After a harsh start to the season, the Seahawks took home their first win Friday night against the Falls Church Jaguars, during the annual homecoming football game. The game concluded with a commanding score of 48-6, which is in stark contrast to the previous two defeats the team faced this season.
The matchup began with Falls Church receiving the starting kickoff. After three straight plays that went negative, the Seahawks gained possession in Jaguars territory. Quarterback Mohamed Shuaib threw a pass to Wide Receiver Matthew McArthur to score the first touchdown. Kicker James Marburg scored the extra point to put Seahawks up by seven.
Falls Church attempted to tie it back up whilst on 4th down, but the drive ultimately had no results. The Seahawks got the ball back and Shuaib threw a spectacular throw but it just missed its target. The Seahawks scored their second touchdown shortly after, with senior running back Cody Wood taking it to the endzone.
Following the touchdown, Marburg awarded the team an extra point making the score 14-0. Once back on offense, Falls Church was able to make a big play and completed a 55 yard catch and run. Afterwards, Falls Church scored their one and only touchdown with just seconds left on the clock. However, their extra point kick was blocked by Junior utility man Dalton Blakeney to put the score at 14-6 going into the second quarter.
The Seahawks began the 2nd quarter already in the lead 14 – 6. By the eighth minute of the 2nd quarter, Seahawks running back Cody Wood scored another touchdown, strengthening the lead to 21 – 6, which created an even bigger beacon of hope for the team and fans, both yearning for the first win of the season.
As the quarter progressed, Falls Church and the Seahawks were fighting to maintain possession and the ball was constantly flipping sides. Falls Church gained a little momentum, fighting to get down the field. Fortunately, the small strides being made by Falls Church resulted in nothing on the scoreboard. As the game nearly reached halftime, Seahawks running back Cody Wood took one more to the house with 44 seconds left on the clock, making the game 28 – 6.
“We just have to keep moving the ball, being patient, and staying humble”, said Quarterback Mohamed Shuaib at halftime. Shuaib continued to say “Everyone on the team is playing well tonight but I must give credit to my O-line because they have really stepped up this game… Those two losses got to us, but now we are here to win.”
When Coach Hescock of the Seahawks was asked about his thoughts of the game at the half, He replied “The penalties are what’s throwing us off our game, but once we have discipline, nothing can stop us. We are our biggest opponent right now… We have had a great game so far, but there are still some things to work on.”
Halftime wrapped up after some excellent shows from the Cheerleading and Dance teams.
The 3rd quarter began with a fantastic kickoff return attempt by Sophomore Nick Picarelli bringing it down to around the 40. Quarterback Mohamed Shuaib threw a laser to Senior Wide receiver Alec Saunders taking all the way to the 14 yard line! Down by the goal line,Wood was able to take it one more time for six with the free kick being made, taking the score to 35 – 6.
The excitement of the drive was not yet gone as immediately following the free kick, the Seahawks made an attempt at an onside kick and Sophomore Sebastian Valencia was able to recover the ball! The Seahawks powered down the field and the result of the drive would be Quarterback Mohamed Shuaib connecting with wide receiver Alec Saunders. The free kick was scored by first-year-kicker James Marburg, making him 5/5 for the night and making the score 42 – 6.
Falls Church continued their streak of unanswered drives and the Seahawks once again took the field. With such a strong lead, the Seahawks put in Sophomore quarterback Christian Wyatt. Wyatt leads the team down the field, scrambling for an 8 yard gain. With 3:36 left on the clock for the quarter, Wyatt was able to connect with Alec Saunders for his 3rd touchdown of the quarter, and Junior kicker Lila Jaster made the kick to make the score 48 – 6. Falls Church once again was unable to make anything out of their possession and the ball was repeatedly turned over for the rest of the quarter.
The 4th quarter began with a score of 48 – 6, Falls Church hadn’t been able to score since their 1st touchdown in the opening quarter. Both teams were unable to put up any more points in the 4th quarter, with each team constantly flipping possessions and all drives resulting in no increase in points. With each drive ultimately resulting in 0 points, the clock slowly counted down to 0 with no points scored in the final quarter. The game ended with a score of 48 – 6, South Lakes.
This win will hopefully be enough to kick start a fantastic season. This win has the chance to be the first of many more to come this season.
