Coach Steve Turnbaugh wondered if his 10th-ranked Hereford Bulls could contain visiting Forest Park's speed -- particularly that of Chris Cummings, who entered last night's Class 1A state quarterfinal with 16 touchdowns.
They could, and they did.
The top-seed, defending state champion Bulls won, 55-8, to get their third straight semifinal appearance next weekend against Forestville, now 9-2 after last night's 39-36 defeat of Allegany, which has won six state titles.
Ryan Vogel (80 rushing yards) had a big night behind linemen Adam Hendrix, Jeremy Hundertmark, Dan Saunders, C. J. Feldheim and Ryan Zyla, rushing for touchdowns of 7 and 18 yards and, defensively, getting two sacks.
"Our whole offensive line executed great," said Hendrix.
Reg Cavender (72 yards) rushed for three touchdowns -- from 1, 2 and 3 yards -- and, defensively, had two sacks and a tackle for a loss. He also scored a conversion run.
"Our offensive line was getting their blocks. They [Forest Park] hit hard, but we got the job done," Cavender said.
Ray Causey had a sack, a fumble recovery and a 15-yard scoring run. Matt Curtis (75 yards) had a 20-yard touchdown run, and quarterback Chris Lauer (5-for-5, 83 yards) threw a 2-yard scoring pass to Rob Bateman.
Also playing well defensively were Bulls Pat Devereaux with a sack and a tackle for a loss, Dan Quidley with a fumble recovery and a sack, and Jason Armacost with a sack. Devereaux also kicked two extra points.
The Foresters' Cummings, meanwhile, was held to 60 yards and no touchdowns.
"He's a great back, and we were concerned about him," Causey said, "but we showed a great defense."
The Foresters, Baltimore West Division runners-up, trailed 20-8 after one period and 35-8 at the half. Hereford scored on all five of its first-half possessions.
The Bulls allowed only Rashid Smith's 35-yard scoring reception from Shaun Smith, which, coupled with Cummings' two-point conversion run, made the score 14-8 with 5: 47 left in the first period.
"They're a real good team. They move you off the ball, and they don't make mistakes," said Forest Park coach Obie Barnes, whose 6-5 team was in its first playoff game since a quarterfinal loss to Fort Hill two years ago.
"We needed to be more physical, especially up front, and we weren't," Barnes said.
Pub Date: 11/14/98