Montgomery County football notebook: Wheaton rebounds, Seneca Valley survives against Linganore

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/montgomery-county-football-notebook-wheaton-rebounds-seneca-valley-survives-against-linganore/2015/11/16/81819298-8c63-11e5-acff-673ae92ddd2b_story.html

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Dominyck Sims’s mantra is that games aren’t decided on Friday nights. They’re decided in the gym, the film room, the practice field — or in the case of Wheaton’s 12-7 playoff victory over Watkins Mill, the cafeteria.

After falling 33-0 to the Wolverines in Week 10, Sims and the Knights realized change was in order before the rematch in Friday’s 3A South region semifinal. “The whole week was just concentrating on, what can we do to make this game right? What can we do to actually win?” Sims said.

One idea, Sims said, was getting together at lunch time. The offensive and defensive players sat together, discussing strategy and play calls over meals at the Wheaton cafeteria.

“If you weren’t with a teacher at lunch, you were sitting with the team,” Sims said. “When you have that bond with that one unit, it’s one heartbeat. It’s one sound.”

The extra time together — and the wakeup call of the regular season finale — turned out to be exactly what Wheaton (6-5) needed heading into its first playoff game since 1996. In the second half, quarterback Victor Barkley hit Blake Williams for an 11-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 7-6. On the first play of the fourth quarter — on fourth down — Sims ran for a 36-yard score to put the Knights ahead of the Wolverines (5-6).

With Watkins Mill quarterback Markel Grant sidelined (lower back) in the second half, that was all Wheaton needed. Kelvin Boadu knocked down the Wolverines’ final pass attempt late in the fourth quarter and the Knights took three knees, setting up a region final against Potomac on Saturday.

“This has been one crazy journey,” said Sims, who rushed for 160 yards. “Everyone is shocked. Everyone is like, ‘Oh wow, what’s going on?’ But I knew everyone on my team was ready for this game.”

Adrian Platt felt the game slipping away. A night that began with everything going so perfectly had taken a turn for the worse, with Seneca Valley’s 24-point lead fading to three in the fourth quarter.

“It was like the worst nightmare of my life,” Platt said. “I was just watching it get away from me.”

But the junior running back did everything in his power to ensure his team would advance. Platt ran for four touchdowns on Friday, and the Screaming Eagles needed every one of them in their 30-27 victory over Linganore in their 3A West region semifinal.

Platt did most of his damage early, running for three touchdowns in the first quarter. His fourth came on a 74-yard run in the second half that gave No. 13 Seneca Valley (10-1) a 30-14 advantage. Linganore stormed back and made it a one-possession game with a 64-yard fumble return, but Seneca Valley’s defense came up with big stops in the fourth quarter, setting up a region final matchup with No. 1 Damascus (11-0). The Swarmin’ Hornets dispatched Seneca Valley on Oct. 30, 21-3.

“It was a sigh of relief. We were just happy we ended up winning,” Platt said. “A win is a win, and we got to get ready for Damascus.”