Varsity Letters: Unbeaten football teams down to two - The Baltimore Sun's blog covering high school sports

And then there were two ...

The regional finals claimed half of the area football teams that went into the weekend undefeated. Sixth-ranked Old Mill surprised No. 1 Arundel, 58-55 in double overtime, Friday in Class 3A East and No. 8 Dunbar, the three-time defending state Class 1A champ, cruised by Forest Park, 20-0, on Saturday in 1A North.

Only River Hill and Joppatowne remain perfect heading into the state semifinals. Both are 12-0.

Here’s a look at how they stayed undefeated and who’s next:

No. 2 River Hill
Class 3A
The Hawks won their 40th straight game Friday night, 30-3, over Howard County rival and No. 15 Atholton for the East title. In the regular season, the Hawks fell behind early and rallied for a 35-14 win, but Friday, they got the jump on the Raiders as Nick Bonhag and Brent Kluge scored in the first seven minutes for a 14-0 lead. Kluge finished with three touchdowns, quarterback Harry McLaughlin threw for two touchdowns and Thomas Erdman recovered a fumble that led to Kluge’s first score.

Next up: at Huntingtown (12-0) Friday at 7 p.m.
Six undefeated teams from around the state remain in contention, but this is the only semifinal that features two of them. The Hurricanes, in the final four for the first time, blew away defending champion Westlake, 46-0, in the South region. Greg Goodwin ran for four touchdowns for the Hurricanes, who got a tough battle from Westlake during the regular season but won 14-13. This one could be a slugfest at the line, because the Mariners and the Hurricanes boast uncharitable defensive units. The Hawks give up only 6.6 points per game while the Hurricanes allow 7.8. River Hill aims to advance to the state final for the fourth straight time. The Hawks won the last two Class 2A championships after reaching the 3A title game in 2006, which was the last time they lost.

No. 5 Joppatowne
Class 1A
Senior quarterback Dominic Harper had a big night Friday as the Mariners got past one of their toughest Harford County rivals, Havre de Grace, 22-14, in the East final. Havre de Grace led 8-0 and 14-8, but Harper’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Hawkins late in the third quarter was the game winner. Harper had a hand in all three touchdowns, running for one and passing for two. He gained 173 of his team’s 241 yards of total offense. The Mariners defense made up for allowing the early touchdowns by holding the Warriors to 14 yards of total offense in the final 30 minutes.

Next up: Allegany (9-3) at home Friday at 7 p.m.
One of the more storied programs in state tournament history, the Campers already have knocked off one undefeated team in the playoffs, upsetting their Cumberland neighbor Fort Hill, 35-14, in the West final. The Campers have won eight state championships, most recently in 2005. In the win over Fort Hill, which avenged a 17-7 loss two weeks earlier, J.D. Hook scored two touchdowns and Dustin Wharton scored on a 40-yard punt return. The Mariners have the stingier defense, allowing just 8 points a game while the Campers give up 12.75. The Campers, however, have scored 97 more points this fall than the Mariners, averaging 39.2 points to Joppatowne's 30.7. The Mariners won the last of their two state crowns in 2003 and are in the final four for the third straight year. The two last met in the 2007 state semifinals with the Campers taking a 27-21 victory. In 2004, Joppatowne won the semifinal, 30-0.

(A note to those who have e-mailed about the teams from other parts of the state that remain unbeaten. Yes, I am aware of them, but this blog, and the rest of our coverage, is about the teams in The Baltimore Sun’s coverage area: Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.)