By Steve Green

Executive Editor

Ever since last year’s title game win, Stephen Decatur varsity football team had a goal – to repeat as state champions. The mission was accomplished in dramatic fashion last Saturday as the team captured its 28th straight win to become back-to-back champs.

In what turned into a game dominated by imposing defenses, Stephen Decatur’s high-powered offense shined in crunch time, scoring a touchdown with under two minutes in the game to win its second consecutive MPSSAA 2A championship, 13-12.

Decatur came out strong taking the opening drive the length of the field for a touchdown against Huntingtown. Senior Nathan Tapley, who often came into play quarterback throughout the season in short yardage situations, scored on a two-yard quarterback sneak with just under six minutes left in the first quarter. Tapley scored in a similar fashion last week against Westlake.

After the initial score, the teams exchanged punts for much of the first half, but with about nine minutes left in the second quarter Decatur had a chance to expand its lead, but a 32-yard goal was missed.

After halftime, Huntingtown came out a different team, converting multiple third downs and driving the length of the field. The drive was capped off by a two-yard run by Landon Cawley with 4:55 left on the third quarter clock. The point after kick was blocked, bringing the score to 7-6 with Decatur ahead.

Huntingtown continued to control momentum with its rushing attack, grabbing the lead on a 57-yard sprint by quarterback Dominic Hickman. A two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful when Cawley was stopped short of the goal, but the Hurricanes held a 12-7 lead with 2:36 left on the clock.

Decatur’s offense came alive on what would turn out to be its final drive of the season. Quarterback Johnny Hobgood connected with senior wideout Trybe Wish for 32 yards to extend the drive into Huntingtown’s side of the field. With the ball at Huntingtown’s 24-yard line, Hobgood connected in the back of the endzone with Zakhari Baker for the touchdown. With the Seahawks now leading 13-12, Decatur went for a two-point conversion to gain a three-point lead but was unsuccessful. The drive only took 67 seconds.

Huntingtown’s final drive – which began with 1:51 left on the clock — featured a few first downs before a pass on 4th down with four yards to go from the Decatur 35-yard line fell incomplete, giving Decatur its second consecutive title.

The game’s box score told the story of the game, as Huntingtown dominated on the ground with 284 rushing yards on 52 attempts (5.5 yards per rush) while Decatur managed 11 yards net rushing on 23 attempts. On the flipside, Huntingtown only managed four completed passes for 50 yards while Decatur had 17 completions for 233 yards. Huntington recorded 334 total offensive yards compared to Decatur’s 244 yards gained from scrimmage. Behind the balanced rushing game, Huntingtown won the time of possession battle with 27 minutes compared to Decatur’s 21 minutes.

For Decatur, Hobgood had 17 rushing yards and 233 passing yards. Senior Davin Chandler had six receptions for 77 yards and Wise added four receptions for 47 yards. Baker had the winning touchdown catch and 78 total receiving yards.

Before the game last week, Decatur Head Coach Jake Coleman called his team “battle-tested” after a couple close playoff games where the players had to overcome adversity to stave off upset bids. Coleman’s description played out as it took grit and determination to overcome the late deficit to win the crown, capping off an impressive two-year run for the program.

In a post-game press conference, Coleman said ever since the team won the championship last year the focus has been on bringing home another championship. He said the team’s approach was centered on repeating as state champions.

“It was 100 percent about repeating, make no mistake about it,” Coleman said. “We had a very young group last year. These guys, from the time the state championship was won, we gave them Christmas break, and I’m not kidding you, we have been after it the entire time since. We had a little chip on our shoulder. My son (last year’s Bayside player of the year Brycen Coleman) told me, hey dad, ‘you ain’t won one without me.’ I said, ‘hmm, okay, I whispered that into a couple guys’ ears. I also told them at the beginning of the year: it’s your time, you’re the superstars now.’ And they played like it. They took ownership of the team.”

The coach’s son – a freshman on Vanderbilt University’s football team — was in the stands in Annapolis to watch his alma mater repeat Saturday night. Hundreds of fans traveled to Navy-Marine Corps Stadium for the game.