MPSSAA Football State Semifinals
CLASS 4A
Howard 35, Broadneck 24
Last year, Howard High School knocked on the door of the state championship game. Friday night, the Lions kicked the door down with their 35-24 victory over visiting Broadneck.
Running back Malik Anderson ran for 179 yards and scored two touchdowns for Howard (13-0), which last won a state football crown in 1974, and last appeared in the state title game in 1975.
Broadneck (10-3) got out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Lions scored 28 points in a row to take control of the game. The Bruins made it close with two touchdowns at the end of the third quarter, but Howard put the game away on a 21-yard TD pass from Casey Crawford to Anthony Reid with 7 minutes to play.
The Lions will face Dr. Henry A. Wise High School in the MPSSAA Class 4A title game Friday at 7:30 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium.
Wise 37, Northwest 15
C.J. Rainey rushed for 203 yards on 33 carries and Jabari Laws threw for four touchdowns to lead Dr. Henry A. Wise High School over visiting Northwest Friday night.
The Pumas (13-0) won their last state championship in 2012. They were runners-up in 2009 and 2010. Northwest had won the last two MPSSAA Class 4A state titles.
Wise scored the game's first two touchdowns, and had a 23-8 lead at halftime.
CLASS 3A
Damascus 48, Reservoir 7
Running back Jake Funk, a senior who has committed to Maryland, rushed for 303 yards and five touchdowns to lead Damascus over visiting Reservoir Friday night.
Funk scored on a 44-yard run on the Swarmin' Hornets' second offensive play of the game. He added TD runs of 56, 74 and 61 yards for Damascus, which led 41-0 at halftime.
Damascus (13-0) will play Dundalk for the MPSSAA Class 3A title Thursday at 7 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium. The Hornets will be going for their eighth state championship (the latest came in 2007); they have been runners-up four times, including last year.
For the Gators (9-4), it was their first trip to the state semifinals.
Dundalk 41, Potomac 34
Darrius Sample's 15-yard touchdown pass to Kobi Eure with 15 seconds to play gave Dundalk the victory over visiting Potomac Friday night.
Sample finished with 142 yards passing (10-for-15, two TD passes) and 95 yards rushing while Eure gained 128 yards on the ground and rushed for two more touchdowns for the Owls (12-1).
This will be Dundalk's first trip to the state final game. Before this year, the Owls had never made it past the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
Potomac finished its season at 10-3.
CLASS 2A
Walkersville 17, North Caroline 15
Sophomore Noah Sadler kicked a 23-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining Friday night to lift visiting Walkersville into its first state title game in 28 years.
The Lions (11-2) will play Patuxent Saturday at 7 p.m. for the MPSSAA Class 2A state championship at M&T Bank Stadium
North Caroline (12-1) had taken a 15-14 lead on a field goal with 4:42 to play after a fumble by Walkersville running back Chad Gleason.
Patuxent 17, Dunbar 8
Tyler Gross scored on a 97-yard kickoff return to help the Panthers defeat the visiting Poets Friday.
Gross' first-quarter return came on the kickoff following Dunbar's lone touchdown of the game, a 57-yard pass from quarterback Darius Jones-Clark to Juan Campbell. The two-point conversion gave the Poets an 8-0 lead.
But Dunbar (9-3) would not score again. The Poets have won nine state titles and been runners-up twice, including last year.
It has been a great fall for Patuxent athletics. The Panthers volleyball and field hockey teams both made the state title games. The football team (11-2) will face Walkersville for the 2A championship.
CLASS 1A
Fort Hill 55, Forestville 22
Raen Smith rushed for 271 yards and a touchdown to lead Fort Hill to a resounding victory over visiting Forestville Friday night at Greenway Avenue Stadium.
Fort Hill (11-1), the two-time defending state champions, will play for the MPSSAA Class 1A title next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Havre de Grace High School.
Forestville (7-6) scored first, on an 80-yard run from Kharie Lawrence just over a minute into the game. But Fort Hill scored 40 straight points and never looked back.
Havre de Grace 3, FAET 0
Senior Tyler Hartman kicked a 24-yard field goal with 1:36 left in the game to give the visiting Warriors the victory Saturday afternoon at the Poly-Western Complex in Baltimore.
Havre de Grace (10-3) has won three state championships, the latest coming in in 1986. They have been runners-up four times, including 2010.
Friendship Academy, in only its third year playing football, finished the season 10-2. The Grizzlies had allowed only 36 points all season before Saturday.
