Michael Slattery/Special to The Gazette
Douglass' Marcus Alexander (right) is brought down by North Point's Ja'wan Poole as Casius Sendish (23) looks on during Friday's game in Waldorf.
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The Frederick Douglass High School football team has never won a state championship. River Hill's football team won its first last season.
As the Eagles and Hawks prepared for their 2A South Region playoff openers last week, River Hill coach Brian Van Deusen said he felt whichever team emerged from the region would be favored to win the state title on Dec. 6.
The way both teams are playing may prove Van Deusen's prediction correct.
River Hill, winners of 32 consecutive regular-season games, has won 42 of its last 44 games. But those two losses have come against Prince George's County teams Friendly, in the 2006 3A state title game, and Gwynn Park, in the 2005 3A state semifinals. Only four teams have defeated the Hawks in the past five seasons, with Douglass being one of those other teams in a 36-26 victory in the 3A East Region final in 2004.
"They're the best right now," Douglass coach J.C. Pinkney said of River Hill. "They're a top-ranked team. They're doing an excellent job of not giving up points. That's going to be a huge task for us."
Both teams can score and neither gives up much on defense. The Hawks average 43.9 points per game, but scored just 32 total against Gwynn Park and Wilde Lake, the only playoff opponents they have faced this season. The Eagles have faced five playoff teams, outscoring them, 93-65.
Both defenses are among the best in the state. The Hawks allow just 3.1 points per game, while the Eagles allow just 5.6. Ten of the Eagles' 62 points allowed this season came on an overtime field goal by Friendly and a touchdown and extra-point kick given up by its offense on an interception in last Friday's regional semifinal against North Point.
For the third consecutive week, Douglass' defense will be tested by a high-powered running attack, this time led by senior tailback Michael Campanaro, who lit up Gwynn Park last week for 136 yards on 25 carries. For the season, Campanaro has 1,465 yards and 24 touchdowns on 162 carries. Senior Malek Redd, who has nearly 1,000 yards rushing this season, is a second option in the backfield. Senior linemen Sean Hall and Patrick McCleaf anchor the Hawks' defense.
Douglass held North Point senior and 1,300-yard rusher Arlando Scott to just 28 yards on 12 carries last week. Pinkney knows it gets tougher against River Hill.
"If we didn't focus on [Scott], the scoreboard looks totally different," Pinkney said. "Now, River Hill has a couple of them, Redd, their No. 2 back, and Campanaro."
Douglass' players are excited about the challenge that awaits them.
"That's going to be a good game," said senior Trey Massey. "River Hill is a good team. We beat them in the summertime in the passing league in a one-point game. So this is really going to be a good game now that we'll have equipment on this time."
2A South Region final
Douglass (9-2) at River Hill (11-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Players to watch: River Hill RB Michael Campanaro (162 carries, 1,465 yards, 24 TDs). Douglass RB Emmanuel Paul (85 carries, 545 yards, 5 TDs); Douglass QB Richard Barber (57 carries, 383 yards, 8 TDs, 39 of 74 passes for 656 yards and 11 TDs); Douglass RB Marcus Alexander (10 rushing TDs).
E-mail Adam Rubenstein at arubenstein@gazette.net.
