Lancers' Gamble Pays Off In OT

Early in the week, Lee Coach Rob Everett said he had the best player in the Virginia AAA Northern Region in senior running back Idreis Augustus.

Friday night at Westfield, Everett proved just how much he believed that when he thrust two fingers in the air from the sideline, signaling to his team he would put the ball in Augustus's hands for a two-point conversion and the win, rather than opt to try to tie the Bulldogs, perennial powers who had just rallied from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit and scored first in overtime to take a seven-point lead.

"Why not go for it?" Everett said. "We were built to run."

Augustus, who entered the game as the region's leading rusher with 577 yards and five touchdowns on 35 carries, took the conversion attempt around the left side and moved a pile of four Bulldogs defenders to power his way into the end zone and give No. 18 Lee a 22-21 victory.

"For the coaching staff and my whole team to say, 'Drizzy, let's get this touchdown, let's get this win,' I just felt everyone with me on that carry," said Augustus, a transfer from Paul VI Catholic who rushed for 174 yards, a touchdown and the crucial two-point game-winner on 19 carries.

Augustus, a creative 5-foot-8 speedster whose 16.5 yards per carry average coming in was the best among the area's top 20 rushers, sent Westfield to 1-3 and established the Springfield program as a region title contender.

"I think a lot of people thought we were fluking our way to these wins," said Augustus, who reeled off 51 of the Lancers' 78 yards in a third-quarter march to put them up 14-7.

Trying to nurse that lead with less than five minutes left, Lee quarterback Greg Lopez fumbled at the Lancers 43-yard-line, and Westfield quarterback Danny Fenyak made the Lancers pay, completing all four of his passes for 37 yards on a march he capped with a 14-yard touchdown strike across the middle to senior Gary Turner.

Lee (4-0, 1-0 AAA Patriot District) tried to answer the drive, relying on its triple-option rushing attack of Lopez, Augustus and Jazmier Williams -- a trio that accounted for 274 yards -- but the Bulldogs' Mark Gibson intercepted Lopez in the end zone with no time left to force overtime.

Lopez answered Fenyak's overtime touchdown pass to senior Aaron Scoville with a 10-yard touchdown run on Lee's first overtime attempt.

"There's no words to describe just how good this feels right now," Lopez said.

No. 18 Lee 22, Westfield 21 No Breaks: Fairfax's move to the Liberty District has left the Concorde with six teams, allowing for some creative out-of-conference scheduling. Westfield has taken advantage, facing Division 5 power Stone Bridge and three Division 6 title contenders in a row: Lake Braddock and No. 18 Lee before next week's game against W.T. Woodson, followed by power matchups within its conference against No. 19 Oakton and No. 9 Robinson. Opposite Side of the Tracks: Lee, which won three games last year, has had just two seasons better than .500 in the past decade. Westfield has won 79 of 91 games.