Patuxent Wins Second Title in School History with 8-6 victory over Dunbar
December 6, 2024
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Patuxent scored an early touchdown in the first quarter and relied on its defense the rest of the way to close out an 8-6 victory over Dunbar in the MPSSAA 2A/1A State Championship Game on Friday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
After falling to the Poets in each of the last two years – in the championship game in 2022 and the semifinals in 2023, the Panthers finally got over the hump and notched a huge win against the perennial power.
Evan Blouir, just as he has been all season, was the star for the Panthers. Blouir passed for Patuxent’s only score of the game – a 71-yard bomb to receiver Keiden Gutierrez. Patuxent’s extra point was good, but Dunbar lined up offsides, and the Panthers elected to go for the two point conversion. Blouir ran that in around the edge, and Patuxent took an 8-0 lead.
Aside from Blouir, the Panthers defense was the other story of the night. Dunbar was turned away at the goal line by the Patuxent defense midway through the second quarter, and the Panthers also forced three fumbles and had an interception. Their strong play gave Patuxent an 8-0 lead heading to the break.
Dunbar came out in the second half and was able to move the ball better on offense. Halfway through the third quarter, the Poets found the end zone for the first time on an 18-yard run from Cordae James. But after lining up offsides on the two-point attempt, the Poets were moved back five yards, and the try was unsuccessful.
Late in the third quarter, Dunbar again had the ball inside the Panthers 10, but quarterback Savion Witherspoon was stopped behind the sticks on a run, and Patuxent turned Dunbar over on downs.
Dunbar had one final try late in the fourth as they had moved the ball near the red zone, but Witherspoon was stopped short again, and the Panthers were able to run out the clock and seal the victory.
Evan Blouir finished with 213 total yards, including 107 through the air and 106 on the ground. Just as he was all season, he was fittingly instrumental in the Panthers state title win.
Patuxent wins its second state championship in school history, and its first since 2015. The Panthers not only snapped Dunbar’s streak of three-straight state titles, but also ended the Poets incredible 51-game winning streak.
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