This weekend, the road to the high school football state championships at M&T Bank Stadium begins with the first round of the regional playoffs.
The weekend?s best action in the Baltimore metro area looks should come from the Class 4A East Region. With all four teams from Anne Arundel County, the bracket is almost a de facto county tournament.
Top-seeded Broadneck (9-1) will face No. 4 South River (6-4) Friday at 6:30 p.m. The host Bruins took care of the Seahawks, 19-7, on Nov. 3. The other game will feature No. 2 Arundel (9-1) hosting No. 3 Old Mill (8-2), also Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The 3A features two undefeated, top-seeded teams with title hopes ? City (10-0) in the North Region and River Hill (10-0) in the East. The Knights? game against No. 4 Mervo (6-4) Saturday at 1 p.m. at Poly will be a rematch of City?s 38-0 breeze two weeks ago. The other game in the North Region features No. 2 Franklin (8-2) hosting No. 3 Towson (6-4) Saturday at 1 p.m. The Generals were 14-13 winners in the regular season.
In the 3A East, Howard County champion River Hill hosts No. 4 North Harford (7-2) Friday at 7 p.m. A half-hour earlier, No. 2 Severna Park (8-2) hosts No. 3 Edgewood (8-2).
In the 2A, the West Region features No. 1 Middletown (9-1) hosting No. 4 Winters Mill (6-4) and No. 2 Key (7-3) hosting No. 3 North Hagerstown (7-3). Both games are Friday at 7 p.m.
The North Region also features a pair of Friday 7 p.m. games, with No. 1 Edmondson-Westside (9-1) vs. Overlea (7-3) at Poly, and No. 2 Hereford (9-1) hosting No. 3 Eastern Tech (8-2). In the South, No. 4 Glenelg (8-2) will try to knock off No. 1 McDonough (10-0) Friday at 7 p.m.
In the 1A, No. 3 Havre de Grace (6-4) travels to No. 2 Catoctin (7-3) in the North Region, and No. 3 Bohemia Manor (6-4) heads to No. 2 Elkton (6-4) in the East. Saturday in the South, No. 4 Southside (7-3) faces No. 1 Dunbar (7-3) at Poly at 6 p.m.
