On a cool Friday night in McLean on Sept. 26, the Highlanders took to the field determined to prove they could hang with one of the district’s toughest opponents. What followed was a contest filled with energy and grit: explosive offensive plays, a late first-half rally, and a frustrating second half that ended in a 35–20 defeat.

McLean traded punches with the Patriots in the opening quarters. Sophomore wide receiver Maximus Lofti provided an early spark when he hauled in a crosser route over the middle and sprinted into the end zone for a touchdown. Then, with little time remaining before halftime, McLean’s special teams delivered a key moment by recovering a muffed punt deep in Yorktown territory.

Just three plays later, the Highlanders reached into their playbook for some trickery, as senior wide receiver Michael Bablitis scored on a pass thrown by junior running back Chase Forde, cutting the deficit to 14–13 at halftime.

The turn of events gave McLean high hopes leading into the second half. The momentum had shifted, and the Highlanders were in a good spot going into the locker room.

“We felt like we had them right where we wanted going into halftime,” sophomore guard Shane Martin said. “The energy was high, and we believed we could finish the job.”

But the second half swung in Yorktown’s favor. Turning the ball over on downs combined with bad snaps disrupted McLean’s rhythm and repeatedly put the defense in tough situations. The Patriots ran a kickoff return for a touchdown, extending out their lead to 21-13 late in the third quarter which deflated McLean’s chances of coming back

“We just didn’t do enough to stay in the game,” Martin said. “It felt like we kept beating ourselves in the second half.”

To make matters worse, Forde, who had already made his presence felt as both a runner and passer, went down with a left leg injury early in the second half. Without their offensive workhorse, the Highlanders struggled to sustain drives and create the explosive plays that had kept them close before the half.

“It just came down to execution,” Martin said. “I thought the offensive line group played a physical game but just fell short on executing down the stretch. That’s on us as a unit to clean up.

The Highlanders tried to make a comeback late in the matchup, scoring a touchdown to put the score at 20-35. However, Yorktown’s offense was too powerful, marching down the field and running the clock out to end the game.

Now 1–4 on the season, McLean faces a critical stretch starting with next week’s home matchup against Robinson. To right the ship, the Highlanders will need sharper execution. This means more consistency on offense and the same kind of big plays that kept them close in the first half against Yorktown.

“I thought the team played well for the majority of the game,” sophomore tackle Enzo Wang said. “Obviously there were some plays here and there that the team wanted back but that’s part of football and now all we can do is look ahead to Robinson.”