And then there was just one. Stephen Decatur advances to the 2A Final and for the second straight year a 2A Bayside Conference team is in the state championship game.
Maryland State Playoff Finals-
Bayside Conference Pick:
And then there was just one. Stephen Decatur advances to the 2A Final and for the second straight year a 2A Bayside Conference team is in the state championship game.
THURSDAY FINAL-
NAVY MARINE CORP MEMORIAL STADIUM IN ANNAPOLIS:
(Number is Playoff Seeding):
2A:
#2 Stephen Decatur (12-0) hosting #5 Huntingtown (10-2)-7pm-The Seahawks are in their first State Championship Game in program history which dates to 1971. The Hawks defeated Milford Mill last Friday 35-34 in a rematch of last year’s semifinal game. Only this time the game was played in Berlin. It was fitting that these two teams got to play each other again and that the game played out very similarly to last year’s game only the Seahawks came out the winner. It was the Hawks toughest test of the season which came as no surprise although leading 28-7 this one looked like another runaway win. At the most critical times both in the first half and later in the second half the Seahawks came up with big plays. They really earned that win last week. As one coach told me last week before the game, in last year’s loss Decatur had no Tribe Wise, no Davin Chandler and Brycen Coleman was battling illness and yet they still almost won on the road no less. They were at much better strength this season and they also had transfer Careen Boldin.
Now as it pertains to this game, the Huntingtown Hurricanes out of Southern Maryland are a very solid program and have been for a while. If you remember the Hawks fell at Huntingtown in the Quarterfinals back in 2021. However, this Huntingtown team is very different from that squad, in fact they are very different from last season’s team with only 7 returning starters coming into the season. That said some of those returning starters are key players in Sr. QB Evan Kuntz who can both run and pass very well. He also has three solid WRs to throw to including Srs. Roger Brown, Jr and Darius Thomas. Both Brown and Thomas play on defense and are very good on that side of the ball as well. Sr. MLB Jon Bolin is their second leading tackler, and Jr. OL-DL Evan Powell has 10 sacks and 73 total tackles. Huntingtown has some good size on their offensive line. This Hurricanes team went into Kent Island and after being tied at 14 at the half soundly defeated the Bucs in the second half to win 35-21 and advance to the Semifinals. In the Semifinals they defeated one of the hottest teams in the playoffs in Walkersville 27-7. Also, the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference in which they play was one of the best in the state this season and had four teams in the State Semis including of course Huntingtown.
Both Decatur and Huntingtown had impressive performances in their semifinal wins. After having seen Huntingtown in person against Kent Island I think the Seahawks matchup very well against the Hurricanes. Decatur can match the speed and athleticism of Huntingtown. While the Hurricanes have some size over them in the trenches it will not be any tougher than what they got from the massive Milford Mill offensive line last week. While the Hurricanes can run it, they are not quite the physical, power run team that we saw from Milford Mill. You certainly respect them but the Decatur front seven is battle tested and should be able to hold enough of their own there. The Hurricanes though will make you choose whether you want to come up and play the run or sit back in Cover 2 and not give up the big play. If you play Cover 2 they will out leverage you with their Trips or Quad formations and then run the QB Kuntz for example. Decatur will have to figure out what they want to do but I think they can afford to bring a safety up and not play the two deep coverage we saw at times from Kent Island. Or at minimum they can mix it up more. For Decatur’s offense they saw a multiple defensive front team last week so Huntingtown should not be anymore a challenge than last week at least on paper but that is why they play the game. The Decatur secondary will be tested again and will need to be better than last week, but they were facing some very good talent as well. That was a good experience for them to take into this game. They cannot, however, let Roger Brown go off on them the way he did against Kent Island. Tackling in space will be important as will being disciplined in pass coverage.
This is a special team and you saw that on display in Berlin last Friday. I have a lot of respect for Huntingtown but this Seahawks squad is one game away from a huge accomplishment on many levels and I don’t think they will be denied. These kids have worked so very hard to get here and have bought into the program. They also have outstanding coaches. They met major resistance last week and they overcame that adversity. Historically this would be the first championship by a Bayside Conference team since Cambridge repeated in the 1A in ‘95 and ‘96. Head Coach Jake Coleman played on both of those teams. That would be something if he won it as a coach bringing a title back to the Shore for the first time since the ’96 win over fellow Shore team Kent County at the University of Maryland. For the 13th time this season I will ride with the Seahawks to come out not only as a winner but a 2A State Champion!
Last Week’s Playoff Picks: 2-0
2023 Playoff Picks: 12-3
2023 Regular Season Picks: 56-10
