Maryland 1A football semifinals preview: Forestville vs. Fort Hill

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/maryland-1a-football-semifinals-preview-forestville-vs-fort-hill/2015/11/25/d8c0e374-93b1-11e5-b5e4-279b4501e8a6_story.html

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MARYLAND 1A SEMIFINAL

Forestville at Fort Hill

Friday, 7 p.m.

At stake: A berth in the Maryland 1A finals Dec. 5 at M&T Bank Stadium

Watch for: Forestville might be the most unlikely state semifinalist from the Washington area after starting the season 2-4 (with one win coming by forfeit). But the Knights (7-5) have leaned on an improving offensive line, playmakers like quarterback James Green and tailback Kharie Lawrence and a physical defense to get hot at the right time. Forestville does much of its damage on the ground, even when teams stack the box. How that formula works against Fort Hill (10-1), the two-time defending 1A state champions, will determine if the Knights’ Cinderella run can continue.

Skinny: No Maryland high school football team must travel farther than Forestville will for the state semifinals (154 miles), when it plays at venerable Greenway Avenue Stadium in Cumberland. Forestville is making its first appearance in the state semifinals since qualifying for the state finals in 2000, when first-year Coach Moe Thornton was playing for the Knights. Fort Hill’s lone loss came to Keyser (W. Va.), and the Sentinels have been a road block for Prince George’s playoff teams, including last year’s 36-20 win over Surrattsville.