In last weekend’s regional football semifinal, Pikesville probably faced the most highly-motivated team in the entire state tournament bracket – Sparrows Point.

A week earlier, the Pointers had a chance to beat Pikesville on the last play of the regular-season finale, but Panthers linebacker Nolan Hart tipped the ball away from a Sparrows Point player in the end zone to seal a 35-28 Pikesville win and the top spot among Baltimore County’s Class 1A teams.

That brought up Part Two for the rivals: the Class 1A North region opener.

“We knew Sparrows Point was going to come out and be excited, because the week before they lost on the last play of the game, so they knew they could beat us and our kids knew that too,” said Panthers coach Jamie Willis. “I told them they’re going to come out on top of their game, especially emotionally, and they did. They jumped on us. They threw the ball down two series in a row and went up 14-0.”

The Panthers didn’t fold.

Shortly after Sparrows Point's second touchdown, quarterback Jeremy Downing wanted to pass on third-and-12, but the Pointers covered his receivers, so he scrambled for a first down that led to Pikesville’s first touchdown.

“He makes plays,” Willis said. “He’s that kind of kid, so it got us moving a little bit and got us into the game emotionally and from that point on, we played probably our best football.”

The Panthers reeled off five unanswered touchdowns to take the lead for good, led offensively by Downing, Bradley Garfield, Daniel Shear, Kion Wright and DeVohn Gilmore. They went on to win, 42-20, and earn a trip to Thurmont to meet Catoctin (10-0) for the regional crown Friday night.

That was the eighth straight win for Pikesville, which started the season 0-2. Willis said the leadership of his 21 seniors played a key role in their success in a season in which they matched a program-best 8-2 record.

“We started the year 0-2 with a bunch of turnovers and then we got a bye week,” Willis said. “We knew we had to get better and they just continued to lead us. Right now we're playing our best football, so they led us to where we are today.”

Willis, a second-year head coach who took the Panthers to the regional final last season after they had gone through five losing seasons, also noted the defensive play of linemen Robert Gibson, Pat Murdock, Brent Hiken and Jaron McQueen, defensive ends Shear and Taymar Davenport, linebackers Hart and Tim Bailey, corners David Johnson and Shawn Markow and safeties Gilmore and Corey Cutler.

Next up for the Panthers, who had never gone past the first round of playoffs until last season, is another familiar foe: Catoctin. They fell to the Cougars, 50-13, a year ago at home.

“We played them last year in the same game,” said Willis, “so we know who they are. I think they expected us to be here again and we knew they were going to be here again. My kids are looking forward to it. We’re going to have to play a flawless game to beat them. They’re a very good team.”