Celebrating 40 years serving the greater Springfield community.

The Springfield Connection                            October 22 - 28, 1998

Lancers bury McLean
.by Randal Smathers, The Connection
.    Tim Grant could barely contain his excitement, marching kack and forth across the field, pounding his pads and screaming: "This is the biggest game of the year."
     Grant prowled in front of the rest of his Lee Lancer defensive teammates as they stood and lackadaisically chanted "y-e-s yes" whereever the offensive ran a dummy play from scrimmage, just minutes before their football game against McLean on Friday night.
     Grant's intensity proved infectious, as an emotiional Lee squad beat Liberty District foe McLean, 21-7, in McLean.
     "We knew we had to come out with intensity," said Grant, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior who plays both defensive end and tight end. "Us seniors who have been working hard for four years, we came in saying this was our first playoff game."
.There goes the playoffs'
     "We felt if we lost tonight, there goes the playoffs," said Lee coach Joe Muskett. "To make the playoffs was one of our goals at the start of the year and to keep that goal alive we had to beat McLean tonight."
     Lee (4-1 Liberty District, 6-1 overall) turned the ball over on its first two possessions. The Lancers escaped unscathed after an Austin Ragans fumble near midfield, but McLean (2-2, 4-3) blocked a punt to set up its only score of the game.
     Michael Farmer got through to block Tony Ridpath's kick and defensive tackle Ryan Lengyel fell on the ball at the Lee 17-yard line. Fullback Jonathan Rude scored four plays later, with a 1-yard plunge at 2:53 of the first quarter.
     Lee answered immediately, marching the ball 63-yards on 10 plays. Yonathan Moges (9-carries, 21-yards, 1 touchdown) scored on a 4-yard sweep and Rob Collier kicked the convert for the tie, 7-7.
     At that point, Lee's defense took over, pressuring McLean quarterback Brian Corey (5-for-13 passing, 53 -yards, 1 interception) three times and sacked him twice on the next series, with Ragans and defensive tackle David Nelson getting the sacks.
. Bad snap sets up score
     Then the punt snap flew over the head of Highlander kicker Jonathan Jester and was recovered by Nelson at McLean's 29. A 15-yard twisting, sideline catch by Moges set up a 4-yard run by Omar Philmore (14-50, TD) to give Lee the lead for good at 4:38 of the second quarter.
     After McLean went three-and-out, Lee scored the game's final points before halftime. Ragans pounded the ball inside for two long gains before Sean Dunn (6-for-8, 114, TD) hit Philmore for a 13-yard touchdown pass. As with Moges' catch a series earlier, the touchdown pass was behind the receiver, but a leaping, acrobatic catch made the play work.
     "We kind of rolled a little bit in the second quarter," said Muskett. "I think that kind of took them out of the game plan and they had to start throwing the ball."
     "Our intnet was to be able to throw the ball," said McLean coach Karl Buckwalter. "We thought if we could complete some quick ones and get them backed off a little bit we could get back in our rhythm, but we just didn't do that."
     Neither side scored in the second half, although McLean came close.
     Jarreau Mobley sprang a 45-yard sweep for an apparent touchdown early in the third quarter, but it was called back on a clip at the point of attack.
     "They're a big-play team and they got their big plays," said Buckwalter. "We're a big-play team too, and we didn't get our plays. That's how you lose."
     Grant said his job was to force the run inside and then rely on the line-backers to fill any gaps in pursuit.
     "Somethimes I have to sacrifice stats --- tackles and things --- to force everything in, and let my lline-backers make the tackles," said Grant.
     After containing Jackson and forcing McLean into a passing attack, Lee sacked Corey four times in the second half and eight times overall.
     "We knew coming in that Jackson is a great running back," said Grant. "We knew if he had a big game it was going to be a long game for us, a long bus ride home.
     McLean hosts Braod Run (0-4, 0-7)  this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. for homecoming, then finishes its season on the road against Park View and Langley.
     Lee visits Lake Braddock (5-0 Patriot, 7-0 overall) this Friday, followed by Langley in Springfield and Fairfax on the road.

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