MDHigh.com - Week 12 Weekend Watch, Playoff Special

November 12, 2009

Dave Lomonico
MDHigh.com Publisher

Class 4A Playoffs

Upset Special: No. 4 Thomas Johnson (6-4) over No. 1 Urbana (8-2) ; Saturday @ 1 p.m.

Why the Patriots will win: It's been a disappointing season for Thomas Johnson. They came in ranked in the top 10, but lost four games this season. One of those losses came against Urbana, but the final was only 10-7. The Patriots are loaded with talent and have two fine running backs in Nick Forbes and Jeremy Grove. Their defense is fast and athletic. The secondary should be able to limit Urbana quarterback Jesse Heon and Forbes and Grove will be able to stop the run. And don't forget: Urbana is coming off two straight losses, including an embarrassing game last week against Linganore.

Best Game Analysis:

The Game of the Week features No. 2 Flowers vs. No. 3 Suitland. Check the link below on Friday morning for an in-depth, full-length preview.

Flowers vs. Suitland

Second Best Game Analysis:

No. 2 North Point vs. No. 3 Old Mill (Saturday @ 1 p.m.)

It's been an impressive start for the North Point football program. Three years ago, in their first season, they won just three games. Last year they made the playoffs at 8-2 and now they are ranked 12th in the state and finished the season a perfect 10-0. They are the second seed in the 4A East Region, just percentage points behind Arundel for the top spot.

The Eagles passed their toughest test a month ago with a 7-0 victory over Westlake. Since then they've run rampant over three lowly opponents, carrying truckloads of momentum into the postseason. On the season, North Point is averaging 31 points per game and giving up just five points per night.

Running back Arlando Scott leads a multi-pronged rushing attack that features Connor Crowell, Emmanuel Onakoya and Ja'Wan Poole. They've combined to rush for over 2,000 yards this year. Offensive lineman Nico Washington is a force up front.

Defensively, Anthony Zoscak has been a terror, racking up 11.5 sacks this season. Crowell and Poole lead the team in tackles from the linebacker position. Meanwhile, defensive backs Jalen Hutchings and Anthony Prince have six interceptions each.

But Old Mill (8-2), the third seed in the East, has more offensive firepower than any team the Eagles have faced. Sure, they suffered a devastating loss to Broadneck last week, but the Patriots still put up 38 points. Running back Josh Furman is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. Last week he ran for 241 yards and three touchdowns. And don't forget about backup Jason Clements, a tough between-the-tackles runner. Quarterback Joe Thorton has completed less than 50 percent of his passes this season, but he has a big arm and can make plays downfield.

The problem is Old Mill's defense. Linebacker Randy Spann and Co. have struggled the last three weeks, giving up 27, 25 and 44 points respectively. Their defensive line was pushed around by Broadneck, which racked up over 200 yards on the ground. The Patriots haven't faced a rushing attack as good as North Point's, so this could be another long day for Old Mill's defense.

Third Best Game Analysis:

No. 1 Sherwood vs. No. 4 Springbrook (Friday @ 7 p.m.)

There aren't too many major threats to No. 1 seeds, but fourth-seeded Springbrook (7-3) could pose problems for No. 19 Sherwood (8-2) in the 4A West. Springbrook, which hasn't been to the playoffs since 2003, knocked off a ranked Paint Branch team last week, 20-0, and looks poised for a rematch with Sherwood. The Warriors, meanwhile, were handily beaten by rival Quince Orchard, 21-9, which took some of their momentum away.

Springbrook lost to Sherwood 33-13 just two weeks ago, so the game is still fresh in both teams' minds. The Warriors raced out to a 26-0 lead before Springbrook finally got on the board in the third quarter. Sherwood quarterback A.J. Pignone was 13 of 19 for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Springbrook running back Devon Pestano managed just 46 yards on the ground and quarterback Eric Freniere threw two crucial interceptions.

