South Lakes Looks To Keep Winning Against Washington-Liberty In Playoff Opener

By BRIAN McNICOLL

It’s not that South Lakes High Coach Jason Hescock doesn’t have a lot of respect for the Washington-Liberty Generals, whom his team will face Friday night at South Lakes in the first round of the Region 6B playoffs.

“They’re a very formidable opponent and a well-coached team,” Hescock said. “This will not be easy.”

But he says the formula for success is not to do anything extraordinary. “What’s important for us is to do the ordinary well,” Hescock said.

South Lakes Holds Statistical Edge Over Washington-Liberty

On paper, it looks like that would be enough. South Lakes comes in 9-1 overall, 4-1 and second place in the Concorde District and has outscored its opponents, 341-156.. Washington-Liberty, which finished third in the Liberty District, completed the regular season with a 6-4 record, 4-2 in the league and outscored its opponents 294-221.

So that’s more offense and more defense than the Generals. On top of that, South Lakes has beaten three teams that defeated Washington-Liberty this season – Westfield, Centreville and Yorktown.

Both teams played Herndon as well. Washington-Liberty beat the Hornets, 45-20. South Lakes not only won 48-0 over Herndon, the Seahawks allowed the Hornets just 31 total yards.

But the Generals are road warriors. They’re 4-1 on the road this year and 2-3 at home. They’ve also proven they can move the ball. Quarterback Tyler Flint-steinig has thrown for 28 touchdowns this year. By comparison, South Lakes’ Christian Wyatt has 16.

Three receivers – Colby Arenson, Luke Jones and Jasper Dennis – all average more than 70 yards per game receiving.

“We have to take away the short passing game and try to prevent big plays,” said Hescock. “They’re pass-heavy … they want to pass. We can’t get lulled to sleep.”

Seahawks Defense Faces Test From Generals' Passing Attack

That falls to the secondary, where Joshua Dagbe leads with 10 passes broken up, followed by senior Justin Bruens and sophomore David Landeryou with five each. The Seahawks have intercepted 15 passes this year, compared to three last year. Luis Soto leads the way with five; Dagbe has four.

Soto also has a half-tackle lead over Sebastian Valencia, the Concorde District Defensive Player of the Year, with 41 ½ to Valencia’s 40. Landeryou, Yusef Atiya and Dominic Covington are tied with 10 ½.

Hescock is right that the Generals know how to score – two years ago they scored 483 points on the way to a 12-1 record and a loss to Madison in the region finals.

Experienced Coordinators Help Drive South Lakes' Success

But the Seahawks have proven they can move the ball and stop others as well, and Hescock gives some of the credit for that to his coordinators – Ondrej Matousek on offense and Justin Gaudenzi on defense.

Matousek and Gaudenzi knew each other before they knew Hescock. They joined the staff at West Potomac High before Hescock got there in 2010. Matousek was coaching JV wide receivers, Hescock said, but worked his way up to offensive coordinator before leaving to join Hescock’s staff at South Lakes. Gaudenzi was working his way up on the defensive side.

“They could both be college coaches,” Hescock said. “Matousek really controls a lot of what we do on offense. He has a thing in place that works. Every time we try to change it, we end up going back to what he had. As for Gaudenzi, he’s set high standards, and our kids have met them.”

Experienced Coordinators Help Drive South Lakes' Success

Hescock said he knew the team would include a lot of sophomores, including three starting offensive linemen, which meant it was urgent to get everyone on the same page. It started with workouts in the early mornings last spring, followed by a passing league, followed by a lot of team activities to keep the players together and further camaraderie.

“Now, you can see our experienced players helping the less experienced all over the place,” Hescock said. “We’ll see something that needs to be corrected 15 yards away, and by the time a coach gets there, a player already has addressed it. That’s when you know we’re on the same page.”

The winner takes on the winner of Langley and Westfield next week.

Also See ...

• South Lakes Beats Westfield For Historic 250th Win, Heads To Playoffs
• South Lakes Holds Off Centreville’s Late Rally For 16-14 Win And Playoff Berth