Sherwood dominates Oakdale, 35-0, to advance to State Quarterfinals
November 15, 2024
SANDY SPRING, Md. — The Sherwood Warriors (9-2) defeated the Oakdale Bears (8-3), 35-0, in a 3A West Regional playoff matchup on Friday, November 15 at Sherwood High School.
Sherwood’s offense scored with ease at times, and the Warriors defense completely shut down the Oakdale offense for the entire game. The Warriors jumped out to an early lead, taking a 7-0 advantage when quarterback Matt Larsen connected with receiver Khalil Wilson, who broke free down the sideline for a 55-yard score. Brody Pingon added the extra point, and Sherwood would not look back.
Oakdale went three-and-out and punted, and despite fumbling the return, Sherwood recovered and retain possession. The Warriors drove down the field, but Larsen was intercepted on 4th down by Oakdale’s Brayden DeWaal. The quarter ended, and then Sherwood returned the favor as Jaden Nix picked off the Alex Rodriguez pass in the end zone. The Warriors would take advantage of the turnover, as Ryan Johnson capped a long drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to give the Warriors a 14-0 lead.
As time expired in the first half, Wilson scored another TD on his feet, from 2-yards out, and Sherwood took a surprising 21-0 lead into the half.
The Bears received the kickoff to start the second half, and drove down to the Sherwood 2-yard line. But they were unable to get the push they needed into the end zone, and instead the Warriors defense stood strong and forced a turnover on downs. Using the momentum generated by their defensive stop, Sherwood would add another touchdown on a 54-yard rush by Gantt Hagins. The Pingon extra point made it a 28-0 Warriors advantage.
One more time, Oakdale drove down into the red zone in the third quarter, but the Sherwood defense was stout once more and forced another turnover on downs. With play turning to the fourth quarter, Johnson added another touchdown, this time from two yards away, to give the Warriors a 35-0 lead, and force a running clock for the remainder of the game. Oakdale threatened one more time at the end, but was turned away as a hook-and-ladder play came up short.
Oakdale sees its season come to an end in the 3A Regionals, and will be unable to defend its 2023 title. Sherwood advances to the State Quarterfinal round of playoffs, and has earned the 3-seed, and will host 6-seeded Franklin next week.
More Posts
