On Wednesday afternoon, the baseball teams from Huntingtown and La Plata arrived at Chopticon High School prepared to square off against one another in a marquee matchup for the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference championship.
Both teams have been among the best in the state in recent years, and both reached a state final a year ago with Huntingtown finishing at the Class 3A runner-up and La Plata doing the same in the 2A classification. Each program boasts three consecutive region championships, while both also won their respective state titles in 2016.
But an ill-timed storm passed over Chopticon during the early afternoon on Wednesday, forcing the cancellation of the conference championship games for both baseball and softball, the latter of which featuring a marquee matchup in its own right with defending 2A state champion La Plata battling a Chopticon team that beat it twice this past regular season.
So at 4 p.m. Wednesday when the teams should have been warming up, they were instead loading back onto their buses, the opportunity to play for a SMAC title stolen by Mother Nature. But all is not lost, as the bigger goals for those teams as well as the rest of their conference rivals still lie ahead.
For Huntingtown (17-3 overall), the goal is to follow up what was an impressive regular season with another long playoff march that the Hurricanes hope ends in the 3A championship game in Aberdeen on May 25. The Hurricanes earned the top seed in Section II of the 3A South Region, and are scheduled to see their first playoff action at home at 1 p.m. Saturday against the winner of St. Charles (No. 5 seed) and fourth-seeded Great Mills.
“The team had a successful season but now we turn our attention to the postseason,” Huntingtown head coach Guy Smith said. “We have many players with playoff experience, so we will be relying on them. Also our veteran coaching staff of [Steve] Willett, [Chris] Gaines and [Ian] Schwalenberg will again be preparing the players to get the most out of their abilities.
“Also, with the recent success of the program brings added pressure for the team. This group of seniors knows what it takes to make another deep run into the playoffs. We will be looking to their leadership and talent to make it happen.”
Waiting in the section final would be the winner of Saturday’s scheduled matchup between third-seeded Chopticon (12-6), itself a state champion in the not-so-distant past with the 2015 3A crown, and second-seeded Northern (12-5).
In Section II of the 4A East, second-seeded Leonardtown (15-5) is slated to kick things off tomorrow against third-seeded South River of Anne Arundel County. North Point (12-7), seeded fourth in the section, was scheduled to open its postseason at home against fifth-seeded Annapolis on Thursday with the winner advancing to travel to Annapolis to face top-seeded Broadneck on Saturday.
La Plata, looking to claim its fourth consecutive 2A South title, will see the winner of a section quarterfinal contest between No. 5 seed Westlake (4-14) and fourth-seeded Southern of Anne Arundel County in a section semifinal scheduled for Saturday. In the section’s other semifinal, second-seeded Patuxent (8-10) will host the winner of a Thursday section quarterfinal game between third-seeded Calvert (6-11) and sixth-seeded Thomas Stone (1-15).
Also coming off of a region title in 2018, McDonough (9-8) will look to again qualify for the state semifinal starting with a 1A South Section II semifinal against county rival Lackey (4-13) scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday. McDonough, the second seed in the section, has won the region in two of the previous four years and advanced to the 1A championship game in 2015.
Softball teams ready to go
Two SMAC softball programs are defending state champions, with Huntingtown (3A) and La Plata (2A) looking to maintain their respective spots atop the state.
Huntingtown (17-1) opens the playoffs as the top seed in Section II of the 3A South. The Hurricanes have reached the last three 3A championships games, settling for second in 2016 and 2017 before claiming the program’s fourth state title a year ago. Up first for the team will be a section semifinal on Monday against the winner of fourth-seeded St. Charles (6-12) and fifth-seeded Great Mills (2-16).
Second-seeded Chopticon (17-1) is scheduled to host No. 3 seed Northern (14-4) in the other section semifinal.
La Plata’s defense of its 2A crown will begin in earnest Monday in the 2A South Region Section II semifinals against the winner of a section quarterfinal matchup between fourth-seeded Patuxent (6-12) and fifth-seeded Southern. Second-seeded Calvert (11-7) will host the section’s other semifinal on Monday, squaring off against the winner of Thomas Stone (8-8), the No. 3 seed, and sixth-seeded Westlake (0-16).
Leonardtown (8-8) opens the playoffs as the top seed in Section II of the 4A East Region and gets the winner of an all-Anne Arundel County matchup between fourth-seeded Broadneck and fifth-seeded Annapolis in a section semifinal on Monday afternoon. Also in the section, third-seeded North Point (8-10) travels to No. 2 seed South River in a semifinal showdown on Monday.
Rounding out the SMAC contingent in the 1A South Region, McDonough (3-13), the No. 5 seed in Section II of the region, was to play fourth-seeded International School at Largo on Thursday with the winner to advance to play top-seeded Lackey (10-8) in the section semifinals on Monday afternoon.
Lackey, the defending region champion, has its sights on repeating last year’s accomplishments. And while the Chargers’ season has seen its share of ups and downs, first-year head coach John Lush feels the team is ready for what it about to embark on.
“I think we are playing our best ball at the right time of the year,” Lush said. “With a team that starts an underclassman at every position other than shortstop, that’s what we were hoping for at the beginning of the year. As far as the postseason is concerned, I think we match up pretty well with everyone in our region. If we can play well defensively we will have a chance to advance.”
Twitter: @cfhphilly
