Game Story: Quince Orchard starts fast, finishes strong

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quince Orchard left no doubt on Thursday night, cruising past Seneca Valley with a dominant 49–0 win. The Cougars wasted no time imposing their will, scoring on their opening drive and building a three-touchdown lead before the first quarter ended. Their offense, defense, and special teams all contributed to what became a one-sided showcase.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The opening possession set the tone. Running back Damien Hurtado picked up chunks of yardage behind a line that consistently won at the point of attack. Quarterback Will Drakeford kept the defense honest with a mix of designed runs and timely passes. On one play, he hit his tight end Jake Bumgardner on a corner route to finish the drive with a touchdown, giving Quince Orchard a 7–0 lead with 7:42 left in the first quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seneca Valley threatened to answer, but ran into a wall. After driving deep into Cougar territory, they were turned away by a red-zone stand. Defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1629027' first='Jaheim' last='Bond'] disrupted plays in the middle, while Camden Taylor and Myles Slander tightened up coverage. On fourth down, the pass sailed incomplete, leaving Seneca Valley empty-handed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars quickly turned defense into momentum. Drakeford connected with a wide receiver for a long gain, setting up Hurtado for a touchdown off left tackle. Moments later, the special teams unit delivered a dagger: [player_tooltip player_id='1611583' first='Diego' last='Rodriguez'] blocked a punt, and [player_tooltip player_id='1125771' first='Rico' last='Jackson'] recovered it in the end zone for a 21–0 lead late in the first quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>From there, it was an avalanche. Jeremiah Williams powered in for a score behind strong blocking by the interior line. Jackson showed off his playmaking skills with a rushing touchdown. On the next possession, Drakeford threw a bubble screen to Jackson, who slipped through three defenders and raced into the end zone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defense continued its dominance. Bond pounced on a high snap and returned it for a touchdown. Slander added an interception that set up another score, while Rodriguez and [player_tooltip player_id='909725' first='Kacey' last='Gilliam'] controlled the line of scrimmage. Taylor closed down passing lanes, frustrating Seneca Valley's attempts to move the ball. By halftime, Quince Orchard had built a commanding 49–0 advantage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars' victory was a complete performance in all three phases of the game. The win improves Quince Orchard to 4-0. They will travel to play Churchill (3-0 as of this posting, with a game against Whitman tonight). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>EXTRA THOUGHTS</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was an easy night of work for Quince Orchard. QO had a few other standouts on offense and defense. But if I had to pick out one that stood out from an "eye-test" standpoint, it would be 2027 athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1125771' first='Rico' last='Jackson']. I'll have more on him in the upcoming Top Performers article. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PRZ LINKS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>&nbsp;SEPTEMBER</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/instant-reaction-to-the-updated-2029-maryland-rankings/"><strong>Instant reaction to the updated 2029 Maryland Rankings</strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/md-dc-underclassmen-improving-their-stock-offense-part-1/"><strong>MD/DC Underclassmen improving their stock: Offense – Part 1</strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/maryland-hs-football-senior-spotlight-five-to-watch-pt-1/"><strong>Maryland HS Football Senior Spotlight: Five to watch – Pt. 1</strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/maryland-hs-football-senior-spotlight-5-to-watch-pt-2/"><strong>Maryland HS Football Senior Spotlight: Five to watch – Pt. 2</strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/seniors-making-one-last-good-impression-offense-part-1/"><strong>Seniors making one last good impression: Offense – Part 1</strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/game-story-quince-orchard-starts-fast-finishes-strong/"><strong>Game Story: Quince Orchard vs. Seneca Valley</strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/top-10-performers-for-quince-orchard-against-seneca-valley/"><strong>Top 10 performers for Quince Orchard vs. Seneca Valley</strong></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->