Seahawks Learn Tough Lessons in Season-Opening Setback

RESTON, VA — South Lakes High looked on the way to another early knockout Friday night against Osbourn in Manassas. But the Eagles flipped the script with a steady running attack and a productive passing game to defeat the Seahawks, 38-21, in the regular-season opener for both teams.

The game started very much like last year’s. South Lakes didn’t score a touchdown on the opening kickoff as it did in 2023, but it did get a 51-yard return from sophomore Nicholas Picarelli. And the Seahawks did score three plays later on an 11-yard run by Cody Wood. James Marburg converted the point-after for a 7-0 South Lakes lead.

What followed was a drive that would exemplify the night for both teams. It started with a penalty – South Lakes’ kickoff went out of bounds and the ball was placed at the 35. It was the first of what would be 10 penalties on the drive – five for each team, including one offsetting penalty.

More painfully for the Seahawks, one came on a third-and-4, another was a pass interference penalty that gave Osbourn first down on the 16, and the personal foul penalty that was South Lakes’ contribution to the offsetting penalties happened after a sack that would’ve made it 3rd-and-25.

The drive ended on a 4th-and-21 when Osbourn quarterback Nigel Burke threw a perfect 30-yard pass for a touchdown to Jahquez Salmon to tie the game at 7.

In all, South Lakes was assessed 18 penalties for 152 yards, including one that rubbed out a 70-yard touchdown pass from Mohamed Schuaib to Alec Saunders.in the first quarter and four for unsportsmanlike conduct. .

“We made a lot of young mistakes tonight,” said Jason Hescock, who began his sixth season as Seahawks coach. “A lot of this was what happened between our ears. We just couldn’t get into a rhythm, and the penalties had something to do with that.”

South Lakes’s best drive of the game, a 57-yard march that ended with Wood’s second touchdown of the night from a yard out, was aided by a key Osbourn penalty as the Eagles jumped offsides on 4th-and-2 at their own 8.

But after that drive, which ended with 5:34 to go in the second quarter, South Lakes didn’t get another first down till the final minute of the third quarter – and that came on an Osbourn penalty. The Eagles even added a touchdown with an interception and 2-yard return of a South Lakes pass that gave them their first lead at 21-14.

Another Burke touchdown pass, this one for 46 yards to his favorite receiver, freshman Keon Maestas (7 catches-76 yards), gave the Eagles a 29-14 lead.

“Even at that point, down 15, I felt like we were just a play away from getting right back in it. We showed a lot of big-play ability. We just couldn’t get it blocked up front, and we couldn’t finish plays.”

The Seahawks did mount a drive, moving from their 47 to the Osbourn 5, but two penalties, one of which rubbed out a 16-yard TD pass to Sammy Alfred, led to them running out of downs at the Osbourn 21.

But the lead then quickly went to 38-14 when Schuaib was dropped for a safety, and the Eagles took advantage of the short field to punch in another touchdown on a 17-yard run by Jayden Hill.

South Lakes produced a touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Shuaib to Will Cuadio in the game’s final minute, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.

The game was postponed from Thursday to Friday because of the storms. South Lakes will play its home opener this coming Friday against Robinson. which lost, 22-8, to South County in its season opener.

“We’ll learn a lot from this,” Hescock said. “The important thing is to use it to get better.”

South Lakes 7 7 0 7 – 21
Osborne 7 6 16 9 – 38
SL-Cody Wood, 11 run (James Marburg kick)
O-Jahquez Salmon, 30 pass from Nigel Burke (Christian Davis kick)
SL-Wood, 1 run (Marburg kick)
O-Nickolas Williams, 43 pass from Burke (kick blocked)
O-Julian Eller Mehio, 2 interception return (Kha’moni Morris pass from Burke)
O-Kiajae Josiah Lewis, 46 pass from Burke (Davis run)
O-Safety, Mohamed Schuaib tackled in end zone
O-Anthony Arthur, 17 run (Davis kick)
SL-Will Cuadio, 25 pass from Schuaib (Marburg kick)

STATISTICS SL O
First Downs 11 9
Rushes-Yds 31-80 35-92
Passing Yards 139 198
Att-Comp-Int 29-10-1 20-16-0
Punts-Avg 5-27 2-48
Penalties-Yds 18-152 21-167

RUSHING Leaders – SL: Wood 11-40, Schuaib 12-11, Alec Saunders 2-23, Dalton Blakeney 6-6. O: Jayden Hill 17-66, Eric Zavala 4-33.

PASSING Leaders – SL: Schuaib 29-10-1, 139 yards, 1 TD. O: Burke 20-16-0, 198 yards, 3 TDs.

RECEIVING Leaders – SL: Cuadio 2-19, 1 TD; Saunders 2-19, Nathan Deglel 1-7, Sammy Alfred 2-24, Matthew McArthur 1-11, Wood 2-9. O: Maestas 7-76, 1 TD; Williams 3-40, 1 TD; Salmon 1-30, 1 TD; Lewis 1-7,