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Bring on the Hawks
Powerhouse River Hill only obstacle between 'Canes and 3A title game
Friday, Nov. 27, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo File photo by DARWIN WEIGEL
Huntingtown senior quarterback Justin Bittner, shown here getting off a pass under pressure, hopes to lead the Hurricanes to the 3A state title game.
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One defending state champion down, another one to go. And this latest challenge will be one of the Huntingtown football team's most daunting.
For the second straight week, the Hurricanes clash with an opponent that captured all the state's marbles a year ago.
Dismantling reigning 3A state champion Westlake by an unexpected 46-0 margin in last week's 3A South region final is exactly the type of momentum Huntingtown needs for a chance to derail the locomotive known as River Hill in tonight's state semifinals tilt.
Huntingtown, seeded second in the 3A state playoffs, has the hosting rights against third-seeded River Hill.
The Howard County juggernaut enters the showdown of 12-0 unbeatens as the two-time defending 2A state champion, now realigned to the 3A ranks.
"Anytime you play somebody like this, it's a huge, huge challenge," Huntingtown head coach Jerry Franks said in the wake of his young program securing its first regional crown in three trips to the postseason. "They've done it, they've won states multiple times. We're up against a monumental task with their rich tradition. And we're trying to get where they are."
Even River Hill's attempt to win a third straight state crown does not fully capture the dominance of their dynasty.
River Hill boasts an eye-popping 40 straight wins, having last lost in the 2006 3A state championship to Friendly. The state record is 50 straight wins. Finishing as the state runner-up three years ago was the only setback that season for River Hill.
If you do the math, River Hill has won 53 of its last 54 games, 64 of its previous 67 dating back to 2005 and is 74-4 since 2004. Along the way have come five straight regional titles and a gaudy 15-4 all-time postseason record that includes lopsided victories of 70-0 and 30-3 over the last two weeks.
No wonder a formidable Huntingtown outfit — which has yet to surrender a single point in the playoffs while outscoring its opposition by 69 — is a decided home underdog with a berth to the state championship Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. inside the Baltimore Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium at stake.
"I've been doing this for over 40 years," said the accomplished, wily Huntingtown coach, responsible for directing Calvert to the 3A state title in 2000, "and I've never gone into a game yet thinking I'm going to lose.
While River Hill enters with imposing stats — scoring 42 points per game and yielding just 6.6 — Huntingtown is none too shabby either, playing in the arguably tougher-from-top-to-bottom SMAC.
Huntingtown has produced 31.2 points per game and allowed 7.8.
Senior running back Greg Goodwin has proven to be unstoppable thus far, compiling 2,427 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns — a robust average of more than 200 yards per game and almost 7 and a half yards a carry.
Goodwin is coming off a 122-yard, four-touchdown performance on 22 rushes against a quality Westlake defense that was yielding fewer than eight points per game going into the regional final.
But River Hill's defense, like its offense, promises to be the most imposing adversary Huntingtown has played this year, particularly up front.
Huntingtown is capable of dictating on both sides of the line as well.
"It's not exclusively on Greg's shoulders," Franks said about the fate of his offense. "He will be a big factor, no doubt about it. He's been a big weapon for us."
Should River Hill keep to its stingy form defensively and be able to contain Goodwin, Franks has utmost confidence in Huntingtown quarterback Justin Bittner, who has thrown for nearly 1,100 yards.
"He's getting better each week and throwing the ball extremely well the last few weeks," he added after Bittner passed for 108 yards against Westlake last week. "That 4 for 11 included a few drops in there too."
Chaz'Ze Hall, a receiver and returner, will also be relied upon to contribute.
Huntingtown's X-factor is its defense, which has pitched four shutouts this year with three in its last four games. Blanking Westlake to continue its strong performance in the playoffs was a statement for the Hurricanes D, underscoring that Huntingtown is peaking at just the right time this year.
"Right now, we're cautiously optimistic. It's a guarded optimism," Franks said.
River Hill at Huntingtown
What: 3A state semifinals
When: 7 p.m., tonight
Where: Huntingtown High School, 4125 Solomons Island Road, Huntingtown
