Calvert defense secures late interception to win SMAC Championship over Huntingtown
October 31, 2025
HUNTINGTOWN, Md. — Behind two interceptions by Didier Marroquin, including one with only seconds remaining in the game, the Calvert Cavaliers (8-1) defeated the Huntingtown Hurricanes (7-2) on Thursday evening to secure the SMAC Championship.
The Calvert defense held Huntingtown in check for much of the game, with only one of their drives ending with points. Marroquin had two interceptions that proved to be costly for the Hurricanes and drained momentum on drives quickly. Points were at a premium, but Calvert did just enough to emerge victorious.
The scoring started midway through the first quarter, as Calvert’s first drive stalled inside the 5-yard line, but kicker Logan Artes connected from 20 yards out to give the Cavaliers an early 3-0 lead.
On their next possession, the Cavaliers tallied their only touchdown of the game on a 70-yard TD run by Derrick Brown. Artes added the extra point to give Calvert a 10-0 lead, and it looked as if the Cavaliers may be having their way with the Hurricanes.
But, the Huntingtown defense made some adjustments, and came up with a big stop in the second quarter. The Cavaliers had driven down to the 2-yard line, where they faced 4th and Goal, and the Hurricanes forced a fumble and earned a huge stop. Calvert would take a 10-0 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Calvert added another field goal by Artes, this one from 32 yards away, and the Cavaliers edged out to a 13-0 lead.
On its next drive, Huntingtown finally was able to break through on offense as a methodical drive was capped off by a 15-yard run from QB Dom Hickman. The extra point was missed, so Calvert held a 13-6 lead, which they would take into the 4th quarter.
Calvert maintained possession for much of the 4th quarter and was able to drain the clock significantly late in the game. The Cavaliers moved the ball down to the Hurricanes 2-yard line, but faced 4th down. Calvert initially came out and lined up to go for the touchdown, but the Cavaliers simply were trying to draw the defense offsides, which was unsuccessful. Instead, they were assessed a 5-yard penalty for delay of game, which backed the ball up five yards, and gave the kicker an easier angle. However, Artes pushed the field goal wide left, which would have given Calvert a two-possession lead, and Huntingtown took over with no timeouts and just under two minutes to play.
The Hurricanes seemed to move the ball with ease early in the drive, picking up chunk plays and moving into Calvert territory with still over a minute to go. The Hurricanes eventually moved up to the 15-yard line and faced 4th down. Hickman dropped back to pass, looked over the middle, and Marroquin was waiting there for his second interception of the game to seal the victory.
With their win, Calvert not only secures the SMAC Championship, but also secures a first-round bye in the first round of the MPSSAA playoffs in the 2A/1A South Region. Despite its loss, Huntingtown is set as the top seed in the 2A South Region, and will await its opponent in two weeks after a bye.
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