SEVERN, Md. — We are down to the high school football final four in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association 'A' conference and we have a great game on-tap for the first semifinal. Archbishop Spalding hosts Loyola Blakefield on Friday night.
The Cavaliers (8-2, 6-0) are the top seed in the MIAA. Head coach Kyle Schmitt and his squad are looking for a second consecutive championship. They are once again one of the best teams in the state. Junior quarterback Malik Washington is their leader. This season he has passed for 21 touchdowns and 1,871 yards. He has also rushed for four TD’s.
Washington and the Cavs get a tough Dons team they just saw a couple weeks ago that gave them a scare. Spalding won that meeting 30-24 in overtime. They expect more of the same on Friday night.
"Great program. Great team. Very well coached. They play hard," said Washington. "We both have film on each other. Whatever advantages we’re facing, they have the same thing. Whatever disadvantages, it’s the same thing the other way. It’s just about who wants it more."
"It should be a good ballgame, good battle. I can’t wait for it," added senior safety Tyler Brown. "It’s great football, playoff football. This is what we are all here for. This is what we love to do."
"It’s like playing a divisional opponent twice in a season," said Schmitt. "We know what each other does. The mystery of the game is really out of it and, honestly, I think often times when teams play twice the more talented, more motivated team tends to win that game."
The other MIAA semifinal in the 'A' conference is McDonogh vs. Mount St. Joseph on Saturday.
As for Loyola (5-3, 3-2), Dons head Coach Anthony Zehyoue said the following about the Cavs: "Spalding is the high school football equivalent to Apple or Amazon - talented, innovative, fundamentally sound and have come to set the industry standard of how to run and dominate at the high school level."
Kickoff on Friday night is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Archbishop Spalding High School.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
