The Mergenthaler Vo-Tech Mustangs of Baltimore City saw their perfect season come to a crashing end as the Paint Branch Panthers of Burtonsville, Md. defeated Mervo, 42-8, in the Maryland 4A North regional semifinals on Nov. 14 at Mervo Field in East Baltimore.
Paint Branch took control from the start, scoring 14 unanswered points in the first quarter and seven more in the second quarter to lead 21-0 by halftime. The Panthers added 21 more points in the second half, while Mervo didn’t get on the score board until late in the fourth quarter with a meaningless touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion.
Mervo finished its season with a 9-1 record, while Paint Branch (9-2) advanced to take on Howard of Ellicott City, Md in the 4A Finals.
Meanwhile, the Dunbar Poets of Baltimore City delivered one of their trademark playoff performances, dominating No. 2 seed Overlea High School of Baltimore County, 35-6, in the 2A North Regional Semifinals on Nov. 14.
The Poets (9-3) backed their way into the playoffs after experiencing their worst regular season campaign in years and playing most of the season without longtime coach Lawrence Smith, who was suspended by city school officials over a 2013 hazing incident. But Dunbar wasn’t distracted by those issues, using a strong running game and stingy defense to beat Overlea (7-4). Junior quarterback Zionnez Spencer led the Poets with two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown.
Dunbar will face top-seeded Eastern Tech (10-1) in the 2A North Finals on Nov. 21.
In other Baltimore City high school football scores:
–City College was eliminated by Glenelg, 41-14, in the 3A East Regional Semifinals.
– Edmondson-Westside advanced to the 1A South Regional Finals with a 36-0 win over Northwestern in the semifinals. Edmondson will face Douglass High School of Baltimore City, which crushed Lake Clifton, 50-6, in the semifinals.