Mike Bradley's Final Power Poll for 2022

Explanation: This poll combined regular season and playoff games, which is an important caveat to the Final Poll. As was the case all season the Top 5 in total was not easy, particularly here #3-5. You could make arguments to have them in different orders for sure. If Queen Anne’s had won in the first round of the playoffs, they would have been #4. I just thought Easton’s offense was more well-rounded and Easton’s defense was a little better, the Warriors also won the head-to-head. No doubt though the Lions 1^st round playoff matchup was tougher than Easton’s but the Lions were also at home and playing an Indians squad whose best players were at maybe 50% health and Leatherbury was used as a decoy because of his knee. The Lions though had some big wins and fell just short of beating Easton at home. Wicomico’s win at Queen Anne’s in the playoffs really helped them. One of their losses was by a point to Decatur. Again, none of this was easy. That all said this is meant to drive discussion, debate and to have some fun. This is not meant to drive controversy however, that has never been my goal and it’s not productive. I will leave that to others, that is NOT something I set out to do. I do take this seriously and put a lot of hard work and effort into it. You may not always agree and that is certainly ok but just know I really do try to be in depth as possible with these polls throughout the year and give good justifications for what I do. Ultimately, it is one man’s opinion, but I do appreciate those who value the work here. I have always said I want all the Bayside teams to do well and the tougher this poll is to do means the better the Conference is, I hope it remains tough for years to come...Your feedback welcome at mike@shoresportsmd.com

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1. Kent Island (12-2)-The Buccaneers made it to their 1^st ever State Championship game where they fell just short to Milford Mill in the 2A title game despite having to play out of character and throw the football more than they had all season. Regardless they were in the game to the very end. It was an historic year for Head Coach Bryon Sofinowski who came back to take over the program after Damien Ferragamo retired. The Bucs after losing their first game at Easton reeled off 12 straight wins and, in the process, won the Bayside 2A/3A Championship and defeated their archival Queen Anne’s. They finished #25 in the Final MD State Media Poll as well. This past season was also special as Coach Sofinowski also won his 100^th game as Head Coach. A team that returned just four starters was thought to be by me of course to be very competitive but from a win loss standpoint I was thinking likely a 5-4 or 6-3 record. They far exceeded that prediction. Should we be surprised? Probably not but still any season like the one they had is heck of an achievement. The Bucs program has a long tradition of excellence however they took it to another level this season. Good coaching and continuity remain staples of the program. They did the Bayside Conference enormously proud as they did the Stevensville community. While they lose key players to graduation, this past season reminds you that Kent Island does not rebuild they reload.

2. Stephen Decatur (10-3)-The Seahawks much like Kent Island did not return a plethora of starters although they did return some key players. Nonetheless the Seahawks also defied the odds of a youngish team and made an historic run for the program to the 2A state semifinals where they came up just short to Milford Mill on the road in a thriller of a game. The program had not been to State Semifinals since 2004. The offense got better as the season went on and really hit their stride in the playoffs. It was something to be seen. The defense had their moments including a huge game in the playoffs against Potomac. The Seahawks received three votes in the Final MD State Media Poll. Decatur like Kent Island did the Bayside proud and helped to give it the attention it deserves. The Decatur program which endured a tough stretch from 2014-19 is back to being the powerhouse that they were for most of former Head Coach Bob Knox’s tenure. HC Jake Coleman and his staff have done an outstanding job not just with the team but in many other aspects from rallying alumni/community support to highlighting past teams to their social media presence. The Seahawks will have big expectations for this coming season and that is just the way they like it. 

