PRZ VA Team Previews: Mclean Highlanders

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Last Years Results: 4-6 overall</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The McLean Highlanders compete in the playoff rich Liberty District and were unable to repeat their success from a season ago. Despite the finish Coach Cockerham enters into his fourth season in charge and the optimism is high over on Davidson Road. Returning a top notch pass catcher and a tough offensive line, expect to see a more dynamic and crisp offense for the Highlanders. Sporting a number of underclassmen and new coordinators, the vibes are strong in Mclean.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Returnees: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1297879' first='Aidan' last='Reid'], [player_tooltip player_id='1719688' first='Christopher' last='Mcneil'], [player_tooltip player_id='1298235' first='Malcolm' last='Andrews'], [player_tooltip player_id='1719909' first='Owen' last='Smart'], [player_tooltip player_id='1606661' first='Blake' last='Noggle'], [player_tooltip player_id='1663295' first='Alexander' last='Cafer'], Justin Ball</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1297879"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-687d4fbeb91c2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Prolific pass catcher and William &amp; Mary commit [player_tooltip player_id='1297879' first='Aidan' last='Reid'] does not take long to make his presence known on the field. Reid is part of tight end renaissance in Northern Virginia which includes 4 seniors that are destined for the FCS level or higher. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The All conference performer is a reliable target especially as Mcneil gets more and more comfortable in the offense. Watching him run routes in person Reid is a pain to cover and will only be more difficult to game plan against with the new weapons on offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1663295"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-687d4fbeb9228"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cafer is the real deal and will play both defensive and tight end as a junior. Recently ranked in our 2027 top 300, [player_tooltip player_id='1663295' first='Alexander' last='Cafer'] is a pain to block with his long reach and brute strength. I could see him getting more receptions this year on offense too. Teams are going to be game planning exclusively on Reid, do not sleep on his pass catching ability. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1719688"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-687d4fbeb9278"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Taking over as the full time starter this fall, lacrosse star [player_tooltip player_id='1719688' first='Christopher' last='Mcneil'] continues to sing the praises of the coaching staff. A very athletic/tough quarterback, it will be interesting to see how far he can take this team offensively in 2025. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1606661"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-687d50d5c1b11"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Tough dude up front for Mclean is my due [player_tooltip player_id='1606661' first='Blake' last='Noggle'], he knocks you around. A starter last season he is quick off the ball and has really good hip movement. I can see why Mclean may want to emphasis their rushing attack in 2025. Noggle debuted in our 2027 rankings too this past Spring, with a good junior season, he should get some looks at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1298235"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-687d50d5c1b8d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Back healthy receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1298235' first='Malcolm' last='Andrews'] is primed to bounce back to his sophomore form where he was an all district performer. Count him as reason number 100 that I am bullish on Highlanders playoff chances. He too should be a nice option for Mcneil and the passing game. This is going to be a really difficult offense to stop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Newcomers:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1314102' first='Zach' last='Apple'], [player_tooltip player_id='1695425' first='Mark' last='Devore'], Chase Forde, [player_tooltip player_id='1695824' first='Enzo' last='Wang'], Maximus Lotfi</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1314102"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-687d525d6758a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Recently back into the fold and what should be to the joy of Highlander fans everywhere is tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1314102' first='Zach' last='Apple'] is transferring back to McLean! Playing for St. Johns College in Maryland, Apple is 6'5 and 285 lbs., he looks like another FCS level prospect. He too will be added to our incoming 2026 rankings, he is too talented not to be. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1695824"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-687d5358f40d9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A soon to be sophomore who has a ton of potential (see my ranking) is [player_tooltip player_id='1695824' first='Enzo' last='Wang']. He will have a good chance to start week 1 on the Highlanders offensive line, Coach is really happy with his development. Wang is already 6'5 and 230 lbs., with more room for muscle to grow, very bright future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach's thoughts on the off-season and expectations:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Last Season we developed quite a few young and talented players. In a late season win over Wakefield, I remember looking out at the field and being amazed at how many freshmen and sophomores were playing a key role for us.&nbsp; What stuck with me is the talent in the Liberty District. The best thing about the Liberty is that anyone can beat anyone on any given Friday night. I believe the balance within the district is high school football at its best! Last season, I handed off offensive play calling for the first time and ran the defense. We will have a different structure on staff this fall and I'm excited to have 2 young coordinators to collaborate with. Joe Lokke will be our offensive coordinator. Joe is a McLean graduate who played WR at Randolph-Macon. On defense, we welcome Reese Williams as our DC. Reese joins our staff after serving as the LBs coach at St. Augustine HS in Florida, where he coached in the equivalent to the 6A state semifinal. Reese will also teach at Longfellow MS.&nbsp;Last season we moved Christian McNeill from LB to be our starting QB in June and he has done nothing but improve. We are excited to have his dual threat ability lead us during the 2025 season.&nbsp;The biggest news of our off-season is TE [player_tooltip player_id='1297879' first='Aidan' last='Reid'] committing to William &amp; Mary. Aidan has been a key contributor for 2 years and will be a focal point of the offense in 2025. Aidan scored a huge TD in the 3rd quarter of a playoff game vs Herndon as a sophomore and has continued to be a key contributor. We're excited to be able to build an offense around him as a senior.&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->