On Friday evening, the top two teams in the state, defending boys and girls state champions and crosstown rivals—Oakton and Madison—met for a Concorde Conference showdown at Oakmarr. With nearly every seat in the stands filled and the teams roaring on deck, the atmosphere at Oakmarr was at a championship level all night. 

Last year, the Cougar and Warhawk boys battled at Districts, Regions, and States but with large senior classes graduating for both teams, this year there were many new faces on deck. With Anthony Grimm making his season debut, the Cougars jumped out to a quick lead with a first and third finish in the 200 medley relay. Chase Koller and Joe Wong followed up with victories in the 200 freestyle and 200 IM. Heading into the diving break after 50 freestyle, the Cougars had opened a commanding 35-point lead. A first-second finish by Grimm and Kyle McCleskey in 100 butterfly and huge time drops in the 500 freestyle by Cameron Dearman (third) and James Piccolo (fifth) continued to expand the lead. In an impressive display of depth and speed, the Cougars outscored the Warhawks in all 12 events en route to a 198 to 117 victory, moving the boys to a 7-0 record.

Next week, the Cougars will wrap up the regular season with a dual meet against the Chantilly Chargers, at Audrey Moore Rec Center starting at 6:00pm.