Warriors Blanks the 'Brook'
By: Jacob Bogage
Sherwood Warriors 14- Springbrook Blue Devils 0
SILVER SPRING, MD- The biggest problem for the Sherwood Warriors (8-1) tonight may have been themselves. They were flagged with 100 penalty yards throughout the course of their 14-0 win over the Springbrook Blue Devils (6-4) on Friday night, October 29 at Caruso Memorial Stadium. With the victory, they managed to clinch the 4A East title, but by no means was it pretty.
With rushing sensation Devon Pestano suspended due to a violation of team rules, the Warriors had little to worry about when looking across the field at the Blue Devil sideline. Sherwood took their second shutout of the season to the bank against a good but inconsistent Springbrook team that managed merely 140 yards of total offense and gave the ball away three times.
However the Warrior offense did not produce much either. Though they managed 267 yards of offense, five drives of six plays or more all ended unsuccessfully either with a missed field goal, a failed fake-field goal or punts. The typical Sherwood offensive firepower was missing for the most part.
Luckily enough for Sherwood, the defense, led by senior defensive end Lance Toomer stepped up and kept Springbrook off the board, the second time the Blue Devils have been shutout all year.
"This game was all about defense," said Toomer afterwards. "Penalties were killing us so we had to step up and keep the zero, or as we call it the 'goose-egg,' intact. We wanted that zero bad and we had to step it up and bring it to them."
After the two teams went scoreless in the first quarter, Sherwood finally lit up the scoreboard when senior quarterback found tight end Steve Valois on a crossing route for a 55-yard catch and run.
Valois had a "coming out party" of sorts this evening. He was the leading Warrior receiver and finished with 89 yards on five catches and the previously mentioned touchdown. A year after being one of Pignone's favorite redzone targets, Valois has seen more time blocking rather than receiving, though he certainly showcased his hands were still some of the best on the team with his latest performance.
"It feels awesome. You wait for the times like this. You wait for the breakout game. You wait for the balls to come. It's been alright. The offense has been getting the ball around to everyone. It's nice to have it come to me where I can go get it," said Valois.
The Warrior would punch in one more score in the third quarter after a long drive consisting of Jamal Merritt and Pignone runs struck pay-dirt when Merritt bullied his way through a pile of Devil defenders from three yards out.
The Blue Devils kept fighting, but could never reach the "promised land." They once reached the Warrior one-yard-line, but after an illegal procedure penalty and an illegal forward pass penalty pushed them back to the 11-yard-line, they eventually turned the ball over on downs.
"The defense did a great job," said Sherwood head coach March Thomas. "They held it down for us tonight and did a great job. We haven't had a shutout or a performance like that from our defense in a long time so that was something we needed."
This loss almost effectively eliminated the Blue Devils from playoff contention. They would need both a Whitman and a B-CC loss to advance into a qualifying position in the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association's (MPSSAA) point-based standings. Even then, Springbrook may not qualify. It would depend upon the margin of defeat if the Barons and Vikings were to both indeed lose.
The Warriors however are guaranteed a playoff spot and a first round home game. They could clinch home-field advantage next week if they can take home a victory on senior night against the Quince Orchard Cougars. Either way, Sherwood looks to be starring down the rival Gaithersburg Trojans; a team they defeated already this season, in what would be a second round playoff matchup. Though the Trojans' one loss came to the Warriors on October 1, Gaithersburg leapt ahead of Sherwood in the points standings because of margin-of-victory in their other games.
Though Sherwood tries not to look ahead towards the playoffs, some cannot help but see the matchup looming in front of them.
"Gaithersburg knows it's coming," said Toomer. "They got it once, they'll get it again."
