A season that began with such promise quickly soured for Langley's football team, done in by injuries to several key players and a brutal non-district schedule as it lost seven of its first eight games.

It was a hard stretch for a program that had grown used to success in recent years, making the playoffs in 1998, 1999 and 2000 with appearances in both the Division 5 and Division 6 championship games.

But the team regrouped late in the season, winning its final two games in dramatic fashion. And while those wins may not completely make up for the early struggles, they could go a long way toward helping the Saxons prepare for a rebound next year.

Just four days after a last-minute touchdown secured an emotional comeback win against rival McLean, Langley again scored a game-winning touchdown in regulation Friday and finished out its season by stunning playoff-bound South Lakes on the road, 20-14.

Langley receiver Sterling Montague caught two touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Nicholas Zahra, who was making his first varsity start in place of hobbled senior Josh Carr. Carr already had a bad ankle before breaking his nose in the McLean game, staying in throughout the second half of that contest as he rallied his team to the 14-10 victory.

Montague finished his Saxon career in style against South Lakes, with 3 catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, 86 yards rushing and a game-high nine tackles at safety.

``I knew we had a really good chance, I was really confident we could win," Montague said. ``Halftime was good, we went in and...Coach [J.J.] Hetman and Coach [Teddy] Whitney concentrated on what they were doing and just got us ready to play the second half."

The Seahawks (7-3, 5-2 in the Liberty District), coming off an emotional win of their own against rival Herndon, started off strong when they scored a touchdown on their opening drive on a pass from quarterback Dan Cidone to receiver Garrett Gray.

But Zahra settled down after throwing an interception on Langley's first drive, hitting Montague with a short pass the receiver turned into a 70-yard touchdown, breaking tackles all the way. The Saxons then took the lead late in the second quarter when the duo again connected, this time on a 24-yard touchdown.

South Lakes running back Charles Mayah did his best to give his team a jolt of energy. The junior ran for 238 yards on 26 carries, including a 53-yard touchdown run to start the second half that tied the game at 14.

But neither team got in the end zone again until late.

On Langley's game-winning drive, which began at the South Lakes 47 with 5 minutes and 2 seconds left to play, Montague rushed for 28 yards and made a key reception on a 4th-and-3 situation. His efforts set up Geoff Redden's 1-yard dive into the end zone with 1:03 remaining.

``I was hoping we didn't leave it all there on the field in the McLean game, that being our big rivalry," Hetman said. ``We came out tonight and really stepped up."

In the final weeks, Langley showed the resilience evident in a season-opening loss to defending state champion Robinson, a game the Saxons led in the fourth quarter. But as injuries to the offensive line mounted and opponents constantly blitzed to put pressure on Carr, the losses piled up - and that spirit disappeared. Starting the season with games against Division 6 powers Robinson, Centreville and Westfield didn't help.

But even if the turnaround came too late to make a playoff push, the Saxons are at least glad they regained it.

``I wish we had shown that more in the beginning," Montague said. But by the end ``our coaching came together and our players came back and did a good job."

Division 5 playoffs set

South Lakes' loss to Langley did have an affect on postseason seeding in Division 5. Because of Madison's victory against Fairfax on Saturday the Warhawks had enough power points to jump South Lakes for the No. 3 seed.

It was about as good a day as possible for Madison considering a loss to Fairfax most likely would have prevented it from qualifying.

Mount Vernon, the only team with a chance to jump Madison, beat Washington-Lee early Saturday afternoon, 26-0, scoring all of its points in the second half and holding Generals running back Sean Somlar to 53 yards. Mount Vernon running back Robby Valentine ran for 82 yards and a touchdown, and sophomore Mario Coleman had 57 rushing yards and two touchdowns. But the win wasn't enough for the Majors, who finished the year 7-3, 6-1 in the National District, and a few power points shy of what they needed.

The semifinal matchups now are: South Lakes at No. 8 Edison. Madison at No. 9 W.T. Woodson. The games will be played this Friday and Saturday with exact day and time still to be determined. Edison wrapped up the National District title by slogging its way to a 26-0 victory against Stuart and finished the year 9-1, 7-0 in the district. The Eagles' only loss was to West Potomac. South Lakes and Edison did not play this season.

Woodson beat Madison in late September, 7-2, with the Warhawks only points coming in the waning seconds when the Cavaliers chose to run out of the back of the end zone and take a safety.

Madison sneaks past Rebels

Playoff action doesn't officially get under way until next weekend. But Madison found itself playing what essentially became its first half of postseason play while hosting Fairfax Saturday afternoon. After heading into the locker room trailing the Rebels, 8-7, in a Liberty District battle, word began to spread that Mount Vernon had defeated Washington-Lee, 26-0, earlier in the day.

A Mount Vernon win coupled by a Madison loss would more than likely send the Majors into the Division 5 Northern Region playoffs once the final power points were calculated. Two big special teams plays propelled Madison (8-2, 5-2) in a 19-16 win over the pesky Rebels (3-7, 3-4).

As both teams came back to the field after halftime, the already-undesirable weather and field conditions had worsened. The field was extremely muddy and the rain had picked up into an all-out downpour.

Madison benefited from the first big miscue of the second half when Fairfax attempted a punt. A bad snap sailed way over punter Donel Souse's head, and he scrambled back and fell on the ball at the Fairfax 26. Six plays and 26 yards later, Warhawks running back Carl Gravette (15 carries, 92 yards) scored the second of his two touchdowns on a 6-yard run. The conversion run failed, and Madison clung to a 13-8 lead.

