Last Friday, Sept. 5 McLean’s football team faced off against the Washington-Liberty Generals. The season opener against the Chantilly Chargers ended in a heartbreaking defeat, so McLean was ready to come back strong.

“We need to do our job, perform and come out with a win,” assistant coach Joe Lokke said.

The game started with a strong kickoff to W-L, as the Generals drove down the field they were able to get multiple first downs and it seemed as though there was nothing McLean could do to stop them. Eventually they were able to get inside the red zone, The Generals were gearing up to take an early lead. With two short runs inching W-L closer to the endzone they needed just four more yards. The Generals opted for a throw over the middle which was intercepted by sophomore linebacker Maximus Lotfi and taken back all the way for a defensive touchdown.

“I was pretty excited and felt a wave of momentum gained on the sideline,” Lotfi said.

W-L began to focus and their offense started where they left off, driving down the field with ease and eventually completing a 40 yard touchdown pass to tie the game.

The beginning of the second quarter started strong for the Highlanders as they got a few first downs, W-L then called a timeout for a mental reset. Just after the timeout the Generals got a big sack and a near interception.

The Highlanders ended up going three and out. A miscue from the long-snapper caused McLean’s punter to drop the ball, giving the Generals excellent field position.. They took advantage of this, scoring a touchdown right before halftime to put the Highlanders in a 14-7 deficit

McLean started the second half slow on both sides of the ball. A three and out on offense led to a quick touchdown from Washington-Liberty, extending their lead to 14.

With the Generals on the heels of a blowout, McLean needed to make something happen. Following a timeout, McLean was able to drive down to the 30 yard line and eventually score a touchdown on a long pass to senior receiver Malcom Andrews.

The ball was put back into the Generals hands, who once again marched down the field on a long and methodical drive to re-extend their lead to 28-14.

The stands began to empty on the McLean side as W-L drove down the field completing pass after pass. Two more touchdowns from Washington Two more touchdowns from Washington-Liberty iced the game at 41-14

With the final minutes of football being played, McLean was able to make a last-ditch effort with a long pass down to junior running back Chase Forde and make the game 20-41.

The Highlanders play Falls Church High School on Friday Sep 12 in their first away game of the stretch. This game is crucial for them, as a 0-3 hole is not at all easy to get out of in a ten game season.

“We need to execute better,” Lotfi said. “If we execute better, we can win every game.”