Papadopoulos, Patriots Looking to Sting Hornets on the Road

It's arguably the biggest game for Wootton since Eddie Tolliver became coach in 2010. Powered by the area's top-rated quarterback in Chris Papadopoulos, the Patriots travel to Damascus Friday night to take on one of Montgomery County's most storied programs and look to pick up their second straight win in the process.

For Papadopoulos, he's approaching Friday's game the same way he does each week.

"While Friday's game is a big game no doubt, every game is big," he said. "In high school, you only get 10 chances to extend your team's season into the playoffs, so every week needs to be treated as the most important game."

For Tolliver and his staff, it's also been business as usual this week as the team is coming off a 30-14 win over Kennedy on Saturday. Despite the convincing win over the Cavaliers, Tolliver still sees plenty of room for improvement, particularly considering all of the Patriots' 30 points came in the first half last week.

"We need to make sure we keep that fire going into the second half because we kind of fizzled out there," Tolliver said. "We've been focused this week emphasizing the importance of playing a complete game."

Damascus, meanwhile, is 2-0 on the year but neither win has come easy for the Hornets. A 19-18 overtime win over Clarksburg in week one followed by a 7-0 win over Watkins Mill last week has left many in the county wondering if the Hornets will have enough to return to the playoffs for a county-best 10th straight year.

Wootton, on the other hand, is trying to get to the postseason for the first time since 2008 and just the second time since 1991. A big part of Wootton's early success is courtesy of its senior quarterback. Through two games, Papadopoulos is leading the DC area with 595 yards passing and five touchdown passes. Tolliver said in addition to his physical skills on the field, it's been the mental aspects of his game that has stood out thus far. 

"His decision making these first two starts has been tremendous," Tolliver said. "He's picking out the right receivers when he throws it but he's also been able to pull the ball down and run when he needs to."

While Wootton enters with one of the county's best pass games, it is Damascus's ground game that has been Tolliver's main focus this week when his team is on defense.  Trevor Patton, who is currently 10th in the county in rushing with 187 yards, leads the running attack for the Hornets.

"They're a really good run team so we definitely need to slow them down offensively," Tolliver said."

Tolliver believes his team is up for the challenge.

"This game is very winnable," Tolliver said. "We just need to focus on what we do and continue to do it for 48 minutes. Two quarters won't get the job done this week. We need to stay focused for four quarters and if we can do that, I think we'll be fine."

Papadopoulos echoes his coach's sentiments, adding: "I think it will be a great game, and we’re all really excited. I think offensively, we’ve had a great week of practice and we are ready. We can’t let the 'D' on their helmets intimidate us, we have to go out there and play our best because if we do, we will win. Talent wise, we feel we are just as good of a team."