Defense, Special Teams Send No. 11 Sherwood to 17th Straight Victory

As Sherwood's football team gathered on the field moments after winning at Paint Branch, 19-0, on Thursday night, Warriors Coach Pat Cilento could not gloss over the most glaring element of the victory.

"We got lucky with this one, guys," he told them. "We got real lucky."

No. 11 Sherwood (3-0, 2-0 Montgomery 4A East) amassed only 131 yards of offense and five first downs and committed three second-half turnovers. But the Warriors turned to their special teams and defense to turn back the Panthers (2-1, 1-1).

Junior Jamal Merritt opened the second half by returning the kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown and the Warriors' defense held Paint Branch to 156 yards and just three drives inside the Sherwood 40-yard line.

After winning their first two games by a combined 104-14, the defending Maryland 4A champion Warriors, who have won 17 straight, were challenged for the first time, not just on the scoreboard, but also on the depth chart.

Earlier in the week, senior Kye Hopkins, Sherwood's No. 2 running back, went down with a sprained knee ligament. Then, Thursday, on the Warriors' first play from scrimmage, leading rusher Cyrus Britt also suffered a knee injury, for which he said he will get an MRI exam Friday. "We were still thinking we would be blowing people out like we did the last two games," Merritt said, "and thought we would just be able to do it again. This is definitely tougher."

Sherwood led 5-0 at the half, thanks to a safety on an intentional grounding call on Paint Branch in its end zone, and a 30-yard field goal from Andy Estrain. Yet, there was little energy on the Warriors' sideline, and Merritt changed that in one play.

"Right before the kickoff," Merritt said, "I told my blockers, 'Set the wall and I'll do the rest.' As soon as I came around the corner, I saw daylight and I was gone."

With Sherwood up 12-0, the Warriors' defense -- led by senior end Greg Grant and senior linebacker Phil Durity -- continued to smother Paint Branch. Merritt put good pressure on Panthers quarterback Tracy Martin and forced an incomplete pass on fourth and four from the Sherwood 26 midway through the third quarter. Then, with just more than seven minutes left, Grant sacked Martin for the second time on fourth and nine at the Sherwood 17.

No. 11 Sherwood 19, Paint Branch 0 Stuffed: Paint Branch averaged just 2.7 yards on its 36 carries. Thirteen went for zero or negative yards. You Take It: Five of the game's 12 second-half possessions ended in turnovers.