Photo by Bill Green TJ's Steve Chase waits for a pass as Frederick's Jake Guillen defends on Saturday.

In a must-win situation, the visiting Patriots scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to wrap up a Class 4A North playoff spot and likely knock Frederick out of the postseason.

"It just feels really great to know that you earned your way in," TJ running back Corey Hunt said of his team's 31-14 victory.

"Nobody gave it to you. Nobody lost to get you in. We earned it."

Frederick lost for the first time on the field this season and closed the regular season at 8-2. Yet, it won't be enough to get the Cadets into the 3A West playoffs, according to coach Vince Ahearn.

Urbana 's stunning victory at Linganore , combined with Friday's announcement that the Hawks' earlier loss to Gwynn Park was turning into a forfeit victory, was enough to put the Hawks in and knock Frederick out, Ahearn said.

"There were a number of games involving bonus points for Urbana ," Ahearn said.

"One of them was South Carroll beating Tuscarora on Friday. When that happened, we were in. It didn't matter what happened out here today. It wasn't 10 minutes that went by when I found out that Gwynn Park forfeited all those games. That changed everything."

Frederick still controlled its own destiny. A win over TJ (8-2) would have put the Cadets in the playoffs. All that was missing was a defensive stop in the second half.

Jake Nichols kicked a 37-yard field goal for the winning points, giving the Patriots a 17-7 lead with 11:55 to play in the fourth quarter.

Nick Forbes and Hunt tacked on late touchdowns for the Patriots, who put together two scoring drives that stretched 11 plays or longer in the second half.

Hunt finished with 108 yards and a pair of scores on 13 carries. He scored the first time he touched the ball for the fourth time this season.

Forbes also scored twice, carrying the ball 11 times for 61 yards.

"We have a bad habit of relaxing after we get ahead," TJ coach Ben Wright said. "The kids answered the challenge. I am proud of them."

Trailing 14-7 in the third quarter, Frederick had chances to tie the game. They were stopped on fourth down at the TJ 37 and then fumbled away their next possession.

The Patriots turned the fumble into an 11-play scoring drive, capped by Nichols' field goal. Chris Johnson fueled the drive with four runs for 20 yards.

Frederick answered in prompt fashion, needing only five plays to drive 70 yards.

Senior quarterback Andre April started the drive with a 21-yard pass to Kevin Fisher and then found Brent DeHaven in stride on a 39-yard strike over the middle.

A 3-yard run by Fisher and a pair of penalties on TJ put the ball on the 1-yard line. Josh Jackson carried it in to make it 17-14 with 10:04 to play.

"I never felt comfortable. Frederick is a great team and they responded," Hunt said. "I knew we were going to have to score again."

Starting on their own 35 after a good kickoff return by D.J. Scott, the Patriots put together a 13-play scoring drive.

Fullback Matt Orlowski ripped off a 17-yard run on second-and-17. Scott caught a short pass from quarterback James White on the next play and turned it into a 22-yard gain.

With 7:43 to play, Frederick was whistled for pass interference on Scott, who was surrounded by three defenders.

The 15-yard infraction on third-and-17 kept TJ's drive alive.

Forbes took off on a 19-yard run down to the Frederick 7 and then scored on a double-dive play from 5 yards out, making it 24-14 with 5:25 left.

The double-dive involves a play-action fake to the fullback before handing the ball off to the second back through.

It's the same play Hunt scored on from 55 yards out on the third play from scrimmage.

"We are averaging like 16 yards a carry on that play," Hunt said. "It's a great play and Chris Johnson does a great job of setting it up."

The MPSSAA playoff pairings for all classes will be announced today. TJ is likely facing a rematch with Linganore . The Lancers (9-1) won an earlier meeting this season, 17-0.