Two months of have now passed and the Highlanders have won their first game of the year against Fairfax, but that does not tell the story of Highlander football this year. They have managed to play close games Marshall, Hayfield, and Yorktown. Just two weeks ago, McLean was seconds away from taking down Yorktown to get their first win of the season, but they were unable to hold on to a late fumble and Touchdown by Yorktown to win the game 21-20. Looking back at the month of October the Highlanders have improved in both points allowed and points per game. Something else to look at is the major injuries that the Highlander have sustained such as Tom Shue and Jonathan Pilsch which have affected how well their offense plays.
The Highlanders will play their final game of the year at home against Langley on November 6 and while they will miss the playoffs, McLean will have a chance to win their second game of the season. The Highlanders played a defensive battle last Friday night which saw them picking up a 27-14 win over Fairfax. Patrick Dolan won the overall player of the game, David Kagan won offensive player of the game, Mac McCune, and Matt Livingston won special teams player of the game. The Rebels lost to Langley 36-0, but this score cannot be compared quite yet as McLean hasn’t played Langley.
Now, it’s time to preview the battle for the Rotary cup against Langley. Unlike McLean and Fairfax, Langley has played the same opponents but has played them close, even taking Washington Lee to overtime before falling 23-20. They also had a very good defensive performance against James Madison on the road but fell 14-7 due to the fact that their offense was unable to get anything going. Stranger things have happened in rivalry games and while McLean will not make the state playoffs, a win against Langley would be something to celebrate because it has that Auburn vs Alabama or Oklahoma vs Texas feel to it. So now comes the question: Can the Highlanders take down 2-win Langley in a rivalry game where everything matters?
Well, it is possible that McLean could win this game. As previously mentioned, McLean beat Fairfax and has played closer games than the Rebels, so there is a chance to win here. The key to win will be a well played second half, something that the Highlanders have struggled with this and will need to fix if they want to win this rivalry game. Expect to see a Highlander team playing desperate to beat a long time rival. The game against Langley will be a tough challenge but stranger things have happened in big rivalry games.
Photo obtained by Maxpreps.com
