Five Football Games to Watch: Week 9
Seneca Valley at Damascus
Seneca Valley will look to give Damascus its first loss of the season when it goes on the road to face the Hornets this weekend.
Damascus, winners of the MPSSAA 3A state title in 2015 and finalists in 2014, looks prepped for another deep postseason run this year. The Hornets were pushed in the first week of the season by Quince Orchard, winning 21-13. Since then, Damascus has hardly been tested, winning its games by an average of 38.875 points. Damascus does have a tough finish to the year though, closing out its regular season with Blair.
Seneca Valley has also had an excellent season, with its lone blemish being a Week 2 defeat against Northwest. The team has cruised since then though, with its closest game being a 42-21 victory over Watkins Mill in Week 6. A win for Seneca Valley would cement its place in the 3A West postseason. The Screamin' Eagles sit in fourth currently with an 8.8 point advantage over fifth place Linganore.
Damascus hosts Seneca Valley this Friday at 6:30 PM.
Hereford at Overlea
Undefeated Hereford will receive its sternest test of the season when it faces Overlea in this marquee Baltimore County tilt.
The Bulls have gone through the season untested, besides its Week 3 victory against Eastern Tech, which finished 14-0. The team's defense has been superb though, registering three shutouts and not allowing double digit points in a single game this season. The Bulls will look to do what it did last year when they played Overlea, which was register a lopsided, 35-0 win.
It should be tougher for Hereford to win against Overlea this year. With its 51-0 win over Pikesville last week, the Falcons went to 6-1 on the season and eclipsed its win total of five from last season. The team's lone loss came in Week 2 against Bel Air, but the group has been close to unstoppable since then, outscoring opponents 203-14 over the past five games.
Hereford travels to Overlea this Friday at 7 PM.
Gwynn Park at Largo
Gwynn Park hosts Largo in a Prince George's County battle between two teams fighting to qualify for the playoffs.
Gwynn Park sits at 7-1 and holds the final spot in the 2A South regional playoffs. The Yellow Jackets have won back to back games against Central and Surrattsville since losing a close one to Potomac, 42-35, in Week 6. The team's offense has been potent all season, scoring more than 30 points in every game except Week 3 against Archbishop Carroll.
Largo is the team that sits right behind Gwynn Park in the 2A South standings, so a win for the Lions would do wonders for their playoff chances. The Lions are 6-2, with its losses coming in Week 2 against Surrattsville and Week 7 against Oxon Hill. The team rebounded nicely from its defeat against Oxon Hill by beating Friendly 28-19 last week.
This game is scheduled for a 6:30 kickoff this Friday.
Broadneck at Severna Park
Much like Gwynn Park, Broadneck looks to hold onto its playoff spot when it travels to Severna Park this weekend.
The 4A East playoff scene is jumbled at the moment, with five teams all within shouting distance of claiming the final postseason spot. Broadneck currently holds the playoff spot with a 5-3 record and 54 points accumulated, but Arundel sits right behind them with an identical record, and 53 points accrued. The Bruins lost to Old Mill last week, but had won its two previous games against Glen Burnie and Arundel. Broadneck also shouldn't be phased by going on the road considering the team is undefeated in away games.
Severna Park is one of those teams chasing Broadneck. The Falcons also hold a 5-3 record, but have only accumulated 47 points. The team will have a chance to climb up the standings by facing Arundel after taking on Broadneck this week. After starting 1-2, Severna Park has turned its season around by winning four of five games. The team's only loss over that span was a close one to undefeated Annapolis. Since that loss, the Falcons have won back to back games against Chesapeake-AA and Meade.
Kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 7 PM this Saturday.
Baltimore City College at Frederick Douglass (Balt. City)
Douglass hosts City in a big Baltimore City match up that promises to be entertaining.
Douglass, which is 6-2, holds the final playoff spot in the 3A North, and hasn't show any signs of relinquishing it. Since losing to Poly in Week 6, the Ducks have registered back to back 38-0 victories over Edmondson-Westside and FAET. The team will be looking to do what it was able to do last year against City, which was a 36-0 victory.
City is 5-3, which is the same amount of wins the team had in the entirety of the 2015 season. The Knights have responded well to a difficult second half of the season by beating traditional powers the past two weeks in Edmondson-Westside and Dunbar. After this tricky contest with Douglass, the Knights will play their big rivalry game against Poly at the Baltimore Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium to close out the regular season.
Douglass and City are set to face each other this Friday at 3:45 PM.