Howard 35, Broadneck 24
Last year, Howard High School knocked on the door of the state championship game. Friday night, the Lions kicked the door down with their 35-24 victory over visiting Broadneck.
Running back Malik Anderson ran for 179 yards and scored two touchdowns for Howard (13-0), which last won a state football crown in 1974, and last appeared in the state title game in 1975.
Broadneck (10-3) got out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Lions scored 28 points in a row to take control of the game. The Bruins made it close with two touchdowns at the end of the third quarter, but Howard put the game away on a 21-yard TD pass from Casey Crawford to Anthony Reid with 7 minutes to play.
The Lions will face Dr. Henry A. Wise High School in the MPSSAA Class 4A title game Friday at 7:30 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium.
Wise 37, Northwest 15
C.J. Rainey rushed for 203 yards on 33 carries and Jabari Laws threw for four touchdowns to lead Dr. Henry A. Wise High School over visiting Northwest Friday night.
The Pumas (13-0) won their last state championship in 2012. They were runners-up in 2009 and 2010. Northwest had won the last two MPSSAA Class 4A state titles.
Wise scored the game's first two touchdowns, and had a 23-8 lead at halftime.
CLASS 3A
Damascus 48, Reservoir 7
Running back Jake Funk, a senior who has committed to Maryland, rushed for 303 yards and five touchdowns to lead Damascus over visiting Reservoir Friday night.
Funk scored on a 44-yard run on the Swarmin' Hornets' second offensive play of the game. He added TD runs of 56, 74 and 61 yards for Damascus, which led 41-0 at halftime.
Damascus (13-0) will play Dundalk for the MPSSAA Class 3A title Thursday at 7 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium. The Hornets will be going for their eighth state championship (the latest came in 2007); they have been runners-up four times, including last year.
For the Gators (9-4), it was their first trip to the state semifinals.
Dundalk 41, Potomac 34
Darrius Sample's 15-yard touchdown pass to Kobi Eure with 15 seconds to play gave Dundalk the victory over visiting Potomac Friday night.
Sample finished with 142 yards passing (10-for-15, two TD passes) and 95 yards rushing while Eure gained 128 yards on the ground and rushed for two more touchdowns for the Owls (12-1).
This will be Dundalk's first trip to the state final game. Before this year, the Owls had never made it past the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
Potomac finished its season at 10-3.
CLASS 2A
Walkersville 17, North Caroline 15
Sophomore Noah Sadler kicked a 23-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining Friday night to lift visiting Walkersville into its first state title game in 28 years.
The Lions (11-2) will play Patuxent Saturday at 7 p.m. for the MPSSAA Class 2A state championship at M&T Bank Stadium
North Caroline (12-1) had taken a 15-14 lead on a field goal with 4:42 to play after a fumble by Walkersville running back Chad Gleason.
Patuxent 17, Dunbar 8
Tyler Gross scored on a 97-yard kickoff return to help the Panthers defeat the visiting Poets Friday.
Gross' first-quarter return came on the kickoff following Dunbar's lone touchdown of the game, a 57-yard pass from quarterback Darius Jones-Clark to Juan Campbell. The two-point conversion gave the Poets an 8-0 lead.
But Dunbar (9-3) would not score again. The Poets have won nine state titles and been runners-up twice, including last year.
It has been a great fall for Patuxent athletics. The Panthers volleyball and field hockey teams both made the state title games. The football team (11-2) will face Walkersville for the 2A championship.
CLASS 1A
Fort Hill 55, Forestville 22
Raen Smith rushed for 271 yards and a touchdown to lead Fort Hill to a resounding victory over visiting Forestville Friday night at Greenway Avenue Stadium.
Fort Hill (11-1), the two-time defending state champions, will play for the MPSSAA Class 1A title next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Havre de Grace High School.
Forestville (7-6) scored first, on an 80-yard run from Kharie Lawrence just over a minute into the game. But Fort Hill scored 40 straight points and never looked back.
Havre de Grace 3, FAET 0
Senior Tyler Hartman kicked a 24-yard field goal with 1:36 left in the game to give the visiting Warriors the victory Saturday afternoon at the Poly-Western Complex in Baltimore.
Havre de Grace (10-3) has won three state championships, the latest coming in in 1986. They have been runners-up four times, including 2010.
Friendship Academy, in only its third year playing football, finished the season 10-2. The Grizzlies had allowed only 36 points all season before Saturday.
| November 29th, 2015 | By: Ed Waldman |