West Potomac gets a shot at redemption in rematch with T.C. Williams

West Potomac defensive players look at game film during their win over Mount Vernon last week.

You rarely get a chance to avenge a loss in high school football. Teams only play each other once in the regular season, which means your only hope is to see someone again in the playoffs.

As luck has it, West Potomac will for the second year in a row get an opportunity to avenge a regular-season losses in the first round of the Northern Region 6A playoffs. The Wolverines host T.C. Williams at 7 p.m. on Friday, looking for payback against a team that pulled off a last-minute 22-21 win against them three weeks ago. Last season, West Potomac blew out West Springfield in the first round of the 6A playoffs after a loss to the Spartans earlier in the year. Now they’re looking to repeat that scenario against their Alexandria rivals.

“We are excited to play them again,” senior defensive back Patrick Aitken said. “We didn’t play to our potential the first time we played T.C. and everyone knows that. So this game, we are going to leave it all on the field, control what we can control and play for our family.”

T.C. Williams (5-5) presents a unique challenge to its opponents. Unlike many of the high-flying spread offenses around the area, T.C. plays mostly out of a pro-style set and runs the ball right at opponents. In their October win against West Potomac (8-2), two of the three Titan scores came after long, sustained drives.

Aitken, a first-team all-conference selection, says the Wolverines will be looking to clog the running lanes and force the Titans to pass more.

“Every other team we have played this year has had running backs who look for the outside run before putting their foot in the ground and getting upfield, [but] T.C. hits their runs downhill between the tackles so our goal is to plug the middle and force them to bounce it outside” Aitken said. “We want to shut down the run and force them to beat us in the air and let [our] defensive backs and linebackers have a field day.”

Since losing to T.C. on Oct. 21, West Potomac has looked like one of the best teams in the region. Two weeks ago they upset powerhouse South County, and last week the Wolverines easily dispatched an improved Mount Vernon team, 45-14.

But the T.C. loss still weighs heavy in the minds of the Wolverines, Aitken said. West Potomac has only been outscored by a combined four points in its two losses this year, and the mistakes that have kept the Wolverines from being unbeaten have helped keep the team grounded.

“We have a lot of confidence going into the playoffs but we also still have a lot to improve upon if we want to reach our team’s potential,” Aitken said. “We are still a team that misses out on opportunities and loses focus every once in a while. We do believe we are a 10-0 caliber team and that if we play to our potential in the playoffs we could be going a long way.”