On Friday, November 12, the playoffs officially started for Maryland high school football teams. North Point, which struggled in the playoffs in past years, journeyed to Arundel High School in hopes of continuing its winning streak and moving on to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in school history. Arundel, however, had other plans.
The Arundel Wildcats are known for having one of the most prolific passing attack in the area. Following in the footsteps of Arundel graduate Billy Cosh (now at Kansas State University), Wildcats quarterback Nick Rosati began working on North Point’s often stellar defense early on. After throwing a slant for a touchdown on their first drive, Arundel took the early lead at 7-0.
Early in the third quarter, Bryce Fugitt (’12) brought North Point within one touchdown after a field goal changed the score to 14-10. After another Arundel touchdown, the game began slipping away. Even though the Eagles got a spark from Marcus Rainey’s (’12) blocked punt, the Eagles turned the ball over again, which lead to another Wildcat touchdown, and an 18-point lead at 28-10.
In the waning minutes, a touchdown connection between quarterback Connor Young (’12) and Franklin Marshall (’12) brought the deficit down to 11, but the Eagles didn’t get any closer after a failed onside kick gave Arundel the ball back. Even though the Eagles got one more drive, they failed to garner up any points, turning the ball over after four downs. In the end, the Eagles lost a hard-fought game, 28-17. “It was really disappointing,” stated offensive tackle Blair Dowdell (’12). “As good as we were in [the] season, I knew we had the potential to go all the way. We just didn’t pull through in that game.”
Another year past, another loss in the playoffs. This the familiar storyline for the Eagles every year since 2008, when they received their first playoff berth. There is one sliver of hope, though; Friday’s game was the closest margin of defeat for the Eagles. In 2008, the Eagles lost to Douglass High School 35-10. Last year, they lost to Old Mill High School 24-0. Hopefully, the Eagles can build upon this moral victory and bring North Point their first ever varsity football playoff win next year.
