by Brian Heard
Germantown Gazette
11-15-2006

Kennedy and Seneca Valley: Contrasts collide again

It must be true, opposites attract. These teams met in week four, but are coming back for more.

The contrasts are stark. For starters, from a historical perspective Seneca Valley has won 12 state titles and has made the playoffs 15 of the last 16 seasons. Kennedy has two state titles (none since 1985) and is making its first playoff appearance in 14 years. Since opening in 1974, Seneca has always been a main point of discussion in Maryland high-school football circles, with just one losing season (4-6 in 2000) in its 32-year history. Kennedy has rarely elicited even a word in those same circles and was without a winning season since 1992, including an on-field losing streak of 25 games entering 2006.

From a present-tense standpoint: Seneca runs the football almost 87-percent of the time. Kennedy slings it around the field with more frequency than anyone else in the county. Though it’s not true across the board, Seneca can be described as physical, Kennedy as finesse.

The differences, both historical and current were apparent in the first meeting, with Seneca doling out a decisive beating at home, intimidating and physically bruising the Cavaliers. As Screaming Eagles defensive end⁄fullback Jourdan Brooks said after that game, ‘‘ ... we showed them when you come to the Valley you’re not gonna win; we punish people at the Valley.”

But Friday’s game isn’t at ‘‘the Valley”, it’s in northwest Silver Spring where the Cavaliers are 5-0 this season and where there is sure to be a very loud, very supportive home crowd.

‘‘We think it will help a whole lot,” said first-year Kennedy head coach Gunnard Twyner of being at home. ‘‘If you look at our numbers, we score more points at home. I don’t know what it is — the muddy field, the band — but we’re more comfortable at home.”

Is that enough to close the gap between these programs this year? Maybe. But more important will be Kennedy’s ability to get physical at the line of scrimmage, something Seneca thrives on with standout senior running back Shawn Perry (1,445 yards, 20 TDs) and a big offensive line led by University of Tennessee-bound Donald Langley (6-foot-2 1⁄2, 295 pounds) and Malinda Weeramunda (6-3, 305).

The Eagles are on a stretch of almost four years without a state title — not a big deal at most schools, but it’s a definite draught at Seneca, its longest since 1987-1992. They have a lot of college-level talent and are hungry to get back into the state championship mix. So despite the relatively easy win (though the first half was very competitive) earlier in the season, they won’t be overlooking the Cavaliers.

‘‘It’s definitely hard playing a team twice,” said Seneca head coach Fred Kim. ‘‘[Kennedy’s] gotten better, they’re a good team. And they’ve probably learned from the first meeting — you always learn more from the losses than the wins.”

To that end, the Cavaliers think they’ve figured out what they do best. In the main, that equates to leaving the ball in quarterback Melvin Harris’ hands. The junior has thrown for 1,996 yards and 27 TDs in his first season of high-school football. He’s also rushed for over 300 yards. Senior wide receiver Abreon Scott is one of the county’s best with 53 catches for 887 yards and 6 TDs.

Is Seneca a heavy favorite Friday? You bet. But Kennedy’s storybook season is one to remember, and maybe there’s another chapter or two still to be written. After all, who would’ve believed Kennedy and Seneca Valley would be in the same conversation come playoff time?

‘‘When I first took the job I told a friend of mine I was just trying to win one game — to be better than last year,” Twyner said. ‘‘But after I saw Melvin throw in the passing league and saw some of the athletes we had, I started really believing we could win some games. But I never would’ve thought the playoffs. But here we are, it’s an impressive thing.”

Notes: The winner gets the winner of No. 4-seeded Urbana (7-3) and top-seeded Linganore (8-2), who play Saturday at Linganore at 1 p.m. The Frederick County powers hooked up just last weekend with Linganore winning, 13-10. The Seneca-Kennedy winner probably will be rooting for Urbana. If the Hawks win, they’ll have to travel to Montgomery County for the regional final. If Linganore wins, the Lancers host the regional final.