It’s time for playoffs
Five county football teams have qualified for the region playoffs and each will play on Friday night. Two of the games are rematches from games played during the regular season, while another is a playoff rematch from a year ago.
To show just how little margin for error there was in the regular season, Broadneck and North Point each went undefeated in the regular season for a second straight year, but one loss for either team could have pushed them to third place and going on the road in the first round. The final playoff spot wasn’t determined until Week 10 when South River knocked off Old Mill to qualify.
“The county was definitely unique this year with the balance,” Broadneck coach Rob Harris said. “We had a few close games, but I think our seniors were able to keep us moving in the right direction.”
Not only are the Bruins the top seed in the Class 4A East Region, they are the top overall seed in the 4A in the state. In a rarity, North Point is second and Arundel is third, giving the East Region the top three overall seeds. Should any of the top three get out of the region, they’ll host a state semifinal.
Of course, Harris is looking no further than South River on Friday. Though the Bruins defeated South River by 18 points when the teams met in the regular season, only Arundel scored more points on the Bruins. The Seahawks had leads of 7-0 and 10-7 in the first quarter when the teams met on Oct. 12, but the Bruins took over by scoring 21 straight points. They had a 48-17 lead before giving up a pair of touchdowns over the final 11 minutes of the game.
“They are a good team and they’re playing their best football right now,” Harris said. “They
present some problems for us because they can run and throw, and any team that can do that is a threat. We’re not going to take them lightly.”
Broadneck is in the playoffs for the 16th time, while Northeast in the Class 3A East Region is making just its second playoff appearance. Of the county teams in the region playoffs, Arundel has the only state title among the group. The Wildcats won back in 1975 and played in the state final in 1979 and 2007. Broadneck made its only appearance in a state final in 2003, while South River was a state runner-up in 1984. Class 4A East Region Semifinals No. 4 South River (6-4) at No. 1 Broadneck (10-0) Last meeting: Broadneck 48, South
River 30 (Oct. 12)
Last playoff appearances: Broadneck,
2017; South River, 2012
OUTLOOK: The Bruins completed their second straight unbeaten regular season in dominating fashion. They outscored their 10 opponents by an average final score of 38-13. Freshman quarterback Josh Ehrlich set a school record with 35 touchdown passes while throwing just four interceptions. He’s completed 136 of 235 passes for 2,070 yards. A bulk of his completions (63) and touchdown passes (22) went to Ethon Williams, who reached multiple career records in his senior year. Ehrlich also ran for four touchdowns and added a 2-point conversion for the Bruins, who are the top overall seed in the Class 4A in the state. Andre Woods Jr. served as the perfect complement to Williams and caught 41 passes for 745 yards and eight touchdowns. While the running game wasn’t dominant, it didn’t need to be. Still, Jason Carcamo rushed for 1,112 yards on 177 carries and scored five touchdowns.
Carlos Coates has 16 ½ tackles for loss and three sacks, while Matt McAllister leads the defense with 60 tackles, including 12 ½ for loss, and two sacks. Viliami Pouha has four fumble recoveries and has returned two for touchdowns, while Joshua Cain also has four fumble recoveries and returned one for a touchdown.
After going 1-9 two years ago, the Seahawks improved to 6-4 last year and followed that up with a second straight winning season. They were 3-4 after seven games this year, but won their last three games to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2012. David Foust has done a solid job running the offense with 10 touchdown passes and five more on the ground while passing for 1,134 yards. His main receiving target has been Sean Leonard, who has 17 catches for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Joe Foy has been a dual threat running and catching the ball. He’s caught four touchdown passes, ran for eight and also returned a kickoff for a score. Foy leads the rushing attack with 1,215 yards on 216 carries, while Nate Carbaugh has 487 yards and three touchdowns and Delvin Johnson has added five rushing touchdowns.
Nasir Franklin-Branch has a team-leading 72 tackles, including seven for loss, and a sack, Carbaugh has added 69 tackles (seven for loss), a sack, an interception and a blocked punt that he recovered for a touchdown. Ka’Ron Lewis has two sacks, two forced fumbles and 64 tackles (six for loss).
