Patuxent comes back from three scores down to knock off Fort Hill for 1A Title
December 6, 2025
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Patuxent Panthers (10-3) overcame a three-touchdown deficit to storm back and knock off the Fort Hill Sentinels (9-4), 35-28, and win the MPSSAA Class 1A State Championship on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Freshman quarterback Brayden Watson led the Panthers offense completing 12-of-18 passes for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Evan Jones tallied 239 all-purpose yards, including 132 yards on the ground and 107 receiving yards.
Trailing the Sentinels 28-7 late into the second quarter, Patuxent scored with only one second remaining in the half to draw within two scores at halftime. The Panthers then took that momentum into the second half where they dominated and came back to end Fort Hill’s streak of four consecutive state championships.
Fort Hill running back Braelyn Younger finished with 119 yards on 19 carries, but was injured during the third quarter and was unable to play for the rest of the game, which hindered the Sentinels offense.
The Sentinels started the scoring on a 27-yard touchdown rush by Younger, but then the Panthers quickly answered back with a 40-yard pass from Watson to Jones to tie the game at 7-a piece. Fort Hill added two more touchdowns before the end of the quarter, on a 41-yard pass from quarterback Noah House to Jameson Powell-Morris, and another run by Younger, this time from 14 yards.
Powell-Morris added another reception from House for a 47-yard touchdown with two minutes before halftime, but the Patuxent score before halftime, on a 24-yard pass from Watson to Coen Boorstein brought the game back to a two-possession game.
The third quarter was dominated by Patuxent, who scored on a 79-yard pass from Watson to Peyton Johnson, a 38-yard run by Jones, and a 23-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Jahkiye Dixon to give the Panthers a 35-28 lead. Those three scores all happened within a span of just over two minutes, and the momentum had firmly switched in favor of the Panthers.
With Patuxent in charge, the Sentinels really struggled to move the ball without the presence of Younger in their backfield, and the Panthers pushed away Fort Hill at every opportunity they had. Patuxent picked up one final first down with just under a minute to play, and was able to run the clock out on the victory.
Patuxent’s win marks its second state championship win in a row, after defeating Dunbar in last year’s 2A/1A title game. The Panthers dropped down to 1A this season and picked up their first 1A title with their win this afternoon.
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