by Reid Duvall ‘27 & Roman Khrizman ‘27

Sophomore Jayden Sellman lines up on defense.

After appearing in the 3A state semifinals last year in Coach Pat Cilento’s first season back at Sherwood, varsity football cruised to a week-one 40-0 win over Magruder. Sherwood, predicted to be one of the best teams in the county, showcased its talent early and often against the Colonels. First-quarter scores by junior running back Preston Hamrick and senior receiver and defensive back Adrian Hamilton helped Sherwood jump out to a 34-0 lead by halftime.

Last season, Cilento set a high standard for Sherwood football by leading the team to a 10-3 record, their most wins since 2016, capped by a run to the 3A semifinals, where the Warriors lost 24-8 to Arundel. After losing some key seniors, the team aims to reload and reach the same, if not greater, heights. With some important players returning on both sides of the ball—including the reigning Moco Defensive Player of the Year, senior defensive lineman Jefferson Serkfem, and starting quarterback junior Matt Larsen, who Cilento mentioned as leaders of the offense and defense in an August 28 interview with DC News—Sherwood’s potential remains high. “The team’s ceiling is as high as we make it; the only team that can beat us is us,” said Larsen. 

The Warriors’ next two games are away. This week, on September 12, the Warriors go to Germantown to face Seneca Valley, which is expected to be a tougher challenge. “Seneca is a storied program with multiple state championships; we can’t focus on them. We have to take care of business and get better each day. If we do that, we will be successful,” said Cilento. In week three, they head to Rockville. In week one, Seneca defeated Clarksburg 20-6 last week, and Rockville lost 37-26 to Wootton. Sherwood and Seneca Valley haven’t played each other since 2014.