By Leo Corman ‘15 and Stephen Luckey ‘15

The Warriors suffered their first loss of the season against Seneca Valley, 27-17, last Thursday night. Seneca Valley jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, mounting a 21-0 lead before the Warriors scored their first points. After going into halftime with a 21-3 deficit, the Warriors cut the lead to 21-10 in the third quarter on a 48-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Neven Sussman to senior receiver Myanthony Starnes, but the Warriors were ultimately unable to overcome their slow start.

“We must practice and play with more heart and intensity,” said Coach Chris Grier. “We believe we can learn a lot from the Seneca loss and become a much better team because of it. We will make some adjustments in our schemes offensively and defensively so we can take more advantage of our strengths.”

Seneca Valley’s rushing attack proved difficult for the Warriors to defend, racking up over 200 yards on the ground against a Warriors’ defense that held its first three opponents in the single digits for points. The Screaming Eagles also managed for much of the game to stifle a normally productive Warriors’ offense, allowing only one first down in the entire first quarter. After Seneca Valley scored in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, the Warriors ended the game with an 80-yard bomb from Sussman to junior receiver Marcus Simms, whose big play ability has provided an excellent boost for the Warriors’ offense so far this season.

“The story of the game was missed opportunities,” said senior linebacker and tight end Jared Shaia. “Our offense had multiple opportunities in the red zone and we didn’t capitalize. Seneca didn’t win because they were better than us—we just didn’t finish drives the way we should have. But give credit to [our] defense [for only allowing] one touchdown after the first quarter.”

Despite the disappointing loss, the Warriors displayed great mental toughness by fighting back and making the game close in the end. The loss brought the Warriors’ record to 4-1, the first stumble in a season that had been almost all success up to this game. The game was the Warriors’ worst performance of the season on both sides of the ball, part of which can be attributed to the strength of a talented Seneca Valley team (4-1).

Grier expects his team to have a great week of practice and get back on track tomorrow when the Warriors go on the road to take on 2-3 Magruder. Sherwood will then face their next big test of the regular season when they play Quince Orchard at home next Thursday. The Cougars currently are 4-1, and senior running back Kyle Green has rushed for 480 yards with a 5.7-yard average per carry this season. If the Warriors can contain Green and the rest of the Cougars’ offense, the game will be a strong indication that the Warriors will be ready for the post-season.

“We expect the team to refocus after the Seneca loss and recommit themselves to playing hungry and with a chip on their shoulders,” said Grier. “If we can do that every week during the second half of the season, we’ll have a chance to make a playoff run.”