McDonough, Patuxent try to avoid letdown; Surrattsville, Forestville jockey for playoff position

Game to watch: No. 19 McDonough (7-0) at Patuxent (6-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

As McDonough and Patuxent prepare for their huge Southern Maryland Athletic Conference clash Friday, both sides have had to focus on blocking out the emotional games they played last week.

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Preview: Hylton and Woodbridge face off in what should be a physical, low-scoring Cardinal district game.

The Rams improved to 7-0 for the first time since 2006 after they scored 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of a 28-21 win against North Point, including a wild fumble return touchdown after a blocked field goal in the final minutes. Patuxent went toe-to-toe with undefeated Calvert County rival Huntingtown, but lost a 42-35 slugfest in its first defeat of the season.

The anticipation for those rivalry games had been building for weeks, but now the teams must avoid a letdown in a game that will have a huge impact on the playoff seeding in one of Maryland’s toughest regions, the 2A South.

“It was emotional afterward [Friday] but the kids showed resolve Saturday during our film session and even more Monday in a very physical practice,” Patuxent Coach Steve Crounse said. “I’m pretty happy with where we are.”

The 2A South region contains teams from five different counties, and McDonough currently holds a one-game lead over Patuxent and Prince George’s powers Douglass and Gwynn Park, with upstart two-loss Calvert one game behind those teams.

McDonough — the 2010 Maryland 2A champion — can virtually clinch a postseason berth and take firm control of the region’s No. 1 seed with a win this week, but that’s not the focus yet.

“We have some players that have playoff experience and championship experience and we’re leaning on those guys,” McDonough Coach Luke Ethington said. “It’s a matter of keeping things in perspective. We’re trying to look through the end of a straw rather than at the full picture all at once.”

Patuxent has averaged 44.3 points per game so far, but is focusing on improving its defense this week against an extremely athletic McDonough squad who provides a challenge similar to what Huntingtown did.

Like Huntingtown, McDonough’s lead running back has been slowed by injuries, but the backup has filled in and actually provided the Rams with an extra weapon they didn’t know it had.

Rams starter Chris Monroe is being eased back in after missing time with ankle and knee injuries, but senior Bobby Harris has been explosive in Monroe’s absence.

“The kids are very aware that McDonough is a very formidable opponent,” Crounse said. “We know the next three weeks are playoff games now. We want to control our own destiny.”

Game to watch: Forestville (4-3) at Surrattsville (5-2), Saturday, 2 p.m.

While Surrattsville made its first Maryland 1A South playoff appearance under Coach Robert Harris last fall, the task was made tougher by a 28-17 loss to Forestville, which also competes in the 1A South.

Both teams finished with five wins, but the Hornets snuck into the playoff field on bonus points, buoyed by a win over 3A Crossland. Meanwhile, the Knights lost to the Cavaliers and missed the postseason for the first time since 2005.

Surrattsville — now 0-4 in the annual head-to-head matchup under Harris — can again solidify its playoff positioning with a home win over Forestville on Saturday.