A packed Chantilly home stand awaited the Highlanders as they took the field. The Chantilly Chargers had set this as their homecoming game, and McLean faced a tough task in the hostile crowd that waited under the sun kissed skies.
‘’We’re really looking forward to the game,” senior linebacker Carter Brown said. “We see this as a great game and competition, and we hope we can get it done.”
The game started off slow, with stalled drives from both teams. Then, McLean’s offense sprung to life, and a well designed drive resulted in a receiving touchdown from junior tight end Aidan Reid. The subsequent extra point was rendered useless by a bad snap. The first quarter ended 6-0 after a pair of scoreless possessions.
As the second quarter opened, Chantilly touchdowns on back-to-back possessions led to an eight point deficit for the Highlanders. The game was slowly sneaking away, and McLean needed to get some points on the board as soon as possible.
The Highlander offense stepped up, but a good drive from McLean was stalled by a series of penalties, resulting in a punt on 4th and 30. Thankfully, the Chargers were unable to take advantage and did not add to their lead before the end of the half. Still, Chantilly led McLean 14-6.
As the second half began, the Highlander defense came out dazed, and a deep bomb from the Chargers put them in McLean’s half of the field almost automatically. A series of running plays led to another Chantilly touchdown, and, after the extra point, the Highlanders were down 15.
But not all hope was lost, and McLean put together two deep bombs, resulting in a goal line rush for Noah Jander. An awful pass interference call extended a chantilly drive, but the defense came out with a vengeance and forced the Chargers to punt.
Jander sprung to life again, and the Highlanders marched down the field, only to be stopped a yard from another fresh set of downs. Dejection began to color the faces of the Highlanders, and a silence set in on the McLean sideline.
The Chargers drove down the field, and senior running back Charlie Boucher ripped McLean’s secondary apart for a touchdown to make it 28-13.
The Highlanders had another futile chance to score, but four plays later, the ball was turned over on downs, and the Chargers had the victory.
The disappointing loss brought the Highlanders to a 2-1 record, but the season is still young, and the Highlanders are still in contention for every major competition, including a district championship, a berth at regionals and a spot at states.
“It’s tough to come into somebody’s house and beat them,” said quarterback coach Ky Parrott. “We’re gonna come back ready to play against Edison.”
