It’s that time of year again in High School football — the Championships! The crispness of the November air brings the excitement of state high school football playoffs. The Southern Maryland Athletic Conference will be represented well in the tournament with five teams having clinched playoff berths. Every football fan is encouraged to go out and enjoy these games, and support local high school athletics. It’s a great family event!
The Thomas Stone Cougars, Chopticon Braves, Huntingtown Hurricanes, Patuxent Panthers, and North Point Eagles are all strong teams, and are looking for a berth in the State Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Thomas Stone, Chopticon, and Huntingtown are in the 3A South playoffs. Patuxent is in the 2A South, and North Point is in the 4A East.
Thomas Stone Cougars vs Huntingown Hurricanes
The Cougars of Thomas Stone are the number 1 seed in the 3A South, and will take on the Huntingtown Hurricanes Friday night at home, having clinched home-field advantage through the region. Thomas Stone is led into the game by senior running back Juwuan Briscoe, and senior Quarterback Trey Lee.
Briscoe has 1001 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns this year, and will be taking his talents to the Clemson Tigers next season.
Trey Lee has rushed for 1003 yards and 18 touchdowns through the regular season.
This powerful running game leads the Cougars into their game with Huntingtown, led by Senior quarterback Robbie Payne.
Game Time and Location: 7 PM on Friday November 14th, Thomas Stone High School, 3785 Leonardtown Rd, Waldorf
Chopticon Braves vs Potomac Wolverines
The Chopticon Braves are the number 3 seed in the 3A South. They are led by Senior wide reciever Nick Gray, senior quarterback Donovyn Jordan, and senior safety Tyler Mills.
Gray finished the season with 46 catches, and seven touchdowns. Jordan has thrown for 1,952 yards and 22 touchdowns. They travel to Potomac High School to take on the 9-1 Wolverines.
Game time and location: 1PM on Saturday November 15th at Potomac High School, 5211 Boydell Ave, 12, Oxon Hill
Patuxent Panthers vs Oakland Mills Scorpions
The Patuxent Panthers finished the regular season 7-3, and are led into the playoffs by senior quarterback Tyler Crounse, and senior linebacker Geoff Ricker.
Crounse has thrown for 878 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 1112 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Ricker has 103 tackles on the season, and is the signal caller for the Panthers defense.
Oakland Mills comes into the game led by senior quarterback David Pindell who has thrown for over 2100 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Game time and location: 7 PM on Friday, November 14 at Oakland Mills High School, 9410 Kilimanjaro Rd, Columbia, MD
North Point Eagles vs Arundel Wildcats
North Point is the three seed in the very competitive 4A East region. They finished the season with a strong 9-1 record. Their only blemish on the season came in a 22-7 loss to top ranked Thomas Stone. They are led into the playoffs by senior quarterback Brandon Battle.
On the season, Battle has thrown for 2377 yards, and 25 touchdowns. Of all the playoff teams in SMAC, they have the hardest road to the state semifinals. They have to go through the number one offense in the state in Arundel this week.
Game time and location: 7 PM on Friday, November 14 at Arundel High School, 1001 Annapolis Rd, Gambrills, MD.
With all these teams from Southern Maryland making the playoffs, it should be an exciting five weeks for local sports fans. The Bay Net hopes to see you at the game!