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Thirty-four years.
It has been that long since the Paint Branch football team did what it did on Friday night: winning a playoff game. Its accomplishment was just as impressive as it was overdue, in come-from-behind fashion, on the road, and without arguably its most important player.
"It's a lot of hard work coming to fruition," said Panthers head coach Mike Nesmith after the 18-7 victory at Whitman, "but it's not like the kids were out there doing cartwheels."
Indeed, the third-seeded Panthers enter Friday's 4A West Region final at No. 1 Sherwood confident in spite of the odds.
The odds start with being the favored top seed. The Warriors are now 9-0 against 4A competition this season after a 24-2 pasting of Springbrook in their playoff opener. More significantly, they went to Burtonsville and shut out Paint Branch in week three, 19-0.
There is more. While running out the clock against the Vikings, Panthers sophomore running back Bene't Willis — who scored two touchdowns and has rushed for more than 1,000 yards on the season — was carried off the field with a knee injury that has him doubtful for this week. Electric quarterback Tracy Martin took no snaps behind center last week after aggravating a thigh injury in week 10 "that won't be 100 percent until he can rest it," according to Nesmith.
But backup David Smith stepped into the breach, recovered from early jitters and threw for a respectable 128 yards. Just a sophomore, Smith has good arm strength and two huge, potent weapons to work with: Torian Henderson, who rushed for the game-winning touchdown, and the county's second-leading receiver, Ivan Tagoe.
Martin did play on special teams coverage units in the second half, and looked spry on a 25-yard run late in the game, but Nesmith has not decided who will take snaps Friday.
Or at least admit it.
"Oh, I'm not going to tip my hand," he said. "You know, Tracy injured his thigh week five and our offense really kind of lost a dimension; a lot of stuff we did was predicated on [rollouts]. David came in and really did a great job as just a sophomore. ... At the same time, Tracy's a competitor and he's going to play somewhere. We're not going to go down without our best players."
If it sounds like all the subplots are one-sided, well, they mostly are. This is old hat for the defending state champions; as current Rockville and former Warriors assistant Kevin Bernot described it weeks ago, "at Sherwood, the playoffs are like an extension of the season."
History notwithstanding, its identity is also no mystery. Sherwood's defense has been simply dominant, tallying six shutouts this season (Springbrook's only score was defensive). Offensively, it has been as basic as basic gets, with junior Cyrus Britt rapidly approaching 200 carries.
Very rarely can a quarterback be considered "an ace in the hole," but junior A.J. Pignone is becoming one. Sparingly leaned on nearly all year, he is become a legitimate factor of late. Three of his four 100-yard passing games have come in Sherwood's last three games, totaling nearly 500 yards and 4 touchdowns during that span. No. 3 Paint Branch (9-2) at No. 1 Sherwood (9-2)
Class 4A West Region final
Friday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m.
Last meeting: Sherwood 19, Paint Branch 0 (Sept. 17, 2009)
-Paint Branch Panthers
Last playoff appearance: 2000 (sixth)
Best finish: Class B state champions (1975)
Head coach: Michael Nesmith (third year, 23-8 record)
Leading rusher: Bene't Willis (138 carries, 1,009 yards, 14 TD)
Leading passer: Tracy Martin (55 of 126, 908 yards, 13 TD, 7 int.)
Leading receiver: Ivan Tagoe (46 catches, 662 yards, 8 TD)
Leading defenders: LB Ivan Tagoe, S Torian Henderson, LB Courtney Wallerson
Points scored: 286
Points allowed: 148
-Sherwood Warriors
Last playoff appearance: 2008 (14th)
Best finish: Class 4A state champions (1995-96, 2008)
Head coach: Pat Cilento (first year, 9-2 record)
Leading rusher: Cyrus Britt (174 carries, 1,143 yards, 14 TD)
Leading passer: A.J. Pignone (71 of 130, 1,011 yards, 12 TD, 4 int.)
Leading receiver: Alex Cole (18 catches, 293 yards, 4 TD)
Leading defenders: DE Greg Grant, LB Phil Durity, CB Jamal Merritt
Points scored: 298
Points allowed: 82