And Northern did do that, taking three minutes off the clock with one bruising run after another. But then Patriots Coach Rich Holzer saw that Arundel was in a man coverage and he couldn’t resist.
He called for an audible. Quarterback Isaiah Randall went into play-action and fired a 57-yard bomb to junior Miles Halbert, who was running open on a deep post route. Halbert caught the ball and sauntered into the end zone, putting an exclamation point on what would be a 42-21 win for the Patriots.
“That’s just who we are,” Halbert said. “Taking the shot to put the nail in the coffin. I absolutely loved that.”
It takes a certain combination of swagger and guts to take a shot like that, but those are two qualities for which Northern is known. The Patriots, a consistent contender out of Calvert County, won their first state title two years ago thanks in large part to a highflying, action packed offense.
But that confidence was derailed by a tough schedule this fall, as Northern lost its final three regular season games to Patuxent, Calvert and Huntingtown. It seemed the team had hit a low point just in time for the postseason.
“After we lost that game to Huntingtown, it set us straight,” Brown said. “And we worked and we worked and we worked. First round of the playoffs, we were a completely different team.”
Northern pounded St. Charles in that first-round game and met the top-seeded Wildcats with plenty of confidence Friday. The first of Brown’s three touchdowns served as the only score in a tense first half.
In the final seconds before halftime, Northern (7-4) failed to score on a fourth and goal from the 1-yard line. Refs deliberated at length before making a ruling. For Arundel (7-3), not only did the stop keep the game close, it gave the Wildcats momentum heading into the second half. When play resumed, they quickly tied the game at seven.
“Right now, it seems like we’re getting our groove back from the beginning of the season, and at halftime the boys seemed unfazed,” Holzer said. “So I didn’t even talk about the goal-line sequence, I just told them ‘Hey, we’re good.’ ”
The Patriots responded with five more touchdowns, two from Brown and three from Halbert. The Patriots’ defense allowed the Wildcats to put up points in the second half, but came up with three key turnovers on the night.
“Keep this momentum going,” Holzer told his team in the postgame huddle. “I don’t know if you guys can feel it like we can, but there’s something going with this team right now. Something seems to be rolling.”