Besides its import on the city championship race, tonight's Dunbar-Poly football game will have an impact on the state playoff picture.

Poly, which, like Dunbar, is unbeaten at 6-0, will almost certainly tumble out of first place in the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association 2A North race behind Eastern Tech (6-0), which probably clinched a playoff spot with last week's win over Randallstown (5-1), whose hold on third place over Edmondson (4-2) became tenuous as the Rams now have a .14 point advantage over the Red Storm (4-2).

And don't look now, but Northwestern (4-2) has climbed into the race, leaping past City (4-2) for fifth place in the region. Northwestern, which travels to surprising Digital Harbor (5-1) this afternoon for a big game, is just a tenth of a point behind Edmondson and .24 ahead of City in what has become a three-team scrum for one playoff spot.