Close Battles at the Top as Undefeated Teams Lose Their First Matches of the Season!

In partnership with

County Sports Zone works hard to get you the high school sports info, news and updates you are looking for, faster and easier. This weekly newsletter brings the latest scores, updates, and highlights straight to your inbox. If you love it, share it so others can subscribe too. If it is not for you, feel free to unsubscribe and visit us anytime at CountySports.Zone. Most of the content below is image based, so depending on how you are viewing, you may need to download the images to see everything. Click here or scroll below to read this week’s top stories.

Week six of the fall sports season is in the books. Let’s take a look around Montgomery County and see how the week unfolded.

FOOTBALL

All season long, the question was who, if anyone, can give Quince Orchard a run for their money. While they still came up short, the Sherwood Warriors are the answer to that question. The 9-0 win for the Cougars on Oct. 9 was their smallest margin of victory against a Montgomery County opponent in 364 days when they beat the same Warriors by a final score of 35-28. On a night where defense took over, the Cougars’ offense struggled for the first time this season, being shut out of the end zone.

Winston Churchill bounced back after last week’s defeat to the Cougars by taking down Gaithersburg 35-0. They take on Seneca Valley next week.

Kennedy continued their winning streak after their surprising week-one defeat to Walt Whitman, winning 28-8 over Einstein. They have a tough matchup with Magruder up next.

One game to look out for is Bethesda-Chevy Chase vs. Blake. Both teams sit at 4-2 and a win can vault them up into a top five seeding spot.

GOLF

The 2026 District Golf Tournament concluded this past week. For the boys, Greydon Caldwell of Damascus took home the victory with Palmer Freed of Sherwood in second and Leo Zelaya from Whitman in third. On the girls side, Ella Si of Blair emerged victorious followed by Sy Shafie of Damascus and Andie Greenberg of Whitman.

For the 4A-3A division, Whitman took home the team championship, while Poolesville won the 2A-1A division.

CROSS COUNTRY

October 17th is the Montgomery County Championships! The meet will be held at Gaithersburg with races throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Check out @mcps_athletics on Instagram for the full schedule!

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Richard Montgomery continued to dominate and has officially clinched their division for the fourth straight year. With two sweeps this past week vs. Rockville and Springbrook, the Rockets are in a prime position to make another deep run. They have not clinched the number one seed in the playoffs as of yet, but the division once again belongs to Richard Montgomery. Across their final four games, they do face both Wootton and Sherwood who are both also undefeated and could bring a challenge to the Rockets.

The Warriors have been just as dominant as the Rockets this season. The Rockets have lost three sets all season, but the Warriors have lost just one. They beat both Kennedy and Bethesda-Chevy Chase and take on Wootton and Wheaton this week.

For Wootton, they also sit undefeated. They have a prime opportunity to pass Sherwood this week as they will face off on Oct. 12. This matchup is currently for second, but for the winning side, could be a key equalizer should they fall to Richard Montgomery later on.

While they do have one loss on the season, don’t count out the Clarksburg Coyotes. The loss was to the Rockets and while they’ve had a couple of five-set matches, they have been overall dominant. They do still have a few matches against other top teams the rest of the way, including Sherwood, but the Coyotes can certainly find themselves in the conversation more as the season winds down.

NOMINATE A DESERVING STUDENT ATHLETE!

The U.S. Army Impact Player of the Month recognizes student-athletes who go above and beyond for their team, school, and community through their leadership, character, and impact on those around them. Click here or on the image below to nominate a student-athlete today!

BOYS SOCCER

Entering the week, the top three seeds were as follows: Winston Churchill, Paint Branch, Clarksburg. That has completely changed. The Coyotes grabbed the number one spot thanks to the Panthers, who handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season. Let’s look at each of those three teams.

For the Coyotes, playing three games in five days was a challenge, but emerging 2-1 from that stretch was huge. A one-nil loss to Walt Whitman may be disappointing, but they bounced back to defeat Paint Branch and Northwest on back-to-back days.

The Paint Branch Panthers may sit third behind Winston Churchill, but that is in part due to their loss vs. Clarksburg. Their other loss was against Sherwood who has since fallen back a little. With Seneca Valley and Einstein due up this week, the Panthers look to add another two wins to their total and maybe sneak past the Bulldogs.

For the Winston Churchill Bulldogs, the loss to Paint Branch puts them into a vulnerable position. A second loss could mean dropping to the three seed, despite being in the one seed just last week. They have Poolesville and Seneca Valley on deck this week.

FIELD HOCKEY

While Walt Whitman still holds onto the number one spot, there was a lot of movement behind. Sherwood dropped from two down to five due to an off week. Bethesda-Chevy Chase went 1-1 this past week, dropping them from three down to six. Rockville and Winston Churchill were the big movers who benefited, vaulting up to the two and three spots respectively.

The Barons’ loss was to the Vikings, but it was a costly 2-1 defeat. They face Blake and Einstein this week.

Rockville jumped up with two big wins over Blake and Wheaton, but this week is the big matchup. They travel to face Winston Churchill on the road. The Bulldogs are still undefeated and have the ability to finish with a top seeding at the end of the season. A win vs. the Rams is the next step in achieving that goal.

Smart starts here.

You don't have to read everything — just the right thing. 1440's daily newsletter distills the day's biggest stories from 100+ sources into one quick, 5-minute read. It's the fastest way to stay sharp, sound informed, and actually understand what's happening in the world. Join 4.5 million readers who start their day the smart way.

Join for free today!

GIRLS SOCCER

Blair remains on top after compiling two more wins last week vs. Kennedy and Northwest. They play just one game this week against Bethesda-Chevy Chase, who is looking to vault their way up from their current seven-spot. The Barons beat Gaithersburg last week 4-0, which was a big win to say in the conversation.

A 2-0 week was also achieved by Winston Churchill, which kept them in second. The tie on Sept. 16 vs. the Barons could prove costly for the Bulldogs, as Blair has shown no signs of slowing down. They have a tough matchup vs. Poolesville on deck this week, which could be the deciding factor. Poolesville did fall to Richard Montgomery this past week, which makes this upcoming matchup against the Bulldogs all the more important for them as well.

FLAG FOOTBALL

Entering the week, there were still five undefeated teams remaining. Exiting the week, there are none. Poolesville, Walter Johnson, Clarksburg, Blake and Sherwood all lost their first matches of the season this past week.

Clarksburg started out the week strong by handing Poolesville their first loss of the season. However, Damascus completed an upset 33-13 victory just a few days later.

Walter Johnson also fell to Damascus, who despite sitting at 6-2, is making a last-ditch effort to improve their seeding. They will host Magruder this week.

Blake lost in a huge upset 6-0 game against Wheaton this past week. It was a missed opportunity for the Bengals to be the sole remaining undefeated squad in the county, and they will look to rebound vs. Damascus and Blair in their final games of the regular season.

Sherwood fell to Blake 21-13 and will play Northwest in their final conference game of the season on October. 14.

WOMENS BASKETBALL

While the start of the season is still a ways away, some news did come out this week as former Walter Johnson head coach Irvin Payne was announced to now lead the squad at Montgomery Blair.

We’re looking for student ambassadors who love sports, media, and telling great stories. Join the CSZ team, build your portfolio, and get your work featured in this newsletter and across our platform.

Apply now to become a CSZ Student Ambassador.