Football: Langley at McLean Preview

By Phil Murphy

Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

**Click here for previews from games around the Northern Region in Week 10!!**

Langley (4-5, 3-3) at McLean (5-4, 3-3)
PowerPoint Ranking: Langley – 12th (Div. 6); McLean – 8th (Div. 5)
Offensive Rank (ppg in Division): Langley – 13th (18.6); McLean – 4th (26.4)
Defensive Rank (ppg in Division): Langley – 10th (20.7); McLean – T8th (23.7)
Last Week: Langley won at South Lakes, 24-21; McLean lost to Stone Bridge, 38-21

Hi, Paul.

The Highlanders are a practical lock for the playoffs. With a win, they’re in.

With a loss, though, wins by Washington-Lee and five of the following seven teams eliminate McLean: Falls Church, Wilson (D.C.), Madison, Centreville, South Lakes, Dominion (Sterling, Va.) and Herndon.

If the records were disparate, I’d recommend throwing them out. Rivalry games like the Rotary Cup are fairly unpredictable.

That, except, dating back to 1998, Langley has never lost to McLean. The Saxons hold a 302-106 scoring advantage in that time, a 28-10 average margin of victory.

For McLean, senior Riley Beiro returned to form last week against one of the most talented defenses the team has faced. Beiro was the first running back to go over 100 yards against Stone Bridge this season, finishing with 27 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

However, the Highlanders struggled to stop the run, allowing the Bulldogs’ feature back to hit 200 yards on 33 carries.

Langley, meanwhile, continues to improve every week. It beat South Lakes on the road, 24-21, stopping the Seahawks on 4th-and-goal in the final seconds.

Saxon junior quarterback Braden Anderson impresses. In the last five weeks, he is 53-for-104 passing for 1,002 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. That’s 9.63 yards per attempt for a time period spanning half a season.

Last week was the first time Langley allowed more than 14 points in regulation since Week 2.

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com