However, the Rebels got a boost from running back Owen Schmitt, who returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to the Madison 40-yard line. But the Warhawks defense responded on the next three plays, forcing a critical fourth-and-10 midway through the third quarter. Fairfax coach Bill Rechin decided to go for it on what he considered the play of the game. Quarterback Michael Britt was unable to find an open receiver, throwing an incompletion and turning the ball over on downs.

"It was a momentum play,'' Rechin said. "After our last punt I felt that going for it was the best option. Looking back, it may have cost us the game and I might have done things differently.''

"The game came down to field position, and we were able to win that battle'' Madison coach Gordon Leib said. "Schmitt is the real deal, and we were lucky to pull ahead and stay there.''

Punter Johnny Ayers, also Madison's quarterback, played a big part in giving the Warhawks excellent field position. Fairfax's defense made its own stand as Madison's offense went three plays and out. But Ayers boomed a punt, which promptly died inside the Rebels 1.

"That was the best punt I have ever seen,'' Leib said. "It isn't often that a punt ends up being one of the plays of the game, but that's the way it ended up today.''

Madison grinded out another touchdown late in the fourth quarter, when senior running back Andrew Baird scored from 6 yards out on a fourth-and-1 play. Another Madison conversion run failed, and the score remained 19-8 with a little over three minutes left.

With 53 seconds remaining, Schmitt scored the second of his two touchdown runs. Earlier in the drive, he broke off a 50-yarder. Rebels junior Nick Worek connected with senior wideout Aaron Montgomery on a two-point conversion pass.

Madison recovered the ensuing onside kick, preserving the victory.

Schmitt carried the ball 25 times for 151 yards, giving him 1,318 for the season.

"We came out and had nothing to lose and left it all out here,'' Rechin said. "Unfortunately it wasn't enough, but our kids handled it well.

"We are going to miss all the guys next year. Owen Schmitt is one helluva player.''

Woodson In The House

The banner hanging from the visiting bleachers behind the Woodson bench at Lee on Saturday afternoon said it all: District Champs In The House.

The Cavaliers' ability to win tight games gave them the edge over South Lakes and Madison and helped them earn the outright Liberty District title. Woodson tapped into that ability again on Saturday, as sophomore running back Joe Martin scored a touchdown early in the third quarter, providing all the scoring the Cavaliers would need in a 7-0 victory over Lee.

The defense did hold off a late charge by the Lancers, which made it inside the Cavalier 20 on their final drive, but could not find the end zone.

It wasn't quite the season the Lancers had envisioned when practice began late this summer. A slow start again derailed Lee's layoff hopes as the Lancers finished 4-6 overall. But Lee produced a solid 4-3 record in Liberty District play to place fourth. The Lancers lost by almost identical scores to playoff teams Edison (27-6), South Lakes (24-6) and Madison (28-6), before almost pulling the upset of Woodson on Saturday. Lee senior running back Robert Spalding recorded 1,137 yards on 132 carries this season with 12 touchdowns - second in rushing yards in the Liberty District only to Fairfax's Owen Schmitt.

Highlanders end with win

The hardest rains of a soggy weekend occurred during a two-hour stretch on Saturday, just as McLean and Marshall got set to kick off their regular-season finale in Falls Church.

With conditions bordering on unplayable, Highlander head coach Joe Muskett told his team that whoever scored first would probably win. Two minutes into the game senior Zusi Airhiavbere made Muskett's words come true, breaking away for a 61-yard touchdown run and providing all the game's scoring.

It was McLean's first Liberty District win this year and a nice end to a 3-7 season. The Highlanders were 1-6 in district play, but lost several close contests they had a chance to win. Marshall ends its year 1-9, 0-7 in the Liberty. The Statesmen defeated Washington-Lee in the second game of the year, 40-26.

``With a couple of breaks we could have gotten to 5-5 or even 6-4," Muskett said. ``There were three good teams in our district this year with Woodson, Madison and South Lakes, so it was tougher than it has been in the past. But before the season we felt like we could be 6-4 and had an outside shot at 7-3. It just didn't happen for us."

In the two weeks prior to the Marshall game, McLean led both Langley and Madison in the second half. The Langley loss was especially tough because it was to the Highlanders chief rival and came on a touchdown with just over a minute remaining. McLean also led Chantilly at halftime last month and had a late comeback fall short against Lee in a 14-7 loss.

Muskett will have to find a way to replace several key starters, including Airhiavbere, quarterback Justin Cotter, linebackers David Hale and Mike Heatwole along with offensive lineman Austin Smith.

The Statesmen struggled all day to gain the equalizer after Airhiavbere's touchdown, but found the going rough in the mud and rain. Finally, late in the fourth quarter, Marshall put together an impressive drive that began at its own 5. The Statesmen moved the ball into McLean territory with tough running by sophomore Brandon Wallace, junior Jorge Arce, junior quarterback Sam Cable and junior fullback John Gryczewski, but were stopped at the Highlander 37.

Marshall was forced to punt again on a subsequent drive with little more than a minute remaining and hope for a fumble.

They almost got it when McLean quarterback Patrick Bodesta lost the ball pulling away from the line of scrimmage, but the Highlanders recovered at around the 20 and ran out the clock.

The few hardy fans who attended the game were denied a chance to see offensive fireworks because of the bad weather so Marshall rewarded them with the real thing at halftime. An impressive, Fourth-of-July style fireworks display was put on to celebrate the school's Homecoming and its upcoming 40th anniversary.