1395 replies to this topic

[Oldtime]

You know Biff, always looking about for the kids

[Gooch]

Gooch you really feel that Balt Co OVERALL is better than Howard and AA OVERALL?

And for the record I'm a Balt Co guy, so I am asking honestly and being unbiased!

Being bias myself but we do have a state champ this year

[Gooch]

Seriously? That kid left Franklin for SFA and was 3rd string?

Yes

[WillieSeanCoughlan]

Honestly, it was an assumption because there were so many bad teams in Balt Co this year, but alas I was mistaken.

HoCo was 60-60 overall - .500

BaltCo was 112-111 overall - .502

So very evenly matched. I would not have thought that.

While I very much enjoy doing this kind of research, I do have an actual job to do so I won't be doing winning percentages for the others!

I appreciate the research, but Howard County will be, and have been .500 for 20 years now, as all of their games are against each other.

[WillieSeanCoughlan]

Q1) If you were seeding the State Finalists, how would you rank them?
Would you have chalk (4A, then 3A, then 2A, then 1A)?
(North Point, Quince Orchard, Franklin, Linganore, Glenelg, Oakdale, Frederick Douglass-PG, Fort Hill.)

Q2) What would be your final Top 10, including the private schools for the Baltimore Metro (Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll, Harford, Howard)?

Q3) Among public schools only, how would you rank (best to worst) Anne Arundel, Balt City, Balt County, Carroll, Harford, and Howard in-terms of talent?

Among the publics, I had it like this, heading into this week;

1 Quince Orchard
2 Oakdale
3 Franklin
6 Linganore
7 North Point
8 Glenelg
17 Fort Hill
20 Douglass PG

[WillieSeanCoughlan]

3A State Title

#3 Franklin 17 #6 Linganore 14

A tribe called best, for the third time in 6 years. The Franklin Indians won their third 3A state title in 6 years when Simon Spath converted a game-winning 29 yard field goal as time expired to top the defending champion Linganore Lancers, 17-14.

The Indians limited the Lancers, who averaged 42.9 points per game, 2nd best in the MPSSAA, to just one score through the first 43 minutes, until Joey Felton sprinted 17 yards with a reverse, to tie the game at 14 with 4:50 to play.

Early on it had a Lancers lean, despite a missed 40 yard field goal, the Lancers capitalized on a turnover when Ryan Leyh hooked up with Davon Butler on a 34 yard wheel route to give the defending champs a 7-0 lead with 1:52 to go in the first quarter.

Then, early on in the second, Vernon Brown went over the top to Mekale Felton for a 69 yard touchdown score to tie, 9:43 before intermission. The Indians defense clamped down, and Elijah Solomon scampered in from 8 yards for a 14-7 Indians lead.

The Lancers looked poised to tie it up just before halftime when Jackson Ambrose fumbled at the Franklin 1 yard line with 5 seconds to go in the half, and effectively, keep the momentum on the Indians side.

Both had blown opportunities in the first half, as the Indians committed two turnovers, and had two costly penalties on two Lancers failed third down conversions. The Lancers had 10 potential points erased when the field goal bpunced off the upright, and the heartbreaking fumble at the 1.

Both defenses clamped down even more than they had in the first half, as the first 19 minutes in the second half went scoreless, before Felton's game-tying run.

The Indians do-everything-star Solomon worked for every one of the 77 yards he gained on the ground on his 19 carries, and added 3 solo tackles. Felton had 107 all-purpose yards.

Yet, the name of the game was defense, as the Indians were limited to 208 offensive yards, and the Lancers, 217. Both averaged 3.6 yards per play. Franklin rushed for 98, Linganore 111.

The Indians limited Davon Butler, who rushed for 894 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 7 games coming in, to 31 yards on 10 carries, 19 on one run. The Indians scored on both of their red zone opportunities.

The Indians Vernon Brown threw 6-13 for 148 yards and 5 first downs. The Lancers Leyh threw 10-20 for 117 yards, and rushed for 42 yards.

Credit the Indians to limiting Felton to just 51 receiving yards on 7 receptions, and not allowing a punt return in either of their two punts. And credit the Indians for being a great tackling team.

