Poly's Rally Punches Playoff Ticket

Gilman defeated McDonogh, 22-14, in the 93rd installment of the classic rivalry.  (Kyle Knopp)

By: Keith Mills

With the game, the season and their careers on the line, Poly seniors Jon Marcus and Arnold Farmer simply refused to lose.

"Coach [Roger Wrenn] pulled me up at halftime," said senior co-captain Farmer, "and said, 'If we're going to win, the seniors are going to have to get it done.'"

And they did.

Poly came back from a 13-0 halftime deficit to beat City, 16-13, in the 120th renewal of this classic rivalry at M&T Bank Stadium.

The teams weren't just playing for bragging rights in the country's second oldest high school football rivalry, but also state playoff berths. A City would guarantee the Black Knights a spot in the state playoffs. A Poly win coupled with a Randallstown loss to Calvert Hall would send the Engineers to the state playoffs for the second straight year. (Calvert Hall handed Randallstown a season-ending, 41-7, setback.)

"We didn't want our season to end, our careers to end," Farmer said.

Farmer, a 6-foot-1, 337-pound two-way tackle, and Marcus, a 5-foot-8, 163-pound running back, made two of the game's biggest plays.

Marcus scored Poly's first touchdown on a 12-yard yard run late in the third quarter and put the Engineers ahead for good with a bruising 4-yard touchdown run with 4:47 left in the game.

"I really didn't know what to expect on that play," said Marcus, who took a hand-off from senior quarterback Antoine Goodson, swept left and ran through three City defenders before tumbling into the end zone. "I was just going to run as hard as I could until I got into the end zone."

Farmer came up huge on City's next possession. The Black Knights took possession at their 38-yard line and drove to Poly's 32, where they were staring at a third-and-1 with just over two minutes left. City's four-year starting quarterback Ellis Foster faked a hand-off and cut back to the left side. He was about to streak through a hole for a first down and probably an even bigger gain when Farmer came out of nowhere to slam Foster to the turf for no gain. One play later, Farmer and fellow senior Charles Johnson stuffed City's Richard Rodwell on a run up the middle to preserve the lead and give Poly its first win in the series since 2004.

"We had worked on that play all week," Farmer said. "It's a counter play. The center chips me and then blocks down. I just read it and tried to get to him (Foster) as quick as I could."

"It was just like the Edmondson game two weeks before," Wrenn said. "We scored to take the lead with 40 seconds left, and they drove the ball right down and scored to win the game. This was almost the exact same situation. They had a little more time, but I'm thinking, 'Hey, we need to make a play here.' And we did. This time we showed a lot of heart and determination."

The win was the first in the series for Wrenn, who spent 37 years and won more than 230 games at Patterson High School. He took over the storied Poly program three years ago, but because of his ties with City coach George Petrides and the late Augie Waibel, he was no stranger to this classic rivalry.

"George and I go back to when we played each other in college," said Wrenn, "and we've coached against each other so many times. There's no better or classier coach than George Petrides."

Petrides proved Wrenn correct after the game. With the Engineers and their fans celebrating wildly, Petrides walked over to Wrenn, who was standing alone near the Poly sideline, to present him with the symbolic trophy.

"Congratulations," Petrides told Wrenn. "You deserved to win. You played a great second half and it was a really a great game"

***

Petrides played in two City-Poly games and has coached in the last 34. And every year, his pregame ritual is the same.

"I go to Dunkin' Donuts and get a coffee and a doughnut," Petrides said. "My coaches all go to breakfast and they don't even bother calling me. They know I won't go."

The ritual began when the two schools played on Thanksgiving Day and continued when the city public school programs joined the state athletic association in 1993 and the game was switched to the second Saturday in November.

As center at City for quarterback Kurt Schmoke, who would go on to become the 46h Mayor of Baltimore City, Petrides helped the Black Knights win the 1965 and '66 games by a combined score of 94-12. He replaced Ron Chartrand as the coach of his alma mater in 1975.

