Oakton Football is a very important part of student life. It allows students to come together and share a common interest. It lets them demonstrate their school spirit and pride of being a part of Oakton High School. From the beginning of their season this year, the football team has performed well. The first game took place on September 9 and provided a great opening to the school year. In the first game of the season, behind the strong play of senior quarterback, Salvatore Tutone, Oakton was able to beat Madison High School. The final score of the game was 31-25 in Oakton’s favor. “It meant a lot because it gave the team confidence and got us rolling. The whole team played great together,” said Tutone. In the second game fresh off their opening victory, Oakton dominated TC Williams. The whole game the Cougars were in control and their defense played extremely well. TC Williams was unable to score a single point and got little too no momentum during the game. Tutone said, “The defense played great. The coaches gave them a great scheme and as an offense it’s easier to play knowing the defense has our back.” The offense also played very well and was able to score 25 points. It proved that we were a dangerous team that was a viable threat of winning the district.
After the first two games, the expectations were set extremely high for the rest of the season, with Oakton set to go on the road for the first time out in Leesburg. On Friday, the team loaded up the bus to take the almost hour long ride. The game was against Tuscarora High School, who was a formidable opponent. The game did not go in Oakton’s favor, and they were defeated by 14 points. The next game against Robinson was also an away game. Robinson was a very dangerous team and defeated Oakton by a score of 42-17. The following week  against Westfield, who is known to be an excellent team, was not a very good game. Westfield had total control and defeated Oakton by 31 points. Tutone said, “We needed to execute better and we would have been fine.” The offense didn’t do what was needed to secure the win and neither did the defense.
Expectations for the Cougars had drastically shifted over the course of the two most recent games. In order to regain the favor of the student population the team had to perform much better both offensively and defensively. Tutone said, “Expectations changed, we needed to get back to work.” After a tough week of practice, the Cougars felt prepared for the game against Centreville. The game was at home where the team had excelled in previous weeks. Excitement was in the air after school had ended on Friday and the game was about to start. It was a conference game as well so a whole new aspect was present. The game was projected to be very close and once the game began it was evident that the teams were a good match for each other and the game would be a contest.
The atmosphere was electric and the student section wanted the win as much as the team did. The game was very close throughout and it was undecided who would take the important game. At the end, the Cougars were able to secure the game. The final scoreboard showed the score of 28-24 in our favor. Cheers erupted from the stands and we finally had secured the decisive and important win. Oakton improved their record from two and three to three and three.
On October 16, Oakton Football versed Chantilly High School, and lost 6-28. The next week, they were challenged by Broad Run. The cougars played a tough game, taking the Spartans into overtime. This sent the dedicated “rowdy cougars” that came out to support the football team into a craze. While the Cougars 21-28, the students are still in awe of how great the team played.
The school looks forward to seeing how the team performs for the rest of the year. Oakton football will continue to be a prominent part of student life and give students a common interest. We hope that Oakton will play well enough to advance to the playoffs. The school will continue to support the team and hopes it will play at the highest level. The Cougars played Falls Church on senior night, winning 41-7.  Tomorrow’ s game is away at Herndon. This will be the cougars last game of the season.