Stephen Decatur football falls just short of Maryland title game in classic playoff battle

With an appearance in next week's Maryland state title game on the line, the football teams for Stephen Decatur and Milford Mill put together a classic, back-and-forth playoff battle in Baltimore on Friday night. But only one team could advance, and the Milford Mill Millers (13-0) defeated Decatur (10-3) to advance to the state championship game.

Here is how things unfolded in Friday night's epic matchup

How it Happened

• Decatur jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on their first drive of the game, with quarterback Brycen Coleman hitting Gavin Solito for a touchdown. Milford Mill tied the game at 7-7 with a rushing touchdown of their own, and that was the score at the end of the first quarter.
• Decatur's signature Coleman to Luke Mergott connection put them back up 14-7 on a wild fourth down touchdown catch that Mergott made over two Milford Mill defenders. On the very next drive, the Millers got their second rushing touchdown of the game, but missed the PAT, with Decatur still leading 14-13 heading into halftime.
• The second half was a shootout between the two teams, and Milford Mill struck first, taking their first lead on a long touchdown catch and run by wide receiver Daysen Shell to go up 19-14.
• Decatur scored the next 11 points on a field goal by kicker Brogan Eastlack, a Mergott rushing touchdown in the red zone and a safety recorded by their special teams on an errant punt snap to go up 25-19 to start the fourth quarter.
• Milford Mill then went on an unanswered run of their own, striking back with an interception on defense that led to their third rushing touchdown of the day, and a fourth rushing touchdown that gave them a 32-25 lead.
• The Seahawks showed no quit on their next drive, driving all the way down the field to not only score but also take the lead. After a couple big throws by Coleman to put them in the red zone, Mergott scored on another rushing touchdown, and the Seahawks converted a two-point conversion to give them a 1-point 33-32 lead.
• The game-winning drive for Milford Mill featured the Millers running the ball frequently to burn the clock and put themselves in scoring range. Once in the red zone, Milford Mill's quarterback Deshawn Purdie ran in the game-winning touchdown on a bootleg, putting Milford Mill up 40-33 following the two-point conversion.
• With only a few seconds left, Decatur's season came to an end, with the Seahawks unable to muster up one last touchdown drive.

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What it means and what's next

For head coach Jake Coleman and his Seahawk squad, their best season in almost two decades comes to an end in the state semifinals. After a stellar 7-2 regular season, their march to the state semifinals was their longest playoff run since 2004.

The Millers will have the chance to complete their undefeated season next week in Annapolis, where they will face yet another Bayside Conference squad, the Kent Island Buccaneers.