With its 49-0 win at Centennial Nov. 4, Atholton completed its most dominant regular season in school history and secured its first outright county championship — the Raiders previously tied with Howard for the county title in 1976 and with Wilde Lake in 1988.
But the celebration was brief.
"On Friday, we celebrated and it's a big accomplishment," said Raiders senior linebacker Steve Whiting, who finished the regular season with 44 tackles and a team-high 10 sacks. "But we've moved on and now it's all about Stephen Decatur."
Top-seeded Atholton hosts the Seahawks Friday, Nov. 11 in what it hopes is the first of four playoff games this fall.
"We can't get to states, we can't get to regions, unless we win on Friday," Whiting said.
It's that attitude that has gotten Atholton to where it is.
Over the course of this season, the Raiders (9-1) have outscored their opponents by an average of 32.2 points per game. They've earned five shutouts this season, including three in a row down the stretch. That defensive performance is the best this county has seen since 2008, when eventual state champion River Hill allowed only 28 points and earned six shutouts. And the Raiders' 377 points scored is the best offensive output since 2009, when River Hill scored 404 points during league play. They've trailed only once this season, after fumbling in the third quarter of what was eventually a 24-14 win at Reservoir Sept. 23.
Atholton's only loss this year came after beating Glenelg, 39-0, in the first week. The Raiders were forced to forfeit the game because of an oversight leading to an offseason practice violation.
"I'm just really proud of our players, they've been working hard all year. Our motto has been 'control what we can control,' and I don't think we've had a bad practice (so far)," coach Kyle Schmitt said.
Whiting said that he and his fellow seniors could tell that Schmitt was upset over his error that led to Atholton's opening game forfeit, so they made it their goal to erase the mistake with hard work.
"We told him, 'coach, we're going to win out and we're going to be county champs'," he said.
Two months later, Atholton is the county champion. But there are several tasks left on the list.
"That was goal No. 1, but I could tell from the kids today at practice that they want a lot more … it's been a culmination of three years of progress with these guys and even before I got here the cupboard wasn't bare by any means. There were some good players here," said Schmitt, who took over the Atholton program in three years ago.
Back in 2009, the Raiders were led by senior Matt Robinson, who started this year as the University of Maryland's starting safety before an injury. That year Atholton rebounded from a 3-7 campaign in 2008 to finish 10-2 overall, falling to River Hill in the regional championship game.
"The seniors two years ago set the tone and let us know we could win," Whiting said. "Every class before us has built us up."
Last year, River Hill defeated Stephen Decatur, 47-14, in the opening round of the playoffs. But Schmitt isn't expecting anything less than a hard-fought game.
"They bring back their whole team from last year; we've got to be prepared for a battle," Schmitt said. "They've got a good tailback and a good quarterback … they have some athletes on the field and they're not bad up front, either."
In the other 3A East playoff game Nov. 11, River Hill (8-2) will host Howard (7-3) at 7 p.m. The Hawks won their regular season game, 42-7, but Howard is coming off of a 39-6 drubbing of defending county co-champion Hammond and the Lions have won three of their last four. River Hill, meanwhile, is riding a six-game winning streak heading into the playoffs.
2A South
Glenelg, Howard County's lone representative in the 2A South region, is making its first playoff appearance since 2009, when the Gladiators lost to Douglass, 24-12. Glenelg will host Gwynn Park (8-2) Nov. 4.