No. 3 Arundel (9-1) at No. 2 North Point (10-0)
Last meeting: North Point 20, Arundel
19 (Nov. 10, 2017)
Last playoff appearances: Arundel,
2017; North Point, 2017
OUTLOOK: This game is a rematch of one of last year’s Class 4A East Region semifinals. Arundel had a 19-10 lead after three quarters before the Eagles rallied for 10 points in the fourth quarter in last year’s meeting. The Wildcats, who average 42 points a game, are led on offense by Austin Slye, who’s completed 68 percent of his passes and has 28 touchdown passes and just four interceptions and has thrown for 2,613 yards. He’s also second on the team in rushing with 528 yards on 91 carries and seven touchdowns. Jordan Andrews leads the rushing attack with 719 yards on 118 carries and 10 touchdowns, while R.J. Chandler has been the main receiving threat with 61 catches for 825 yards and 12 touchdowns. Petey Tucker has seven touchdown receptions and Chaz Goodman and Jeremy Weinstein each have five for the Wildcats. Defensively, Gereme Spraggins has 56 ½ tackles, including 17 for loss, and a pair of sacks and has returned two fumbles for touchdowns. Khari Stewart leads the team with 4 ½ sacks, while Dominick Bramante has recovered six fumbles and intercepted two passes.
North Point quarterback Asa Williams has thrown for 1,624 yards and 20 touchdowns and has rushed for another 492 yards and nine scores. Corey Johnson has rushed for 1,081 yards and 10 touchdowns and Malik Lawrence has caught eight touchdown passes for North Point, which averages 34 points a game.
If the Eagles are good on offense, they are even better on defense. They come into Friday’s game with three straight shutouts and have given up just 92 points all year.
North Point has won 27 straight regularseason games. This will be the Eagles’ and Wildcats’ fifth meeting in the playoffs after splitting their previous four. They have a common opponent this year in Old Mill. The Eagles opened the season with a 17-15 victory over the Patriots, while the Wildcats rallied for a 26-21 victory over Old Mill in Week 9. Class 3A East Region Semifinals No. 3 Northeast (7-3) at No. 2 Chesapeake (7-3)
Last Meeting: Northeast 28, Chesapeake 27 (Nov. 2)
Last playoff appearances: Northeast,
1981; Chesapeake, 2017
OUTLOOK: These rivals are separated by just roughly six miles in Pasadena and play every year in what’s referred to as the Dena Bowl. This year’s meeting came just a week ago, with Northeast scoring the final 21 points for a 28-27 victory. There is a chance the teams would have met in the playoffs with a Chesapeake win last week, but that would have been a likely No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup. Just like Chesapeake has done under Rob Elliott, the Eagles have enjoyed a resurgence under Brian Baublitz. Northeast’s seven wins this year are the most since 2004. The Eagles are led on offense by Josh Krcik, who scored three touchdowns (two receiving, one return) in last week’s win. His 85-yard punt return in the third quarter sparked the Eagles, who went into halftime down, 27-7. Krcik has rushed for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns, caught 12 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns, has returned a punt and kickoff for a score and has added six 2-point
conversions and has produced a teamleading 102 points. He’s also intercepted a pair of passes and recovered a fumble. Ethan Young has added seven rushing touchdowns and Danny Baker has ran for four and caught another touchdown for Northeast. Bennett Diaz has added four rushing scores.
Riley Pitt was the Eagles’ starting quarterback before leaving last week’s game with an injury. If he can’t go on Friday, Northeast will be led by Billy Katzenberger, who helped rally the Eagles to last week’s victory.
Aiden Barnhart leads the defense with 10 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks, while Jan Michael Finch has four sacks.
Chesapeake is in the playoffs for the third time in four years. The Cougars have turned into more of a passing team this year, with Dylan Young leading the way with 1,766 yards on 101 for 177 passing with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. He threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns last week against the Eagles. His favorite target has been Russell Tongue, who has 30 catches for 710 yards and nine touchdowns. Hunter Davis (332 yards) has hauled in four touchdowns and Colton Spangler (494 yards) has three. The Cougars’ scoring has actually been split between passing and running, with Khalil Gary leading the backs with eight touchdown runs. Chesapeake’s defense has recorded two shutouts and has given up 10 or fewer points in three other wins. Cody Carpenter has a team-leading 11 sacks and has forced five fumbles and recovered five. Tongue has four interceptions, while Marcus Neal has three and Jimmy Revels-Allen leads the team with 49 ½ tackles.
The winner will face either Long Reach or J.M. Bennett in the region final next weekend.