As Winters Mill and Forest Park took the field Saturday in the Class 2A/1A state quarterfinal at Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School, fans were treated to a matchup very few predicted at the beginning of the year.
Coming off an impressive showing against an equally slept-on Randallstown squad, Forest Park once again needed fourth-quarter heroics to survive and advance.
Last week, two unanswered fourth-quarter touchdowns were the difference. This week, it was the defense’s turn as the Foresters stopped Winters Mill on fourth down in the red zone with just under two minutes left to clinch the 12-9 victory and a spot in the 2A/1A semifinals.
“It was two good teams going at it every play,” Forest Park coach Sean Markley said. “We knew we had what it takes to make it past this round. I’m so proud of my guys.”
Despite being separated by many miles, the Baltimore City-Carroll County matchup featured two programs with identical philosophies and game plans: Run the football.
Markley relied on Tijuan Reed throughout the game. The junior stepped up with two rushing touchdowns, including the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter.
“I just knew my coaches and my teammates trusted me,” he said. “I made those plays for them.”
Coming off a playoff win last week in which they didn’t attempt a pass, the Falcons matched Reed with the running back tandem of Paris Lee and Malachi Denning. Denning scored the only touchdown of the game for the Falcons on a 15-yard run in the first quarter.
After that drive, things became tough for Winters Mill’s offense. Brandon Fauntleroy was a defensive force, finishing with 12 tackles, many for a loss. He was one of the first players to jump into the arms of his defensive coordinator after leading the charge on the game-defining fourth-down stop.
“We executed what we’ve been working on from day one of practice,” Fauntleory said. “It felt good to do my part to help us get this win.”
Winters Mill finished 9-2 on the season, the best mark in school history. The section of Falcons fans looked on as a historic season came to an end just a couple wins away from the ultimate prize.
“I just told our kids how proud I was of them,” Winters Mill coach Matt Miller said. “What they did, making history and getting this far, there’s a lot for us to be proud of.”
On the other side of the bleachers, the sea of black and green was restless as the team celebrated after the final whistle. Many people were glued to their phones, looking up the Foresters’ next destination — Calvert, where they will face the top-seeded Cavaliers in the state semifinals.
Elated but not satisfied and with the end goal in mind, Markley made it clear to his team and fans that the long trip next week will not be for any sort of participation award.
“We’re right back at it on Monday,” he said with a smile as he looked around at his players. “We have more games to win.”
