It wasn’t the season Northwestern High School varsity football had hoped for, following a one-win campaign in 2024. Winning just one game again during the regular season and losing their first-round matchup in the regional tournament, Northwestern’s season has come to an end.
Their only win of the season came back in early October when the Wildcats defeated Bladensburg High School, 23–8. It was the most points the team scored all season.
Aside from the win at Bladensburg, the Wildcats struggled to score points in most of their games. The team scored fewer than 10 points in every other game they played this year. In their 10-game season, the Wildcats allowed 404 total points and scored just 44 points on offense.
This year’s season echoed last year’s: In 2024, the Wildcats had a 1–9 record with their only win also coming against Bladensburg High School.
Even though it wasn’t a successful season, the team showed signs of improvement, led by seniors Breland Hearns, Javaine Palmer, and Diego Oliva. Head coach Bryan Pierre said these three seniors showed consistency throughout the season, along with great leadership during every game — no matter what the outcome was. Strong senior leaders build up the young players around them and shape the future for the team.
Despite only winning one game during the regular season, the Wildcats faced Wheaton High School in the first round of the regional tournament. The tournament is single elimination, and the winners compete for the state championship.
The postseason played out similar to the regular season for the Wildcats. They lost the game to Wheaton, 39–0, which ended their season.
The Wildcats will now shift their focus toward the basketball season, which continues on Dec. 8 with a home game against KIPP College Prep High School, as this paper was going to press.
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Wesley Schnell is an undergraduate journalism student at the University of Maryland