Schools
Football: Chesapeake Preps for Regional Finals
The Bayhawks are looking to get back to the state semifinals for the first time since 1984 as they face Edmondson in the Class 2A North regional finals on Saturday at Poly.
Chesapeake coach Rocco Bruno said he feels like his team is playing with house money right now.
The first-year coach’s goal when he took over the Bayhawks program in early August was to win the 2A/3A/4A Baltimore County title and qualify for the playoffs.
Now, Chesapeake is just one win away from a region title when the team faces top-seeded Edmondson in the Class 2A North finals at 4 p.m. Saturday at Poly. The Bayhawks, , have not reached the state semifinals since their lone appearance in 1984.
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“It’s just been an amazing run,” said Bruno, following the Lake Clifton win. “This is way more than we ever expected and the players have handled themselves like winners.”
Chesapeake’s run toward a state title comes after the Bayhawks (8-3) started the season 0-3 and after the dismissal of three starters for disciplinary reasons midway through the year.
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Running back Malcolm Dowery has been a big reason for Chesapeake’s success. While playing against Lake Clifton, Dowery rushed for 146 yards and scored a touchdown on 19 carries.
“We’ve known what we had to do all year long to succeed and that is, work together as a single unit because we don’t have the large rosters of some other teams in the playoffs,” Dowery said. “Bring on Edmondson.”
Edmondson (7-4) last week at Poly. In that win, the Red Storm broke the game open in the third quarter when running back Steve Everette scored on an 8-yard touchdown run.
Quarterback Tyjuan Eaton then completed touchdown passes of 24 and 16 yards to Lawrence Jackson, also in the third quarter, to complete the Red Storm’s scoring.
For the season, Edmondson has averaged 19.8 points a game on offense while it has allowed an average of 10.7 points per contest.
Senior linebacker Rodney Jenkins said that for Chesapeake to win a state title, it needs to continue to find ways to make big plays. Against Lake Clifton, Jenkins scored a touchdown on both a blocked punt and a fumble recovery.
“We just need to be in the right place at the right time,” Jenkins said after the game.
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