Montgomery County Monday Week Ten: Review and Rankings

November 9, 8:32 AMMontgomery County High School Sports ExaminerMarc Bastow

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MCM Monday #1 Ranked Quince Orchard

I went away for the weekend, and by the time I returned, all heck had broken out in the playoff picture for the 4A West. How could this have happened? Easy: just follow the results of the games and how they affected the standings.

First off, Sherwood lost to Quince Orchard, who is inarguably the best team in the county. Sherwood’s loss opened up an opportunity for Paint Branch, with a win AT HOME, to leapfrog up to the #1 seed in the 4A West. But Paint Branch lost, convincingly, to Springbrook. With the win, Springbrook needed help from Whitman to have a chance at grabbing the last playoff spot in the division. Whitman obliged with a win AT Churchill, knocking the Bulldogs out of the playoffs for the second consecutive year in the last game of the season. With the win, Whitman not only got into the playoffs, but they jumped right over Paint Branch and put a strangle hold on the second seed. So there you have it: the 4A division seedings are as follow:

1. Sherwood
2. Whitman
3. Paint Branch
4. Springbrook

With their undefeated regular season behind them, Quince Orchard now looks ahead to the playoffs, and a first round meeting against Tuscarora on Friday. What an incredible season for the Cougars: they beat everybody that was and is anybody, specifically Clarksburg, Damascus, Whitman, Seneca Valley, and finally Sherwood. That is an awesome achievement any way you look at it. While I know Coach Dave Mencarini and his players and staff will not look past this weekend’s game, looming on the horizon is Linganore, another undefeated powerhouse of a program. But we will get to that another time.

Of course, first Linganore has to get past Damascus, who is on a massive roll, having taken down Sherwood and Clarksburg over the past three weeks. This will be quite the contest.

Rockville showed their mettle and drive in their workmanlike win over Blake. Nothing fancy from Rockville: just another ho-hum 293 yard, 3-touchdown rushing day from Crusoe Gongbay. Now the real test begins as the playoffs start against Middletown.

Finally, let’s give some major kudos to Walter Johnson and first year coach Jon Kadi: a three-win season may not sound like much, but it is exactly what Coach Kadi hoped for early in the season: a stepping stone for a program that’s been down for a very long time. Nicely done.

As the week progresses I will have playoff previews, and will cover the Quince Orchard vs Tuscarora game. However before that, here is the Montgomery County Monday Top Ten for Week Ten. While this is the last Top Ten for the regular season, the MCM Top Ten will go on throughout the playoffs. As always, the MCM Top Ten prior week’s rankings will be in bold, with the Gazette Power Rankings in italics.

1. Quince Orchard (1) (2): I mean, really, these guys are so good. The most underrated aspect of their team might be the defense, which just does whatever is necessary to win games when the offense stalls. Which by the way is hardly ever. Did I mention they are well coached, too? Next Game: Playoff at Home vs Tuscarora
2. Damascus (3) (6): They get the nod over Sherwood because, well, they beat Sherwood in what was clearly not some kind of fluke outcome. Now hitting on all cylinders, they will provide a huge test for Linganore on both sides of the ball. They are one tough team. Next Game: Playoff at Linganore.
3. Sherwood (2) (4): They may have lost to QO, but don’t feel too badly for these guys and please don’t sell short their chance to repeat as regional representative in the state playoffs. Cyrus Britt still managed to gain 137 yards against the Cougars, and A.J. Pignone threw for 132 yards. Sherwood is a very strong team and will prove it over the next two weekends. Next Game: Playoff Home vs Springbrook
4. Whitman (5) (9): What an effort by Coach Jim Kuhn’s team against Churchill in a must-win game for both teams. Kevin Cecala, as he has done all season, came up with the toughest yards at the most critical times, including the two-yard winning touchdown late in the game. This team confounds me, but they have found a way to win four out of the last five weekends, and that is the measure of a mentally strong team. The reward: at playoff home game. Next Game: Playoff Home vs Paint Branch.
5. Springbrook (8) (NR): What an effort by the Blue Devils to grab the last playoff spot. Devon Pestano and Mitchell Pollard solidified their all-county honors standing, and the defense played outstanding in registering their fourth shutout of the season. A great finish to a memorable season for Springbrook. Next Game: Playoffs at Sherwood
6. Paint Branch (4) (5): The total opposite of Springbrook. With a chance to grab a first seed and a win in the last game in their home stadium, Paint Branch fell flat and will not even get a home game in the playoffs. So now it’s up to Coach Mike Nesmith to rally the troops, get back to the basics, and gear up for a playoff run. Next Game: Playoffs at Whitman
7. Clarksburg (7) (8): Simply the best 3-loss team in the county. Their losses came to Damascus and Quince Orchard in overtime, and Paint Branch. What a great team; what a shame they can’t play again next weekend. Season complete
8. Rockville (9) (10): How far this team can go will all depend on how healthy and ready Crusoe Gongbay is for the playoff run. I’m going to say a long way. Next Game: Playoff vs Middletown
9. Churchill (6) (NR): Simply the most disappointing, and disappointed, 3-loss team in the county. They dropped their last three games, including a brutal loss to B-CC, and fell out of the playoffs. Did they get tired? Did they wear down? Or did they just run out of the good luck necessary for a long season? This is a difficult ending for a good team. Season complete
   

MCM Players of the Weekend

• Ben Sasu, Quince Orchard, 20-167 yds, 2 tds
• Devon Pestano, Springbrook, 25-116 yds, 2 tds
• Kevin Cecala, Whitman, 30-107, 1 td
• Ricardo McLeod, Wheaton, 22-309 yds, 3 tds
• Walter Johnson High School

MCM Honorable Mentions:

• Cyrus Britt, Sherwood, 26-137, 1 td
• Mitchell Pollard, Springbrook, 1 int
• Alex Kantor, Churchill, 13-23-195 yds, 2 tds
• Crusoe Gongbay, Rockville, 27-293 yds
• Wheaton High School