Herndon senior running back Lamik Bumbrey stood on the McLean High School football field following Thursday’s game and said his goal is to make the playoffs.

While many players on many teams set their sights on qualifying for the postseason, such aspirations in recent years would have seemed far-fetched coming from a member of the Herndon football program.

From 2010 to 2013, Herndon produced a 5-35 record, winning just one game in three of the last four seasons. In 2014, however, the Hornets, led by new head coach Jeremiah Davis, have breathed life into a struggling program.

Herndon defeated McLean 51-35 on Oct. 2, improving its record to 3-2. The Hornets are averaging 39 points per game and have scored at least 46 points on three occasions.

HERNDON, in search of its first playoff berth since 2008, showed its offensive potency against the Highlanders, amassing 560 total yards, including 243 on the ground. The Hornets led by as many as 23 points in the second half, when a 28-yard touchdown run by Bumbrey gave Herndon a 38-15 advantage with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter.

“It feels great,” said Bumbrey, a third-year varsity player who experienced back-to-back 1-9 seasons as a sophomore and junior. “I just want to go to the playoffs. … It’s my main goal.”

Before Bumbrey shared his desire to play in the postseason, No. 28 spent four quarters making Herndon look like a playoff contender.

Bumbrey, listed at 5 feet 11, 195 pounds, carried 37 times for 236 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned kickoffs for the Hornets.

“He’s special,” Davis said about Bumbrey. “[He] doesn’t say a word, doesn’t say a peep. [He] just puts his head forward. [He’s a] what-can-I-do-next-for-the-team kind of guy.”

Bumbrey’s 2-yard touchdown run with 10:01 left in the second quarter gave Herndon a 10-3 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. His 21-yard touchdown run increased the Hornets’ advantage to 17-3 with 4:26 remaining in the first half.

“It’s nice having him in the backfield with me,” Herndon quarterback Ryan McLaughlin said. “We’ve been together since freshman year and have pretty good chemistry. We know each other pretty well on the field.”

McLaughlin also had big night for Herndon. The 6-foot, 210-pound senior completed 17 of 20 passes for 272 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He also scored three rushing touchdowns.

After McLean scored its first touchdown of the evening, McLaughlin answered two plays later with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Devon Goldsby, giving Herndon a 24-9 lead late in the second quarter.

“He made some nice touch throws, got behind the defense, and that’s what you ask from your quarterback,” Davis said. “[He] ran it in on the goal line tough.”

Bumbrey and McLaughlin each said the Hornets have worked hard to get to this point, and each acknowledged a job well-done by Davis, who spent the previous two seasons as head coach of the West Potomac Wolverines.

“He’s a great coach,” Bumbrey said. “He brings a new attitude to this program.”

“Coach has been extremely beneficial to the program and means a whole lot to each guy on the team,” McLaughlin said. “We’re just really happy to have him.”

What is involved in turning a program around?

“It’s a change in attitude, but it’s a change in program attitude,” Davis said. “We asked the players to do a little more.”

THURSDAY’S GAME against McLean was another test for Herndon. After the Hornets opened a big lead, McLean twice pulled within nine points in the fourth quarter, but Herndon battled to stay in front.

After four lopsided contests (Herndon was 2-2 in those games), the Hornets experienced some pressure. McLean (3-2), on the other hand, was used to close games, as each of its first four contests was decided by six points or less.

“Tonight was our first game where it went back and forth,” Davis said. “We had to fight through some things --- this was an adversity game. … We needed that. This is a character game.”

Goldsby finished with five receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown. Erick Emelio caught five passes for 100 yards.

Herndon will host Edison at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, before opening Concorde District play with a road game against Chantilly on Oct. 17.

“We want to be very competitive in our out-of-district schedule and put ourselves in a position … [to] compete in district, and that’s going to take some time,” Davis said. “Some other schools are ahead of us in weight training and attitude and history and all that stuff, but what’s old is old and this is the new stuff going on.”