But Friday’s second round playoff game against Quince Orchard represented a chance to truly level up. While Northwest is one of the few local public schools that can still provide Quince Orchard with stiff competition, the Cougars had won each of their last six meetings — including a 34-21 victory on Oct. 20.

“Our focus was there all week,” Clipper said. “They were ready. That’s a rivalry game. And games like that, you don’t need to do a whole lot to get your players fired up.”

Northwest started fast thanks to senior running back Tony Berry, who ran for a touchdown and threw for a touchdown in the first quarter.

“That kid is special,” Clipper said of Berry. “Pound for pound, I’d put him against any playmaker in the state. And it seems the bigger the game, the better he plays.”

Just before halftime, the Jaguars took a 29-12 lead on a pick-six from another senior leader, linebacker Xavier Rivers.

“The defense played their butts off. Inspired football,” Clipper said. “They were flying around. They really have jelled as a unit at the right time.”

That 17-point halftime lead was enough to carry Northwest to a victory, as Quince Orchard scored two second half touchdowns but couldn’t recover a late onside kick. The Cougars’ years-long winning streak ended at 39 games.

Northwest, riding the high of a momentous win, prepares to face Broadneck in the Maryland 4A quarterfinals.

“We have a 24-hour rule on enjoying a win, no matter who we play,” Clipper said. “That’s the approach every game. You prepare the same way each week, and after a QO win is no different. There’s a 24-hour rule and then we get ready for our next opponent.”

Herndon ends long playoff drought

When Herndon Coach Bill Bachman put one finger in the air Friday night at McLean, his Hornets dropped to a knee and listened. The Hornets had just knocked off the Highlanders, 28-21, and huddled around their coach for his weekly postgame speech.

“That hasn’t been done since 1985,” Bachman said, eliciting a roar from his players.

It was Herndon’s first playoff victory in nearly 40 years and another milestone for the program. Last year, the Hornets made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Two weeks ago, they reached seven wins for the first time since 2003 and clinched back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in more than two decades.

“They’ve had a lot of doubters and they’ve just been super resilient,” Bachman said. “We get to write our own narrative, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Brady Calderwood remembers the sting of constant defeat when the Hornets rode a 28-game losing streak into the beginning of last season. The senior, who rushed for a touchdown in the closing minutes of the first half to give Herndon a lead, remarked after the game that his team’s victory was for all of the teams in between the program’s playoff wins — players who never got to walk off the field victorious in the postseason.

“My heart was still pumping even though we just had to kneel it,” Calderwood said with a smile. “It was awesome.”

The road will only get tougher for the Hornets, who will match up with last year’s state runner-up, Madison, this week. The Warhawks handled their business against Langley, 42-6, the first step in avenging their loss to Freedom in the title game last season.

Leonardtown’s defense: The Raiders’ defensive unit stepped up when it mattered most, posting the team’s second shutout of the season as the Southern Maryland program beat Reservoir, 21-0, to advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history.

Bud Coombs, DeMatha: The junior running back flashed a brilliant mix of power and finesse as he tallied 231 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries in the No. 3 Stags Washington Catholic Athletic Conference semifinal win over St. John’s.

Jeff Overton, Freedom (Woodbridge): The junior recorded seven touchdowns as the Eagles took another step toward repeating as Class 6 champions in a 75-7 win over Potomac.

Raymon Lewis, Potomac (Md.): Lewis delivered a one-two punch that won his team the game against Gwynn Park, catching a blocked field goal to return for a 98-yard TD, then receiving a 16-yard TD pass to effectively end the game.

Broadneck at Northwest, Friday, 6:30 p.m.

West Springfield at Lake Braddock, Friday, 7 p.m.

Coolidge vs. Anacostia, (DCIAA Stripes championship, at Theodore Roosevelt, Saturday, noon

No. 4 Archbishop Spalding vs. McDonogh, at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Sunday, 5 p.m.

Dunbar reaches another Turkey Bowl

After beating Theodore Roosevelt twice already this season, Dunbar’s 49-6 D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association semifinal win against the Roughriders on Saturday didn’t come as a surprise. But defeating the team that dashed its Turkey Bowl glory last year carries new meaning as the Crimson Tide head toward another title run.

“Last season, our words were: ‘We’ll see who lasts the longest. We’ll come back stronger than ever.’ And we did. We beat them three times,” senior running back Dre’aun Wood said.

The win puts Dunbar back into the Turkey Bowl, where it will play Ballou on Nov. 23.

A perennial contender, something seems to have clicked for Dunbar (8-2) down the stretch. Wood, who has accumulated over 750 rushing yards so far this year, says the offense has built enough trust with each other and Coach Maurice Vaughn to adapt on the fly, calling audibles in response to what players see on the field.

That free-form style of play-calling has resulted in big gains, like in the final regular season game when an intended screen pass turned into a 30-yard quarterback draw with Wood and QB Brosnan Dukes capitalizing on an opportunity they saw before the snap.

“We’ve been opening up our playbook way more,” Wood said. “We’re starting to throw some trick shots at them, and [Coach Vaughn] is starting to listen to us and what we’re seeing on the field. … He trusts us with that, and he’s just been all around open to new ideas.”

Virginia Academy shows progression

A little over 14 months ago, Virginia Academy Coach Obie Woods saw tears in his players’ eyes. They had lost the first game in program history. He asked them how many had played organized football in their lives. Seven players raised their hands.

“I was like, ‘Fellas, I am beyond proud of you,’ ” Woods said. “We might have been the worst tackling team in America that day, but we scored 26 points. … And it’s all been uphill since then.”

Since then, the Patriots have managed dual development plans. On one end, they’ve emphasized the growth of those newcomers. On another, they’ve brought in a slew of transfers with varsity experience to the Ashburn school and infused a junior class replete with talent, including Adam Badi, Keyon Somers, Domingo Meade and Zion Trump. And so, after scheduling mostly home-schools last year, Woods challenged his team with a mix of public and private schools on the docket.

In August and September, those growing pains were still evident. Badi said players didn’t talk much outside of practice, which meant they had trouble holding each other accountable and working as one cohesive unit on Friday nights.

But they begin to connect and joke around, taking after Woods’s lead. This meant they felt as though they were ready to compete with local powers — and that the area underrated them heading into the final game against Mount Zion Prep. Friends from former schools said the Patriots would lose by 50. Badi said he heard from a Mount Zion Prep player they would score 100 points.

Though the Patriots still lost, finishing the season at 6-6, they held the Eagles to 20 points.

“The way we bonded and practiced, that’s a great steppingstone into next year,” Badi said. “I think we shocked the whole DMV.”