As McLean faced off against Robinson high school on Oct. 3, the stands were filled with vibrant pink and red flashes of light while McLean’s football team ran onto the field, waving a flag embroidered with a solid letter “M”.

Prior to the game, Highlander seniors from football, cheer, dance, and marching band received a lively celebration. The festivities put the crowd in high spirits which was further emboldened as the game kicked off with a strong initial kick for McLean, setting the Highlanders up inside their 35 yard line.

A crucial catch on third down by sophomore receiver Maximus Lotfi kept the ball deep in Highlander territory, and an unbelievable catch in the endzone by senior tight end Aidan Reid put McLean up 6-0 in the beginning of the first quarter.

As the end of the first quarter approached, Robinson’s long kickoff return put them in a solid scoring position, coupled with a touchdown and a good kick allowed them to rise to 7-6. Just a few minutes later, a screen pass taken 60 yards for a touchdown allowed Robinson to extend their lead to 14-6.

McLean had to catch up in the second quarter to keep it close, and their offense delivered. A long drive taking up nearly seven minutes, where the Highlanders were able to convert on crucial third downs. This led to a touchdown by junior running back Finn Thompson, and the Highlanders successfully went for two points, tying the game at 14-14 which the score remained at halftime.

“The offensive line was solid all game long,” said sophomore guard Patrick Moniz. “The run game was threatening in the second half which gave us a lot of momentum.”

McLean was in high spirits at the half, but the momentum quickly shifted as Robinson scored another touchdown, putting themselves up 21-14. The Highlanders did not let this slow them down, and Thompson ran in for another touchdown, tying the score once again.

The crowd was roaring and the energy was high waiting for a team to score. McLean had the ball in Robinson territory but turned it over on downs in the beginning of the fourth quarter. Shortly after, junior defensive end Alex Cafer forced a fumble and McLean got the ball back with a chance to pull ahead. A missed field goal from McLean led the game into overtime.

“We were running the ball pretty well, but we wanted to switch it up at the end [and] give our receivers a chance,” senior wide receiver Steven Conroy said. “That change of offensive decision making just didn’t seem to work right there in that situation.”

The student section was filled with a nervous crowd, and the energy was high throughout the entire stadium. Thompson scored a touchdown in the first overtime and the crowd went wild, hoping it meant a Highlander win. But Robinson countered it, the score now tied at 28-28.

In the second overtime, McLean was able to prevent the Rams from scoring a touchdown, but a field goal put them up 31-28. When the Highlanders got the ball back and a chance to keep the game going, senior quarterback Christian McNeil threw an interception and McLean lost 31-28, a disappointing loss for the hopeful fans.

“The team was very resilient all game long but we just came up short when it mattered most,” Moniz said.

McLean varsity football will play again on Friday, October 10th at Herndon High School, with the hopes of taking home a win at last.

“When we were starting to build up a few drives, the little mistakes, those flags, set us back a bunch,” Conroy said. “You can’t make mistakes when you’re playing against a solid team, and especially when it’s close, that just makes all the difference.”