3. Wicomico (7-4)-This ended up being Head Coach Isaiah Taylor’s final season after taking over the program prior to the 2019 season. He finished with a record of 23-13. The Indians in total were able to build upon last season with another winning record and another playoff win. They fell in the 2^nd round of the playoffs to Kent Island, nothing to hang your head about. However, this season’s goals were lofty-a Bayside 2A/3A Championship, and some were thinking about a deep run in the playoffs which were all legitimate. Early on they had an impressive blow out win at Easton. The Indians though had close losses to Decatur and Queen Anne’s although they got revenge on the Lions on the road in the playoffs. They also played a poor first half against Kent Island which cost them. They were unable to win enough big games this season. While injuries are apart of the game one of the issues for the Indians was injuries to key players like QB Darius Foreman and WR Malique Leatherbury. Both either missed games or parts of a game or were playing injured enough that we did not get to see them be at their best which in turn affected the play of their offense and defense. The defense regressed some as the season went on. That all said Taylor did a solid job in rebuilding the program and getting them back to the successes they had ten plus years ago when the program was one of the best in the Bayside. His leaving the program is a big loss. 

4. Easton (7-3)-The Warriors got back on track after a disappointing ’21 season with Matt Griffith taking back over as Head Coach of the program with a strong winning season that included hosting their first playoff game in over 25 years. Despite many seniors on the roster Griffith played a fair number of younger players including some freshman that will bode well for the future. While the team played better and excelled on offense all the losses they had were at home and two by blowout, one to Wicomico during the regular season and one in the playoffs to North Caroline. Their other loss was a regular season shootout game against Decatur so they could have been 8-2.  The loss in the playoffs put a damper on again what was a good season which included the lone Conference loss for Kent Island. With one of the best QB’s in the Conference it was thought Easton could make a decent playoff run but it was not to be. A JV squad with some playmakers along with returning players next season should put the Warriors in a position to have another winning season once they are able to find who their next QB will be although that is no small task. 

5. Queen Anne's (7-3)-The Lions were my pre-season #1. As I mentioned in the pre-amble the Lions definitely could have been ranked #4 with some outside consideration for #3. They had some early season scares against Caroline and Parkside but came away with wins regardless and started the season 5-0. They nearly made it 6-0 when they missed a FG at the end and fell to Easton. They had big wins over Wicomico and Stephen Decatur but lost their last two games, one to Kent Island and the other to Wicomico in the playoffs. The Lions had a strong rushing attack and looked very good at times in terms of continuity and execution of the scheme. They did not have the balance though offensively as much as I am sure they wanted but then again, it’s a tough balancing act when you have one of the best RBs in the state. The defense surprisingly struggled in the front seven. The secondary which had some freshman played well and was the strength. Overall, it was certainly a good season. Head Coach Al Waters got the most out of his star RB and built on a solid 2021 campaign with two more wins. The playoff loss hurts some and a potential rematch with Kent Island would have been interesting. Queen Anne’s much like Kent Island has a tradition of winning and excellence. The Lions will be right in the mix at the top of the Conference again next season, but they also will miss next season some key players to graduation. 

6. North Caroline (5-6)-This ended up being Head Coach James McCormick’s last season after over 20 years at the helm. After losing his long time Defensive and Special Teams Coordinators to retirement last offseason it was thought he would go out with them but that did not happen. McCormick said he was not quite ready to step down and still had fire in the belly. However, the underlying reason was to bring on new assistants, get them up to speed on the program and groom one of them to possibly take over as Head Coach after him and in doing so trying to ensure he was leaving the program in good shape. While the school must go through the proper protocols in the hiring process, you would have to think that a member of the staff would be one of the top candidates and McCormick’s recommendation is going to go a long way in who they decide to hire as his replacement as it should. The season itself was a tough one, a lot of inconsistency from a young squad as was to be expected to a degree. But even as the season wore on you never knew what you were going to get from the Bulldogs. The last few seasons have been challenging for the Bulldogs, but they remained a program that you always respected and knew you would need to be prepared. You also knew you needed to buckle your chin strap especially tight. The highlight of the season was the blowout win on the road over Easton in the playoffs. They also played well in some narrow losses at Queen Anne’s and Stephen Decatur so they easily could have been 7-4. McCormick had an excellent tenure as Head Coach, and he had a heck of a run of dominance when his rosters featured 2 Division I players in Jamion Franklin and David Bailey. Coach will be missed and whoever takes his spot will have big shoes to fill. 

