Harford Tech running back Jalen Dangerfield breaks into a big grin when he thinks about what it would mean for his football team to a win a state championship this fall.
“It would be great. All the students would love it,” the senior said. “We’re not used to winning here. We had our first winning season last year. Everybody would love it.”
The Cobras did much more than post their first winning season last fall. For the first time in program history, their small Harford County school earned a spot on the state football map. Until November, they were the only county football team never to have made it to the playoffs.
In a stunning turnaround season, they finished 12-1, winning twice as many games as in any previous year. Undefeated through the regular season, they came within a game of playing in the state Class 2A final.
The 16-9 loss to Gwynn Park in the semifinals ended their season in disappointing fashion, but it didn’t take long for the Cobras’ 27 juniors, sophomores and freshmen to start thinking ahead.
Quarterback Ryan Hunt, now a junior, said it only took a week to start thinking about more than an encore.
“We were all sitting at home watching the state championship game, texting in the group chat and we saw it pop on the screen, ‘2017 Damascus state champions,’ and we said to each other in the group chat, ‘This is all we need for our motivation for next year,’ ” Hunt said.
That set the tone for plenty of hard work in the offseason, because the Cobras believe this fall will be different.
In 2016, they scored just three more points than their opposition in a 5-5 season. In 2017, they outscored the opposition by 390 points. The Cobras averaged 38.2 points per game and gave up just 8.2
Tim Palmer, last season’s All-Metro Coach of the Year in his first season as Cobras’ head coach, has already stressed that even though they have a lot of returning players, they can’t just expect a repeat of last season.
“Last year is over,” Palmer said. “What you accomplished is something you have for life. You can tell your grandkids, but it has absolutely no bearing on this year other than you are no longer a surprise to anybody. There are already teams that are watching your film now to diagnose what we did and that’s the only thing that carries over from last year. … We’re back to zero.”
However, Palmer has some strong building blocks for another run at the three titles the Cobras play for — the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference Susquehanna Division and the 2A East, both of which they won last season, and the 2A state championship.
Dangerfield, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound back who combines power and finesse, ran for 1,150 yards last season and scored 16 touchdowns. Senior linebacker-defensive end Charles Brown Jr., 6-1, 220 pounds, is a dominant edge setter with 62 tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles last season. Senior cornerback Laday Cooper, 5-7, 140 pounds, had six interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Hunt, 5-10, 160 pounds, threw for 854 yards and 14 touchdowns, including the Cobras’ only touchdown in the state semifinal. He said he’s much more prepared for the speed of the offense this fall after being tossed into the starting role as a sophomore.
Palmer, the quarterbacks coach, said, “More important than anything, my quarterback was a sophomore last year who’s gotten bigger and stronger and faster and more mobile and he’s going to be something to deal with this year. The decision making already, I can see, is much better and he’s going to lead us hopefully to the promised land.”
The offensive line, however, is rebuilding. Only three starters return, including junior tackles Brandon Fletcher and Logan Seling. Senior center Zach Pippen is also back, but with an expanded role at middle linebacker, he should see less time on the line.
“We’ve got some good parts that are coming up,” Palmer said, “and our scrimmages will tell us a lot.”
While Palmer has a few more holes to fill after graduating 12 seniors, filling those positions isn’t nearly as important as filling the leadership void left after graduating Kyle Cicone, a leader on both sides of the ball. To Palmer, another playoff run hinges on whether a strong leader or leaders emerge.
“I’m expecting guys to step up,” Palmer said. “This team literally played to not disappoint Kyle Cicone and I’m looking for that guy. … They need somebody on the team that’s going to lead them.”
Palmer said he’s seeing Dangerfield, Brown, Hunt and Pippen taking on more responsibility, and the next few weeks will be key as the Cobras scrimmage state Class 1A semifinalist Havre de Grace on Friday night before opening the season Sept. 1 at Capital Christian Academy in Landover.
The players can’t wait. As they work out the kinks heading into the first game, they draw plenty of motivation from last season as well as the long hours working during the offseason. They want to show their coach, whom they credit with building the culture that sparked last season’s breakout, that the Cobras were not just a one-hit wonder.
“We were really working hard, because we wanted to get back to where we were,” Brown said. “We weren’t just accepting the fact that we made history. This year, we want to get a ring on our finger.”
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