By Jeff Nelson
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, November 24, 2007

For a fleeting moment, the failures of past Novembers hovered in the silence at Arundel. The Wildcats, a team so used to regular season success and playoff disappointment, trailed in a region game yet again. The home fans sat silently in the cold.

Then senior Alec Lemon took a short screen pass and ran 93 yards. Then senior Mike Inyang returned an interception for a touchdown. Then Inyang and Alex Ball picked off two more passes, setting up another two short scores.

In a blur of seven third-quarter minutes, ninth-ranked Arundel scored 27 straight points against Broadneck to take control of the 4A East Region final. The Wildcats, who will play the winner of today's Suitland-Parkdale game next week in a state semifinal, went on to win, 49-20, for their first region championship since 1995.

Afterward, seventh-year Arundel coach Chuck Markiewicz told his players he's been waiting to "take this show on the road."

The region tournament "has been a pain in our backside." he said. "You can't see how you stack up against everybody else if you don't get out of your own region."

In the past four years, Arundel went 1-4 in the postseason, including last year's first-round exit as the region's top seed. The Wildcats avoided that same fate last week with a last-minute fourth-down touchdown pass against North County, then displayed their penchant for the big play to dispatch the Bruins.

Senior Nick Elko completed 24 of 39 passes for 331 yards and had five total touchdowns (one rushing). Lemon caught seven passes for 189 yards and one score.

The Wildcats forced six turnovers and caused a safety.

"We're not worried about last year," Inyang said. "We're worried about this year, taking it one game at a time and playing as a unit."

4A NORTH: Corey Hunt scored two touchdowns, and D.J. Scott and Chris Johnson each added scores to lift No. 20 Thomas Johnson to a 35-3 victory over host Perry Hall in the Maryland 4A North Region final.

3A EAST: Ashton Hayes rushed for four touchdowns, including three in the first half, to propel visiting Wilde Lake to a 26-6 victory over North Hartford in the Maryland 3A East Region final.

2A WEST: Rob Osbourne rushed for two touchdowns, and Clarksburg overcame an early deficit to beat visiting Middletown, 33-7, in the Maryland 2A West Region title game.

Special correspondent Matthew Stanmyre contributed to this report.