Cougars Competing With Depth

Quince Orchard dropped from Class 4A to 3A this scholastic year and still had 140 players come out for its football program. The Cougars are using that depth to create competition for playing time. Two of the biggest beneficiaries were the team's biggest stars Friday.

Senior running back Ben Sasu, who was stuck on the depth chart the past three seasons behind some very talented runners, is getting his chance to shine and not wasting it. He rushed 35 times for 211 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Meanwhile, the Cougars' quarterback job seemed to be up for grabs this season between junior Drew Murphy and sophomore Billy Plante. As the players walked to the locker room at halftime, Murphy appeared to be limping, and it made sense. He played the first two series and then went to the bench for the rest of the half and was replaced by Plante. When asked after the game, Murphy said he wasn't hurt. He completed his first six passes, and finished 11 of 12 for 142 yards. He looked poised and connected with seven receivers. . . .

Another team that has put together a pair of convincing victories is Springbrook, which followed a 36-7 victory over Blair to open the season with last week's 20-7 triumph over Northwest. The Blue Devils seem to have found a terrific ball carrier in 6-foot-1, 170-pound junior Devon Pestano, who rushed 30 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns last week. Pestano should get plenty more carries this week, when Springbrook tries to eat up the clock against Wootton and its hurry-up, no-huddle offense. . . .

Sherwood and Paint Branch coasted to victories last week, setting up a matchup of 2-0 teams in this week's premier game in Montgomery County. Sherwood, which defeated Richard Montgomery, 48-0, has totaled 104 points in two games. Junior running back Cyrus Britt has rushed only 13 times this season but has gained 280 yards and scored five touchdowns. Coming off a 43-29 victory over Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Paint Branch has gotten strong play from senior quarterback Tracy Martin (260 yards passing, 154 yards rushing), who has strong skill-position players (running back Benet Willis, wide receiver Ivan Tagoe) at his disposal. . . .

Two weekends of football in the county have produced some curious numbers.

Churchill, Einstein, Rockville and Whitman, with a combined two postseason appearances the past four years, are 8-0, collectively.

Northwest, Seneca Valley and Wootton, all playoff teams a year ago, are a combined 0-6.

Things might continue to look bizarre, especially when 2-0 Einstein hosts 0-2 Seneca Valley Thursday night at 6:30. Typically, those records are inverted. Churchill, on the other hand, might be picking up momentum. The Bulldogs' next five opponents, Walter Johnson, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Magruder and Wootton, are a combined 1-9.

Winning Streak Is Broken

Good Counsel's second-ranked girls' soccer team broke No. 3 Bethesda-Chevy Chase's long unbeaten streak last weekend with a 2-0 victory at the Good Counsel Invitational. The last time the Barons lost a game was Nov. 6, 2007, in the 3A West regional finals.

B-CC (2-1) went 17-0 last year en route to the 3A state title, and its only loss in 2007 came on penalty kicks against Urbana in the region finals. The Barons had started off this year 1-0 but were done in by a Good Counsel squad that's looking more and more like the class of the WCAC.

"Obviously, last year was phenomenal, and the year before was also great, but we really wanted to get this to see where we were," said B-CC Coach Rob Kurtz. B-CC has another top 10 opponent looming Thursday: No. 8 Quince Orchard.

Good Counsel (7-0-1) has a stingy defense to thank for the win over the Barons. Although B-CC had control of the midfield for large portions of the match, the Barons could not muster a shot on goal.

"It's the defense," Coach Jim Bruno said of the team's fast start. "Their focus in practice is way above anything we've had in the past, so I think they're only going to get better."