Just two miles on Emmorton Road separate Patterson Mill and Bel Air high schools. And the football teams share an even closer connection.
Patterson Mill coach David Huryk led Bel Air for a decade, while current Bel Air coach Eric Seigel served as an assistant. The tandem grew close during that stretch and remained so even when Huryk left to coach the crosstown rival three years ago.
The friends became opponents Friday, when Bel Air traveled down the street and beat their neighbors, 29-13. The Bobcats shut out the Huskies in the second half to end a three-game losing skid and even up its season record at 3-3.
“We had the game plan and the guys executed,” Seigel said. “Just exactly what we ask them to do: score, stop, score, stop. That’s gonna end the game.”
Patterson Mill (4-2) scored on two of its first three possessions — rushing scores from RJ Wilhelm and Will Green — then didn’t find the end zone again on its final five possessions. Two punts, two turnovers on downs and a game-sealing interception by Bel Air’s Nathan Calamita stamped a suffocating defensive effort.
“Coach preached all week to do your job,” senior linebacker Evan Feeney said. “We’ve talked about it all week, all year. This is the game we wanted.”
The Bobcats put up two scores of their own on their final two possessions of the opening half and entered the break with a slim 14-13 advantage. With the defense allowing no more, the Julien Horton-less Bel Air offense piled on.
Horton, a senior wide receiver and North Carolina commit, was out Friday. That allowed other playmakers to step up, and they led the way in the second half.
Both second-half touchdowns came from quarterback Patrick Sullivan’s arm. He found Feeney from 12 yards out to put Bel Air up by two possessions after a successful two-point try. Sullivan later hit KJ Wood for a 22-yard score.
Sullivan also had a rushing touchdown in the first half.
“I think we were a little nervous going into the game, but as soon as we came together and locked in, we didn’t stop from there and kept just kept scoring,” Sullivan said. “Everybody was open, everybody did their job.”
Bel Air’s Dylan James makes a move to get beyond Patterson Mill defender Malik Adelani during Friday’s game at Patterson Mill. (Brian Krista/staff photo)
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Seigel was Bel Air’s junior varsity coach, then varsity defensive coordinator under Huryk. He took over the program when Huryk departed down the road. The two are friends outside of football and still talk frequently, but Seigel has now taken the last two matchups.
Seigel’s team entered Friday with a losing record after three consecutive defeats. A common theme in those, the coach said, was lapses in critical offensive situations. After simulating those moments in recent practices, Bel Air scored on all four of its trips to the red zone — even without perhaps its most dynamic playmaker.
“This is where we know we can and should be,” Seigel said. “When they buy in and do the things that they’re supposed to, good things are gonna happen.”
Now back to an even record after a win over a nearby rival and an old buddy, the Bobcats are entering their final stretch feeling like themselves again.
“We needed to win,” Sullivan said. “We needed to get back on a roll. Once we get everyone back, we’re gonna go far.”
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