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The Northwest football team earned a berth in the Class 4A West Region playoffs with a 38-27 win over Walter Johnson in Friday's regular-season finale.
The Jaguars (6-4 overall, 4-2 Montgomery 4A West Division) claimed the No. 4 seed. They will trek to No. 1-seed Sherwood next Friday.
They jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead on the strength of a host of offensive weapons; junior halfback Hassan Dixon rushed for a touchdown and topped the 1,000-yard mark for the season, while wide receiver Marcel Bright hauled in two touchdown passes against the Wildcats (1-9, 0-6).
Gaithersburg 25, Magruder 0
The Trojans (6-4) and Colonels (4-6) closed out their seasons with a sloppy game that included a combined 12 turnovers and 18 penalties.
Gaithersburg carried a 7-0 lead into the fourth quarter before scoring three times in the final period to put the game away. Northwest's win over Walter Johnson knocked the Trojans from the playoffs; they finished fifth in the final point standings, just shy of the four-team field.
Running back tandem B.J. Marshall and Axel Ofori combined to rush for 202 yards for Gaithersburg. Ofori added an interception, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Penn State-bound Sean Stanley closed his Gaithersburg career with 2.5 sacks and two touchdowns, a 9-yard reception at tight end and a 59-yard fumble return.
Seneca Valley 49, Einstein 0
It was a perfect ending to a perfect regular season for the Screaming Eagles (10-0 overall, 7-0 Montgomery 3A Division), who shut out their sixth opponent of the season.
But they had plenty of offense too, starting with senior Joe Rankin, who rushed for 198 yards on just eight carries. He also scored on back-to-back first half carries of 77 and 67 yards.
Senior quarterback George Lerch was equally effective, completing 7 of 8 passes for 122 yards and two scores, one to Xavier Hughes and one to Mark Henderson. The Eagles will host Damascus next Friday in the first round of the Class 3A State Playoffs.
Sophomore Malcolm Crockett rushed for 100 yards on 26 carries for the Titans (5-5, 4-3).
Sherwood 45, Whitman 7
The Warriors (10-0) tuned up for the Class 4A West Region playoffs with a win over Whitman (4-6). Quarterback Zack Splain found Ralph George for two touchdown passes and added another on the ground, all in the first half.
Sherwood led 35-0 at halftime, with Dominique Davis and Steven Gamble adding touchdown runs. Andy Estrain hit a 33-yard field goal and Kye Hopkins tacked on a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Anthony Young-Wiseman scored Whitman's touchdown; sophomore quarterback Henry Kuhn completed eight of 15 pass attempts for 86 yards.
B-CC 30, Wheaton 7
The Barons (2-8) matched last season's win total with a well-balanced effort against the Knights (2-8). The teams finished tied for seventh in the Montgomery 3A Division.
Sophomore Matt Bookman rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown, and added a 45-yard punt return touchdown. Quarterback Jake Boross added 161 passing yards and a touchdown in his high school finale. Linebacker Noah Joseph added 12 tackles, surpassing 15 for the season.
Clarksburg 33, Watkins Mill 0
Clarksburg closed out its second consecutive undefeated regular season.
Coyotes senior quarterback Cody Martin completed 7 of 8 pass attempts for 221 yards and four touchdowns. Myles Daughtry (3 catches for 58 yards) caught two touchdown passes and Andrew Veith (2-68) and Patrick Isaacs (1-65) each caught one.
Daughtry caught a 40-yard pass in the end zone to give Clarksburg a 7-0, first-quarter lead. His 12-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter coupled with Isaacs' two second-quarter touchdowns (65-yard pass, 63-yard run) put the Coyotes ahead, 26-0, at halftime.
Veith scored snatched a 65-yard touchdown reception early in the third for Clarksburg's final score.
Blake 27, Rockville 22
Blake ended its season on a positive note, winning its second game of the year Friday. The Bengals finished the year 2-8; Rockville ended 5-5 after a 4-1 start.
"[Friday] was definitely a good way to end the year," Blake coach Tony Nazzaro said. "Hopefully this will give us some positive energy going into the offseason."
Friday's contest was all about the running game: Blake senior running back Kwabena Asante totaled 262 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries; Rockville sophomore Crusoe Gongbay rushed for 208 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries.
Asante (44-yard, 20-yard) and Gongbay (42-yard, 2-yard) each scored twice in the first half. Asante (5-yard) scored once in the third and Bengals senior Daniel Wilson (2-yard) and Gongbay (3-yard) scored in the fourth.
Northwood 26, Kennedy 15
The Gladiators failed to convert on halftime leads in three of their last six games, but came up big in the second half Friday to erase a 7-6, first-half deficit to win their second consecutive game and end the year 3-7.
Senior quarterback Jimmy Hessler threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns on 22 for 29 passing. Senior receiver Keith Hudson tallied 181 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions; Timbuk Atakora (5-95) and Kendall Cottman (6-65) also caught touchdown passes.
Senior running back Lydell Baker scored his first touchdown of the year on a 7-yard run in the third quarter.
