Battlefield’s early success stems from its offensive depth, Coach Greg Hatfield said. O’Shea has a slew of options to choose from when the ball is snapped, including four experienced wide receivers who have each flashed their potential through three games.

“We’ve been pretty balanced as far as different players stepping up at different times,” Hatfield said. “We have some experienced receivers that are talented and working hard, and it’s helped with the transition at quarterback.”

Hatfield knows it won’t always be so smooth for the offense, particularly around playoff time. But the Bobcats are gaining steam with each touchdown scored, a good sign for a team with championship aspirations.

“Football’s a marathon, not a sprint; we’re going to face some adversity,” Hatfield said. “We’re building up some confidence, so hopefully when we hit some tough times we’ll be able to make it through that.”

There was a lot to discuss in Patuxent’s film session Saturday morning. On Friday night, the Panthers earned a roller-coaster win over Huntingtown during which they blew a three-touchdown lead and then climbed back in the fourth to prevail, 41-31.

“There was a lot of teaching and a lot of nitpicking, but you can nitpick a lot harder after you get a win,” Coach Steve Crounse said. “The kids are feeling what you’re saying a little bit more than they would if you lost. This game wouldn’t have defined our season, win or lose, but it definitely gives us a look at what we’re capable of, both the bad and the good.”

The Panthers returned a good amount of talent from a 2022 team that made the Maryland 2A/1A state championship game. Among the returners is junior quarterback Evan Blouir, one of the more dynamic signal-callers in the state. On Friday night, Blouir helped his team jump out to a 21-0 lead against the visiting Hurricanes.

But the offense stalled in the third quarter and Huntingtown chipped away at the lead. Eventually, the Hurricanes took the lead at 31-27 with seven minutes remaining.

“There was a bit of stunned silence toward the end of that third quarter,” Crounse said. “But some of our senior players made some big plays and then all of a sudden we’re back on track.”

Blouir hit tight end Tristin Borgholthaus with a quick screen pass that went 50 yards for a touchdown to put the Panthers back on top. The QB then put the game on ice with 60-yard touchdown run on the next possession.

“We have a lot to clean up,” Crounse said. “But it’s hard to coach effort, there’s not a lot of drills for that. So when they show that kind of resiliency and no-quit mentality, you have to be happy to see that.”

Antonio Berry, Northwest: The senior running back ran for three touchdowns on Saturday as the Jaguars impressed with a 47-14 win over defending Maryland 3A champion Damascus.

Roman Jensen, Maret: The senior quarterback completed all 11 of his pass attempts for 324 yards and two scores while adding 98 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground in the Frogs’ 51-14 drubbing of St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes.

Marcus Ross, Bladensburg: The senior was a driving force for his team’s running game as he racked up 140 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Mustangs’ 36-0 win over Northwestern on Saturday.

Brady Carmical, Briar Woods: The junior quarterback accounted for four touchdowns in the first half of Briar Woods’ win over Broad Run, a game that was called because of inclement weather at halftime.

Stone Bridge at No. 4 Quince Orchard, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.

Coolidge at No. 10 Friendship Collegiate, Friday, 6 p.m.

Suitland at Oxon Hill, Friday, 4 p.m.

Gray Collegiate (S.C.) at No. 6 St. John’s, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Bishop McNamara gets its ‘lick’ back

When Greg Calhoun took the lead job at Bishop McNamara before the 2022 season, he knew he could inject something new — a Southern edge — into a program that has dwelled at the basement of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference’s upper division.

After coaching and playing at Alabama high schools and playing at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Calhoun identified cultural and operational tactics that made programs down South as strong as they are. He encouraged his guys to play multiple sports; he wanted them in the weight room at 6 a.m.; he wanted them to focus on their character in the classroom.

They obliged. After a 2-8 season in his first season in Forestville last year, he and the Mustangs — who are 3-0, having outscored their opponents 99-14 following a 17-14 over Riverdale Baptist on Sunday night — feel the shift already.

“It’s known that McNamara’s been the bottom of the barrel — I’ve said this to people, it’s a process, but we want to win now,” Calhoun said. “I got introduced last year, that’s cool, thank you. We’re trying to up the ante. That’s been our motto this season: We’ll get our lick back.”

Calhoun credited his senior class, including quarterback/linebacker Ninoah Miguel, for taking the culture-driving load off his plate. Last year, he concentrated on motivating his first-year players. That’s paying dividends now.

“They’re doing a lot for us now,” Calhoun said.

Anacostia confident in would-be comeback

Lined up helmet to helmet on Friday, the difference between the H.D. Woodson and Anacostia squads was immediately apparent: the Warriors held the size advantage, while the Indians hoped to counter with speed and versatility.

Down two touchdowns in the first quarter and still reeling from a costly fumble, Anacostia scrambled to regroup a defensive line missing four starters to injuries. Then came three sacks from defensive end Jalen Gant, a series of penalties called against Woodson and a 40-yard pass from quarterback Jeremiah Wright to shift the momentum in Anacostia’s favor.

For Wright — who was coming off a game-winning touchdown pass in the final seconds of the previous week’s game against Ballou — being behind at the start of the game fueled a more aggressive posture.

“It looked ugly at first, but then we started to get into our groove and then we started to find our confidence,” Wright said. “ … I feel comfortable being down because it’s just that grit. We have playmakers, we have people that know their role, and so that’s what makes us a good team.”

Taking advantage of Woodson’s mistakes, including a missed snap on the punt, the Indians scored a touchdown and tacked on the two-point conversion to close the gap to 12-8.

Then lightning forced a stop to the game 39 seconds before halftime. An hour later, when officials deemed the game a no-contest, the Indians were disappointed they couldn’t see their comeback through to the fourth quarter.

“Instead of [the coaches] giving them the speech, they gave it to us,” Coach Seneca Surles said of his team’s approach during the long break. “In my years of coaching that’s really never happened where a team said, ‘Coach, we got this.’ So I think the weather helped [Woodson] out.”