Boys' Latin gave Archbishop Curley a dose of Brandon Cherry that the top-seeded Friars (7-4) could not handle in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference semifinal Saturday afternoon in northeast Baltimore.
Behind their senior running back and a hard-hitting defense, the Lakers (5-6) took down the Friars, 21-14, and will advance to the conference title game against Annapolis Area Christian School on Nov. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
Cherry was a one-man wrecking crew on offense for the fourth seeds, carrying the ball 40 times for 285 yards and two touchdowns.
The elusive 5-foot-6, 165-pound speedster consistently broke or spun through tackles when he wasn't outracing frustrated Friar defenders down the sideline.
He was also used as a battering ram against archrival St. Paul's last week, gaining 219 yards in 39 carries in the 6-0 triumph that earned BL the fourth seed despite a sub-.500 record.
Like many featured running backs, Cherry appeared to get stronger as the game progressed.
"Our coaches prepare us really well, getting us into good condition," he said. "But they tell us that that the game is 95 percent mental (attitude). My adrenaline kept me going."
After falling behind, 7-0, on a 4-yard run by Curley senior running back Avery Williams, the Lakers began to win the battle in the trenches behind University of Georgia recruit Greg Pyke, a two-way lineman coach Ritchie Schell called a "stud."
But BL made the break it needed when junior Steven Black blocked a punt at the Friar 4-yard line.
Two plays later, a Cherry plunge and George Rice conversion kick knotted the score that stood until the Lakers jumped ahead, 14-7, midway through the third quarter on junior quarterback Andrew Roswell's 1-yard sneak.
BL extended the lead with 5:31 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard Dash by Cherry.
While Curley (7-4) did answer on a 2-yard run by senior running back James Cooper three minutes later, it was too little, too late.
"Coach tells us every day, it starts with the o-line," said Pyke, who is also a lacrosse attackman. "Brandon is easy to block for. He does a great job of reading our blocks, and he does the rest."