The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association football semifinal matchups are set, with Archbishop Spalding and John Carroll earning the top seeds in the A and B conferences, respectively. The bracket includes two semifinal games in each conference.
MIAA A Conference semifinals
Archbishop Spalding earned the No. 1 seed after finishing 8-2 overall and 7-0 in league play. The four-time defending champion closed the regular season with a 34-13 victory over Loyola, which finished 6-4 overall and 2-4 in league play; the loss ended Loyola’s postseason hopes.
Archbishop Spalding will host No. 4 seed St. Mary’s. St. Mary’s finished 5-5 overall and 3-4 in league play and claimed the final playoff spot through a tiebreaker over Mount St. Joseph after defeating Mount St. Joseph 27-20 in October. St. Mary’s also lost its regular-season meeting with Archbishop Spalding, 34-27, on Oct. 30.
McDonogh earned the No. 2 seed after finishing 9-2 overall and 5-2 in league play. McDonogh defeated Gilman 28-13 and will host No. 3 seed Calvert Hall, which finished 5-5 overall and 3-3 in league play. Calvert Hall secured its semifinal place with victories over Gilman, 27-3, and Mount St. Joseph, 39-0.
MIAA B Conference semifinals
John Carroll earned the top seed in the MIAA B Conference after finishing 9-1 overall and 7-0 in league play. John Carroll defeated Archbishop Curley 28-7 in its regular-season finale and will face No. 4 seed Boys’ Latin, which finished 6-3 overall and 4-3 in league play.
No. 2 seed Mount Carmel finished 9-1 overall and 6-1 in league play and will host No. 3 seed Severn. Severn finished 7-3 overall and 5-2 in league play.
MSB Analysis
Archbishop Spalding and John Carroll lead the four-team semifinal fields after strong league finishes. The A Conference matchups also feature regular-season rematches, with St. Mary’s having lost to Archbishop Spalding 34-27 and McDonogh having defeated Calvert Hall 24-10.
The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association’s official semifinal preview lists the four matchups.
Source: Original report
