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Shortly after the Paint Branch football team's 18-7 victory at host Whitman on Friday, Panthers assistant athletic director Heather Podosek screamed, "The curse is finally over."

While not as long as the "Curse of the Bambino" that famously plagued the Boston Red Sox, the third-seeded Panthers entered the 4A West Region semifinals without a postseason win since 1975, the same year they won their only state championship.

Since that time, Paint Branch (9-2 overall, 3-2 Montgomery 4A East Division) reached the postseason four times, only to be sent home after each state quarterfinal contest. Now the Panthers will play the winner of Saturday's rescheduled semifinal between top-seeded Sherwood and No. 4 Springbrook, for a spot in the state semifinals.

The Vikings finished the season 8-3, 6-0 in the 4A West.

"It's a big win," said Paint Branch senior Torian Henderson, who rushed for a touchdown and anchored a defense that worked three shutout quarters in the win. "The first win since 1975."

The drought looked like it might continue after one half, as Whitman opened up a 7-0 lead with on a 1-yard dive by Kevin Cecala. The Panthers committed four turnovers in the first half, including an interception by Michael Flack on Whitman's 2-yard line with 11 seconds left in the second quarter.

But Paint Branch was a different team in the second half, scoring touchdowns on three of its first four possessions. Running back Bene't Willis (118 rushing yards) started the turnaround with a 23-yard touchdown run, going untouched up the middle, with 7 minutes, 17 seconds left in the third quarter. The extra point was no good.

After an interception by Michael Bryan, the Panthers drove the ball 36 yards on six plays, taking the lead for good with 3:08 left in the third. Henderson raced in from 17 yards out for a 12-7 lead.

"The O-line picked it up," Henderson said. "They got focused. They realized how special this game was to us. Our seniors didn't want this to be our last game, so they stepped it up."

The game-winning drive was kept alive on a 12-yard pass from sophomore quarterback David Smith to wideout Ivan Tagoe on fourth down with 5 yards to go. Smith made his first varsity start because the team's normal signal caller, Tracy Martin, Jr., was held out because of a thigh injury.

Martin did enter the game with 2 minutes left, rumbling 25 yards to help kill the clock. Panthers coach Mike Nesmith said Martin should return to full-time duty next week.

"I was a little nervous at the beginning," said Smith, "but after the pregame, my nerves went away because I've been waiting for this opportunity all year. "With Ivan, even if he's covered, I can spot the ball different places and I know he'll be there to get it. I think he's one of the best athletes in the county."

Smith and Tagoe hooked up on a 31-yard pass play on their team's next possession, fueling an 11-play, 57-yard drive that ended when Willis carried Whitman's Carson Kline into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown.

"This is really big," said Tagoe, who hauled in nine passes for 99 yards. "This is really big for our school and our program."

Meanwhile, the Vikings produced just 49 yards in the second half and were stopped deep inside Paint Branch territory twice. Quarterback Henry Kuhn completed 7 of 21 passes for 66 yards.

"They kind of shut down our running game and we had trouble passing," Cecala said. "They kind of loaded the box and we had trouble adjusting to that."

Note: Willis injured his knee and had to be carried off the field late in the game. He sported a large ice bag on the bench and was carted off the field.