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Whitman's football team taught Churchill a lesson on Friday: It's not how you start; it's how you finish.

With a playoff berth on the line for both teams, the visiting Vikings overcame an early deficit for a 28-24 victory. With Springbrook's win over Paint Branch, the result means a home playoff game for Whitman (8-2 overall, 6-0 Montgomery 4A West Division) next week against the Panthers, and Churchill's elimination from the field at the hands of the Blue Devils.

"We did have a little bit of a slow start," said Whitman senior running back Kevin Cecala, who rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns. "I do not want to say they were gimmicky plays, but kind of fluke plays that we didn't necessarily expect to happen that definitely helped us, and our defense came back and held them."

One such play was Rico Djidotor's 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that cut Churchill's lead to 17-14 just before halftime and altered the momentum.

"That kickoff return changed the game," said Churchill senior Brandon Swepson, who caught six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. "I think everyone started getting antsy and we just couldn't pull through."

The Bulldogs' third straight loss after a 7-0 start turned what was a near-guaranteed postseason slot three weeks ago into a second straight disappointing finish. In an identical scenario in 2008, they lost what was essentially a play-in game to Wootton in Week 10.

Churchill (7-3, 4-2) got the better start to Friday's game. Quarterback Alex Kantor's 9-yard keeper put the Bulldogs ahead, 7-0, less than one minute into the game.

Whitman signal-caller Henry Kuhn — who completed 15 of 22 attempts for 184 yards and a touchdown — looked shaky early, missing his first three passes. But he found Michael Flack for an 8-yard touchdown to even the score late in the first quarter.

Churchill then started to pull away. Kantor's 20-yard pass to Matt Cole put the Bulldogs up midway through the second quarter and Bryan Crutchfield's 23-yard field goal extended the lead to 10.

But Djidotor's return kept Whitman within striking distance. And the Vikings, who controlled the clock throughout the game, took the lead for the first time four minutes into the second half on Cecala's 2-yard run.

Churchill regained the lead on a 36-yard touchdown catch by Swepson, but struggled to execute down the stretch, while Whitman tightened up on both sides of the ball. Cecala's 3-yard run five minutes into the fourth quarter was the game winner.

"This is my last year; this could have been my last game," said senior receiver Craig Fraser. "This was a huge game against a big rival. We had to leave it all out on the field."