Seneca Valley will look to give Damascus its first loss of the season when it goes on the road to face the Hornets this weekend.
Damascus, winners of the MPSSAA 3A state title in 2015 and finalists in 2014, looks prepped for another deep postseason run this year. The Hornets were pushed in the first week of the season by Quince Orchard, winning 21-13. Since then, Damascus has hardly been tested, winning its games by an average of 38.875 points. Damascus does have a tough finish to the year though, closing out its regular season with Blair.
Seneca Valley has also had an excellent season, with its lone blemish being a Week 2 defeat against Northwest. The team has cruised since then though, with its closest game being a 42-21 victory over Watkins Mill in Week 6. A win for Seneca Valley would cement its place in the 3A West postseason. The Screamin' Eagles sit in fourth currently with an 8.8 point advantage over fifth place Linganore.
Damascus hosts Seneca Valley this Friday at 6:30 PM.
Hereford at Overlea
Undefeated Hereford will receive its sternest test of the season when it faces Overlea in this marquee Baltimore County tilt.
The Bulls have gone through the season untested, besides its Week 3 victory against Eastern Tech, which finished 14-0. The team's defense has been superb though, registering three shutouts and not allowing double digit points in a single game this season. The Bulls will look to do what it did last year when they played Overlea, which was register a lopsided, 35-0 win.
It should be tougher for Hereford to win against Overlea this year. With its 51-0 win over Pikesville last week, the Falcons went to 6-1 on the season and eclipsed its win total of five from last season. The team's lone loss came in Week 2 against Bel Air, but the group has been close to unstoppable since then, outscoring opponents 203-14 over the past five games.
Hereford travels to Overlea this Friday at 7 PM.
Gwynn Park at Largo
Gwynn Park hosts Largo in a Prince George's County battle between two teams fighting to qualify for the playoffs.
Gwynn Park sits at 7-1 and holds the final spot in the 2A South regional playoffs. The Yellow Jackets have won back to back games against Central and Surrattsville since losing a close one to Potomac, 42-35, in Week 6. The team's offense has been potent all season, scoring more than 30 points in every game except Week 3 against Archbishop Carroll.
Largo is the team that sits right behind Gwynn Park in the 2A South standings, so a win for the Lions would do wonders for their playoff chances. The Lions are 6-2, with its losses coming in Week 2 against Surrattsville and Week 7 against Oxon Hill. The team rebounded nicely from its defeat against Oxon Hill by beating Friendly 28-19 last week.
This game is scheduled for a 6:30 kickoff this Friday.
Broadneck at Severna Park
Much like Gwynn Park, Broadneck looks to hold onto its playoff spot when it travels to Severna Park this weekend.
The 4A East playoff scene is jumbled at the moment, with five teams all within shouting distance of claiming the final postseason spot. Broadneck currently holds the playoff spot with a 5-3 record and 54 points accumulated, but Arundel sits right behind them with an identical record, and 53 points accrued. The Bruins lost to Old Mill last week, but had won its two previous games against Glen Burnie and Arundel. Broadneck also shouldn't be phased by going on the road considering the team is undefeated in away games.
Severna Park is one of those teams chasing Broadneck. The Falcons also hold a 5-3 record, but have only accumulated 47 points. The team will have a chance to climb up the standings by facing Arundel after taking on Broadneck this week. After starting 1-2, Severna Park has turned its season around by winning four of five games. The team's only loss over that span was a close one to undefeated Annapolis. Since that loss, the Falcons have won back to back games against Chesapeake-AA and Meade.
Kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 7 PM this Saturday.
Baltimore City College at Frederick Douglass (Balt. City)
Douglass hosts City in a big Baltimore City match up that promises to be entertaining.
Douglass, which is 6-2, holds the final playoff spot in the 3A North, and hasn't show any signs of relinquishing it. Since losing to Poly in Week 6, the Ducks have registered back to back 38-0 victories over Edmondson-Westside and FAET. The team will be looking to do what it was able to do last year against City, which was a 36-0 victory.
City is 5-3, which is the same amount of wins the team had in the entirety of the 2015 season. The Knights have responded well to a difficult second half of the season by beating traditional powers the past two weeks in Edmondson-Westside and Dunbar. After this tricky contest with Douglass, the Knights will play their big rivalry game against Poly at the Baltimore Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium to close out the regular season.
Douglass and City are set to face each other this Friday at 3:45 PM.
| October 27th, 2016 | By: Wick Eisenberg |