by Reid Duvall ‘27

After a blowout 57-0 win at Magruder and a 21-6 dogfight win over Seneca Valley, the varsity football team is off to a 2-0 start. Last season the team reached the state championship game in which they came up short 40-20 against a very talented Mervo team out of Baltimore city. However, the run to the title game marked a new standard for Sherwood football, and Coach Pat Cilento, now in his third season at Sherwood, has made it clear that there are very high expectations for the Warriors this year.

In week one on the road vs rival Magruder, Sherwood scored all 57 of its points before halftime and then took the foot off the pedal during the second half. However, not all was positive after the blowout as standout senior wide receiver Caleb Hallowell was hurt on the Warriors’ opening drive.

The home opener on a Thursday night against Seneca posed a stiffer test for the Warriors. It was different as a slower offensive start than the previous week had the team leading only 14-6 at halftime, before picking up a second half score to secure a 21-6 win. Injuries stayed a theme as the Warriors picked up two more injuries in the receiving core to junior Jayden Sellman and senior Clarksburg transfer Mason Keller.

“Seneca has improved, and we did not play our best. Injuries definitely played a role in what we could do.” said Cilento. “We have guys eager to step up and fill the role of next man up.”.
The highlight of the season so far has been the defense. Featuring one of the biggest and most experienced units in the county with players like senior linebacker London Hardy, senior d-lineman Alijah Scott, and junior d-lineman Franklin Benai. Pairing this core with more experience in the secondary and in other spots, and the Warriors defense has been stout. Allowing just six points so far and forcing a handful of turnovers, the unit appears to be towards the top of the county and will look to stay on the same track as last year’s unit that allowed an average of just above seven points per contest.

This week on Friday, Sherwood plays host to Rockville in the Warriors homecoming game. Rockville comes in 0-2 and is getting outscored 93-0 after losses to Wootton and Poolesville. Last season’s matchup resulted in a 49-0 Sherwood win and there is reason to believe that it will be much of the same this week. After that, Sherwood will travel to face rival Blake,  a team that recently has presented issues in close games that the Warriors won.