So how is this game going to be different? First of all, Springbrook's defense needs to play with the same intensity they did last week when they notched their fourth shutout of the season. Led by defensive tackle Ray Vernet and cornerback Mitch Pollard, Springbrook sacked the Paint Branch quarterback six times and recorded four interceptions. Secondly, Pestano and the offensive line need to be physical up front. If Pestano can break a few runs, Springbrook can wear down Sherwood's defense and keep the Warriors'' offense off the field.

But here's the bad news. Freniere went down with an injury last week and is doubtful for Friday's game. That means backup Brandon Anderson, who has thrown just two passes all year, will have to step up.

Expect Sherwood's defense, whose pride was hurt last week, to come full tilt after the inexperienced Springbrook signal caller. This group has already pitched five shutouts this year, but last week they allowed Quince Orchard's offensive line to push them around. Thus, QO running back Ben Sasu rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns against them. The Warriors won't let that happen two weeks in a row.

On offense, Sherwood is averaging 27 points per game but is coming off a season-low nine against Quince Orchard. Still, running back Cyrus Britt managed to carve up the Cougars defense for 137 yards. He has 1,104 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. Pignone has thrown for 825 yards and 11 touchdowns against only one pick.

Fourth Best Game Analysis:

No. 2 Whitman vs. No. 3 Paint Branch (Friday @ 7 p.m.)

In one of the better 4A games this weekend, No. 2 seed Whitman (8-2) squares off with No. 3 seed Paint Branch (8-2).

Last week Whitman faced a do-or-die game against Churchill and they survived, 28-24. The week before they took down Seneca Valley in overtime, 16-13. Can they pull the trick three weeks in a row? Their recent history suggests they can. Whitman is used to playing in tight, pressure-packed games. Seven of their 10 games have been decided by six points or less, including each of their last five. Better yet, Whitman has been on the winning end of five of those seven games.

However, the playoffs are unfamiliar territory for the Vikings. They didn't make the postseason last year and have been only once since 2004 (they lost in the first round to Quince Orchard in 2007). But this year's team is a veteran squad with two key cogs on offense to lead them. Running back Kevin Cecala is coming off back-to-back 100- yard games and has rushed for 850 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Quarterback Henry Kuhn loves to air it out; he has thrown for 1,358 yards and 11 touchdowns against only six interceptions. Kuhn's top target is sophomore receiver Mike Flack, who has hauled in 38 balls and eight touchdowns.

On defense, the Vikings have been effective despite starting a number of underclassmen. Connor Gordon, Tony Atkinson, Jeff Schaefer, Zach Yamamoto, Jeff Gruen and Mikey Stevens join veteran holdovers Sassen Najed, Ameed Nsouli, Yit Akyuz, Danny Lee and Larry Kline in holding opponents to 12 points per game.

Paint Branch had a brief foray in the top 25 rankings before falling flat last week against Springbrook. Their offense, which had been scoring over 25 points per game, was shut out for the second time this season. Dynamic running back Bene't Willis, who has rushed for 872 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, was held to just 33 yards. Quarterback Tracy Martin, who is completing less than 50 percent of his passes, was just 6 for 15 with two interceptions last week. Look for Martin to get into a rhythm with defensive mismatch Ivan Tagoe against Whitman. Tagoe already has 11 touchdowns this season, and at 6-feet, 205 pounds is a major threat in the red zone.

Before last week's 20-point blunder, Paint Branch's defense had given up just a single touchdown in each of the last four games. A prime matchup to watch? Paint Branch's senior defensive back Torian Henderson against Kuhn.

Other matchups in the region:

No. 1 Wise vs. No. 3 Eleanor Roosevelt (Saturday @ 1 p.m.)
No. 1 Arundel vs. No. 4 Annapolis (Friday @ 7 p.m.)
No. 2 Woodlawn vs. No. 3 Patterson (Friday @ 7 p.m.)

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