Sherwood running back Cyrus "Road Runner" Britt looks to lead his team to the Class 4A state final with a victory over Old Mill on Friday night at 7. (Photo by Jon Gallo)
CLASS 3A SEMIFINALS
RIVER HILL (12-0) at HUNTINGTOWN (12-0)
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
To the winner: A berth in the state final against Linganore (12-0) or Hereford (10-1)
How they got here: River Hill: The Hawks cruised through the regular season, dominating Howard County for the seventh straight season en route to the county title and top seed in the Class 3A East Region Tournament. The Hawks opened the postseason with a 70-0 win over J.M. Bennett in a game that marked the most points scored in state playoff game. The Hawks won their fifth straight region title with a 30-3 victory over rival Atholton. The Hawks, who won the past two Class 2A titles before being elevated into Class 3A, are 15-4 in seven postseason appearances. Huntingtown: The Hurricanes rolled through the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference en route to claiming the top seed in the Class 3A South Region Tournament. The Hurricanes, who had lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past two years, outscored Lackey and defending 3A champion Westlake, 69-0, to claim their first region title. Huntingtown, which has never won a state title, is 2-2 in three postseason appearances.
River Hill wins if: The Hawks don’t have to rely on their passing game. The Hawks boast an rushing attack that has amassed more than 3,000 yards this season behind the outstanding play of Wake Forest-bound recruit Kevin Johnson and Brent Kluge. But the Hawks haven’t proven that quarterback Harry McLaughlin can move the ball through air, against a good team. But River Hill may not have to throw the ball if it rushing attack continues to pace an offense that has scored 504 points – an average of 42 per game. The Hawks boast one of the best offensive and defensive lines in the state, as Max Coale, Thomas Erdman, Nick Bonhag and Andrew Gluck have been terrific this year. They’ve anchored a unit that has allowed opponents to average six points per game. River Hill has won 40 straight games and 52 of its past 53 games. Still, the Hawks haven’t played a team as good as Huntingtown.
Huntingtown wins if: The Greg Goodwin show continues. Goodwin has emerges as one of – if not the – best running backs in the state. His state-high 2,407 yards are at least 100 more than anybody and his 35 touchdowns trump anybody in the state by at least five. Goodwin teams with quarterback Justin Bittner, who threw for 112 yards and a touchdown in a 46-0 victory over defending Class 3A champion Westlake on Friday. Goodwin, who rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns against the Wolverines, is complemented by running backs Davonte Fletcher and receivers Andre Carter and Chaz Hall. Defensively, the Hurricanes allow team to average seven points per game, but have posted three three shuouts and yielded just 24 points in its past four games combined. The Hurricanes are led by Coach Jerry Franks, who guided Calvert to the Class 3A title in 2000.
HEREFORD (10-1) at LINGANORE (12-0)
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
To the winner: A berth in the state final against River Hill (12-0) or Huntingtown (12-0)
How they got here: Hereford: The Bulls overcame their lone loss of the regular season – a 14-10 setback to rival Eastern Tech – to earn the top seed in the Class 3A North Region. The Bulls, in the playoffs for the fourth straight year, defeated North Harford in the first round before dealing second-seeded Franklin a 31-15 loss in the region final. Hereford, which won the state title in 1997 (1A), 2001 (2A) and 2002 (2A), is 25-9 win 13 postseason appearances. Linganore: Perhaps no team was as dominant during the regular season than the Lancers. Linganore went undefeated en route to earning the second seed in the Class 3A West Region Tournament, where they followed a 33-20 win over Damascus with a 21-0 shutout of previously undefeated Quince Orchard. Linganore, which won the state title 1989 (3A), 1991 (3A), 1995 (2A) and 2003 (3A), is 24-9 in 14 postseason appearances.
Hereford wins if: They play the greatest game in school history. Perhaps no team has a bigger challenge this weekend than Hereford against Linganore. But Hereford also is no stranger to the postseason. The Bulls have made the playoffs in 12 of the past 13 seasons and have won three state titles and lost in the title game twice during the stretch. During the past four years, the team has gone 43-7. Still, the Bulls are going to need huge performances from running back Willie Williams, who has rushed for 1,436 yards, and Vince DePaola and quarterback David Wood, if they are to advance to M&T Bank Stadium. Hereford has won nine straight since suffering a 14-10 loss to Eastern Tech in the second win of the season. The Bulls average 29 points per game and their defense takes care of the rest. The unit is led by linebacker Mike Aiello, who anchors a unit that allows an average of 10 points per game, in complemented by linemen Taylor Gload, Chris Nash and Harry Shriver. Hereford has allowed 41 points in its past six games.
Linganore wins if: The Lancers just keep doing what they’ve been doing. The Lancers have emerged as the state’s best teams behind a prolific offense that averages 41 points per game behind Penn State-bound fullback Zach Zwinak. Zwinak, who is regarded as the best nationally at his position, ran for 265 yards and two scores in a 19-0 victory over previously undefeated Quince Orchard. Zwinak, who has rushed for 1,731 yards, teams with running back Kevin Myers, who has rushed for more than 1,300 yards. Defensively, Linganore has allowed opponents to average just nine points per game behind the stellar play of Wisconsin-bound lineman Robbie Havenstein and cornerbacks Michael Johnson and Ricky Conner. Linganore has played five games against teams that made the playoffs and outscored Tuscarora, Thomas Johnson, Urbana, Damascus and Quince Orchard by a combined score of 158-55.
CLASS 4A SEMIFINALS
OLD MILL (10-2) at SHERWOOD (10-2)
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m.