7. Parkside (4-7)-The Rams started off strong but endured a long stretch of losses to other 2A East foes. The defense struggled this season and the offense after getting off to a strong start was inconsistent as the season wore on. The offense did feature two 1000 yd backs under OC Glenn Phillips. Despite their record, their playoff win on the road at Fallston and competitiveness against Harford Tech showed how tough the Bayside 2A is and that records can be deceiving. After having the third longest stretch of consecutive winning seasons in the Bayside outside of Kent Island & Cambridge and the longest in the South, Parkside has endured two straight losing seasons but if your around long enough these seasons happen but it’s not likely to last under HC Brendan Riley’s tenure. The Rams future is bright with their current roster and JV players coming up. Covid had some impact on the program. I would expect however Coach Riley will have this team back on track next season and likely with a winning record again. With the McCormick retirement, Riley is now the longest tenured coach at one school in the Bayside as Jake Coleman went from Cambridge to Decatur so the clock reset on him. 

8. Colonel Richardson (7-4)-The Colonels did what no one thought they could do with key graduations and a such high bar to reach after an historic 2021 season, and that is repeat. The Colonels had another winning season just coming short of the 8-win total from the season prior. They won the 1A Bayside Championship for a second straight game and hosted two playoff games. They even played in-county rival North Caroline tougher than they had in years with the game coming down to the very end. The job that James Jackson has done in the past two seasons after being elevated on the staff to HC is nothing short of remarkable. It’s the hope that Kent County & Snow Hill can follow suit at least to some degree to strengthen the 1A. There is no reason to think that Colonel should not continue to have another solid season in ’23. 

9. Cambridge-SD (4-6)-Head Coach Toby Peer got a full off-season and a much easier start to the season logistically as compared to the ’21 campaign when he was hired and introduced less than a week before summer camp started. After a full season of adjustment to the offensive and defensive schematic changes in ’21 the players this past season were presumably more comfortable. For a second straight year despite doing well in the Bayside 1A they had an overall losing record and fell again to Colonel Richardson albeit in OT in a good game. A comeback win early in the season over 3A James M. Bennett was one of the highlights of their season. With a storied program and history, Year #3 will be a big one for Peer and his staff to have a winning record and reclaiming supremacy atop the Bayside 1A. Non-conference Milford (DE) comes off the schedule and Century gets added out of Sykesville that should help but the Vikings play at least three 2A teams which will be a challenge. 

10. Kent County (2-8)-The Trojans had a surprising coaching change in the last offseason when Brian Aiken stepped down. However, Harold Sommerville who was a member of Aiken’s staff ended up being promoted to Head Coach so there was some continuity that carried over. However offensively the team went from an up-tempo spread style to a power run team. The team struggled early but played better as the season went on and got a couple of wins along the way. Three of their losses were to 2A teams so it is tough to fault them in those games where they are at a disadvantage. The Trojans will look to start the season better next year, play more competitively throughout the year and hope to add a win or two to their record. 

11. Snow Hill (2-8)-The Eagles took a step back in the win loss column this past season. The defense struggled where they had a fair amount of youth. The offense flashed at times but was not helped with facing big deficits. The Eagles are still working hard to build competitiveness and consistency. At times Snow Hill played teams tough in the first half but wore down as their lack of numbers does them no favors. 

12. James M. Bennett (0-10)-The Clippers are attempting to rebuild again. This past season was Year #1 under new Head Coach Greg Lasinski who came over from Washington. Despite the record many coaches around the Bayside said this was a better Clippers team then it was the season before. Covid did not help this program. A lot of experience was gained this past season and the hope is that the Clippers can make strides forward in further competitiveness and couple of wins. 

13. Washington (0-9)-The Jags finished with their second straight winless season. They didn’t play in the spring of 2021. They have not won a game since October 18, 2019. The program has major challenges, and you feel for them but forfeits now are becoming common place even in the playoffs this past season. It looks like the Bayside whether by design or not got it right with the Jags not playing any 2A teams this season although they do play Delmar in the non-conference which is no easy feat, but it benefits the Bayside 2A teams who don’t have to worry about forfeits. A win maybe two would be a huge improvement next season for the program.