The pouring rain didn’t dampen the Quince Orchard Cougars’ street win on Friday because the Gaithersburg workforce defeated the Northwest Jaguars, 34-21. The penalties and lack of self-discipline did.

After the handshake line, the Cougars (8-0) adopted head coach John Kelley to the top zone for the post-game speech and fell silent. A workforce with 38-straight wins and having simply defeated their Germantown (6-2) rival by two touchdowns wasn’t celebrating.

The Cougars almost tallied double-digit pre-snap penalties. They inflicted upon themselves three consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on protection in a single drive which superior the Jaguars offense 45 yards and led them to attain their third landing of the night time and pull inside one rating.

Kelley requested his gamers why they’re not glad with defeating their opponents on the scoreboard. He advised the leaders of the workforce think about calling a players-only assembly. He known as on his gamers to right the self-discipline and the accountability to 1 one other earlier than it turns into their downfall.

“We just had some stupid penalties tonight,” Kelley stated. “[The penalties] were just stupid at the end of the game that basically gave [the Jaguars] a free touchdown which was disappointing. It cost us, probably, another touchdown.”

Junior working again Iverson Howard, who notched two touchdowns, together with the game-sealing 40-yard landing run with beneath two minutes remaining, felt the identical.

“One thing we’ve got to fix is being disciplined,” Howard stated. “… Somebody hit you, you have got to walk away from that.”

It was a chippy, hostile setting from the pre-game to the ultimate whistle. Northwest held up banners saying, “Kiss your winning streak goodbye! #JagNation.”

Both sides featured gamers chirping throughout the 50-yard line, pointing at their rivals heightening the depth. Maybe an excessive amount of depth for some, stated senior huge receiver Tavahri ‘Tick’ Groves.

“We all came out with hot heads,” Groves stated. “A couple of us too much hot on the head.”

As the Cougars have continued their dominance, groups have tried to additional rattle them and trigger disruption. Senior quarterback Nino Marzullo stated that shouldn’t matter.

“We have to be tough mentally and physically,” Marzullo stated. “We can’t be doing dumb stuff like talking. We just have to clean that stuff up.”

Marzullo and the offense had been each, with the senior sign caller connecting with Groves on a 25-yard landing go to open the scoring within the first quarter. On their subsequent drive they scored once more with Howard discovering the top zone on a 17-yard rush to place the Cougars up 14-0.

But the Jaguars weren’t going away, answering with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that noticed working again Tony Berry rating with 1:26 left within the first half.

“Every time we play Northwest it’s always going to be a dogfight,” stated Howard.

Coming out of halftime, the Cougars discovered the top zone on Marzullo’s second landing go to Groves, this one for 36 yards.

“Every time I see [Groves] he’s just open, so it’s great to have him and all my other receivers, too,” stated Marzullo.

Groves felt the identical approach.

“We ran the exact same play,” Groves stated on his second landing reception. “I already knew the dude in front of me couldn’t guard me. [It was] the same route. Just cook him.”

And simply because the Jaguars crept again into the sport on a intelligent wildcat go from Berry to junior tight finish Connor Bunting to shut inside one rating, the Cougars responded. Midway via the fourth quarter, on third and 16 from the 50-yard line, Marzullo accomplished his third landing go on a display to senior huge receiver Isaiah Blackman-Boyd.

“‘Zay’ made a great play,” Marzullo stated. “I threw it and got wacked. O-line did a great job blocking downfield and it helped bring the momentum back all the way.”

It was right here that the protection started to unravel, with penalties screeching play to a halt after every snap. With free yardage and their backs in opposition to the wall, Jaguars senior quarterback Jayden Vongprachanh-Nelson (16 of 26 for 190 yards) related with Berry for a 12-yard landing. But the comeback try was silenced after Howard blew via the center of the sector and iced the sport with a 40-yard landing.

Iverson, after the sport, was solely centered on the errors, reasonably than celebrating the victory.

“Our mindset was ‘we definitely going to run through these boys’ face,” Howard stated. “But one thing we got to fix is being disciplined.”

If they don’t repair the problems now, gamers might have a unique view sooner or later.

“Guys are just going to have to figure it out or they’re going to be sitting on the sidelines clapping,” stated Kelley.

Next up for Quince Orchard is the Sherwood Warriors (6-2) at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 at residence. The Jaguars keep at residence for a 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 conflict in opposition to the Einstein Titans (5-3).

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