Gators Football Preps for Postseason Clash with Poly

quarterback Mike DeBaugh believes the Gators are a team with a destiny.

The senior said that feeling began Oct. 21 when he tossed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Derek Taylor in the final seconds to defeat Woodlawn, 30-26. Then, Perry Hall secured the fourth, and final, seed in the Class 4A North playoffs, despite losing, 34-31, in overtime in their season finale against Hereford.

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The Gators (8-2) advanced to the postseason after Westminster—which had been the fourth seed—w.

“We were given another chance and now it’s time to do something special,” DeBaugh said. “To lose like we did against Hereford and still get to the playoffs tells me it’s our destiny to be here.”

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For Perry Hall to do something special, it must first get past top-seeded Baltimore City champion Poly (10-0) at 7 p.m., Friday at Poly. The Engineers are coming off an emotional 22-16 victory over archrival City last week.

In that game, Poly quarterback Darrell Milburn tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Priestly Shuler with 9 seconds remaining to secure the win.

“You never want to go into the playoffs coming off a loss, but no matter how we got here, we’re in and now we have to take advantage of it,” Perry Hall coach Keith Robinson said. “Poly is a great team, but we’ve been battle tested all year and I feel like we’re ready for this game.”

Perry Hall won several big games this season, including and a 21-19 season-opening win over St. Paul’s. The Gators’ only other defeat was a 32-23 setback to Baltimore County champion Catonsville (10-0).

The Gators believe tough games like those have them ready to fare better in the postseason this year compared to 2010, when they lost 28-0 to eventual state champion Urbana in the Class 4A North semifinals.

DeBaugh anchors Perry Hall’s offense, as the senior has thrown for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Taylor is the Gators top receiver (44 catches, 724 yards, 6 touchdowns), while tailback Eric Latham has rushed for 1,202 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Defensively, junior linebacker John Myers leads the Gators with 100 tackles, while linebacker Matt Ruthke and defensive lineman Mike Soper joined DeBaugh and Latham as first-team All-County selections.

“We’re 12 points away from being 10-0,” Gators linebacker John Myers said. “We’ve fought all season and we believe we’re meant to be here.”

Friday’s game is expected to be especially meaningful for Robinson. He was an assistant under Poly coach Roger Wrenn while both were at Patterson. Wrenn, a legendary figure in Baltimore high school sports, is set to retire after a 40-year coaching career that includes a 284-113-2 record.

“This is going to be a very emotional game for me,” Robinson said. “I hate to see him retire, but I would like nothing more than to beat Coach Wrenn in his last game and help Perry Hall get one step closer to a state title.”