To the winner: A berth in the state final against Thomas Johnson (8-4) or Wise (11-1)
How they got here: Old Mill: After opening the season with a loss to rival Arundel, the Patriots did not lose again until the final game of the regular season. The Patriots’ loss to Broadneck sealed the third seed in the Class 4A East Region Tournament. The Patriots provided the biggest first-round shocker, when they posted a 24-0 win over previously undefeated North Point. Old Mill was fantastic – at least offensively – in the region final, where they defeated previously undefeated Arundel, 58-55 in double overtime to win its first region title since 2006. Old Mill, which has never won a state title, is 6-12 in 13 postseason appearances. Sherwood: The defending Class 4A champions opened the season 5-0 before ending its 19-game winning streak with a 26-22 loss to rival Damascus. Sherwood backed into the top seed in the Class 4A West Region Tournament by losing to then-undefeated Quince Orchard, but the Warriors recovered quickly. The Warriors, in the postseason for the fifth straight year, followed their 24-2 victory over Springbrook with an 11-7 win over Paint Branch to win the region title for the second straight year. Sherwood, which won the state title in 1995 (4A), 1996 (4A) and 2008 (4A), is 26-11 in 15 postseason appearances.
Old Mill wins if: The beast runs wild. Old Mill coach Damian Ferragamo told reporters he is going to “feed the beast” in every game, which means he is going to run Josh Furman until his legs fall off. Furman had one of the biggest games in postseason history last week, as he rushed for 414 yards and six touchdowns on 43 carries to will his team to a 58-55 victory in double overtime over previously undefeated Arundel. Furman has rushed for 2,026 yards – third-most in the state – and his 29 touchdowns rank third. He teams with quarterback Joe Thornton and running back Jason Clements, who scored twice against Arundel, to power an offense that averages 38 points per game. Defensively, the Patriots must play better. They’ve allowed the opposition to average 20 points per game, but the unit, led by Liberty-bound linebacker Randy Spann, has given up at least 25 points in four of its past five games. Old Mill is trying to become the first Anne Arundel County team to win a state title since North County in 1994.
Sherwood wins if: Its offensive line of Grant McCarthy, Josh Hertz, Adam Berger, Neil Kress and Oliver Pettenati creates room for Cyrus Britt to run. Britt, whose nickname is the “Road Runner,” has been sensational this season, as he’s rushed for more than 1,200 yards. Defensively, Sherwood allows opponents to average 7 points per game and has allowed 89 points all season, with 47 – more than half – coming in losses to Quince Orchard and Damascus. Sherwood, the defending Class 4A champion, has won 23 of its past 25 games and is peaking at the opportune time. They defeated Springbrook and Paint Branch in the region tournament by a combined score of 35-9 and are two wins away from becoming the first Montgomery County Class 4A team to win consecutive titles since Seneca Valley in 1997-98.
THOMAS JOHNSON (8-4) at WISE (11-1)
Kickoff: Saturday, 1 p.m.
To the winner: A berth in the state final against Old Mill (10-2) or Sherwood (10-2)
How they got here: Thomas Johnson: The Patriots went 6-4 to earn the fourth – and final – spot in the Class 4A North Region Tournament. The Patriots opened the postseason with a 21-14 win over Urbana after suffering a 10-7 loss to the Hawks during the regular season. Thomas Johnson won the region title and its second berth in the state tournament in the past three years with a 44-26 victory over Patterson. Thomas Johnson, which won its lone state title in Class A in 1982, is 10-8 in 10 postseason appearances. Wise: The Pumas opened the season with nine straight wins, which included a state-record eight straight shutouts before losing to C.H. Flowers. The Pumas, however, still earned the top seed and followed its 6-0 victory over Eleanor Roosevelt with a 26-0 shutout of C.H. Flowers to win their second straight region title. Wise, which lost to Sherwood in the state semifinals last year, is in the playoffs for just the second time since the Upper Marlboro school opened in 2006.
Thomas Johnson wins if: Nick Forbes becomes the first running back to dominate Wise. Forbes, who will play at Cal next year, ran for 283 yards and five scores in a 44-26 victory over Patterson to win the Class 4A North Region title. Forbes teams with quarterback Ryon Lynch to power an offense that averages 26 points per game. Thomas Johnson’s record also can be misleading. The Patriots, who have won three straight games, suffered all of their losses to teams that made the playoffs – Martinsburg (W. Va.), Urbana, Linganore and Fort Hill. Still, the Patriots’ defense, which features East Carolina-bound linebacker Jeremy Grove, defensive back Marquis Woodyard and DeAndre Scott, has allowed the opposition to average just 12 points per game. Scott is coming off his best game of the season against Patterson, as he intercepted three passes and returned one for a touchdown. Thomas Johnson is seeking to become the first Frederick County team to win the championship in the state’s largest classification.
Wise wins if: Its defense continues to play at a level that would make the “Steel Curtain” envious. Wise has allowed just three touchdowns all season and has posted 10 shutouts. Wise is coming off consecutive shutouts of Eleanor Roosevelt and C.H. Flowers – the team that dealt Wise its lone loss of the regular season. The Pumas average 30 points behind quarterback DeAndre Smith and running backs Jabril Baldwin, Deontre Johnson, Rashaan Moore and receivers Trevon Butler and Thomas Tabbs. Defensively, Wise’s record-breaking unit has star power all over the field – and none brighter than University of Maryland-bound defensive back Titus Till. He leads a group that also includes standouts Rayshaud Shields, Victor Tabbs, Justin Coles and Tyrone Gaither. Wise is seeking to become the fifith Prince George’s County team to win a Class 4A title since 1999, joining Suitland (20064, 2006), Parkdale (2002), Bowie (2001) and Eleanor Roosevelt (1999).
jongallo@coachesaid.com
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