Dec. 7—ANNAPOLIS — The 2024 high school football seasons for Fort Hill and Northern will finish just how they started.
The Sentinels and Huskies met in Week 1, a 42-7 Fort Hill win in early September that feels like ages ago.
Now 13 weeks later, they’ll square off for all the marbles with the Class 1A state championship on the line at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
Kickoff between eighth-seeded Fort Hill (6-7) and seventh-seeded Northern (8-5) is scheduled for noon.
“Being able to play for a state championship is the goal that we set every year,” Fort Hill head coach Zack Alkire said. “To reach that goal is very important for us. It’s been a goal as long as I’ve ever been around Fort Hill, whether we were winning state championships or not. I’m hopeful that we’re able to finish the job this weekend and bring home the title.
“Really happy for coach (Phil) Carr and his program. One of the great guys in this area in the sports landscape locally. Really looking forward to the matchup.”
Fort Hill is making its 10th championship game appearance in 11 seasons and is playing for a state-record-tying fourth consecutive title. The Sentinels have eight state crowns in the last 10 years and 10 overall.
Fort Hill has an 11-2 record on the field, but five forfeits dealt the Sentinels the No. 8 seed in the state playoffs, forcing the team to hit the road.
The Sentinels came back in the second half in each of their prior two games, edging Perryville, 24-21, in the semis and dispatching top-seeded Cambridge-South Dorchester, 30-12, in the quarters.
Fort Hill won’t be the only road warrior on the field Saturday.
Northern upset Mountain Ridge, 23-13, on the road in the West Region co-finals and proceeded to rout second-seeded Boonsboro, 49-0, in a road quarterfinal mud bowl and down SEED School, 41-27, in Baltimore to get to Annapolis.
The championship appearance is Northern’s first in school history, another notch on the belt in the illustrious career of coach Carr, who has a 146-132 record in 28 seasons with the Huskies.
“It’s a huge opportunity for our kids and our community,” Carr said. “The kids are just so excited. I’m excited myself. I’ve always wanted to get to play for a championship. It took a long time to get there, but we made it.”
Northern’s Cinderella run also made it four straight seasons in which two Western Maryland squads will play for the Class 1A title.
Fort Hill defeated Mountain Ridge, 45-21, 16-14 and 51-31, the prior three finals under coach Alkire.
“Very prideful of our community and our region,” Alkire said. “Playing four years in a row against someone from the region is a big deal. Hopefully that translates to more respect for Western Maryland schools, and we can get more coaches out here to take a look at our kids.
“There are a number of talented kids that go virtually untouched out here.”
While Fort Hill will have the obvious advantage in championship game experience — a vital tool to calm the nerves in a stadium atmosphere — only 16 Sentinels are back from last year’s team and only a handful played.
Northern will be playing with house money, as few expected the Huskies to get this far, let alone win the title.
Fort Hill is 11-0 against Northern all-time, winning all 11 by double digits.
Asked how Carr thinks his players will react playing in a stadium that seats more than 30,000 for the first time, he said:
“We don’t know for sure. Our guys have played enough football, but you’re going to walk into a lot bigger environment in a stadium. It might take us a couple plays or a drive to get comfortable.”
While Garrett County schools were closed Thursday due to blizzard conditions in the region, the Huskies were able to practice inside. Per Allegany County rules, Fort Hill wasn’t allowed to practice at all when school was called off.
Still, Fort Hill is a heavy favorite after its five-touchdown win in Week 1, though neither coach put too much stock in that game.
Fort Hill’s offensive line has improved immensely since that game, Carr said, and Northern took off after falling to 2-3, changing its defensive front and its personnel.
Above all else, the Huskies are brimming with confidence, something that wasn’t the case after Northern fell to 3-5 before rattling off five consecutive wins to play for the championship.
“Most of our guys are full strength and healthy, and we didn’t have that in Week 1,” Carr said. “We know that’s a great team, a great tradition. Coach Alkire has done a great job in his years there, he has a great staff and they have some talented players.
“A lot of it’s just confidence. We’ve gained all this confidence in these playoff wins. The changes we made, getting guys in the right place after that Hampshire game (a 37-15 loss). Since that time, we’ve played pretty well.
