South Lakes High Football's Offensive And Defensive Lines 'Ahead Of Where We Thought' In Early Going

By BRIAN McNICOLL

When last we checked in on the South Lakes High football Seahawks, they were finishing a 6-6 season that included a first-round playoff victory over Yorktown. There were holes to fill, but the Seahawks were returning an effective quarterback and a good receiving corps.

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The offseason is over, and fans got their first look at how the Seahawks are doing in terms of replacing the departed seniors from last year on Saturday in the annual Blue-White intrasquad scrimmage. And the early reports are positive.

"The linemen – especially the defensive linemen – are way ahead of where we thought they would be," said South Lakes Coach Jason Hescock, who is entering his eighth season as head of the Seahawk program. "We have a lot of people competing at almost every position, and that's a good problem to have."

Hescock mentioned Michael Baxter, a 5-foot-11, 255-pound senior, and Will Barton, a 5-9, 215-pound junior, as leaders along the line, along with Aaron Deglel, a senior and younger brother of 2023-24 stalwart Nathan Deglel.

Joshua Dagbe, a junior who started most of the last two years, returns to anchor the secondary along with David Ladreyou, a sophomore who started part of last season for the South Lakes varsity basketball team, Adhyan Kothembaka, a 5-9, 160-pound junior, and senior Justin Bruens.

On offense, all-Concorde District wide receiver Nick Picarelli showed he is ready for a big senior season with three touchdown catches – two on deep balls over the middle and the other on a 22-yard flag pattern. The last two touchdowns came from Gavin Satterfield, a 6-1, 185-pound sophomore who moved the offense effectively in his last three possessions in the scrimmage.

The Seahawks must replace basically their entire offensive line, and Hescock said he was pleased with the progress there so far,especially for Angel Serrano. The Seahawks also must find an answer at running back. Last year, Dalton Blakeney carried all but six plays all season in which South Lakes handed off to a running back. James Smith delivered some big carries on Saturday and appears to have a leg up on a big field of competitors for the starting position.

South Lakes will return to the scene of its last victory – Yorktown High School – for the season opener on Aug. 28. That will be followed by home games against Robinson and Battlefield, then a road trip to West Potomac, a home game against Herndon, then into Concorde District play.

"We made some dumb mistakes as you always do this time of year," Hescock said. "But for the most part, the guys were ready to play. We still have a lot of work to do, but I like where we're at."