In a highly anticipated Friday night lights matchup on November 1^st, the Sherwood Warriors visited division rivals the Paint Branch Panthers to play for the division championship. The Panthers (7-1) looked to earn their second victory over the Warriors (6-2) in the past three years.

The first quarter was filled with scoring as the two teams answered each other’s big play ability with some of their own.  As the Panthers celebrated a Gaston Cooper to Javonn Curry 85-yard touchdown pass that sent the home crowd into a frenzy, Sherwood senior Elijah Spottswood silenced the crowd with a 90-yard kickoff return to tie things up 7-7.

It took the Panthers only a few minutes to respond, though, as senior running back Johnny Littlejohn helped ignite Paint Branch’s run game with a 41-yard touchdown.  Sherwood junior quarterback Nevon Sussman would find his own way to bring the Warriors right back as he pitched in with his arm and completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to junior Myanthony Starnes to knot the score at 14-14. The quarter’s final score came on a quarterback sneak by Panther senior Cooper.  When the dust cleared to end the first quarter, the scoreboard read: 21-14, Panthers.

Paint Branch would strike first in the 2^nd quarter with a 7-yard run by Cooper to up the Panther lead to 28-14.  The Warrior’s did not give in and received a much needed boost with an 85 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Starnes to make it 28-21.

Cooper, who had a huge night through the air and on the ground, added another touchdown to the Panther ledger on a 1-yard run into the end zone to take the lead back to 14 at 35-21 Paint Branch continued the scoring onslaught with a crafty running back throw-back from Littlejohn to Cooper for a 12-yard touchdown to finish the 1^st half.  With the Panthers up 42-21, good ball management in the 2^nd half would seal the deal.

The first points added to the scoreboard in the 3^rd quarter were also by Paint Branch as sophomore Armani Ceballos took a fumble recovery to the house to add 7 more to the growing lead of 49-21. A game-sealing touchdown run by junior Darryl Hill Jr. virtually concluded the game as his score increased the Panther lead to 55-21, only one point shy of a running clock

The fourth quarter primarily involved Paint Branch winding the clock down to finish the game off.

The key to this Panther victory came from the diversity of their offense, as the team used multiple weapons to keep the Warriors’ defense guessing. Sherwood’s offense struggled to stay on the field as each drive seemed to stall, and they had to settle for three-and-outs.  Paint Branch’s special teams gave up a touchdown and some good field position, but the defense played their role in suppressing the momentum.

Excellent quarterback play by Cooper, who finished with one touchdown pass, three touchdown runs, and a receiving touchdown, led the Panthers to a high scoring game and gave them some momentum heading into this Saturday’s clash against Gaithersburg.