Congrats to two very solid teams on reaching the final, and congrats to Coach Burgos on his third state title, and the Indians players on their first.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Among the publics, I had it like this, heading into this week;

1 Quince Orchard
2 Oakdale
3 Franklin
6 Linganore
7 North Point
8 Glenelg
17 Fort Hill
20 Douglass PG

 

 

Cool, but if you limit to the Baltimore Metro only and include the Privates, what would your Top 10 be?

 

For instance, 'Genius Movement' above had: SFA, Mt St Joe, Calvert Hall, Spalding, McDonogh, Franklin, Dunbar, Mervo, Dundalk, Milford Mill.

 

Would Glenelg crack your 10?

[Gooch]

The Mambas back great breakdown

[Gooch]

No, Glenelg is not Top 10.

[oldballcoach]

Q1) If you were seeding the State Finalists, how would you rank them?
Would you have chalk (4A, then 3A, then 2A, then 1A)?
(North Point, Quince Orchard, Franklin, Linganore, Glenelg, Oakdale, Frederick Douglass-PG, Fort Hill.)

Q2) What would be your final Top 10, including the private schools for the Baltimore Metro (Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll, Harford, Howard)?

Q3) Among public schools only, how would you rank (best to worst) Anne Arundel, Balt City, Balt County, Carroll, Harford, and Howard in-terms of talent?

Chris great question for discussion

1) 4A-2A-3A-1A

2) I agree with Genius 100% his rankings I think are spot on

3) AA Co, Howard, Balt Co, Carroll/ City (dead heat on total roster of teams), Harford

[WillieSeanCoughlan]

4A State Title

#1 Quince Orchard 40 #7 North Point 33

For Quince Orchard, its been a process. For the program that has played in 6 4A state title games over the last 12 years, and 5 in the last 8, it had seemed a long time since its second and last title in 2007.

Since, the Cougars saw title games slip away in '11 and '12, versus Old Mill and Wise, then losing three straight regional titles to arch rival Northwest, then overcoming the Jaguars riddle only to come up short to Wise the last 2 years.

As it was a process for the Cougs to turn the tide in their post-season battles with Northwest, it had been a process to exorcise the stranglehold the Pumas of Wise seem to have on the juggernaut. And most of all, its been a process to reach that pinnacle the Cougars of '91 and '07 once reached.

The Cougars 'danced with the one that brought them', riding Marquez Cooper's back for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns on a workload of 39 carries. The Eagles danced with its duet of Asa Williams and Malik Lawrence to salsa for 33 points. But in the end, it may have been Kevon Carter-Hackey's 61 yard pick-up 6 fumble recovery to make it 33-13, midway through the third, that provided the Cougars with its much needed insurance.

North Point, playing in its first state title game in school history, struck quick, as Asa Williams moved the Eagles down the field in 2:04, going 5-8 on the drive for 93 yards, punctuated by 14 yard touchdown pass to Lawrence, who burned right down the sideline to catch the strike. The key play of the drive was a 61 yard pass play from Williams to Deondre Beverly on 3rd and 16 to keep the drive alive.

The Cougars set the tone with Cooper, to the surprise of know one, friend or foe, and the talented junior hauled 8 carries for 30 yards and the Cougars finished a 16 play, 75 yard drive when sophomore quarterback Brian Plummer ran a naked boot to paydirt to even the game.

Three minutes later, Williams found the multi-talented Lawrence for a second score, this a 30 yard touchdown on 3rd and 14 to put the Eagles back up, 13-7. The teams combined to go 7-7 on third downs in the opening quarter. Williams threw for 151 yards in the first stanza. Again, the Cougars rode Cooper for 10 carries and 53 yards, on a 13 play 66 yard drive, tying the game at 13 with a Cooper score.

Following the Eagles gaining 3 yards on a Corey Johnson run on 3rd and 4 and having to punt, Cooper took his next carry 40 yards, before the very poised Plummer found Max Bernard sprinting through the end zone to give the Cougars their first lead of the game, 20-13, just before halftime.

The Cougars came out in the second half just as they left the first, giving it to Cooper. as he carried it 6 times on the 7 play drive, scoring on a 12 yard run. Then, as the Eagles were driving down to potentially cut it to a one score game, Carter-Hackney took the Williams fumble 61 yards to put the lead at 20.

