Damascus Upends Previously Unbeaten Sherwood

Defense toughens up late in 26-22 win

So much for the soft, gooey center of the Damascus defense.

The Swarmin' Hornets stiffened on the penultimate drive of the fourth quarter to snap Sherwood's 18-game regular season football winning streak, 26-22 Friday in Sandy Spring.

"They're beatable. We showed that tonight," Damascus senior Brian Lucas said. "We stuck to our game plan, and the fact that it rained was probably in our favor a little bit."

The Warriors (6-1) sought to wear down Damascus' many two-way players, exploiting the strategy Quince Orchard used to beat the Hornets (4-2) in the season's second week. Senior Greg Grant carried a sledge hammer belonging to line coach Chuck Oswald onto the field during pre-game warm-ups, meant to symbolize how Sherwood planned to "hammer" Damascus.

Of Sherwood's 55 offensive plays, 36 were runs between the tackles. Junior Cyrus Britt, who carried 33 times for 169 yards and a touchdown, did break a 51-yarder late in the third quarter.

But for the game, the Hornets outgained the Warriors, 287-206.

"We're not the same team we were when we played Quince Orchard," Damascus head coach Eric Wallich said. "Losing the way we did to QO was the best thing that has happened to us this season."

The game began with two big breaks in favor of Damascus. Senior Greg Stanton returned the opening kickoff 70 yards to the Sherwood 5-yard line. Two Lucas runs put the Swarmin' Hornets up, 7-0.

On Sherwood's ensuing drive, junior Jamal Merritt got behind the defense on second down, but dropped quarterback A.J. Pignone's perfect pass. The Warriors went three-and-out, and Damascus rode the momentum to another Lucas touchdown and a 13-0 lead less than 4 minutes into the game.

Lucas, who spent the first two years of his high school career at Sherwood, was at the center of an emotional rivalry game. He took a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, as well as plenty of abuse from the home fans.

But the 2008 transfer had the last laugh, rushing for 114 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.

"It's unexplainable; I'll remember this game for the rest of my life," Lucas said. "For two years I've had to go through them talking to me. But I love my team and I wouldn't trade it."

Sherwood did go ahead twice in the game, first on Andy Estrain's extra point following a 20-yard fumble return by junior linebacker Joey Carswell in the second quarter, 14-13.

Britt's third-quarter touchdown put the Warriors up 22-19. But just two plays later, Damascus quarterback Connor Frazier ran a draw up the middle and cut outside for the decisive 44-yard touchdown, and the defense did the rest.

This story is from The Gazette group of community newspapers published by Post-Newsweek Media, a unit of The Washington Post Co.