Post by tide on Dec 7, 2023 19:13:35 GMT -2
Class 2A State Final:
Stephen Decatur 21, Huntingtown 13
The 27 year Bayside Conference football state title drought came to an end Thursday night in Annapolis, as Stephen Decatur built a 14-0 halftime lead and withstood a valiant second half comeback attempt from Huntingtown to claim the Class 2A crown. Brycen Coleman scored once on the ground and once through the air in the 1st half, the second one an excellent contested catch on a corner fade from WR Trybe Wise. The Hurricanes appeared to have answered the Seahawks opening drive score, but officials ruled the runners forward progress was stopped short of the goal line, which was followed by a series of offensive penalties that essentially ruined the drive. Huntingtown got into very little offensive rhythm the rest of the half, probably thanks to Decatur consistently converting on 3rd and 7 or 8 plus to keep drives alive and the ball out of the Hurricanes hands.
Huntingtown came out of the locker room energized after halftime. They used the legs of QB Evan Kuntz and RB Landon Cawley to take the opening possession 68 yards on ten plays, with Cawley diving into the endzone to make the score 14-7. SD responded, going 66 yards on 14 plays, with Coleman sneaking into the corner of the endzone to make it 21-7. The drive saver came on a 4th and 17 from the Hurricanes 27, Careen Bolden tossing a HB pass that a double covered Wise somehow snagged at the Huntingtown 3 yard line. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Kuntz got loose for a 53 yard run down to the SD 12. He then hit WR Trent DePompa on a 4th and 7 from the SD 9 for the score. The PAT was blocked, leaving it a 21-13 ballgame early in the 4th quarter. HT eventually forced an SD punt on the next possession, but then turned the ball over on downs, electing to go for it on a 4th and 3 from their own 23 with a little under 5 minutes to play. SD then had a chance to put it away, and appeared to have done so before a 20 yard TD pass from Coleman to Davin Chandler was called back on a hold downfield. HT's Roger Jones Jr. then ended the SD threat, picking off Coleman on a 4th and 7 with 3 minutes to play, and giving the Hurricanes life. After one first down on the ground, Kuntz got into rhythm and completed four straight passes, moving HT down to the SD 22 yard line. From there, he threw incomplete on 1st down, followed by a false start on 2nd down which put HT behind the sticks. Decatur pounced, as ILB Gavin Solito came clean on a blitz and sacked Kuntz for a loss of 8. SD was called for PI on 3rd and 23, which made it a manageable 3rd and 8 from the 20. Kuntz rolled to his right and fired a pass down the sideline that Chandler appeared to pick off to seal it, but on a razor close call the official ruled his foot came down out of bounds. It ultimately didn't matter, as Kuntz's 4th down pass was broken up at the 10 yard line, turning the ball over to SD with under a minute to play. Coleman took two knees to ice it.
Stephen Decatur finishes the season 14-0, and wins the first state title in their 51 year program history. It's the first state title for any Bayside football program since the second of CSD's back to back 1A crowns in 1995 and 1996. It's the first as a football coach for Decatur HC Jake Coleman, who coincidentally or not, played on both those mid 90's CSD title teams. It's the first for a Worcester County football program since Snow Hill's last Class C title in 1982. It's also the first for any Bayside school in a class other than 1A, or the old 1A equivalent Class C, since J.M. Bennett won the Class B title in 1982.
In many ways it was a win for the entire Bayside. Without having an exact count it's fair to say that Decatur had at least twice as many fans in the building as Huntingtown, impressive considering the distance to travel, and that the schedule makers decided to stick the game on Thursday night. While SD brought a ton of community support, those large overall numbers were possible in part thanks to coaches/players/fans of other Bayside programs making the trip to cheer on a fellow conference school. The Bayside as a whole has been on an uptick over the last 8-10 seasons. Sending teams to the 2A title game two straight years is good evidence of that. Covid was definitely a speed bump and some programs still probably have a few lingering effects, but overall the trend is positive. Expect not to wait another 27 years to see the next Bayside school reach the top of the mountain.
