There’s a chance of snow — or at least heavy rain — in Frederick on Friday. That’s a common obstacle for football teams in November that can hinder a game plan and make an important game even more challenging. How is Bel Air football preparing for that possibility?

Spray bottles.

The Bobcats practiced with footballs doused in cold water this week ahead of their 3A state quarterfinal at Linganore on Friday night. Before the ball touches quarterback Patrick Sullivan’s hands to throw with his pass catchers, it’s dunked in a cooler or sprayed with a bottle or hose to give the football a slick feeling that snow would. They’ve also practiced with a weighted ball to simulate how a wet football can become heavier over the course of a game.

“Anything that impacts the grip on the ball to make the guys work a little bit harder to secure it,” coach Eric Siegel said. “It is definitely a tougher thing to prepare for. Maybe it alters the game plan. Who knows?”

With a spot in the state semifinals at stake Friday, Siegel spoke with The Aegis to preview Bel Air’s matchup and the players who might be key in a Bobcats victory.

How’s the postseason gone for Bel Air so far?

We started the year a little slow, a little injured, a couple guys not there that we expected. Over the last six games, we’re 5-1 and we still haven’t quite reached where we think we are as a team as a whole. You play a very tough team in Edgewood and you have some success, it makes you feel pretty good. City, another team that we played last year in the playoffs that beat us, and we’re able to avenge that one. Edgewood, we played them earlier in the year and they beat us, and you’re able to avenge that one. It makes you feel pretty good as we’re moving forward. We’ve overcame a lot of stuff this year. Excited that the guys are responding.

You’ve played some close, low-scoring games over the last few weeks. How has that helped prepare the team for the tougher opponents you’ll face as you continue to advance?

It’s a testament to the kids that we have. I think we play a really good brand of defense. You take a team like Edgewood, who’s typically scoring in the high 30s to 40s a game, and you can hold them to 13 points. You got to feel pretty good about what you’re doing. And if the defense is doing their job, it’s going to allow some of our offensive weapons to get the chance to score points. It’s nice knowing that we don’t have to put up 1000 points to beat a team, because we can have some success defensively.

What worked well in your win over Edgewood last week?

The game plan overall had to be based on [quarterback] Michael Robinson, who’s a very talented football player. He’s as good as there is in this area. We knew we had to try to contain him. So we got multiple eyes on him at all times, if he was to try to escape the pocket, try to keep him in and hopefully we could find a way to get some stops. And we were able to do that. They are talented. They’re coached well. Our game plan was to keep him in the pocket as much as possible, or put some pressure on him when he tried to escape.

What challenges does Linganore present?

Physically tough, coached extremely well. They find themselves in the correct location all the time, especially on the offensive line. That’s a special group. And they’re young, too. They’re mainly juniors, a couple sophomores. So they’re going to be talented up front again next year, and probably the year after that. The running back is special. He’s got about 1,700 yards and 20-something touchdowns on the year. What they do, they do excellent. That’s what we always say. We try to do the little things great. They do little things very great. So for us to win this game, we’re going to have to match their physicality.

As a coach, how are you navigating keeping your players focused and having them mentally prepared for a game like this?

Every kid’s a little different. Some are amped up and fired up and they’re ready to play a game right now. Some are a little more nervous, some need to watch a couple extra film sessions to make it happen. Trying to meet the kids where they are. Just mentally and physically trying to prepare them for this. Especially the senior class that we have, and talking to the younger class and about this. Saying, ‘you’re going to want younger guys to play hard for you and stay focused for you when you’re a senior. So let’s, let’s do it for them right now.’

Does your preparation for a postseason game differ from the regular season?

We try to keep it as normal as possible. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel. Now, because of Linganore, how talented they are, there’s been a couple extra things we’ve done just to make sure the film study aspect of it is where it needs to be. But you try to keep things as normal as possible, just so that the guys aren’t going crazy, overthinking things.

How much has senior wide receiver Julien Horton (three-star recruit committed to North Carolina) meant to your team this season, and what are you expecting out of him Friday?

When he’s on — kind of like we were talking about with Michael Robinson — when he’s on the field, he’s someone the other team has to identify where he is. So if he’s lined up on the outside, there’s eyes there. If he’s lined up in the slot or he’s in the backfield, where he runs some of our wildcats, eyes go. And when that happens, it tends to open up someone else as well. He is unselfish, because he knows eyes go to him, and it allows other people, people like Michael Graham and KJ Wood and DJ Collier and Patrick Sullivan to make plays in other locations, because he knows eyes go there.

How important is senior linebacker Evan Freeney to your defense?

He’s the heart and soul of the defense. One of the most intelligent football players I’ve ever had, and I’ve had some pretty good linebackers here. He just reached 100 tackles, which is a special milestone. He finds himself in the correct location. Someone who watches film all the time, making sure he’s aware of how to diagnose plays quickly. He obviously has the physical skill set to do what’s necessary, but it’s the mental aspect of it. He’s just a great kid overall. I’m happy I got to coach him.

Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.