Gilman (Baltimore) at McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.)
Kai Locksley and Chase Campbell will look for reasons to celebrate against McDonogh.
Photo by Alik McIntosh
What to watch: The 98th rendition of one of the most storied rivalries in high school football. Saturday's season finale means even more than usual: It's the top two teams in Baltimore-area newspaper rankings playing with the outright Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference title on the line. Gilman (7-2) is on a six-game winning streak after losing two of its first three games against national powers Paramus Catholic (N.J.) and Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.). A win gives the Greyhounds a 13th MIAA championship in the last 20 seasons. McDonogh (10-0) is aiming for its first undefeated season in more than a decade and its first MIAA title since it shared the crown with Gilman in 2009.
Just the facts: This is the second-most played rivalry in the state of Maryland. Gilman has won the last five games in the series and boasts a 59-33-5 advantage overall. The teams first played each other in 1914. … Senior running back Alex Hurdle scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns that helped McDonogh beat Archbishop Spalding (Severn) last week,23-12. Hurdle, a senior, is a highly rated lacrosse prospect who has committed to play next season at Notre Dame.
Mitch Stephens: Gilman 28, McDonogh 21
Kevin Askeland: McDonogh 32, Gilman 21
Jamie DeMoney: Gilman 31, McDonogh 21
Stephen Spiewak: Gilman 21, McDonogh 10
Leland Gordon: Gilman 17, McDonogh 16
Colin Ward-Henninger: Gilman 21, McDonogh 17