Round two of the Northern Region AAA Championships was billed all week as an aerial shootout of epic proportions between the 11-0 Oakton Cougars and the 8-3 West Springfield Spartans.  Could the Oakton scoreboard keep up with the predicted onslaught of points?  Whichever team would blink first would go home, with the winner surviving to play next weekend in the finals.  The weather would add one more level of difficulty as misty rain and heavy fog set in for the evening.   

For most of the first quarter though, it appeared that each team’s defense might steal the show as each forced the other side to punt twice.  The Cougars finally got rolling on their third possession starting from their own 10-yard line.  On the first play, Chris Coyer found Trey Watts for a nice 23-yard pass completion.  Two plays later, Coyer dropped back again and looked over his options.  Finding no one open, Coyer tucked the ball and headed around right end, outrunning everyone down the sideline for an electrifying 65-yard touchdown.  Ray Goins kicked a penalty induced 35-yard extra point to make the score 7-0, Oakton as the first period ended.

The Spartans would get untracked on their next possession as well, quickly moving to a first-and-goal situation.  The Cougar defense forced three straight incomplete passes.  Joey Kopfman brilliantly tipped away a sure touchdown pass in the end zone to force West Springfield to settle for a 27-yard Field Goal.  7-3 Oakton.  On the ensuing kickoff, Derek Gleich fielded a short kick and returned it to midfield.  On the first play, Coyer dropped back to pass.  Not finding anything to his liking, he pulled the ball in and stormed through the line, sprinting down the middle of the field into the end zone untouched for a 50-yard touchdown.  Goins’ kick put the Cougars up 14-3 and things were beginning to heat up.

Ray Goins boomed the kickoff into the end zone and the Cougar defense held the potent Spartans to one more three-and-out and another rare West Springfield punt.  Coyer brought the Cougar offense back out.  On the third play, Coyer set up to pass.  Again he decided to keep it, amazingly running 65 yards into the end zone for another apparent touchdown.  An Oakton penalty negated the touchdown but gave Oakton a first down near midfield.  Now out of breath, Coyer dropped back and decided to throw it and let someone else do the heavy work.  He found Trey Watts single-covered and Watts made a miraculous one-handed catch and run for a 46-yard touchdown.  Goins kick put the Cougars up 21-3.  Not to be outdone, the Spartan offense scored on a 30-yard touchdown pass of their own on their next possession. The key play being a very questionable pass interference call on the Oakton defense moving the ball into scoring territory.  Oakton 21-10.  West Springfield again squibbed the kickoff to Derek Gleich at the Oakton 33 yard-line.  On the first play from scrimmage, Coyer again looked to pass behind the flawless pass protection from his offensive linemen Nick Koutris, Jon Hart, Austin Mayhew, Sam Strauss, and Trevor Yarnall.   Coyer found Watts open once again, this time for an unbelievable 67-yard touchdown bomb.  Matt Chandler’s decisive down field block, allowed Watts to travel untouched into the end zone.  Goins kick made the score 28-10 Oakton.  The Cougar defense held the Spartans to two more three-and-outs and West Springfield’s fourth and fifth punts of the evening.  The half ended with Oakton leading 28-10.

Could the second half match the furious pace of the first half action?  The question would be answered quickly.  Oakton kicked off and West Springfield scored in three plays.  The extra point was missed.  Oakton 28-16.  The Cougars needed only 29 seconds and two plays for Chris Coyer to find a wide open Jay Young in perfect stride for a 55-yard touchdown pass and catch.  Young scored untouched.  Goins kick made the score 35-16, Oakton.  On the ensuing Spartan second play from scrimmage, Jack Tyler dropped into pass coverage and intercepted a West Springfield pass racing back up field to set his offense up at the West Springfield 22-yard line.  Coyer would only need three plays to yet again find Jay Young, this time in the corner of the end zone for a well played 10-yard scoring pass and catch.  Goins kick made the score 42-16, Oakton.  West Springfield drove 75 yards to score yet again.  The extra point was blocked by Andrew Leonard.  42-22, Oakton.  Again, West Springfield fearing the Cougar deep kick returners, kicked off short.  An alert Derek Gleich picked this one up and raced 65 yards to the end zone for the Cougars third touchdown of the third quarter.  Goins kick brought the score to 49-22.  Not to be outdone, the Spartans would score and closed out the third quarter at 49-29, Oakton.  The poor Cougar scoreboard was straining to keep up with a 40 point quarter.

The Spartans recovered an on-side kick and took 12 plays to score again. 49-36. Another West Springfield kick off and this time the Spartans forced an Oakton fumble on the first play from scrimmage.  On a short field, the Spartans threw a TD bomb on their first play tightening the score to a brain numbing 49-43 with 8:30 left in the game.  Unbelievably, the Spartans forced yet another fumble on the next Oakton series turning the ball back over to their lethal offense once again.  It was now or never for the Cougar defense with 6:46 left in the game.  As they have done all season when it mattered the most, the defense stepped up big time and forced the Spartans to turn the ball over on downs.  Dan Aevermann’s sack being the big play.  The Spartans would get the ball one last time with 1:21 on the clock.  With the mantra “our season doesn’t end today” the tired but gutty Cougar defense held fast one more time and forced the Spartans to turn the ball over on downs in four plays.  Joey McCallum’s tackle on fourth down, two yards short of a first down was the game saver.  Final Score Oakton 49 – West Springfield 43.

The Cougars will host the Chantilly Chargers next Saturday at 1:30 for the Northern Region AAA Championship.  The Charger faithful have vowed revenge for their loss to the Cougars earlier in the season. 

For the evening, the Cougars had 239 yards rushing on 30 carries and 212 yards passing.  Chris Coyer led all rushers with 179 yards on 13 carries and 2 TDs, and was 6 for 14 passing for 212 yards and 4 TDs.  Trey Watts had three receptions for 113 yards and 2 TDs.  Jay Young added two receptions, both for TDs and 65 yards.