Football: Second Half Mistakes Cost Cougars

The Oakton football season ended bitterly on a frigid Friday night at Oakton High School, as the Cougars fell 50-21 to regional powerhouse Lake Braddock in the first round of the Northern Region playoffs.

Although the Cougars hung tough until halftime, costly turnovers and defensive lapses in the second half led to the landslide defeat. 

Lake Braddock proved their ability to move the ball right from the start, but a strong response from the Cougar defense shut down the game’s opening drive.

Offensively, the Cougars looked to hand the ball off to power back Mike Wandey early and often, but the highly touted Bruin defense was up for the challenge.   

Defenses dominated early, and Joe Allely and Mike Terminello stripped and recovered the ball, respectively, to give the Cougars the ball in the red zone.

It took quarterback Tuck Masker two plays to capitalize on a quick screen pass to wide receiver Kelly Brooks-Muse, who broke a tackle before beating the Bruin defense to the pylon for the game’s first score.

The Bruins responded with a touchdown of their own and the defenses kept the game tight.

With time winding down in the first half, the Cougar defense reignited a struggling offense with another forced fumble deep in Bruin territory.

Masker again took advantage of the short field with a play action touchdown pass to Ryan Santoro in the back of the end zone.

The momentum, however, quickly shifted with Lake Braddock’s excellent execution of the two-minute drill. The Bruin aerial attack went 80 yards in 65 seconds to tie the game, 14-14, going into the break.   

Unfortunately for the Cougar faithful, it was as if a different team came onto the field in the second half. 

The Cougars offense had more turnovers than first downs in the third quarter, while the Bruins continued to have success passing the ball. 

Lake Braddock scored 28 unanswered points in the second half and never looked back, cruising to a spot in the regional semifinals.

For Oakton, it was their third loss in four games and an abrupt ending for a team that once looked poised to make a run at the regional title.