ANNAPOLIS — There haven’t been many teams over the past five years that have challenged Quince Orchard.

But this is what the Cougars wanted, what they’ve worked for. Blowing out teams, as head coach John Kelley pointed out, isn’t going to make them better.

So on Friday night, in the 4A state championship game, as Dr. Henry A. Wise took over the ball on its 10-yard line down by five with under two minutes to play, the Cougars were prepared.

This was the moment that was going to make or break their season. Wise got a first down to move to the 26. On the next two downs, it gained just 4 yards. Then Diego Rodriguez sacked Wise quarterback Eric Wedge III for a loss of 10.

“Someone had to make the play, and I just gave it my all, put every last thing into the game,” Rodriguez said.

A fourth-down attempt failed. Wise put up a fight. But there would be no stopping Quince Orchard, yet again, as it won 26-21 Friday to claim the title for the second year in a row and finish another season undefeated.

The Cougars have lost just one game since 2021.

“People are giving us their best shot every week, and these kids for four years have risen up to the challenge and only fell one time against some really, really good football teams,” Kelley said. “That’s just a testament to the type of guys, durable human beings, that I like to say we have in our program that can take someone’s best shot and, hey, we’re going to get up, we’re going to keep on playing.”

Wise never let Quince Orchard get out of reach. It found holes in the Cougars’ run defense, Kameron Parker taking them long twice — an 85-yard kickoff return and a 65-yard run, both in the third quarter.

Both plays came at a crucial time, keeping Wise within a score of the Cougars and preventing them from pulling away.

But Quince Orchard had its own weapons. Will Drakeford, a transfer senior quarterback, had four touchdowns, two running and two passing. He rushed for 128 yards and threw for 94.

Rodriguez had four tackles, including 2.5 for loss. Rafferty Bankert and Jaheim Bond had receiving touchdowns.

“That was a hard-fought game,” Kelley said. “Both teams wanted to win. I think both teams played hard. ... Definitely facing adversity, I think our kids rose up to that challenge.”

As time expired, the Cougars ran on the field to lift their trophy, a back-to-back banner waiting for them on the sidelines. Their legacy will soon be handed off to underclassman such as Amaree Wilson, who had seven tackles on Friday, and Ryan Drakeford to attempt to carry on their dominance.

“I’ve been ready for this moment, and I know my guys have been ready for this moment, all year, where we get an opportunity to win a state championship,” Kacey Gilliam, who is committed to James Madison, said. “And, when it falls on us, I wouldn’t rather do it anybody else in this entire state or this entire country. I wanted these guys, and we did it.”