Bethesda-Chevy Chase earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the Class 4A North Region football playoffs.

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) released its 2026 brackets Monday, Nov. 2. Walter Johnson (2-7) drew a road trip to No. 2 Churchill in the 4A West Region, and Whitman (6-3) hosts No. 6 Springbrook in the 4A/3A South Region. First-round games run Thursday, Nov. 5, through Saturday, Nov. 7, according to The MoCo Show.

B-CC: Division champs rest up

B-CC (7-2) enters the postseason on a roll. The Barons clinched their first division title since 1969 with a 49-10 rout of Whitman on Oct. 29, according to the BCC Tattler. Quarterback Jack Conley scored on a 66-yard run on B-CC's first play from scrimmage that night, and Zeke Arthur-Amakye found the end zone three times.

Head coach Matt Schwartzback told the BCC Tattler after the Whitman win that the team still has work to do on penalties. In coverage published Oct. 30, Schwartzback said, "It's a rivalry game, things got a little chippy, and the refs called it tight tonight."

The bye gives B-CC extra time to prepare. No. 2 Wheaton also earned a bye in the 4A North bracket, with the winners of Blair-at-Paint Branch and Blake-at-Laurel filling out the semifinal round.

Walter Johnson: Steep climb at Churchill

The Wildcats face a tall order. No. 7 Walter Johnson travels to No. 2 Churchill, which finished the regular season 8-1 after beating Paint Branch 28-13 on Oct. 30, according to MaxPreps.

Walter Johnson closed its regular season with a 28-0 loss to Blake on Oct. 30. The Wildcats were shut out in four of their final five games, falling to Seneca Valley 47-0, B-CC 60-0, Northwest 20-0 and Blake 28-0 during that stretch, per MaxPreps.

The 4A West bracket also features No. 1 Quince Orchard hosting No. 8 Richard Montgomery and No. 4 Northwest facing No. 5 Clarksburg.

Whitman: Home date with Springbrook

No. 3 Whitman hosts No. 6 Springbrook at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, according to MaxPreps. The Vikings beat Springbrook 42-0 on Oct. 2 during the regular season.

Whitman finished 6-3 overall and 2-0 in region play, earning first place in the 4A/3A South. The Vikings beat Walter Johnson 27-21 on Oct. 23 before falling to B-CC in the regular-season finale.

No. 1 Sherwood earned a bye in the 4A/3A South. The other first-round matchups pit No. 4 Kennedy against No. 5 Potomac and No. 7 Einstein against No. 2 Oxon Hill.

What's ahead

Teams that win their regional brackets advance to the state quarterfinals, where the MPSSAA will reseed qualifying teams. The second round runs Nov. 12-14, state quarterfinals are set for Nov. 20-21, and semifinals follow Nov. 27-28, according to the MPSSAA football calendar. All six state championship games are scheduled for Dec. 3-5 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, according to SI.com.