Stephen Decatur 21, Huntingtown 13
The 27 year Bayside Conference football state title drought came to an end Thursday night in Annapolis, as Stephen Decatur built a 14-0 halftime lead and withstood a valiant second half comeback attempt from Huntingtown to claim the Class 2A crown. Brycen Coleman scored once on the ground and once through the air in the 1st half, the second one an excellent contested catch on a corner fade from WR Trybe Wise. The Hurricanes appeared to have answered the Seahawks opening drive score, but officials ruled the runners forward progress was stopped short of the goal line, which was followed by a series of offensive penalties that essentially ruined the drive. Huntingtown got into very little offensive rhythm the rest of the half, probably thanks to Decatur consistently converting on 3rd and 7 or 8 plus to keep drives alive and the ball out of the Hurricanes hands.
Huntingtown came out of the locker room energized after halftime. They used the legs of QB Evan Kuntz and RB Landon Cawley to take the opening possession 68 yards on ten plays, with Cawley diving into the endzone to make the score 14-7. SD responded, going 66 yards on 14 plays, with Coleman sneaking into the corner of the endzone to make it 21-7. The drive saver came on a 4th and 17 from the Hurricanes 27, Careen Bolden tossing a HB pass that a double covered Wise somehow snagged at the Huntingtown 3 yard line. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Kuntz got loose for a 53 yard run down to the SD 12. He then hit WR Trent DePompa on a 4th and 7 from the SD 9 for the score. The PAT was blocked, leaving it a 21-13 ballgame early in the 4th quarter. HT eventually forced an SD punt on the next possession, but then turned the ball over on downs, electing to go for it on a 4th and 3 from their own 23 with a little under 5 minutes to play. SD then had a chance to put it away, and appeared to have done so before a 20 yard TD pass from Coleman to Davin Chandler was called back on a hold downfield. HT's Roger Jones Jr. then ended the SD threat, picking off Coleman on a 4th and 7 with 3 minutes to play, and giving the Hurricanes life. After one first down on the ground, Kuntz got into rhythm and completed four straight passes, moving HT down to the SD 22 yard line. From there, he threw incomplete on 1st down, followed by a false start on 2nd down which put HT behind the sticks. Decatur pounced, as ILB Gavin Solito came clean on a blitz and sacked Kuntz for a loss of 8. SD was called for PI on 3rd and 23, which made it a manageable 3rd and 8 from the 20. Kuntz rolled to his right and fired a pass down the sideline that Chandler appeared to pick off to seal it, but on a razor close call the official ruled his foot came down out of bounds. It ultimately didn't matter, as Kuntz's 4th down pass was broken up at the 10 yard line, turning the ball over to SD with under a minute to play. Coleman took two knees to ice it.
Stephen Decatur finishes the season 14-0, and wins the first state title in their 51 year program history. It's the first state title for any Bayside football program since the second of CSD's back to back 1A crowns in 1995 and 1996. It's the first as a football coach for Decatur HC Jake Coleman, who coincidentally or not, played on both those mid 90's CSD title teams. It's the first for a Worcester County football program since Snow Hill's last Class C title in 1982. It's also the first for any Bayside school in a class other than 1A, or the old 1A equivalent Class C, since J.M. Bennett won the Class B title in 1982.
In many ways it was a win for the entire Bayside. Without having an exact count it's fair to say that Decatur had at least twice as many fans in the building as Huntingtown, impressive considering the distance to travel, and that the schedule makers decided to stick the game on Thursday night. While SD brought a ton of community support, those large overall numbers were possible in part thanks to coaches/players/fans of other Bayside programs making the trip to cheer on a fellow conference school. The Bayside as a whole has been on an uptick over the last 8-10 seasons. Sending teams to the 2A title game two straight years is good evidence of that. Covid was definitely a speed bump and some programs still probably have a few lingering effects, but overall the trend is positive. Expect not to wait another 27 years to see the next Bayside school reach the top of the mountain.