Sports
Playoff Preview: River Hill vs. Thomas Johnson
The Hawks will play for the Class 3A state title Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Riley Davis was a freshman at River Hill High School in 2008 when he was one of three players from his class called up to the varsity team for the state football playoffs.
Now a senior, Davis will have a much bigger role Saturday as the Hawks face Frederick County's Gov. Thomas Johnson High School at 7 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium for the state title.
"They are pretty big up front," Davis said of Thomas Johnson. "Controlling the line of scrimmage will be huge. Winning that battle will be key for our running attack."
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A middle linebacker and tight end, Davis compares the size of Thomas Johnson to Howard County foe Long Reach. He said some of the schemes that Thomas Johnson runs reminds him of Hammond.
"I hear they may have one of the best (offensive) lines we have faced this year. That will be a key," Randall Lawson, a senior co-captain cornerback and running back for River Hill, told Patch on Wednesday.
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Lawson has received interest from college programs at Towson, Lehigh and Delaware. Lehigh will play at Towson on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Division I-AA national playoffs, just hours before River Hill takes the field a few miles south of Towson.
The River Hill football team won state titles in 2007 and 2008.
As the Hawks prepare to return to the title game, head coach Brian Van Deusen said there is a connection between the 2011 squad and those in 2007 and 2008.
"The team is similiar to our 2007 and 2008 state championship teams. Our defense is playing very well and we are running the ball effectively on offense just like we did a couple years ago. Both teams had a strong group of seniors and experience on the line," Van Deusen said.
"Keys versus T.J. are to play well up front and stop their run game. Offensively, we need to keep balance in our run game between our four ball carriers and mix in the pass effectively to keep the defense off balance. We have seen several of their games this year and they are a very talented team."
P.J. Kinkead, a senior halfback/defensive back for River Hill, said his team is very aware of the physical attributes of Thomas Johnson.
"The glaring thing is their size," Kinkead told Patch earlier this week. "Their star tailback is 220 pounds. They are a very big team. But I think we are pretty prepared. You have to win the game in the trenches."
