Division 6 Championship: Oakton 52, Chantilly 14

By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

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Both
No. 2 Oakton and No. 4 Chantilly stretched and jogged in their
respective end zones before the start of the second half with the loud
speakers blaring on Saturday.

As one anthem blended into the
next, Oakton trotted to-and-fro, in neat patterns of seven players with
the result of the Division 6 Northern Region championship game already
secured.

The Cha Cha Slide started — belting out dance
instructions — to the audible joy of the pep band and fans. And then
the Cougars joined in.

Dozens of players, bloodied and battered
with chalk caked to their Goosebump-covered skin, stepped in unison,
jumping once, twice — five times — on command, with a care-free
attitude atypical of team known for its stoic, mechanical way of
submitting opponents.

But it was that looseness that propelled
Oakton on the brisk afternoon in Vienna, as the Cougars provided their
most dominant performance of the season, scoring the first 52 points of
the game en route to a 52-14 win over the Chargers.

“Doing the Cha Cha Slide after half time is just kind of our thing,” said senior quarterback Chris Coyer,
with an ever-thickening playoff beard. “We just always do that to keep
us loose and I think it’s good for the team … You can’t be too
uptight for the game.”

Added Oakton linebacker and captain Joey McCallum:
“We’ve done that every game this year and we’ve almost gotten flagged
for it a couple times. We just love football, every one of us. We love
being out here and having the best time we can.

“Being up 45-0 at half helps, too.”

As
it had all year, Oakton — recognized for its balance more than any
other team — marched down the field at will on Saturday.

Its first
eight offensive possessions ended in points. Coyer accounted for five
of the Cougars’ seven touchdowns, completing 9-of-15 passes for 184
yards and two scores.

He also carried nine times for 42 yards in three touchdowns, all of which came before half time.

“We’ve
all put so much work and effort into this season to get where we are,”
said Coyer, the Concorde District Offensive Player of the Year. “A lot
of people put as underdogs coming into this game.

“We wanted to come out
and show everyone that we’re the best team in this region.”

The
reason some media outlets pegged the Cougars as underdogs stood at a
generous 5-feet, 10-inches, 220-pounds in the Charger backfield.

Chantilly senior running back Torrian Pace
had been an historic playoff tear, rushing for 723 yards and nine
scores, in addition to a 53-yard touchdown reception, in only two
playoff games.

But Pace was held to his second-lowest rushing total of the season, 105 yards on 18 carries.

And
had it not been for a 63-yard, third-quarter touchdown run, he would
have been kept below his previous season-low, 87 yards, set on October
3 against Oakton (13-0).

“Even though we did a good job stopping
West Springfield’s running game, we still felt we had a lot to prove,”
said McCallum, who had three tackles for loss. “A lot of people were
doubting us, doubting our ability to stop Torrian Pace and that great
O-line. Everyone did their job.

“If everyone does their job, you build a brick wall and you stop them.”

Added Chantilly head coach Mike Lalli,
whose team finished the year at 9-4: “[Oakton] didn’t turn the ball
over. They didn’t make penalties. They played very disciplined
football. We didn’t come out really sharp.

“And by the time we [fixed it], it was too late. The avalanche had already begun.”

Oakton
is set to face its toughest test yet next week at home against Oscar
Smith, the Eastern Region champions, in the AAA State semifinals on
Saturday.

The Tigers (13-0) have outscored their opponents
553-85 this season. They are ranked No. 7 in the nation in the ESPNRise
poll and No. 9 on Rivals.com, higher than any other team in the
Mid-Atlantic states.

Last year, as a sophomore, Tiger quarterback Phillip Sims
threw for a state-tournament record 480 yards — 72 yards more than the
previous all-time high — in Oscar Smith’s 24-21 loss to Westfield.

It was the undefeated Bulldogs’ only game decided by fewer than 12 points in their state championship run.

“I haven’t seen them yet, so I’m not exactly sure what they do,” said senior linebacker Jack Tyler,
the Concorde District Defensive Player of the Year. “But I’m sure our
coaches will put us in great position to win and all we’ll have to do
is execute.”

Added senior running back Trey Watts: “We have to prepare like they’re the best team in the nation. But we have to prepare like we can get the job done.”

No. 4 Chantilly 0 0 7 7 — 14
No. 2 Oakton 21 24 7 0 — 52

Scoring Summary
1Q — OK — Coyer 4 run (Goins kick) — 7:06
1Q — OK — Meadows 27 run (Goins kick) — 4:03
1Q — OK — Chandler 50 from Coyer (Goins kick) — 1:41
2Q — OK — Coyer 2 run (Goins kick) — 8:57
2Q — OK — Coyer 1 run (Goins kick) — 6:45
2Q — OK — Watts 22 run (Goins kick) — 2:01
2Q — OK — Goins 28 FG — 0:00
3Q — OK — Watts 7 from Coyer (Goins kick) — 6:26
3Q — CH — Pace 63 run (Abott kick) — 4:49
4Q — CH — Vaughn 49 from Strittmatter (Abott kick) — 7:53

Individual Leaders
Passing
CH — Strittmatter 8-of-16 passing, 86 yards, TD, 2 INT. OK — Coyer 9-of-15 passing, 184 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT.
Rushing
CH — Pace 18 carries, 105 yards, TD; McGrath 8 carries, 24 yards. OK — Meadows 18 carries, 105 yards, TD; Watts 7 carries, 47 yards, TD; Coyer 9 carries, 42 yards, 3 TDs (all first half).
Receiving
CH — Vaughn 2 receptions, 53 yards, TD; Ryan 3 receptions, 14
yards; A.J. Johnson 2 receptions, 14 yards. OK — Harris 2 receptions, 62 yards; Watts 5 receptions, 44 yards; TD; Chandler 1 receptions, 50 yards, TD; Reynolds 1 reception, 28 yards.
Third-Down Conversions
CH — 3-for-11. OK — 6-for-11.
Fourth-Down Conversions