For the first time since 2007, the Baltimore area has teams playing in all four state football finals.
Old Mill, Franklin and Dunbar have won titles in the past three years and Douglass will play for its first state championship.
Here's what to expect from the finals Thursday, Friday and Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium:
Class 4A
NO. 2 OLD MILL (11-2)
vs. NORTHWEST (12-1)
When: Friday, 7:30
Coaches: Chad McCormick, Old Mill; Mike Neubeiser, Northwest
Outlook: To win their third state title in six years, the Patriots will have to get past the defending champions, who were ranked No. 1 in Maryland before falling to Quince Orchard a month ago. Northwest avenged that loss in the region final while Old Mill avenged both of its regular season losses, to Broadneck and Arundel, in the region playoffs. After their 0-2 start, the Patriots allowed six points in their next six games, including five shutouts. They've allowed an average of 6.5 points per game and have shut out seven opponents. They'll need that kind of stifling defense against the Jaquars, who set a Montgomery County record for most points during the regular season with 453. Northwest has a balanced offense led by running back E.J. Lee, who has rushed for more than 1,500 yards and scored 30 touchdowns, and quarterback Mark Pierce, who has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and 33 touchdowns. In last week's 47-12 state semifinal win over DuVal, Lee scored six touchdowns — three on passes from Pierce, two on runs and one on a punt return. The Patriots won a much different semifinal game vs. No. 5 Howard, with Donovan Franklin's 45-yard touchdown run the difference in a 10-3 defensive jostle. Franklin (284 carries, 1,704 yards, 21 touchdowns) leads the offense along with quarterback David Marrocco, who has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns with just one interception and run for 213 yards and five touchdowns. They also have kicker Chris Walker, who is 5-for-6 on field goals and tied a state record with four in the Broadneck playoff game. The Patriots won championships in 2009 and 2011 and are looking to break that odd-year pattern. Northwest also has won twice, most recently in 2004.
Class 3A
NO. 4 FRANKLIN (12-1)
vs. DAMASCUS (13-0)
When: Thursday, 7
Coaches: Anthony Burgos, Franklin; Eric Wallich, Damascus
Outlook: Franklin won the first state football title in school history last season and will try to repeat against one of the most successful programs in tournament history. The Swarmin' Hornets, from Montgomery County, have won seven times, most recently in 2007. Damascus has a punishing running game led by Jake Funk, who ran for three of his four touchdowns and nearly 200 yards in the first half of last week's 33-0 semifinal win over Glenelg. The senior heads into the title game with 1,675 yards rushing and 37 touchdowns. The Indians' defense, however, kept two 1,000-yard rushers out of the end zone in a 30-0 win over Thomas Stone. The Indians have lots of options in their spread offense orchestrated by quarterback Jacquez Adams, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for another last week. Adams has passed for 1,454 yards and 33 touchdowns and has two star receivers in Steven Smothers (32 catches, 574 yards) and Adams' twin brother, Jordan Adams (30 catches, 424 yards). The Indians also have a strong running back in Darius Hinton (211 carries, 1,720 yards, 23 touchdowns). Smothers, who returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the playoffs, can break a big play at any time and has scored 18 touchdowns in four different ways. As in their last three games against running teams, the Indians need to make the most of their opportunities and stop the Hornets from grinding away the clock.
Class 2A
DUNBAR (10-3)
vs. DOUGLASS-PG (13-0)
When: Saturday, 7
Coaches: Lawrence Smith, Dunbar; J.C. Pinkney, Douglass-PG
Outlook: The Poets have come a long way with a young team that Smith said is still building toward the future. While Dunbar is a familiar name in the state playoffs with nine championships, the most recent coming in 2012, these Poets are all new to the experience. Nevertheless, they've done something no other Dunbar football team ever has by winning three road playoff games to get to the final. Last week, they rallied to beat Kent Island, 27-24, with no time on the clock. Junior quarterback Zionnez Spencer (2,599 yards passing, 30 touchdowns; 608 yards rushing, eight touchdowns) escaped what looked like a sure sack and found Ivan Lomax, who made a sliding catch in the end zone. That was the Poets' only lead of the game. This week, they face a tougher opponent in Douglass from Prince George's County. The Eagles, who lost in the state final the past two years, have allowed just 55 points all season. Last week they shut down South Carroll's 2,000-yard rusher, Chris Gavin, holding him to 14 yards on nine carries in a 43-0 semifinal victory. In addition to their stifling defense, Douglass has a three-pronged offense in quarterback Devin Butler, slotback Akiva Wedge and fullback Thomas Myers, who have each run for more than 700 yards on a team that has totaled more than 3,500 yards. Their average margin of victory is 40 points. Douglass has never won a state championship.
Class 1A
No. 12 DOUGLASS (12-1)
vs. FORT HILL (13-0)
When: Saturday, 3:30
Coaches: Elwood Townsend, Douglass; Todd Appel, Fort Hill
Outlook: The Mighty Ducks have been waiting for this rematch since the final whistle of last year's state final. Fort Hill dominated that game, 25-0, but the Ducks have been determined to turn that around and win their first state title Douglass' defense has allowed just 60 points all season and has not yielded a point in the playoffs, with opponents scoring only on a safety and a kick return. Their Cumberland opponent, however, presents another level of competition. The Sentinels have won 27 straight games, the longest active winning streak in Maryland. They've scored 574 points, an average of 44.2 per game. Douglass has scored 540 points. In Friday's 26-0 state semifinal win at Cambridge-South Dorchester, Douglass' Maurice McFadden ran for 274 yards and three touchdowns to boost his season totals to 1,187 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Douglass defense allowed little running room to the Vikings' top two running backs, who had combined for 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns. This week, they'll have to contend with Sentinels running back Ty Johnson, a Maryland commit who has run for more than 1,600 yards and has a school record 33 touchdowns — running, receiving and returning. Four players scored touchdowns in Fort Hill's 36-20 win over Surrattsville last week, including quarterback Rashaan Shives, who threw for one and ran for another. Last year's title was the third for Fort Hill, which also won in 1975 and 1997.