Joshua Dagbe Scores 3 TDs As South Lakes Improves To 3-0

South Lakes Ready To Settle The Score With Battlefield In Reston

By Brian McNicoll

Joshua Dagbe was standing on the sidelines last year when South Lakes High gave up a last-minute kickoff return to lose to Battlefield. This year he made sure the last kickoff of the game didn’t matter.

Dagbe caught 12 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns and also returned an interception for a score as South Lakes rolled over Battlefield, 34-12, Thursday night at South Lakes.

Dagbe’s first-quarter interception return gave South Lakes the lead for good, and his two touchdown catches, which covered 46 and 42 yards and came within three minutes of each other, spurred a 24-point second quarter that gave the Seahawks their first 3-0 start in four years. The Bobcats, who defeated South Lakes, 20-16, last year, fell to 2-1.

The final defensive stats don’t blow you away. South Lakes gave up 343 yards and 22 complete passes, both season highs. But midway through the second quarter, by which point South Lakes had built a 27-6 lead, Battlefield had two first downs, minus-8 yards rushing and, aside from a 69-yard scoring pass over the top of the Seahawks’ defense, just 41 yards passing.

Battlefield quarterback Maddox Noles gave his team a brief 6-3 lead when he responded to the 41-yard field goal from South Lakes kicker James Marburg with a 69-yard bomb down the middle to Tyler Kurrie.

Dagbe’s Pick-6 Gives South Lakes The Lead For Good

South Lakes fumbled after driving to the Battlefield 29 on its next possession, but one play later, Dagbe put the Seahawks ahead for good. He stepped in front of a deep post pattern near midfield, then zoomed up the left sidelines for a touchdown to make it 10-6 South Lakes.

“A little story on that,” Dagbe said. “I intercepted one against Hayfield in a scrimmage and tried to cut all the way across the field. I made up my mind then to go up the side I was on, and this time it worked.”

It went to 13-7 when Marburg added a 40-yard field goal less than a minute before he would’ve been kicking with the wind. South Lakes followed by forcing another turnover, this time a bad snap that Noles couldn’t get to.

Seahawks Explode For 24 Points In Second Quarter

Christian Wyatt, South Lakes’ senior quarterback, had been going sideline to sideline connecting with receivers on bubble screens near the line of scrimmage. Battlefield had limited the dynamic receiver duo of Dagbe and Nick Picarelli to short gains on the first few series, but this time, Dagbe made a move, shook his defender and went 46 yards to make it 20-6 South Lakes.

Six plays later, South Lakes had forced a punt with one of Sebastian Valencia’s four sacks, and the Seahawks had the ball on Battlefield’s 42. Wyatt dropped back with more time than usual against the huge Bobcat defensive front and rocketed a strike to Dagbe on a post pattern for a 42-yard touchdown and a 27-6 South Lakes lead.

“That’s a pass I’ve been working on with Christian for a long time,” Dagbe said. “Like way back in the summer heat.”

It went to 34-6 three minutes later when David Landeryou blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown. Battlefield pulled off another long pass for a score on its next possession, but that touchdown, which came with 1:20 to go in the first half, was the final score of the game.

South Lakes Defense Keeps Battlefield Off The Board After Halftime

South Lakes had goal to go three times in the second half, but Wyatt threw his first interception of the year to end one threat, and two others ended on blocked field goal attempts. But the Seahawks did put the game away with a six-minute drive that kept the ball from the Bobcats until just 1:14 remained in the game.

“Honestly those five guys up front – for a group of juniors trying to figure this all out, they have done an excellent job of giving us the time to do what we do,” said Wyatt of his all-rookie offensive line. “They work hard, and they get better with every play.”

Seahawks Improve To 3-0 With Another Big Second Quarter

This was the third time in as many weeks that the Seahawks exploded in the second quarter. They got 37 in the second period against Yorktown in Game 1 and 17 last week against Robinson.

“They’re high school kids, and it takes a bit to settle in,” said Seahawks Coach Jason Hescock. “We really put a lot on the kids this week. We studied a lot of film. We did a lot of work on the field. We threw a lot at them, and they absorbed it and executed it during the game. We have some stuff to clean up – too many penalties for instance – but the kids put in a lot of work and got good results today.”

Also See ...

• South Lakes Ready To Settle The Score With Battlefield In Reston
• South Lakes Forces 3 Turnovers, Rolls Past Robinson 30-7
• South Lakes Scores 37 In Second Quarter, Cruises Past Yorktown 43-21