On Friday, Sept. 12, the Highlanders faced off against the Falls Church Jaguars for their first away game of the season. With a record of 0-2 heading into Friday, this game was an opportunity to get back on track and win their first game of the year.

“We have to do our jobs and execute,” middle linebacker Mark Devore said. “That’s really all there is to it for this game.”

The game began with a quick and stalled-out drive for the Highlanders and a punt that was nearly blocked by the Jaguar defense.

Falls Church set the tone immediately with a huge quarterback run for 20 yards, quickly putting them within the red zone. The Jaguars quarterback then again took the ball himself for a touchdown to make it 7-0..

When the Highlanders had their turn with the ball, they couldn’t execute, making for another quick three-and-out.

The Highlander defense seemed to get back on track, stopping the Jaguars short and forcing a punt with little time left in the quarter. McLean let the clock run out and discussed the shortcomings of the first quarter, focusing on what to improve going into the second.

“After the first quarter, [senior quarterback Christian McNeill] talked with the offense to make sure everyone was using full effort and ready to turn the score around,” running back Chase Forde said

The second quarter began with McNeill finding his footing and making a long 15-yard pass to Steven Conroy for a first down. Chase Forde then had back-to-back carries and got the ball into a good field position for the first time in the game.

McLean knew they had to take advantage, so after a short timeout called by the Jaguars, they went right back to Forde, who ran it in for a monster 20-yard touchdown run, tying the game 7-7.

The Highlanders immediately backed up their score by recovering a fumbled snap deep into Falls Church territory. McNeill wasted no time and hit seniors, tight end Aiden Reid and wide receiver Steven Conroy for two quick passes, moving them inside the 10. Forde then powered through to the five-yard line, but it was McNeill who took the ball into the endzone himself, giving McLean a 14-7 halftime lead.

“We struggled in the first quarter, but we locked in and started to get the scores we needed before half,” Forde said.

The Jaguars received the kickoff to start off the second half, with them going right back to where they left off on offense: the quarterback option plays. The McLean defense had the runs wrapped up, and it seemed the drive would end short; however, with a sequence of penalties, Falls Church got a first down and then another… and then one more.

“There was a lack of discipline on the field with those false starts and penalties,” assistant coach Joe Lokke said. “We really can’t have that.”

The Jaguars tried to talk things over with a timeout call. A third and long was looming over them, and they had to make a play. Falls Church decided to go back to the quarterback run, and it went for 20 yards, the ball now inside the 30-yard line.

The Highlanders stuffed a run play, but a deep pass into the endzone could not be defended, and a touchdown was secured for Falls Church. The Jaguars decided to be bold and went for a fake point-after-touchdown. McLean did not see it coming, and Falls church went up 15-14 with just minutes left in the third quarter.

Sophomore linebacker and receiver Maximus Lotfi was able to get a quick first down, just what the team needed. McLean would not have it that easy, as a bad snap led to a loss of 20 yards. McLean threw a deep ball, hoping they could make up the yards, and they did. Conroy snagged the ball and put the team right at the 8-yard line, just as time expired in the third quarter.

To begin the fourth quarter, the ball went right to Forde, and he ran it into the endzone. McLean responded right back to the Jaguars by going for two themselves, and it worked, putting the Highlanders at 22 and the Jaguars at 15.

Right after the touchdown, the Jaguars went right back into the swing of things. With their quarterback deciding the only option was to run it himself, gaining 25 yards and going inside the red zone. Two incomplete passes later, it was third and 10 for the Jaguars, and another quarterback run gave them a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt was successful, putting the Jaguars up 23-22 with only 2:46 left on the game clock.

McLean needed to make something happen with little time left. After the kickoff, they decided to throw the ball to Conroy but ended up with a loss of two. Then the Highlanders decided to run, handing the ball off to Forde who gave them 5 yards with just 1:45 to play. The Highlanders called a timeout to discuss what to do, right after a wild snap ended up for a loss of 10. With only one more play, the Highlanders tried a long heave to Lotfi, but it was just inches short of being a first down, giving the Jaguars the ball. They knelt a couple of times until the clock struck triple zeros, with a final score of 23-22 for Falls Church.

McLean will head out to Edison on Friday, Sept. 19, to take on the Eagles in Edison. The Highlanders will continue to look for their first win of the season.

“It’s really on to the next one for us; we can’t have that past mentality. It’s always looking forward to the future; looking forward to the next week,” Lokke said. “We are gonna get in the film room and see what we can correct, with Edison on the clock next.”