“Road Warriors.” That?s how Havre de Grace High football coach Johnny Brooks describes his group of less than 30 athletes.
The Warriors (8-4) will have longest trip of any of the 16 remaining playoff teams when they travel three hours due west to Cumberland Saturday to visit Fort Hill (11-1) for a Class 1A state semifinal at the Sentinels? notoriously raucous Greenway Stadium.
Brooks? initial impression of this weekend?s trip?
“West Virginia is the next county over,” he said. “That?s where we?ve got to go?”
While the Warriors will be traveling by bus, there?s no mistaking how they?ve gotten to this point ? through the air.
“We just don?t have the [roster] numbers to play smash-mouth football,” Brooks said.
Havre de Grace?s passing game, led by senior Josh Appold?s 1,961 yards and 20 touchdowns, will lead the way. Senior receiver Travis Brown is leading the team with 1,086 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Fellow senior receiver Arthur Ibewuike is getting looks from plenty of Division I schools, too.
“I?m still waiting for him to have that bust-out game,” Brooks said of Ibewuike. “Hopefully,it?ll come this Saturday.”
The Warriors are 4-2 on the road this season, and Fort Hill?s Greenway Stadium is a long way from “left-center” ? the team?s practice field in the outfield of the school?s softball diamond. Joining the team trek will be Havre de Grace?s award-winning band, hoping to drown out the Sentinels? hostile home-field advantage, which boasts a capacity of 15,000.
Improvement on tackling might help, too.
“They?re undersized, but they bring everything they have,” Brooks said of his defense.
The defense is led by 5-foot-8 senior linebacker Mike Simpson (202 tackles) and senior linebacker Matt Strong, the team?s vocal leader.
“He never comes off the field,” Brooks said of Strong. “Linebacker, fullback, kick return ? I think we keep him on the field so we don?t have to hear him talking.”
Considering the noisy atmosphere at Greenway, Strong might not hear himself.
