Junior kicker Sam McKinney lines up a short field goal, and every Jaguars player not participating in the play gathers in a bunch on the sideline. Just as McKinney gets set, Clipper pumps his arms, asking his sideline players to turn up the volume. They happily oblige, creating something akin to a football rave. They chant and sing, one Jaguar simply spinning in circles with his head titled to the sky.
McKinney nails the field goal, and the jeers turn to cheers.
This football program — No. 12 in The Post’s Top 20 — has plenty of experience with outside noise. Last fall, the Montgomery County powerhouse was saddled with a different reputation after a game-ending, headline-making brawl with Gaithersburg in mid-September.
The incident garnered widespread attention and outrage, prompting the county to overhaul its game-day safety policies and take action against both programs. The Jaguars were forced to forfeit two games, and coach Travis Hawkins, who was directly involved in the fight, was suspended and eventually let go.
“Last year, there was just a lot going on. Like, a lot a lot going on,” junior wide receiver Anthony Gengarella said. “But right now we’re working on a big turnaround.”
The Jaguars returned to the field two weeks after the fight, led by an interim coach and sporting a 1-3 record for the first time in recent memory. They tried to use the negative attention as motivation, fueling themselves with a strong blend of loyalty and anger. They finished the year 5-6, falling to rival Quince Orchard in the second round of the playoffs.
“It felt like us against everybody,” linebacker Xavier Rivers said of those final months. “I didn’t even feel a lot of support from our own building. It was just us guys having to tough it out.”
In late December, the school hired Clipper — a longtime, well-respected assistant in Montgomery County — to be its coach. It’s his third stint at Northwest, having served as a defensive coach in the early 2000s and the 2019 season. Clipper had stepped away from coaching after that 2019 campaign, hoping to spend more time at home with his young kids. But even after three years away from the game, he felt drawn to the job at Northwest.
“I felt like somebody with ties to this program needed to be a part of it again,” Clipper said. “Needed to help get things back on track.”
At this Thursday practice, Clipper is a large presence, both commanding and kind. He stands a few yards behind the offense as it practices run plays, calling out adjustments and questions. He often calls his players “men,” as in, “Can we handle that, men?” or “Do we know what we’re doing, men?”
“He’s old school, and I like that,” junior quarterback David Davis said. “He has established what needs to be done here.”
By the time Clipper was hired, Northwest’s roster was in flux. No one was quite sure who the coach would be or how much talent would be left on the roster. Rivers remembered talking with his parents about the possibility of leaving. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound edge rusher is an exceptional player and student, holding a bundle of offers from Ivy League schools. After the 2022 season, he was contacted by several local high schools, offering him a destination if he chose to play his senior season elsewhere.
Soon after Clipper was hired, the coach paid a visit to the Rivers family. Rivers had played under Clipper as a freshman, and the coach — then the defensive coordinator — had often called him “rookie.” Three years later, Clipper knew he had evolved into an integral member of the Jaguars. He sold the rising senior and his family on the importance of coming back. And as Rivers started offseason workouts with the coach, he felt more and more secure in his decision.
“Every day gave me a new reason to believe this was home,” Rivers said. “I decided to give [Clipper] a chance, and that was one of the greatest decisions I’ve ever made.”
One of the first things Clipper did as part of the offseason program was hold several meetings to discuss the 2022 season. There were still complicated emotions connected to the fight and its aftermath. Clipper wanted the Jaguars to put everything out in the open.
“Once you speak on it, and you address it, at some point you have to get over it and move forward,” he said.
So far this fall, the Jaguars have looked like their normal, dominant selves. They will travel to Churchill on Thursday night with a perfect 6-0 record, proof they have returned to their perch as one of the best teams in Montgomery County. There are reminders of last season, but so far the team has overcome them.
“Opponents are still trying to test us, instigate us, with little things like late hits,” senior linebacker Christian Idoma said. “But we stay calm. Our coaches tell us to not let them get in our heads and our minds. We’re all about us this season.”
Clipper is happy with the way his team is playing, but he’s also satisfied with the way they practice and prepare. For every grueling rep, there is a moment of joy, such as the special teams sideline party. He believes it’s that balance that has gotten the Jaguars back on track.
“As a coach, I believe that all the time — someway, somehow — you have to try to make this fun for kids,” he said. “I don’t think we do that enough. Football is a tough sport. It’s the only sport where you practice for a million hours to play one game. That’s a tough ask for a kid. So you have to find balance. You have to find fun.”