Keyshawn Robinson (2) returns a punt for Jefferson High School on Friday night. David Pennock

WINCHESTER, Va. — A berth in the upcoming November football playoffs became more of a reality for Jefferson High School, after it padded its record to 5-2 with a 40-7 win over hosting James Wood High School last Friday night.

It was three second quarter scores that propelled the Cougars to a 20-0 lead, before the Colonels could score the last points of the first half.

Quarterback Dylan Harich was able to break a scoreless tie when he went 15 yards on his own to notch the game’s first points and help the Cougars to a 7-0 lead. It wasn’t long afterward that Spencer Powell legged a 76-yard pass/run to Jefferson’s next score. The TD pass from Harich was the first of three scoring passes from the impressive sophomore and would leave him with 10 touchdown throws in the last three games (all wins over North Hagerstown, South Hagerstown and James Wood).

Closing out the Jefferson point spree in the second period was Tay’Shaun Roper, who romped home on a 55-yard pass/run play from Harich.

Near the close of the third quarter, Caleb Shelton grabbed a 54-yard scoring pass from Harich, boosting the already generous Jefferson lead back to three TDs.

Cougar linebacker Nycere Jacobs puts a hit on a James Wood High School running back in Friday night's game. David Pennock

In the last period, running back Evan Tewell was able to get a pair of one-yard scoring runs to give the Cougars their 40-point total.

In its four-game win streak since dropping a one-point verdict to Musselman, the Cougars have outpointed Spring Mills, North, South and the Colonels by a telling 163-19 combined score.

When not producing points in the first half, Jefferson didn’t seem to be in much danger of being solved by the Colonel offense.

The Colonels, now 1-5 overall, finally reached the scoreboard on a run just before halftime and were deceptively close when trailing, 20-7, at the half.

Jefferson’s touchdown eruption in the last 13 minutes made the halftime lead a moot point.

Trevor Lee, the student manager for the Cougar football team this season, smiles at the winning game James Wood High School. David Pennock

After a bye week, the Cougars will see Martinsburg on Oct. 21 in their eighth game of the season. The highly ranked and highly rated Bulldogs have lost only to Highland Springs (Virginia) and Riverside (Ohio) in reaching their advanced status in West Virginia’s Class AAA ranks.

Both Jefferson and Martinsburg are on paths to reach the state playoffs that begin in the middle of November for the top 16 teams.

Individually against the Colonels, Jefferson showed Powell with four catches for 81 yards and Isaiah Fritts with three receptions for 66 yards. Most of Jefferson’s passing yardage came after the catches and Harich had a 15-for-23 night for a whopping 306 yards.

The Colonels could never establish any momentum at all against the Jefferson defensive linemen and linebackers and had 109 rushing yards on 36 tries for a three yards per carry norm.

Four straight wins.

Evan Tewell grabs a swing pass in the Cougars game at James Wood High School on Friday night. David Pennock

November playoffs on the prosperous-appearing distant horizon.