Football: Cougars Fall to Rams in Overtime

The Oakton High football team fell to the Robinson Rams in overtime Friday, putting its postseason security in jeopardy.

The 28-27 loss lowers the Cougars' power rating from sixth to eighth in the Northern Region. The top eight teams advance to the postseason, putting more pressure on the Cougars heading into their game against the Centreville Wildcats on Friday.

On Friday, the Cougars and Rams remained scoreless through the first quarter. The Cougars took the first lead with a 30-yard touchdown run from quarterback Kyle Downer, but the Rams tied the game a few minutes later. 

The Cougars pulled ahead after Kelly Brooks-Muse had a 73-yard reception to set up a 2-yard touchdown from Downer with 90 seconds left in the first half. The Cougars had a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Never letting the Cougars pull more than a touchdown ahead, the Rams evened the score with four minutes left in the third quarter. The Cougars again pulled ahead when Mikey Wandey ran in a 2-yard touchdown — and the Rams again evened the score a few minutes later.

Despite driving the ball to the 1-yard line with 1.4 seconds left, the Cougars could not make a play in time to take the final lead before the end of regulation. 

In overtime, the Rams had the first shot at the end zone, and pushed through the Cougar defense in three plays. The Cougars responded in one play, a 10-yard touchdown run from Wandey, but missed the extra point to lose with a final score of 28-27.

Brooks-Muse, celebrating his birthday and Senior Night with one of his best performances of the season, received for 160 yards. Andy Boone and Peter Ott added 73 and 14 receiving yards, respectively.

Downer led the Cougars in rushing with 60 yards, with Wandey not far behind with 54. Downer also passed for a season-high 245 yards.

The Cougars are in a must-win situation if they want to ensure themselves postseason action, teetering at the bottom of the rankings of eligible schools after its three-game losing streak.

The Wildcats will host the Cougars for the final game of the regular season for a kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Friday. 

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