FOOTBALL: Previewing tonight’s playoff games

By Andrew Conrad
Posted: November 21, 2008

It’s snowing as I write this, but it’s supposed to stop by game time. Still, it’s gonna be CHILLY! The temperature could get down into the 20s, and it could feel like it’s in the teens! Bring lots of warm clothes, maybe a blanket to lay over your knees, and maybe even some of those hand-warmer things to stick in your gloves. The concession stand is probably going to sell a lot of hot cocoa tonight.

Now here’s the schedule: No. 2 Fallston kicks off at top-seeded Wilde Lake at 6 p.m. for the 3A East region championship. Then at 7, No. 3 Douglass kicks off at top-seeded River Hill for the 2A South championship. So you could catch the Wilde Lake game, and then be over at River Hill in time for the second half. That’s my plan, with my colleague Brent Kennedy spotting the first half at River Hill for me.

In the first game of the doubleheader, Wilde Lake (10-1) has tradition, and the home field advantage, on its side. Fallston (8-3), which opened in 1977, had never made the football playoffs until this year. The Cougars have been coached by Dave Cesky since the school opened. Wilde Lake has made the playoffs 14 times and won five state championships under coach Doug DuVall. Fallston is led by senior quarterback Garrett Weinhold, who had been a running back before this season. Wilde Lake is led by senior quarterback Danny March, who has rushed for 562 yards this season. Both quarterbacks return kicks. Weinhold (No. 15 in your program) is supported in the running game by David Ivory (No. 5) and Tony Johnson (No. 7). March (No. 4) is supported by Jarrel Epps (No. 6), Christian Hough (No. 2) and Mike Fields (No. 10). Both teams have good overall speed and playmakers on special teams and in the secondary.

MaxPreps ranks Wilde Lake 13th in the state, and ranks Fallston 68th.

The pick: Wilde Lake by two touchdowns.

In the main event, River Hill (ranked No. 2 by MaxPreps, behind Loyola) takes on ninth-ranked Douglass. The Hawks held off Gwynn Park last week, 20-6. Douglass was one of only two teams to defeat Gwynn Park during the regular season, although the Eagles lost to Friendly, by three, and Fort Hill, by two.

The Eagles are led by junior dual-threat quarterback Richard Barber (No. 9), who does not mind throwing the ball to senior Maurco Bradley (No. 6), and senior rusher/linebacker Trey Massey (No. 26). River Hill is led by seniors Mike Campanaro (No. 5) and Malek Redd (No. 2) in the running game. That pair also anchors the pass defense and secondary. Another pair of seniors, quarterback Luke Hostetler (No. 11) and receiver Leron Eaddy (No. 1) key the passing game. Eaddy is also a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who can drop into pass coverage and is the heart of the Hawk defense. Each team has six shutouts this season.

Starting with its first playoff appearance in 2004, River Hill (11-0) improved one step each year under coach Brian Van Deusen, culminating with a state championship last season. Douglass (9-2) has made 12 playoff appearances, but has never won a championship, falling in the first round in each of the past two years. Douglass beat North Point, 32-10, to get over the hump this year. The Eagles are coached by J.C. Pinkney.

The pick: River Hill by one touchdown.

NOTE: Because Wilde Lake defeated Howard in the playoffs opening round, there was no need to update the power rankings this week. Therefore, last week was the final edition. If you think that the rankings were wrong, I’d be happy to listen to your argument. E-mail me at aconrad@patuxent.com. Thanks for reading.

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