Sparked by a physical and strong defensive performance, the Washington-Liberty Generals won a key Liberty District football game Oct. 20, defeating the host McLean Highlanders in a matchup between high school teams tied for first place.
Washington-Liberty won 21-7, shutting out McLean until the fourth quarter, when its lone touchdown was set up by a turnover.
With the victory, Washington-Liberty improved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the district, tied for first in the loss column with the Herndon Hornets and Langley Saxons.
“Our defense played lights out and we were very physical tonight,” Washington-Liberty coach Josh Shapiro said. “That started with our defensive line of Tim Tinker, Roman Falvo and Bryce Johnson.”
Also on defense, Jackson Nowinski had a fourth-quarter interception deep in W-L territory to stop a McLean drive.
“That was a big play on defense and maybe a key turning point,” Shapiro said.
Washington-Liberty built a 21-0 lead. It took a late first-quarter lead of 6-0 on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Jon Bhojwani to Zach Meehan. The lead became 14-0 in the third period when the same two players connected on a four-yard scoring pass, then Bhojwani found Nowinski for the two-point conversion.
With 9:34 left in the game, Anthony Louis scored on a two-yard run on fourth down and Marcelo Carrasquillo added the extra point for a 21-0 advantage.
A lost fumble by Bhojwani with under 8 minutes to play at the Generals’ 18 yard line set up McLean’s one TD with 6:23 left. The Generals recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
Louis ran for 118 yards, Sean Guffey for 37 and Bhojwani threw for 69 yards to lead the Washington-Liberty offense. Nowinski and Joseph Cordaro each caught three passes and Meehan two.
“Anthony’s cuts and quickness were his best tonight, and our offensive line played physical,” Shapiro said.
Back to the W-L defense, Louis, Tinker, Johnson, Guffey, Falvo, Meehan and Ian Crowley were among the leading tacklers. Tinker and Guffey combined for a tackle for a loss.
Shapiro said the Generals’ game plan on defense was to follow and concentrate on stopping McLean runningback Kaelan Ferris. He is the top yard gainer, both running and catching the ball for the Highlanders, and is their top touchdown scorer. He did not score in the game, but did rush for 100 yards and caught two passes for just one yard.
“We watched where he was set up on offense and we stretched our defense where he was,” Shapiro said.
Next up for Washington-Liberty is a key district home game against defending district champion Langley (5-3, 3-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27.
NOTE: The seven wins are Washington-Liberty’s most in a season since having eight victories in the 2013 campaign when the Generals won the National District crown. The team has never won a Liberty title.
