Hough powers Annapolis in 4A East
Spalding tops Mt. St. Joe; Havre de Grace wins; Liberty, Century fall in 2A
It was finally time for the No. 5 Annapolis football team Friday night. Cameron Hough was a major reason why.
Hough ran for 209 yards and three fourth-quarter touchdowns on 20 carries, and returned a fumble he forced for a score with no time remaining in the first half to propel the host Panthers to their first playoff win in 16 seasons, 45-27 over North Point.
Annapolis (10-1) will host Broadneck next week for the Class 4A East region championship. It would be the Panthers’ first region crown since they won the Class 3A East en route to a state final appearance in 2000. That year, Annapolis knocked off Paint Branch and Douglass at home. Annapolis had not won a playoff game since and had not hosted a playoff game since a loss to Seneca Valley in 2002.
The game was even through the first two quarters. The Eagles (9-2) featured dynamic quarterback Jemichael Jones, who threw for 185 yards and ran for another 142.
NO. 2 ARCHBISHOP SPALDING 55, NO. 6 MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH 20: Evan Fochtman completed 19 of 25 passes for 221 yards and threw three touchdown passes to lead the host Cavaliers (9-2, 4-1 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference) past the Gaels (7-4, 3-3).
Fochtman also had 18 carries for 90 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Spalding built a 27-14 lead in the first half.
HAVRE DE GRACE 48, FAIRMONT HEIGHTS 34: The Warriors (8-2) beat the visiting Hornets (3-8) in a Class 1A North semifinal.
Senior quarterback Mike Flosser ran for the Warriors’ first score and threw for three more, all to junior Jordan Day.
Havre de Grace also got a halfback-option touchdown pass from Christian Penrow to Will Ashman, and Jasai Stansbury ran for a score as well.
Warriors kicker Clay Harris added a pair of field goals from 37 and 36 yards.
WALKERSVILLE 48, CENTURY 7: The host Lions (11-0) routed the Knights (8-3) in a Class 2A West semifinal.
Walkersville scored the first two touchdowns of the game, although Century put up a fight on defense in the second quarter. The Knights forced two turnovers on downs, but then a complete breakdown occurred.
In the last 1:55 of the half, Century turned the ball over three consecutive times. And each time, Walkersville’s Jacob Wetzel responded with a rushing touchdown.
All three touchdowns came on the first play after the turnover and put the Knights down 34-0 heading into halftime. Wetzel finished with a game-high 197 rushing yards on just nine carries.
“We turned over the ball a couple times, and that’s the kind of team that if you give them a short field, they’ll take advantage of it,” Knights coach Jim Holzman said. “I thought we played really hard, we had a lot of guys banged up and injured, and nobody made any excuses and we stayed in it. … This is our second-best season in Century history, and it was fun being in this playoff atmosphere.”
MIDDLETOWN 48, LIBERTY 7: The visiting Knights (9-2) extended their twotouchdown lead with a 34-0 run in the second quarter and beat the host Lions (9-2) in a Class 2A West region semifinal.
“This is the third season where we’ve had seven or more wins,” Liberty coach Larry Luthe said. “We want to get to where our full expectation is, and if we’re not in the playoffs, we’re playing for a playoff spot every year. Hopefully, the seniors set the table for that. They’re a great group of kids. They’re close and they love each other and it’s going to leave a bitter taste, but I’m very happy they were able to finish the game.