MDHigh.com - Queen Anne's shrugs off early deficit, seizes region's top seed

November 7, 2009

Special to MDHigh
MDHigh.com Staff Writer

CENTREVILLE -- Just four minutes into Friday's regular-season finale against Kent Island High, Queen Anne's County found itself in a situation it hadn't faced all year: the team was trailing.
Down 7-0 early and with "our nerves going crazy," according to quarterback Tyler German, the Lions were on their heels.

They had to do something fast, or their perfect season was at risk, along with the top slot in the Class 2A East playoffs. And do it they did.

Queen Anne's reeled off three touchdowns in the final five minutes of the first half to take a 21-7 lead. German, who ran for three scores and passed for a fourth, ended the night with 132 yards on the ground on nine carries as the Lions won 35-21 in the first battle between 9-0 teams in Maryland since 2007.

Queen Anne's hosts Wicomico -- their first regular-season victim of 2009 -- in the opening playoff round next week. Kent Island, still boasting its best record in the school's 11-season history (9-1), awaits North Caroline, a team it beat by four scores last month.

"I thought we played a fantastic first quarter," said Kent Island head coach Bryon Sofinowski, whose team held the Lions to just 39 yards of offense in the opening period. "I thought we played a pretty good fourth quarter. We didn't play four quarters like we were supposed to. We didn't play well at all in the second quarter. That third quarter, we came out a little slow.

"Hats off to Queen Anne's; they're a good team," he continued. "But this loss is over, and we're playing for next week now."

Taking advantage of three Ben Schaffle interceptions, and doing something to Kent Island nobody had done all year -- stop them in the red zone -- Queen Anne's may have secured the right to host a state semifinal game as well, should the team make it that far.

But in the early going, the Buccaneers had the momentum. Beginning the game's first drive at their own 38, Kent Island quickly scored on a 45-yard pass from Schaffle to Joey Kirby followed by a 4-yard Kirby scamper to make it 7-0.

What was the game play for the Lions, down a touchdown and their offense misfiring?

"Win," said head coach Donnie Graef. "Nothing changed because we were down 7-0.
"We had talked during the week... This is probably the best football team we've played so far. If you get down, we'd just have to respond, and we did that."

An odd bounce nearly killed Graef's plans, however.

After failing to advance much beyond the shadow of their own goal posts on their third possession, Kent Island punted late in the first quarter. The ball bounced at the Buccaneer 43, then careened off the helmet of a Queen Anne's defender. The Buccaneers recovered the ball near midfield. But an offensive penalty erased the play, giving the Lions a much-needed break. On the re-kick, Queen Anne's didn't repeat the error, and though their next possession went nowhere, the Kent Island tide had ebbed.

Queen Anne's held Kent Island on its next series of downs and received a punt with 9:35 left in the first half. At that point, the Lions finally hit their stride offensively, German's1-yard sneak tied the game after Mark Murphy's PAT.

Another Buccaneer three-and-out yielded the go-ahead score by the Lions. This time Matt Fitzgerald (14 carries, 68 yards) scored on a 31-yard run thanks to the interior line opening a huge hole.

"The second (touchdown) really got us over the hump," said Graef. "We kinda felt like, 'OK, we're back in control.'"

German's pass to Brandon Terry in the corner of the end zone from 42 yards out made it 21-7 with 17 ticks to go before halftime.

The Lions' junior play-caller, German, got good blocking on his first keeper of the third quarter, going 64 yards to make it 28-7 a minute after intermission.

But Matt Baxter, who led the Bucs with 90 yards on eight touches, broke two tackles and scored from 55 yards out, making it 28-14 with 3:33 left in the third. But once again Queen Anne's marched down the field. German's 33-yard run with 32 seconds remaining in the third made it a three-score affair.

Kirby scored late in the fourth, and Kent Island recovered the ensuing onside kick. But Schaffle's third pick - Fitzgerald made the interception -- sealed the win. The Lions held the ball for the remainder of the contest, ending things with a failed German sneak on first-and-goal from Kent Island's 1-yard line.

Queen Anne's outgained Kent Island 253-125 on the ground. German was 4-for-9 passing for 107 yards, while Schaffle went 7-for-16, with 129 yards in the air.

In other Bayside Conference action on Friday, Wicomico secured the No. 4 seed in the 2A East with a 42-26 win over James M. Bennett. Snow Hill locked down a 1A East slot by rallying from a 14-7 deficit to beat county rival Stephen Decatur, 21-14. Cambridge- South Dorchester, which had to forfeit its first three wins on Thursday, rolled to a 42-13 win over Easton. And North Caroline defeated Col. Richardson High, 41-6, to win the Caroline County Superintendent's Cup for the fifth time in six years.

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