback Christian Wyatt.

Dagbe had one catch in the season opener against Yorktown. He did not catch a pass against Robinson. He caught one the next week at Battlefield, one against West Potomac and one in the loss to Herndon.

“I get to Week 5, and I haven’t even scored,” Dagbe said. “I was praying about it, and I found I was letting distractions get in my way. So I cut out the distractions and focused only on school and football. Then I got it going against Oakton, and everything has been better since.”

Dagbe had six catches for 91 yards against the Cougars in a 24-21 victory. The following week, even as Nick Picarelli had 197 yards and three TDs in a 33-28 victory, Dagbe played a key role with three catches for 46 yards and a 22-yard scoring reception of his own.

Fans might just now be coming around to what Dagbe can do, but the Seahawks have known all along.. Indeed Hescock has talked of “keeping him under wraps” and trying to “not put too many miles on the Cadillac” right from the summer.

Even before the season, his teammates elected him one of their four captains – “and it wasn’t even close,” Hescock said. The players saw immediately that they had a leader on their hands – a two-way performer who also is South Lakes’ top defensive back.

Dagbe gained recognition because he was keenly aware of what each position should do and was not shy about pointing out when others didn’t meet the mark. “I’ve been very blessed,” Dagbe said. “I’ve been seen as a leader and I’ve tried to reinforce that and set the right example.”

Dagbe said he's not the only one -- George Zarechnak, a junior receiver, also "keeps teammates riled up" -- but that he sees it as important to communicate.

Dagbe said he and all the players who share in the leadership of the team have their work cut out for them this week. The Seahawks lost focus during the Madison game, and Centreville presents what many now see as an even larger challenge.

“We have some things to tighten up – on special teams and elsewhere – and I think we’ve had a good week of it,” Dagbe said.

Indeed the Wildcats will pose a challenge for the Seahawks, who dropped to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the Concorde with the Madison loss.

Centreville is 6-1 overall and has won its last six since a season-opening 56-47 loss at Forest Park. The Wildcats have scored at least 35 points in every game this season, including a 38-14 romp over Yorktown, whom South Lakes beat by one in Week 1, as well as a 53-7 victory over Chantilly, a 35-32 victory over Madison and a 35-28 decision over Westfield.

The Wildcats have a 100-yard-per-game rusher in Cardin Stover, a 129-yard-per-game receiver in Jourdan Simpson and a seasoned quarterback with a big arm and good speed in Will Shields.

“They are very dynamic on offense and much improved on defense,” said Hescock. “They quarterback is a three-year starter and really savvy. They can run and pass, and the quarterback makes good decisions. On defense, their ends can run, their defensive backs can cover, and they can really move the ball.”

Hescock said the Seahawks have worked this week on “getting more hats to the ball. We can’t count on one person to make the tackle all the time,” he said.

Hescock said offensive tackle Milo Wilkins and the line have had a good week of preparations as have defensive back Cameron Soto and linebacker Aidan Hileman among others. He said Wyatt “had maybe his best week of the year in terms of decision-making.”

Last year, Centreville erupted for 28 points in the third quarter for a 31-21 victory. Hescock said the key was not to let one mistake lead to another as happened in that game.

“It’s managing when things go wrong, and it’s taking care of each other,” Hescock said.