“With that said, we’re going to have to play perfect football.”
The key for both teams will be stopping the run.
Fort Hill senior Jabril Daniels eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark last week and is up to 2,027 yards and 31 total touchdowns on 209 carries (9.7 yards per carry).
With 77 touchdowns, Daniels is one touchdown away from entering the top 10 in Maryland all time (Ben Tate, Decatur/Snow Hill), and his 4,445 rushing yards are 27th in state history.
Daniels is no stranger to the bright lights. On Navy’s field one year ago, the senior rushed for nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns in the first half against Mountain Ridge, setting a championship game rushing record for a half.
Braelyn Younger is second on the Sentinels with 552 yards and nine touchdowns on 52 carries, Tristan Ross has 460 yards and four total scores, and Carson Bender has 537 yards of total offense and 12 total touchdowns.
It has used a two-quarterback system: Nash Cassell when under center and Noah House in spread formations. The duo have combined for 533 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Fort Hill’s line struggled to produce holes against Perryville, but the Huskies won’t have the same kind of athleticism and strength that gave the Sentinels trouble.
Northern may have to hope for special teams touchdowns and turnovers to spark its offense, both of which have come in bunches this season.
The Huskies have a plus-18 turnover margin thanks to their 29 takeaways. Nine different Northern players both have at least one interception and one fumble recovery.
Robert Deatelhauser has three interceptions for touchdowns and Cole Folk has done so twice off fumbles, part of Northern’s nine defensive scores this season.
Fort Hill has been turnover prone the last two weeks with three lost fumbles against Cambridge and two at Perryville.
“They’ve been a little sloppy with turnovers the last couple games,” Carr said. “We have to force them into turnovers and penalties. We just have to not make things easy for them.
“Week 1, we had them in third-and-longs, not only did they get first downs, they scored touchdowns. We need to make them drive the football and eat clock.”
Northern’s leading tackler is senior Nick Riley with 114 stops.
Both teams have shown dynamic return games this season.
Tristan Ross returned a kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown at Perryville last week, one of Fort Hill’s four special teams scores this year. Gamil Daniels has a pair of punt returns for touchdowns, and Chase Lamb has the other.
Northern’s Luke Ross is a dynamic threat with nearly 700 return yards and two touchdowns.
Ross enters this afternoon with 2,050 all-purpose yards and 23 total touchdowns. On the ground, the senior has amassed 1,091 yards and 20 touchdowns on 125 totes.
He’s joined in the backfield by Evan Graham (153 carries, 745 yards, eight TDs) and Caleb Hinebaugh (76 carries, 491 yards, six TDs).
Fort Hill’s defense, led by Nick Willison (172 tackles) and Mason Bennett (100 tackles) up front and House (99 tackles) and Daniels (98) at backer, has been impossible to run on over the past eight weeks.
The Sentinels have allowed only 194 rushing yards over that span, an average of 24 a game.
“If you stop the run, I feel really good about our chances,” Alkire said. “They have three really good running backs that do really good things with the ball. Big up front, move people off the ball.”
Northern will have to get its passing game involved if Fort Hill does go Cover-0 and play man-to-man coverage with no safeties, which it’s done with regularity over the past three seasons.
The Huskies’ Liam Stewart is 38 for 60 through the air for 590 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. The junior also has 302 rushing yards and eight more scores.
As for the kicking game, both teams have the ability to make field goals from 40-plus.
Fort Hill’s Bobby Brauer is 4 of 5 on kicks with a long of 43, and he’s converted 58 of 63 extra points. Northern’s Wally Brands is 4 for 6 with a long of 47. He’s 34 for 42 on PATs.
As in any rematch, both coaching staffs are expected to empty the playbook with anything from new formations to trick plays.
With an enrollment just north of 400, Northern is one of the smallest schools in state history to advance to the championship game, up there with Snow Hill and Valley in the early years of the playoffs.
For Fort Hill, Saturday is just another opportunity to exhibit its championship pedigree. The Sentinels have displayed that on the road all postseason and can finish the job today.
“They’ve shown a lot of resilience, that championship mentality we preach to them all the time,” Alkire said. “The last couple weeks, falling behind, being able to maintain their composure and coming back to get those victories. It’s very impressive.”
Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.
