Midseason Football Update: Owings Mills Marching Toward Playoffs

Currently sitting at 3-2 on the year and in second place--trailing only Edmondson in Class 2A North play--the Eagles are bidding to earn a trip to the post season for the first time since 2003.

After beginning 2011 1-2—a start that included a tough matchup with private school foe Curley and a six-point loss to now 5-0 Overlea— has turned the corner with back-to-back 34-0 victories over Loch Raven and Patapsco. Safety Corey Hill has helped pace the defense with three total interceptions in those two wins.

Offensively, fullback Quran Briggs and tailback Demetrius Johnson have led the Eagles' rapidly improving ground game, while quarterback Shane Gaines and wide receiver Deante Keene have sparked a passing attack that’s greatly enhanced its efficiency from a year ago, according to head coach Steve Lurz.  

The Eagles face a tough task on the horizon in Western Tech, a team that’s 4-1 on the year after an unbeaten (10-0) regular season in 2011.

Pitted against a playoff squad from a year ago, Thursday’s game could give the Eagles a decent barometer of where they stand against some of the tougher opponents in Baltimore County and the region.

However, with what Owings Mills has done so far, Lurz foresees his squad in action when playoff football comes around in about six weeks.

“We’re trying to get through these next five weeks with wins and go on from there,” Lurz said. “We should definitely be playing in November.”