Riding their blowout victory against Whitman, the Patriots had a home game against Catonsville and were looking to receive their third win on the season.

Catonsville traveled all the way from Baltimore. The Patriots received the ball first, and got off to a perfect start with a 60-yard receiving touchdown caught by senior captain Ryan McGraw. This was the fifth connection for a touchdown between junior captain Matthew Repie and McGraw. “Getting those points on the board early was so helpful because the entire team was filled with energy,” McGraw said.

Catonsville received the ball down 7-0. After a long drive where they ran the ball for the majority of it, Catonsville ran in a touchdown to make the score 7-6. The next couple drives showed off elite defense as each team traded stops. Catonsville had the ball looking to get their first lead of the game. Catonsville had been running all game, so when they finally passed the ball, senior captain Chris Castelli took advantage of it by returning an interception for a touchdown, running through multiple Catonsville players in the process. This was Castelli’s second defensive touchdown of the season. “When I intercepted the ball, the combination of the blocks my teammates set up for me and all the adrenaline I had at the moment allowed me to score,” Castelli said.

The score was 14-6 and it was looking good for the Patriots. Catonsville then fumbled the ball, giving the team good field position. Junior Jake Kelly ran the ball for a touchdown, making the score 21-6. With little time left on the clock, Catonsville had a long kickoff return followed by a rushing touchdown to make the score 21-14, and a one possession game. After the Patriots’ offense failed to convert, Catonsville had the ball back with a good opportunity to tie the game up. Junior Everett Field intercepted the ball to essentially ice the game. The Patriots won, promoting them to 3-5 on the season.

The next game was against Walter Johnson. With the Patriots already guaranteed a playoff spot, this game had little relevance. Walter Johnson was the heavy favorite going into the game and they proved it. Walter Johnson was up 24-3 before the Patriots decided to rest their starters, with playoffs starting the next week. Walter Johnson ended up winning the game 37-3 setting the Patriots up to play at Magruder for round one of the playoffs.

Going into the game Magruder was the favorite to win but not by much. Disaster struck as the first play of the game was a pick six thrown by Repie. The Patriots were already down seven and the game had barely started. The game was held scoreless for multiple drives until Magruder had the ball again. Senior Jude Anya stripped the ball and senior Myles Reyes recovered it and returned it for a touchdown. The score was even at seven and momentum favored the Patriots.

After more defensive stops, the Patriots had the ball and had driven down all the way to Magruder’s 15-yard line. On a quarterback sneak only intended to get the first down, Repie took the ball all the way to the endzone to put the Patriots up by six. Magruder had one final drive to tie up the game and keep their season alive. Junior Chase Williams ended their drive short by intercepting the ball and icing the game. The Patriots won their first playoff game since 1991 13-7.

Next the Patriots went to play Blake in their second away playoff game. The game started off on a positive note with an interception by junior Daniel Kim. The Patriots’ offense couldn’t capitalize and the score remained tied at zero. Blake went on to score 27 straight, deflating the team’s chance of winning. To end on a positive note, in a monster run, Anya scored a long touchdown followed by a McGraw two-point conversion to end the game with a score of 27-8.