The stakes were higher than usual in the 2A South Regional Final between the Patuxent Panthers and the Douglass Eagles. With all the other games having been played the night before, this game was the determining factor in matchups for the upcoming state tournament.
The game started with Patuxent driving down the field with a mixture of run and pass, and being capped off by a five-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Tyler Crounse. On the ensuing drive, Douglass overpowered the Patuxent line, and drove down the field and scored on a 10-yard touchdown run by senior halfback Denzel Goode. They converted the two point conversion, and took the lead 8-7.
Patuxent took the kickoff, and drove down into the red zone. A holding penalty and three incomplete passes led to a 33 yard field goal by senior kicker Andrew Kalinoski., retaking the lead 10-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Douglass took the kickoff and scored on a 60 yard touchdown by senior running back Akiva Wedge. They again converted the 2 point conversion and took the lead back 16-10.
Patuxent took the next kickoff, and again drove down into the red zone. This time a sack and two short runs resulted in another field goal by Kalinoski, a 28 yarder cutting the Douglass lead to 16-13.
Douglass took the ball and scored on a 33-yard touchdown run by Wedge. Patuxent then fumbled the kickoff and Douglass came up with the ball. They scored again on a touchdown run, this time a 24-yard rush by junior running back Thomas Myers. They converted the two point conversion, and the rout was on. At halftime, the score was 32-13.
Douglass took the second half kickoff, and scored on a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Devin Butler to senior tight end Jahki Thomas. The two point conversion was no good, and the lead was extended to 38-13.
Patuxent was ineffective on offense and was forced to punt, and Douglass scored again on their possession. Myers took off on a 59-yard touchdown run, his second of the day. The PAT was no good, and the lead was 44-13.
Patuxent turned the ball over on their possession, and the Eagles scored on another long run, this one a 55-yard yard dash by Wedge, his third touchdown of the game. Because of the score, the clock began to run, and not stop. The “mercy rule” is put in place when a team goes up in the game by 35 points.
Patuxent scored one last time on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Crounse to junior wideout Greg Leonard. Douglass drove down and scored one final time on a one yard touchdown run by Wedge. The final score was set at 57-19.
Douglass advances to the State Semifinals against South Carroll next week.