It would be quite natural if members of the McLean High football program wanted nothing to do with the sport in the aftermath of the Highlanders’ recent 0-10 season. But that has not been the case, according to McLean coach Jim Patrick, who said a good number of his players have already begun preparations for next year by hitting the weight room.
"Obviously, I’m disappointed about going 0-10, that’s never going to be encouraging," said Patrick, who completed his first season at the helm of the program. "But going into the offseason, I feel we actually have momentum."
Patrick, who had a talented group of seasoned assistants surrounding him, said the Highlanders were not as physically strong as they needed to be and often were overmatched in games from a size and strength standpoint over the fall season. Thus he and his assistants have encouraged the large number of underclassmen expected to return in 2009 to hit the weights.
"At times we were outmanned," said Patrick, whose team concluded the recent season with a 42-7 loss at Liberty District and cross-town rival Langley on Halloween night. "We’ve had great attendance in the weight room [since the season ended]. The kids are fired up and vying to get better."
McLean’s closest games were home losses to Washington-Lee, 21-14, on Sept. 19, South Lakes, 21-7, on Oct. 10, and Jefferson, 28-23, on Oct. 17. One of the team’s hardest-to-swallow losses came at Stuart, 30-14, on Sept. 5. The win for the Raiders, a perennially poor team, was their first in several seasons.
It did not help matters for McLean when its best all-around player, junior skill-position standout Riley Beiro, was lost to the Highlanders midway through the season with stress fracture injuries in both ankles.
In the five-plus games in which he played, the 5-foot-10 inch, 193-pound Beiro rushed for 680 yards and returned three kickoffs back for touchdowns. His final full game was in McLean’s week five loss at Stone Bridge. The following week at Marshall, Riley played throughout much of the first half, scoring touchdowns on a kickoff and a run from scrimmage, before having to leave the game for good later during that first half. As it turned out, that was the end of the season for the youngster.
"I think the team had a good attitude about [Beiro’s loss] and said, `We have to step it up and play,’" said Patrick. "But looking back, we lost a lot of firepower."
Beiro, in just his half-plus season of play, earned Second Team All-District accolades as both a running back and kick returner.
<b>MCLEAN</b> had stability at quarterback where junior William Hecht started all 10 games for the Highlanders. His numbers were not great (6 TDs, 17 interceptions) but the 6-3 Hecht threw for over 1,000 yards. One of his primary receiving targets was senior Ethan Beckett (16 catches, 228 yards).
Patrick said Hecht struggled with overall consistency at the pivotal position. He said Hecht was hurt by his own struggles at the position, as well as dropped passes and the loss of Beiro.
"When Riley got hurt, people knew we couldn’t run [the football] as effective and put more pressure on the quarterback," said Patrick.
Defensively, McLean made progress over the season under the watchful eye and stern approach of defensive coordinator Greg Sullivan, a long time coach in the Northern Region and the former T.C. Williams head coach.
"He knows the game and the kids have really responded to him," said Patrick, of Sullivan. "He demands a lot out of them. I feel really good about [the future of] the defensive unit."
Patrick’s dad, former Mount Vernon High legendary head coach Bruce Patrick, was assistant head coach under his son and also coached the Highlander defensive line.
Jim Patrick said his dad brought a steady, experienced presence to both the team and its other coaching members.
<b>A SILVER-LINING</b> to McLean’s season is that the Highlanders were young across the board. Nine of the team’s defensive starters were underclassmen, and eight of its offensive starters were underclassmen. In all, the Highlanders had five starters who were sophomores. So, many of the team’s players who saw quality playing time this fall are tabbed to be back in uniform next autumn.
Patrick said from the team’s first game against Annandale, a 49-19 loss on Aug. 29, to the season-ending setback to Langley, the Highlanders never stopped giving their best effort despite what the standings stated.
"They really did," said Patrick, of his team’s continuing to play hard even as the losses mounted. "They were playing as hard in the last game as they were in the first game, which was admirable. The one thing I have is a lot of respect for them. A lot of times they could have thrown in the towel, but didn’t."
McLean, as a program, is taking a positive outlook on where it is currently at. The team can only get better next season and Patrick said his players are looking at things from that perspective.
"Our kids are upbeat, they really are," said the coach. "I’m upbeat."
Then, with a chuckle, Patrick said, "We can’t get any worse. The [players] are holding each other accountable to get better. I think [the 0-10 season] lit a fire under them. They want to prove to the school and the [Liberty] District that they can play."