South Lakes Uses Scrambling QB, Stifling Defense to Take Down West Potomac

By BRIAN McNICOLL

It was beginning to look like the South Lakes High Seahawks were not going to ever get on track on Friday night at home against West Potomac. They’d missed a field goal to foil one drive, took a 24-yard sack to foil another and had to settle for a field goal after bogging down at Wolverine 10-yard line on still another.

So when junior quarterback Christian Wyatt came to the line on 3rd-and-14 at the West Potomac 35, it looked like the Seahawks were in danger of squandering yet another chance.

But Wyatt had other ideas. He went back to pass, studied his options, sidestepped the rush, moved forward, checked for downhill receivers one last time, then took off running. By the time he was tackled, he had not only converted the third down, he had given the Seahawks first down on the 12.

“It looked like one of those runs you see on the NFL highlights,” said South Lakes Coach Jason Hescock, whose team exceeded last year’s win total on Friday night. “Sometimes he does silly stuff and holds on to the ball too long. But he has the discipline, and he’s cutting down on mistakes and starting to make some great plays for us.”

Two plays later, Dalton Blakeney scored from six yards out to give the Seahawks a lead they would never relinquish on the way to a 28-13 victory that gives the Seahawks a 3-1 record going into their bye week.

“That was just a case of seeing an opportunity to make a play and going for it,” Wyatt said after the game. “We were in a situation where we had to take some risks.”

This was no methodical beatdown. South Lakes survived despite having its fewest rushing and passing yards in a game this season, its fewest first downs and its most incomplete passes in one game. The Seahawks defense allowed a 79-yard touchdown pass and a 48-yard touchdown pass – both to receivers who were wide open – and gave up 273 total yards, the most in a game all season.

By late-second quarter, when Wyatt made his run, it already looked like South Lakes was in for a slog. Other than the 79-yard TD pass for West Potomac, the Seahawks defense largely kept the Wolverines in check.

But South Lakes reached the 15 only to miss a field goal, squandered a 62-yard pass play to George Zarechnak in another drive, and had first down on the Wolverine 15 only to have to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Nick Bertoni, his second field goal of the year.

From the moment of Wyatt’s run, the Seahawks seemed to take control. They stifled the Wolverines till halftime then drove the opening kickoff of the second half 62 yards to a touchdown. Blakeney, who leads the team with seven touchdowns and 44 total points, has now rushed for 386 yards in four games.

“I can’t say enough about our offensive line,” Blakeney said. “They give me room to work, and that’s all I need is a little room.”

After West Potomac, now 1-2, responded with a touchdown of its own, a 48-yard bomb to make it 16-13 with 1:15 to go in the third quarter, the Seahawks closed it out with a drive of their own.

Starting at their 21, the Seahawks put forth one of their classic dink-and-dunk drives. No play covered more than 11 yards until they hit a third-and-5 at their 37, where Wyatt hit Nick Picarelli for a 32-yard completion. It took six more bruising, clock-consuming runs until Blakeney banged in from the one to make it 22-13.

Picarelli had 12 catches last season for 134 yards – 98 on one school record-breaking touchdown catch. He has not made it into the end zone this year despite returning kicks and punts, starting at wide receiver all season and, as of Friday night, taking on some of the running back load. His eight carries for 33 yards were team-highs this season for anyone not named Dalton Blakeney or Christian Wyatt.

Picarelli twice has nearly broken a kickoff return for a touchdown, including a 38-yard gallop on Friday night. He says he’s getting close to converting one to a touchdown.

“I think we’re going to see it. We’ve been so close a few times. I can see the creases better,” he said.

South Lakes tacked on a touchdown with 39 seconds left – another 1-yard run by Blakeney – after West Potomac went for a 4th-and-16 from its own 4 and failed.

The Seahawks don’t play this week but take on Herndon in the Baron Cameron Bowl the following Saturday. There’s no question that a confident Seahawks squad will make the trip over t he Herndon.

“Our offensive line has been dominating all the way through,” said Chris Kishimoto, one of the leaders up front on both sides of the ball. “We’re trusting in each other. We have a ton of chemistry. And we’re nowhere near our peak.”

West Potomac 7 0 6 0 - 13
South Lakes 0 10 6 12 - 28
WP-Blake Hucherson, 79 pass from Ben Knapp (John Coulter kick)
SL-Nick Bertoni, FG 27
SL-Dalton Blakeney, 6 run (Bertoni kick)
SL-Christian Wyatt, 1 run (kick blocked)
WP-Max Tuttle, 48 pass from Knapp (pass failed)
SL-Blakeney, 1 run (pass failed)
SL-Blakeney, 1 run (kick blocked)

WP SL
First Downs 6 11
Rushes-Yards 33-111 45-138
Passing Yards 160 135
Passes (A-C-I) 21-10-1 20-12-0
Punts-Avg 5-32 5-36.6
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-0
Penalties-Yds 15-106 7-60
Rushing – WP: Knapp 12-65, Zion Blackwell 9-254, Jamare McBride-Coleman 7-15, Drew Peters 3-minus 5, Aalee Rasheed 1-2, Marshall LoCascio 2-9. SL: Blakeney 25-76, Nick Picarelli 8-39, Wyatt 10-13, Joshua Dagbe 2-10.
Passing – WP: Knapp 21-10-1, 160 yards, 2 TDs. SL: Wyatt 20-12-0, 135 yards..
Receiving – WP: McBride-Coleman 3-1, George Zarechnak 3-72, Blakeney 2-minus 8, Henry Strickland 1-12, Dagbe 1-10, Picarelli 4-59.