The No. 4 River Hill Hawks football team, which moved from 2A to 3A competition this season, continues to win -- just like it has the last two years.

The Hawks were 28-0 over the last two seasons with two 2A state championships to show for it. This season, some might have expected their prospects to dim, but River Hill head coach Brian Van Deusen wasn't among them. And the team has added another five straight victories to its total.

The 5-0 start has it leading the 3A East division by one point over another county rival, Atholton, which is also 5-0.

On Friday, River Hill will try to maintain its lead and improve to 6-0 while playing at county rival Glenelg at 7 p.m.

"We're keeping the string going," Van Deusen said. "This year, besides losing last year's seniors, we've had some injuries and been moving people around. But we keep winning. It's a matter of perspective. Our junior varsity (county champions last season) is good every year. The new kids coming up can step in and play well. Our returning players have gotten bigger and stronger, allowing us to do more things.

"You know, we were real good before those guys [Malek Redd, Leron Eaddy, Michael Campanaro and quarterback Luke Hostetler, among them] graduated."

For two seasons, perfection has been the name of River Hill's game. But even before that first unbeaten season, the Hawks were the envy of many. They were 13-1, losing only the championship game three years ago. And they were 13-2 the year before that.

This season, River Hill has continued to excel, bringing its four-plus year record to 59-3 and counting.