Game MPSSAA Class 4A/3A Football States of round Round 2

Photo courtesy of Sherwood football Instagram. The perennial powerhouse of Montgomery County football — there’s no doubt. But the Cougars' dominance in recent years can overshadow some of the other sensational programs in the county, and one of those teams is on a tear currently. No. 1-seed Sherwood dominated the regular season — the only team it fell to was Quince Orchard, 35-28 — and playoffs. Through two games in the 4A/3A state tournament, the Warriors have scored a combined 61 points. Forty-two of those came in Friday’s state semifinal against Perry Hall, in which Sherwood decimated the Gators, 42-14. But the explosion of scoring didn’t come until relatively deep into the contest’s action. Rather, through the first 30 or so minutes of action, Sherwood faced one of the greatest bouts of adversity it has all season long. The Warriors didn't take too long to score — it relied heavily on its potent rushing attack, converting on a fourth-and-1 early and breaking off a 24-yard scamper seven minutes in. That run, coupled with another 11-yard blast up the middle, set up an easy 2-yard rushing touchdown — the Warriors’ fullback paved the way for senior AJ Lopez to find the end zone. Things continued to bounce the Warriors’ way in the early minutes of the second quarter. An errant snap glanced off the fingertips of Perry Hall quarterback Jalil Frazier and tumbled behind him. As Frazier tried to pounce on the pigskin, however, the ball popped loose and found the stomach of Sherwood’s hounding defensive line. The Warriors morphed the turnover into a score of their own. They almost immediately broke off a 43-yard rush that brought them deep into the red zone. It was Lopez once again who capped off the drive, breaking the plane for the score. Then that adversity began to emerge. At quarterback, Joey Albrecht orchestrated a sensational drive, dropping 23- and 12-yard passes into the bucket on his way down the field. A 4-yard trick touchdown pass brought the Gators within one score, 14-7. And just a minute before half, disaster struck for the Warriors. As junior quarterback Matthew Larsen rolled out of the pocket looking for an open receiver in the end zone, a Perry Hall lineman nailed him from behind. The ball popped loose and was instantly retrieved by a Gator, who took it 90 yards to the house to tie things at 14-14 before the half. But despite the momentum completely shifting in favor of Perry Hall, Sherwood didn’t let up. Instead, it poured on 28 second half points. The first touchdown came roughly halfway through the third frame — a 13-yard run. The second came with just minutes left in the quarter; it was an 11-yard run in very similar fashion. Not only was it a typical between-the-tackles rush, but they came from the same player, too: AJ Lopez, who was undoubtedly Sherwood’s premier player Friday. The Warriors tacked on another few touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 7-yard strike from Larsen to a curl route. Sherwood ultimately coasted the rest of the way, and will play Mergenthaler in the 4A/3A state championship.