The Eagles were down, but apparently not out. Following a Cougars 3 and out, Williams found Lawrence on a 33 yard touchdown, on a 4th and 8, to cut it to, 33-19. On their following drive, Williams found Carson Caelen on a 36 yard strike to cut it to one score, 33-26, with 5:47 to play. But to the Eagles dismay, it was Cooper who had the last dance, carrying it on all 9 plays of the drive until he scored with 1:34 to play. Williams would score on a 5 yard run, but defensive leader and senior captain Johnny Hodges recovered the onside kick.

The Eagles out gained the Cougars 410-330, while Cooper amassed 243 of the Cougars 281 rushing yards. Hodges, a do-everything for the Cougars much like Lawrence for the Eagles, or Elijah Solomon for Franklin, or others of that ilk, registered 8 tackles, including a score saving tackle on Williams at the Cougars 3 on a 4th down. Plummer threw just 4 completions (4-5), but one for a key score, while adding one on the ground.

Williams threw 19-30 for 347 yards and 4 touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown, while Lawrence finished with 6 receptions for 113 yards and 3 touchdowns. Beverly had 6 catches for 128 yards.

The Cougars converted on all 5 trips in the red zone, and converted 7 of 10 3rd and 4th downs. The Eagles converted 12-17 3rd and 4th downs.

Congrats to Coach John Kelley and the Cougars on an outstanding season, first reaffirming its dominance of Northwest, later eliminating its nemesis Wise, and finally finding glory again. Congrats to Coach Tom Petre and the Eagles too, as they also had an outstanding seasin, finishing 13-1, and climbing up just another rung on the ladder, going from SMAC champ, to regional champ last year, to runner-up this year.

Its a process.

[MaroonTiger]

Thought North Point played well, but they couldn’t slow QO down and a passing attack will always have a few bad series. Both O-Lines were really small.

[Rm7]

Was really impressed with Asa, young man looked very good.

[Hambonepack]

The weight room advantage goes to QO.  There LB and DB's were noticeably thicker and often made tackles when they could get grasp of the NP ball carriers.  On the other side, QO had so many extra yards after contact last night I lost count.  If NP could have had more stops after first contact, they may have won the game.

 

This game was won before the season even started due to the weight room advantage, In My Humble Opinion!

 

Also, as great as the NP offensive passing game is, they have got to feed their running back more.

[Waggle Pass]

Fort Hill wins 5th state title in six years. 20-8 over Douglass PG. Great old fashioned football by both teams.

[WillieSeanCoughlan]

1A State Title

#17 Fort Hill 20 #21 Douglass 8

Fort Hill and Frederick Douglass have a friendly connection that dates back to a state title game 43 years ago, in the MPSSAA's second year of existence, and the then newly built Douglass's third year of existence. On that late Saturday in November, it was the Sentinels who won their first of what is now 7 state titles, and made their first of what now is 14 state title game appearances.

Coach Charlie Lattimer's Sentinels routed Coach Rex Holliday's Eagles that day in 1975 in the state championship at Friendly High School, 34-8, behind superstar Steve Trimble (1,677 yards, 31 TD, 200 points in 12 games in '75), who rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. Trimble, one of the most iconic names in 'Big Red' lore, would go on to Maryland to join former teammate and quarterback Mark Manges and Jerry Claiborne's Terrapins. Trimble would play 3 seasons in the NFL. There were reportedly 3,000 'Big Red' fans that traveled from Cumberland to Friendly.

The Sentinels and Eagles would reunite in 2007 and 2008 in a pair of regular seasons meetings at Greenway Stadium, both close wins by the home team, 14-12, and, 31-26. Douglass wouldn't make the playoffs until another 15 years after that runner-up finish, and the Sentinels wouldn't win another title until another 22 years later.

But since the Eagles rejoined the post-season mix, both the Sentinels and Eagles have made their presence known in November, time and time again. The Sentinels have made the playoffs in 25 of the 29 years since the 90's, winning 17 of their state record 25 regional titles, and 6 of their 7 state titles. Douglass, meanwhile, has made 21 of the last 29 post-season tournaments, won 11 of their 12 regional titles, and punctuated a state title with an overall #1 ranking by the Maryland Football Writers in 2014.

