The annual football matchup between archrivals City and Poly is never short on dramatic plot lines. The 120th edition of the game Saturday afternoon, however, will have more than most.
With playoff implications abounding, the bowl-like atmosphere at M&T Bank Stadium is sure to be ratcheted up a few extra notches.
"The City-Poly game is the City-Poly game, but add that to it and I think it just motivates [the players] even more," City coach George Petrides said.
City (6-3, 5-2 Baltimore City Division I), which has resurrected its postseason hopes with blowout victories over Mervo and Carver, holds the No. 3 seed in Class 2A North and can lock up one of the region's four playoff spots with a win.
Poly (5-4, 4-3), meanwhile, must not only beat City, but must also hope Calvert Hall beats fifth seed Randallstown at home Saturday. Unless they win and Randallstown loses, the Engineers are out of the postseason.
Poly seemed to be in strong position for a playoff slot when it started this season 4-1. Since then, however, the Engineers have dropped three of four to fall to sixth in 2A North.
"We need to just focus on this game ... and prove to people that our early-season successes were not an aberration," said Engineers coach Roger Wrenn, who is most concerned about City's explosive pass-catch combination of quarterback Ellis Foster and speedy playmaker Adrian Coxson.
"They have just as good a passing combination as I've seen in high school for a long time."
A year ago, the duo torched Poly's secondary five times for 113 yards, including an acrobatic 51-yard touchdown pass just before halftime.
"They click, and [Coxson's] the real deal," Wrenn said. "And for whatever reason, our pass defense has been somewhat erratic."
The Knights' 19 seniors have not lost to Poly, and Foster can become the first quarterback in series history to win four straight.
Offensively, Poly is led by tailback Jon Marcus and fleet quarterback Antoine Goodson, who have accumulated a combined 1,897 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. Goodson has been hampered in recent weeks by a pulled groin, which kept him on the sideline for part of Saturday's loss to Digital Harbor.
In a game of this stature, however, nagging injuries won't get in the way.
"It's the game for both teams," Wrenn said "All year long, we talk about it and think about it. This is what they play for."
Crab Bowl set
