End of an era for Oakton
By Dave Buschenfeldt
A trademark of Tony Gray's Oakton boys lacrosse teams is their refusal to give in. This is a trait Gray has prided himself on in his eight years on the Cougars' sideline. It was only fitting that Oakton displayed that same resiliency Saturday in Gray's last game with the team.Facing Concorde District foe Chantilly – for the fourth time this season – in the state final, the Cougars found themselves behind 4-0 after one quarter and 5-2 midway through the second before lightning forced the sides into their locker rooms for over an hour. Upon returning to the field, Oakton seemed like a new team, rallying to within a goal at 6-5 late in the third quarter.
“We were just like, 'It's the first half, we've got a lot more to do, so let's come out and play strong,'” said junior Nick Stevens, who had all three goals during the Cougars' rally. “We just executed.”
Oakton was not able to catch the Chargers, losing 12-5, but Gray was pleased with the heart his players showed.
“With all the rain delays and everything, they could've easily folded, but they continued to press,” he said. “I just told them how proud I was of them. Even though we're technically No. 2 here, they're No. 1 in my heart. Of all the teams I've coached, this is probably the closest group of players we've had. We'll mourn together as a team.”
As first reported by The Times, Gray informed his players after their loss to Chantilly in the Northern Region title game that this would be his final season with the team – at least for now. He plans to take two years off to spend time with his newborn daughter before getting back into coaching.
“It's been a pleasure to coach for them,” said Gray, who won three straight state titles with the Cougars from 2003 to 2005 and reached the state final again in 2006. “If I have my way, when I come back, Oakton's the first door I'm going to. It's the only door I want to go to in the Northern Region. I really don't want to coach any other team. If Oakton's not available, I'll probably not coach another Northern Region team.”
Several Oakton players were seen embracing Gray after Saturday's game, apologizing for not sending him out with a win, but he assured them no apology was necessary.
“He's been one of my best coaches ever,” Stevens said. “It's going to be sad to see him leave. We got to the state final, so it's nothing to be ashamed about. We've just got to get ready for next year. Hopefully, we can do well.”