High-powered Pumas too much for Patriots
Wise puts up 34 in first half, cruises into 4A title game
UPPER MARLBORO — Old Mill needed to play a near perfect game to upset Wise in a Class 4A state semifinal on Friday night.
Maybe its best effort wouldn’t have been enough to slow down the high-powered Pumas.
In a game that got away from the Patriots quickly, host Wise rolled to a 44-0 victory and secured a berth in next week’s state final.
“We played a great football team tonight. Credit to them,” Old Mill coach Chad McCormick said. “I thought our kids played hard. Unfortunately, we gave up some big plays to Wise’s weapons.”
After taking a 13-0 lead after one, the Pumas blitzed the Patriots for 21 more points in the second quarter. Wise quarterback Jayden Sauray completed just three passes in the first half, but all went for touchdowns. The Pumas also used a long touchdown run and returned an interception for a score to blow the game open.
“They wanted to run the ball and we felt like we could stop the run,” said Wise coach DaLawn Parrish, who grew up in Severn. “I also thought we had some mismatches on the perimeter, which we were able to hit.”
Wise (13-0) advances to the Class 4A state championship game against Northwest on Friday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Northwest advanced with a 22-13 victory over top seed and previously unbeaten Quince Orchard. The Pumas are in the state final for the seventh time and are looking for their fifth title. They won state titles in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and fell in the 2009 (to Old Mill) and 2010 championship games.
“For us, it’s been like this all year long. Just one game at a time,” Parrish said. “We’ve set goals, and we’re almost there now.”
Despite the loss on Friday, the Patriots can hang their hat on a 10-win season that included a return to the playoffs after missing the last two years. Old Mill recorded playoff wins over Severna Park, Meade and Parkville to advance to Friday’s state semifinal.
“There’s very few football teams in the state that make it to the state semifinals,” McCormick said. “We’ve been fortunate to have some success and get to this level.
Unfortunately, we felt short tonight. I’m so proud of our kids and what they accomplished this year. A lot of credit goes to our seniors.
“A lot of those guys have been on our team for three years and they stuck it out through the tough times and they got us to an opportunity to play in this football game tonight.”
The Patriots found it hard to move the ball against a Wise defense that recorded its seventh shutout of the season. Caron Tull did break free for a 39-yard run for one of the few Old Mill highlights.
As the Patriots had trouble moving the ball in the first half, the Pumas used three big plays to quickly take control of the game. Their first two scores came on third down, with Keith Boddie, Jr. hauling in a 73-yard touchdown pass from Sauray to open the scoring.
Facing another third-and-long just shy of midfield, Anthony Morales broke free for a 51-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 13-0 late in the first.
With the Patriots backed up deep in their own territory three minutes into the second, Myles Fulton’s deep pass was picked off by Dorian Strong and returned 45 yards for a score.