by Reid Duvall ‘27

Sherwood faced their biggest test of the season as the vaunted Quince Orchard Cougars traveled down 108 on October 9. In last season’s matchup, the Warriors posed the closest regular season matchup against the Cougars in years, as a second half surge by Sherwood came up short in a 35-28 defeat.
This year in another matchup of undefeated Montgomery County giants, the game played out differently. In a slower paced game with more emphasis placed on strong defense from both sides, the Cougars kicked three field goals for a 9-0 win. Sherwood never got anything going on offense against an incredibly talented QO defense filled with highly ranked recruits and Division 1 commits. The Sherwood defense appeared unphased, and another great performance kept the team in the game for much of the contest. The game was the first time that QO hasn’t scored since 2007.

“It was a group effort; we played great defense and special teams were able to flip the field several times,” said Coach Pat Cilento. “QO defense was the best I have seen in recent years, and I am confident [that our] offense will improve. I was pleased with the way we responded to adversity by focusing on each and every play for 48 minutes. Our team competed at a high level; we just need to correct a few mistakes.”

After a blowout win on homecoming against Rockville, the Warriors entered their rivalry tilt on September 25 at Blake as favorites. Sherwood got off to a sluggish start that led to a 7-0 Blake lead at the half, which the Bengals carried deep into the 4th quarter, until Sherwood matched with a touchdown with just under 4 minutes left, sending the game into overtime. The Warriors got the ball first in OT and marched down the field for a touchdown to put them up 14-7. Blake got the ball back and quickly answered, but a bold decision to go for 2 was stopped and Sherwood escaped with a 14-13 win. This was Sherwood’s closest regular season win since an 8-7 victory over Paint Branch in 2023. In week 5 the team traveled on the road to Clarksburg in a game where Sherwood controlled the pace and dominated in a 31-6 win. On October 15, Sherwood traveled to Wootton and dismantled the struggling Patriots with a 35-0 win.

The highlight has been the defense this year. The group has allowed a measly 4.8 points per game, a mark that is near the top in the state. “Defensively we want to be violent and physical, with eleven men at the ball in a bad mood,” said Cilento. “If all eleven do their jobs, play in and play out, we are hard to beat,” Cilento added.

However, this year’s offense has shown struggles. While still averaging near 30 points per game, The Warriors struggle with efficiency when tasked with tougher teams such as QO, Blake and Seneca Valley. “We need to play more disciplined on offense and grind out the opposition until they quit,” said senior quarterback Matt Larsen.

Sherwood again this season is in the 4A/3A class in Maryland, where they sit tied at the top at 6-1 with Old Mill, Crofton, and reigning champs Mervo. The Warriors find themselves in the 4A/3A South division where they are joined by fellow MoCo schools like Kennedy, Einstein, Whitman, and Springbrook as well as Oxon Hill and Potomac from PG County. The way the playoff bracket works is that two teams advance from each of the 4 regions, which leads to a 1-8 reseed of the remaining teams. Due to the south region having just 7 teams, if Sherwood finishes their season strong they could possibly get the 1 seed and get a first round bye and only have to play one regional game.

The last two weeks of the regular season give Sherwood two home games: against Damascus tomorrow on October 23 and Richard Montgomery on senior night on October 30. Both of these programs are traditionally some of the stronger in the county but have had their struggles this season. Damascus sits at 5-2 with both of their losses coming to non-county opponents in Oakdale and Westminster. In their wins the Hornets have been dominant winning by an average margin of 40 points. RM sits at 1-6 and has really struggled defensively, allowing 38 points per game.