This was the Sentinels 5th state title in 6 years, falling to the Poets of Dunbar last year, 30-26. The Sentinels now have 55 post-season wins, second to Dunbar, with 58. The Sentinels are now one of just five schools to win at least 7 MPSSAA state championships, joining Seneca Valley (12), Damascus (10), Dunbar (10), and arch enemy Allegany, who still has that edge, for now, with 8. Douglass 22nd playoff appearance is tied for 8th best in the state, its 12 regional titles ranks tied for 11th, and their 27 post-season wins, 12th.

This had donnybrook written all over it, with the Sentinels three toughest contests of the year finding them scoring less than 20 points in all three wins, in addition to the Eagles defense, who came in ranked seventh in the state in points allowed, including three losses where they gave up no more than 7 points.

Fort Hill came out like Fort Hill always comes out - running, running, and running some more. Carter Swan broke open a 55 yard scamper to put points on the board just over three minutes in. Danny King's kick made it 7-0. Douglass came back with a 9 play drive, capped by a 38 yard touchdown pass from Devin Harding to Mark Mason. Mason's two-point plunge gave the Eagles the lead, 8-7. Harding threw 3-3 for 95 yards in the first quarter.

Then, on the next possession, one of the game's most pivotal plays occurred, one of a recurring theme for the Eagles (11 penalties, 79 yards), a costly penalty. This, after Danny King missed his first field goal of the season, a 47 yarder, only to see the miss nullified by a running into the kicker penalty, something that had nothing to do with the miss. Two plays later, sandwiched in between by penalties by both teams, Blake Beal ran in from 19 yards to give the Sentinels a 13-8 lead. Fort Hill would fail on the two-point pass attempt from King. Instead of driving down from their 37, the Eagles were down 5.

The rest of the first half saw two possessions by each team, with 9 yards on 13 plays offensively between them, two 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalties, one by each team, and an interception. The 13-8 score at half mirrored the quagmire of play before intermission. After a perfect passer rating in the opening quarter, Harding went 0-4, with an interception, in the second quarter.

The third saw the Sentinels force the Eagles into a pair of three-and-outs, including the second that gave the Sentinels the ball at the Eagles 33. After gaining 5 yards, the Sentinels looked to King, who's perfect field goal run remained intact, miss-hit the attempt from 45, and the margin remained at 5.

The Eagles drove down to the Sentinels 27, and when forced with a fourth and one, lost five yards, and lost the potential lead-changing possession. The Sentinels ate up clock on a 10 play drive, with 6 carries by Swann, and finished with another Beal scramble for a score, this from 22 yards, giving Fort Hill a commanding 20-8 lead with just over three minutes to play. The Eagles would drive down to the Sentinels 16 yard line before time ran out.

The Sentinels rushed for a workmanlike 216 yards on 46 carries, led by Swann, who rushed for 113 yards and a score on 20 carries. Beal added 52 yards and a pair of scores on 8 carries, throwing only one pass. Harding finished throwing 13-23 for 193 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Eagles. Douglass managed just 48 rushing yards on 21 carries.

The Sentinels finished with 12 first downs, Douglass, 11. Fort Hill averaged just 3.6 yards per carry outside of Swann's 55 yard scoring run, and a modest 127 yards in the final three quarters. The Eagles had just one carry for more than 6 yards. Swann also led the Sentinels with 8 tackles. Tyree Newman led the Eagles with 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

Todd Appel is now just one of seven coaches in MPSSAA history to win five or more state titles, joining Bob Milloy (8), Al Thomas (8), Terry Changuris (7), Dave Carruthers (6), Lawrence Smith (6), and Doug Duval (5). Appel's .903 (131-14) win percentage ranks as the best in MPSSAA history (min. 100 games), and with the win, becomes just the fourth coach to win 30 playoff games, joining Smith (36), Thomas (32), and Milloy (30). Eagles Coach JC Pinkney is the Eagles all-time winningest coach (155-48), winning 21 playoff games, including 7 regional titles.

Two historic programs, two legendary coaches. And 43 years later, another Sentinel senior named Trimble (#44, Shakur) winning a state title. Legacies live on in Cumberland, as do state titles, and a region divided by the red and the blue.