| Advertisement |
|
|
The most simple scenario for the North Hagerstown and South Hagerstown football teams is this: Get a win Friday and advance to the postseason.
The problem, of course, is that it’s not possible for both teams to get a win Friday.
The Hubs and Rebels, both 8-1, square off Friday night at South in the 56th meeting between the city schools, with the winner guaranteed a spot in the Maryland Class 3A West playoffs.
The Hubs leapfrogged over the Rebels in the 3A West standings, jumping one spot to No. 3 after their 40-12 victory over Boonsboro.
The Rebels, meanwhile, dropped from No. 3 to No. 5 following their first loss of the season, a 42-32 defeat at the hands of Brunswick. South trails Watkins Mill by 0.11 points for the fourth and final playoff berth.
Damascus (9-0) and Seneca Valley (8-1) have already locked up the first two spots in the region and will host first-round playoff games. Five teams are still alive for the third and fourth spots.
Only North, South and Watkins Mill — which plays at Seneca Valley on Friday — control their own destinies. Urbana (vs. Linganore) and Frederick (at Thomas Johnson) need to win and get help in order to qualify.
South cannot qualify with a loss to North, but the Hubs could still get in with a loss if Watkins Mill loses, too.
In Class 1A West, the four teams are set but the seeds are not yet locked in place.
Boonsboro held on to the No. 1 spot despite its loss to North. The Warriors (7-2) lead Allegany (7-2) by 5.17 points and will clinch the top seed with a win over Smithsburg on Friday.
Fort Hill (7-2) is third and Brunswick (5-4) is fourth. Neither can be caught by fifth-place Smithsburg.
Even with a loss to Smithsburg, the Warriors will not drop lower than second place, which means they will host a first-round playoff game.
Allegany and Fort Hill face off Saturday, with the winner earning the No. 1 or 2 spot.
Brunswick plays at Catoctin on Friday. The Railroaders could take the No. 3 spot with a win and a Fort Hill loss, but they would need all of the opponents they defeated to also win this week.