By Steve Luse

CUMBERLAND — In a case of the immovable object taking on the irresistable force, the talent-laden Fort Hill defense shut down almost everything the potent Allegany offense tried and the top-ranked unbeaten Sentinels beat the No. 2 Campers, 17-7, on a perfect Saturday afternoon for football at Greenway Avenue Stadium.

Fort Hill will be heading into the playoffs with a 10-0 record as the Maryland Class 1A West Region champion and will be hosting fourth-seed Smithsburg (5-5) in the first round on Friday at 7 p.m. at Greenway. The Sentinels are also ranked No. 8 in the state poll that includes schools from all classes and are looking to return to the state championship game.

Allegany remains second in the Region ratings with a 7-3 record and will host No. 3 Boonsboro (6-4) on Saturday at 1 p.m. If the Campers and Sentinels win they will meet again for the region title for the third straight year the following week at Greenway.

The Fort Hill defense, led by Defensive Player of the Game Glen Vincent, held the Campers, who were averaging 46 points and 400 yards a game, to just 37 total yards in the first half and 125 for the game. The Sentinels had three quarterback sacks and seven other tackles for losses and came up with four turnovers.

Coming up with big plays for Fort Hill in the defensive battle were Offensive Player of the Game Dakota Welsh with a 55-yard run and Great American Rivalry Player of the Game Sam Walker with a 52-yard scoring sprint to nail down the win. Phil Giugliano kicked a 24-yard field goal and both extra points.

Pinned in its own end of the field, Fort Hill struggled some on offense with the exception of the big plays and finished with 237 yards. The Sentinels turned the ball over twice.

Welsh finished as the game’s leading rusher with 85 yards on 17 carries and Walker had 76 yards on eight carries. Devin Lee completed 4-of-8 passes for 42 yards, but had one pass picked off that led to the only Allegany touchdown.

“We didn’t play our best game, but Allegany played great defense against us,” said Fort Hill coach Todd Appel. “We put ourselves in a hole by not moving the ball, but we got the big runs by Sam Walker and Dakota Welsh and those two guys have been doing that all year.”

With Allegany getting possession of the ball in Fort Hill territory most of the first half, the Sentinel defense kept coming up with the big stops to keep the Campers out of scoring range.

“Our defense rose to the occasion the way they have all year. Coach John McKenney did a great job of having them prepared,”?said Appel. “If you can’t move the ball you can’t score.”

Vincent, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior defensive tackle, had nine tackles with two sacks and two other tackles for losses.

“Our defense played well like we have done every game and we showed if we prepare well we can do it on the field,” said Vincent. “I had a lot of desire to get done what we needed to win.”

Welsh also had an outstanding defensive game from his linebacker spot and had a team-high nine tackles and an interception. Garrett Dolly also had a strong defensive game with six tackles and one for a loss. Joe Howser and Colton Sibley had fumble recoveries and Walker had an interception late in the game.

Allegany got the opening kickoff but turned the ball over with a fumble on the third play from scrimmage and Howser came up with the recovery at Campers’ 36-yard line.

The Sentinels moved the ball to the 2, but J.D. Hook came through to throw Welsh for a 5-yard loss on third down. Giugliano came in to boot the 24-yard field goal with 6:49 on the clock in the opening quarter.

The teams then started exchanging punts with three each on the next six possessions.

With the running game getting stuffed, Lee went to the air and connected with Dylan Clay on a 20-yard pass to get the Sentinels off their own 13-yard line. The senior signalcaller then found tight end Sibley on a 13-yard pass to the 45-yard line.

On the next play, Welsh finally found some room to run and got loose on the 55-yard run that resulted in a 10-0 Fort Hill lead after the Giugliano kick with 5:41 left in the first half.

“We’re a big-play team and my line made a big hole,” said the hard-charging 5-11, 190-pound senior fullback. “I just kept my legs going and all of a sudden I was running for open ground. Our defense was prepared and was amazing.”

After another three-and-out by the Allegany offense, Lee looked to go downfield again but had the pass intercepted by Steffan Bonnett, who returned the pickoff 31 yards to the Fort Hill 22-yard line.

Hook, the Campers’ All-Area fullback, was handed the ball three straight plays and had runs of seven, three and two yards. Dustin Wharton, who led Allegany with 45 yards on 18 carries, went five yards on second down and then got outside on a 5-yard run for the touchdown with 4:37 remaining in the half. John Carpenter kicked the extra point, making it 10-7.

The second half started with the teams exchanging punts and turnovers. Welsh came up with an interception at the Fort Hill 37, but the Sentinels gave the ball right back on a fumble that was recovered by Wharton at the 35. But the Campers couldn’t move the ball on three plays.

A misfired punt only went seven yards and Fort Hill started the final scoring drive at its 38-yard line.

A scramble by Lee had the Sentinels in Campers’ territory, but a holding penalty on the play moved them back to their 48-yard line. On the next play, Walker showed his speed and big-play ability as he went the 52 yards to paydirt at the 1:37 mark in the third quarter. Giugliano concluded the scoring with the extra point.

“Our offensive line was opening holes and I knew we we were just a step away from breaking another one,” said Walker. “Dakota Welsh laid a great block and Colton Sibley and Dylan Clay did a great job blocking down field that let me run to the house. It felt great.”

Walker’s interception came with 57 seconds left to end Allegany’s final threat.

“I’m really proud of the way our defense played,” said Allegany coach Tom Preaskorn. “Going in, the question was how well our defense would play, and they stepped up and played a topnotch game. Coach (Tim) Foley had an excellent game plan. A?couple of broken plays or missed tackles, and what was a close game would have been a lot closer.”

The Allegany coach will be looking to come up with something that may work against the Sentinels, if the teams meet again.

“Fort Hill’s line is awfully tough, especially the two tackles,” said Preaskorn. “We have to figure a way, in the next two weeks if we play them again, to be able to stop that pressure and move the ball against them. Our offense has to play better and put some points on the board.”