With his childhood neighbor, long-time friend and defensive coordinator Angelo Geppi by his side for the last 29 years, City has become an area power. At one point the Black Knights won 29 straight games and two MSA A Conference championships.

Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 6,000 fans at M&T Bank Stadium, Petrides had his Black Knight's ready to play. City dominated the first half, out-gaining the Engineers 200 yards to 31. In the first quarter, Rodwell scored to give the Black Knights a 6-0 lead. Foster hit Avery Griffen with an 18-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and the Engineers took a 13-0 lead into halftime.

Three weeks ago, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen came to the picturesque City campus on 33rd street to watch Adrian Coxson, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior, who caught two touchdowns in a 28-18 win over Lake Clifton. Against Poly, Coxson caught nine passes for 112 yards.

But it was a pass that Coxson could not catch early in the fourth quarter that kept the door open for the Engineers. With 11 minutes left in the game, City faced a fourth-and-10 from Poly's 33-yard line. Foster's pass to Coxson was broken up by Poly junior defensive back Joshua Lee. The Engineers then drove 67 yards in seven minutes to take the lead as Goodson, Marcus and wide receiver Tony Johnson made one big play after another.

"We made some adjustments at the half," Wrenn said, "and just dug down deep. George is a smart coach and threw some wrinkles at us in the first half. In the second half our offense and defense just clicked. We found some things offensively we could do and just pounded them.

"But it had to be a great game to watch."

***

One of the many former City and Poly students who watched the rivalry game was Antonio "Buttons" Freeman, who graduated from Poly in 1990.

Long before Freeman was catching passes from Brett Favre in Green Bay, he was helping Waibel and assistant coach Bucky Kimmett wins games at Poly. The 36-year-old now splits his time between South Florida and Baltimore.

"This is the first time I've been back since they moved the game from Thanksgiving," said Freeman, who watched the game from the Poly sideline. "A lot has changed, but it's still City-Poly. It's still the best rivalry around."

Freeman is certainly no stranger to the rivalry's illustrious history. He was a sophomore when City's Chris Smith and Jon Williams combined for what they now call simply "The Play," a spectacular run by Williams and pass back to Smith that helped City win the 99th game, 34-22, in 1987. Two years later on Thanksgiving Day, Freeman caught two touchdown passes from Chris Lafferman in the snow at Memorial Stadium as the Engineers won the 101st game, 36-6.

"Great memories," said Freeman, who went on to a standout career at Virginia Tech and nine-year NFL career and remains close with Kimmett, who retired from coaching and teaching at Poly shortly after Waibel passed away in 2001. "Coach Kimmett and Coach Waibel were so important to me. They helped me so much. I told [Poly principal Barney Wilson] whatever he needs me to do, I'll do."

McDonogh Beats Gilman in 93rd Game

"One thing about Gilman-McDonogh," Biff Poggi said, "expect the unexpected."

Once again, that's what happened. McDonogh, coming off a loss to Archbishop Curley a week ago, beat Gilman, 22-14, in the 93rd installment of the classic rivalry.

Junior quarterback Rudy Johnson tossed two touchdown passes to Justin Gross and another to Curtis Holmes as Dominic D'Amico's Eagles avenged last year's loss and end the season with 3-6 record. Malik Compton scored two touchdowns for Gilman, which ended the year 6-4.

***

Loyola is 10-0 heading into its Thanksgiving Day showdown with Calvert Hall. The Dons hammered Georgetown Prep, 35-7, and have a chance at going undefeated for the first time since 1960.

Senior Terence Garvin rushed for two touchdowns as the Dons clinched a tie for the MIAA A Conference championship with the win. Mount St. Joseph beat Cardinal Gibbons, 47-0, and can earn a share of the A crown if Calvert Hall upsets the Dons on Thanksgiving Day.

Posted November 9, 2008