Region Final Preview: Comets Bracing for High-Powered Poly Offense

En route to its sterling 11-0 record, Catonsville has routinely shut down the opposing team’s top playmakers. Athletes like Franklin’s Ian Thomas and Kenwood’s Travis Jenkins were rendered nonfactors thanks to a resolute and disciplined Comets defense.

However, in Friday night’s Class 4A Final against undefeated Poly, Catonsville will face arguably its biggest defensive challenge of the year. There is no one player to key on. The Engineers boast game changers across the board. (Just ask Perry Hall.)

Last week in its region semifinal, Poly racked up 433 yards of offense (361 rushing) in a 50-12 victory.

The Comets will have to contain top tailback Jamal Chapell, who accounted for three first half scores, as well as two talented wide receivers in Jordan Garrison and Donovan Riley. Similar to Catonsville quarterback Aaron Jones, Engineers signal caller Darrell Milburn is a threat with his arm and his legs.

Making the task all the more difficult for the Comets is the variety of formations Poly will employ. The Engineers base their offense out of the spread (multiple receivers), but also run an I-formation somewhat similar to Catonsville’s. Down on the goal line, Poly will substitute its receivers for a power alignment that includes extra running backs and tight ends.

“Our challenge this week is to take our defensive philosophy and adjust it to all the possibilities that we could see,” Catonsville head coach Rich Hambor said.

“It’s hard to really account for everything, but we’re just trying to make sure our 11 defensive players know their responsibilities and try to cover all angles. It’s going to tough because they have so many things they can do.”

On the opposite side, Poly head coach Roger Wrenn is equally impressed with the Comets’ skill players.

Similar to every coach who’s gone up against Catonsville this year, Wrenn will be faced with the difficult task of deciding whether to crowd line of scrimmage to better defend DeAndre’ Lane and the Comets run game, or, assign two defenders to shadow wide out Deniko Carter in hopes to prevent a big pass play.  

Last week, Paint Branch routinely chose the latter, holding Carter to just two catches for 12 yards—the Comets only two pass completions of the game—but paid for it in the ground game, allowing over 300 yards rushing.

A win this Friday will require another strong effort from a Catonsville offensive line which, Hambor said, played their best game of the year last week.

“This week is going to be a little bit different tactically,” Hambor said. “Poly is a little smaller than Paint Branch, but they’re a little quicker and their IQ is way up there as well, so it’s going to be a bit of a chess match on the line this week. Hopefully we can continue to make those right calls.”

While Catonsville is looking to capture its first region title in school history, the Engineers have a huge intangible on their side as well with the fact that Wrenn is retiring after almost four decades of coaching in Baltimore City.

When Wrenn coached his first game in 1974 (then at Patterson), Hambor was all of three years old.

“Half of the Baltimore County coaches are guys that were assistant coaches for me,” Wrenn said. “…I know most of those people, but the Catonsville coach I don’t know. But they all speak highly of him and that’s good.

“They seem to really be a class outfit and that’s always a lot of fun to play. I’m sure it’ll be a good game and may the best team win.”

If they advance on Friday, not only will the Comets reach the state semifinals for the first time in team history, but they’ll also have an outside shot at another home game depending upon how the other region finals across the state shake out.

But, at this point Catonsville is solely focused on securing the region title and preserving its unblemished record.

“As far as the home game goes next week, we really can’t do anything about that except win and even then it may not happen,” Hambor said. “So that’s not really in our mind too much, but it is a little bit. We love the crowd here and there’s no better place to play. They’d love to play home again.

“But, if their choice was to play away or not play,” Hambor joked, “they’d play away.”