South Lakes-Herndon To Square Off Saturday In Baron Cameron Cup Game

If you’re looking for bulletin board material for Saturday afternoon’s Baron Cameron Bowl matchup between Herndon High and South Lakes High at South Lakes’ Pat Bergen Stadium, the teams’ head coaches are NOT the place to start.

“We’re trying not to talk about it,” said Herndon Coach Bill Bachman. “You don’t really have to talk to these kids about South Lakes.”

“They all know each other,” said South Lakes Coach Jason Hescock. “A lot of them have been playing with and against each other for 10 years in football and other sports. You don’t have to get them fired up for Herndon.”

But both coaches know this is a big game. Both know the score on the Cup itself – South Lakes has never led in the series – it lost the first four and seven of the first eight – but the Seahawks have won nine straight and it’s now tied at 13,

Both also know it’s big on where they stand going down the stretch of this season. Herndon won its first playoff game in 38 years last year. It is off to a 3-1 start with its only loss an 18-15 setback to Langley, which is 4-0. The Hornets have dispatched Justice, 44-6, Osbourn Park 73-0 and Wakefield 21-0.

“We like our team,” Bachman said. “We have an experienced team … a lot of kids who have played a lot of football for us.A lot of whom started as sophomores and juniors for us and are now seniors.”

His quarterback,John Callow, has forced a rethink of Herndon’s offense with less triple option and more spread, run-pass options and other features.

“He’s more dangerous now,” Hescock said of Callow. He’s very athletic and fast and can really throw the ball.”

Callow’s top receivers, Brayden Humphreys and Malcolm Levenberry, also are both seniors, as is top running back, Ethan Buehler.

“All seniors. All skill players. Very familiar with each other,” Bachman said. “That’s the strength of our team.”

South Lakes opened with two losses but has bounced back with decisive victories over Falls Church and Mount Vernon. The Seahawks played their best game to date last Friday, rolling up 417 total yards and collecting 11 tackles for loss in a 40-14 victory at Mount Vernon.

“This is our halfway point and our last non-district game,” Hescock said. “Last year, we were very resilient. We fought through a lot of tough times and came out stronger. This year, our defense has been consistent. Now we’re looking for that same consistency on offense, and the Mount Vernon game was a good sign on that.”

The Seahawks’ offensive line emerged with its best week yet last Friday, helping senior running back Cody Wood to 161 yards and two touchdowns, giving him seven on the year. It also helped senior quarterback Mohamed Shuaib, who completed six of 13 passes for 84 yards and ran for a touchdown.

“Mo is getting more comfortable,” Hescock said. “It takes some getting used to when the bolts are flying around, and they’re looking for you. He’s hitting his midseason stride. He’s getting better every game at making his reads and just getting into his own brain space and not rushing.”

The Seahawks also got contributions from their special teams. They played a cat-and-mouse game with the Majors on kickoffs, alternating squib kicks with pooch kicks with booming kicks intended to reach the end zone. As a result, Mount Vernon got just 58 yards on eight kickoff returns, and 30 of them came on the one kick South Lakes sent booming to inside the 5.

The Seahawks also had a 69-yard kickoff return to the Mount Vernon 14 and a 22-yard return of a punt, and the return man – sophomore Nicholas Picarelli – also gained 74 yards on two reverses, which gave them a field position boost throughout the night.

“I have to admit, Pic was not really in my plan at the start of the year,” Hescock said. “But he just kept pushing and pushing until he started pushing people out of the way, and now he’s pushed them all out of the way, and he’s the guy. He’s a good little player and will be really good with a couple more years in the weight room.”

But both also know that it will, as Hescock said, come down to basics and which team handles adversity better.

Last year, that was South Lakes, which trailed 7-6 at halftime but roared back to win 35-7. An early second-half safety and a Herndon turnover put the momentum on South Lakes’ side, and its senior-laden team took advantage and closed the deal.

This year, the senior experience is on the Herndon side. “They know who they are as a team,” Hescock said of the Hornets. “We’re still trying to avoid silly mistakes. If we can do that, we will have a chance to be successful.”