MoCo Football Monday Nov 15.

Mike Cornejo for MOCOFOOTBALL.COM

This was a great weekend. I got to spend time with my cousins, Pacquiao won (he's got more wins at Cowboys Stadium than the football team has), Northwest didn't lose, the other team from Germantown didn't win, Redskins didn't lose, and no matter what- the Dallas Cowboys are still on the bottom of the NFC East.

Of all the regional semi final games Friday night, there was none sweeter than Quince Orchard's. Down 15 to climbing the last 11:56 of the game for a win is stuff we'll all be talking about for a long time. Mark the machine Green was just too much for the visiting Eagles. The significance of the game stems from it being against Seneca Valley. There's nothing those guys have to be upset about. A lot of people are going to knock on SV because they are the state's historically best program. Today's Quince Orchard seniors can say they beat Seneca Valley and the reaction today and in ten years will still be the same, "wow"...  because 10 years from now, I've got a feeling Seneca Valley will still be strong. Seneca Valley has had it rough and that's what happens when your predecessors raised such high standards. Everyone wants the mighty to fall. Everyone's been sticking their leg out and accusing them of tripping. You know your program is on a different level when people are seeing you've got a championship drought because they too know this team is vying for it every year. A "rebuilding year" is unheard off over there. We know this isn't the 70's/80's/90's, you don't think those guys up there know that? There was a time when it was just Gaithersburg vs. Seneca Valley and every few years there are new schools being built carving up that roster. Still, in 36 years, Seneca Valley has only had one losing season. Kudos to Fred Kim and the boys up at Seneca Valley for a great 2010 campaign. I'm sure like any great program; they can rebound next year and if they're lucky, probably win nine.

Sherwood put the whoopin' on Springbrook and cruised to a 37-0 win. Blue Devils' 1000-yarder star running back Devon Pestano was held to under 50 yards rushing while Sherwood QB AJ Pignone almost doubled that amount with his 70 on the ground. Sherwood's Dylan Hubbard is the rushing leader at Caruso Memorial when he totaled for 110 yards plus two touchdowns. The 'Wood hosts a familiar heavyweight rival; the revamped Gaithersburg Trojans who are having a great year doubling last season's win total. Trojans hadn't had double-digit wins since winning states 10 years ago.

Gaithersburg is playing on Week 12 for the first time since 2003. The Trojans reached Week 12, five straight times from 1999-2003.  The last time they won Week 12 was in Kreg Kephart's first season in 2000, an 18-8 win over Broadneck that catapulted them to go to the State finals to beat Sherwood. Gaithersburg played Sherwood in Week 12 of the 2002 season where they lost 26-14. Sherwood advanced to the State finals, losing to Parkdale 34-14.

Zack Fetters is making a name for himself by being a beast on both sides of the ball. He threw for over 200 yards Friday and picked off two passes defensively. He's no Marc Bason, but he is probably the Trojans' biggest fantasy football points leader since Dan Atwood.

Gaithersburg had a great win over Whitman in the first round shutting 'em Vikings down 28-0. Whitman pushed and pushed but Gaithersburg's defense somehow found ways to keep em out of the endzone. I feel for Henry Kuhn. Those guys have had a great run themselves. Henry and his father, Vikings headman Jim Kuhn, got lots of memories to talk about in eternity that is unique only to father and sons in football.

Connor Frazier has a unique situation himself. He is the third in the Frazier family to suit up in Damascus green-and-gold. His older brothers has had success on the gridiron themselves and I'm sure I'm not the only one who think he's doing a great job representing that Frazier name. What I liked particularly well with Connor is his ability to run. Even at the quarterback position, he stays true to Damascus' vintage method of advancing the ball. There cannot be anything more frustrating than this guy as I have said time and time again. The kid's going to run yet, after 11 he has yet to be stopped. It makes me wonder how he'll do against Quince Orchard this Friday when the Cougars get a rare second crack at a chance to get back at Frazier and Damascus.

If QO is to contain Frazier, that kid's got an artillery of weapons that surround him and that Hornets offensive line like Joel Ross and future Cavalier Brandon Phelps. Mark O'Hara is a rumbler and WR Zach Bradshaw is Frazier's favorite target through the air.

Linganore didn't look like the Linganore I remember after Damascus punished them, Friday. They did graduate the Gatorade Maryland Player of The Year last year, Zack Swiniak who put up monstrous performaces against Damascus and Quince Orchard in 2009. I almost forgot these are the same guys that dropped 70 points on Tuscarora just three weeks before playing Damascus. That happened to be their last win of the season as well. The Lancers went 7-0 then lost three straight. Word is that they’re a young group of kids and should be a top team next season.

In the 2A Rockville faced undefeated South Carroll who puts up 40+ against the Rams. And just like that MoCo's hopes of having three state champions in one season went kaput. The last time that happened was in 1996 when Sherwood won 4A, Seneca Valley won 3A, and Wheaton the 2A. Congrats to the Rams on an 8-win season. We're going to miss Crusoe Gongbay at 2100 B'more Road. #26's 2000+ yards this season is something to admire. We definitely hope to see Gongbay play in the next level. Coach Kevin Bernot's 16 wins in his two years in Rockville ties the win total of Mark Maradei in his three years at Rockville. Maradei went 16-14 in three years. Had Bernot won 10 this season, his career total at Rockville would have tied the number of wins former Rams head coach Jack Freeman won in his last six years at the school.

This weekend we have four teams left fighting for a regional title, only two will survive after 10:00 pm Friday. Gaithersburg vs. Sherwood in a rematch of their week 5 showdown, plus Quince Orchard vs. Damascus.

After a decisive 44-0 beatdown of Gonzaga in the semifinals, MoCo's Our Lady of Good Counsel will face DeMatha for the WCAC Championship in Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis for the 7^th straight year. DeMatha faced St. John's College and cruised to a 34-20 win to advance to the finals. These two teams combine for eight players (four each team) that are in this year's Maryland Crab Bowl Senior All-Star game. The OLGC Falcons' version of Zack Fetters is Zach Dancel a quarterback and an interception snagging safety in the defense. Dancel, Stephon Diggs, and the return of running back Wes Brown to the lineup (after suffering a severe ankle injury against St. Xavier of Ohio in week 1) should be of help for the Falcons on their chances of winning the title this year. Countering that lineup are a superb group on defense which includes Darien Harris and Darian Cooper. DeMatha looks to be having a rough season having given up over 200 points defensively. They have allowed four teams to score 30+ points against them.

Good Counsel won last year's championship after five straight loses to the Stags in the big game. DeMatha won the regular season matchup between these two teams 31-28 in week 7. Both teams are 9-2.