“It hurts,” senior linebacker Kamari Loving said. “And, yeah, there’s tears because everybody wants to win. But not everybody can, and today was our turn to be sad.”

The Eagles, defending state champions, arrived in Annapolis with every reason to be confident. They had dominated the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference this fall, going undefeated with seven shutouts in nine regular season games. Their defense, fearsome as any in the state, could seemingly contain anybody.

For much of Saturday, that held true. North Point (13-1) had a feeling this would be a defensive battle: The Eagles scrimmaged Mervo in August, and that game ended in a scoreless tie.

“We knew what kind of dogfight we were getting into tonight,” Coach Billy Condo said. “Our kids have sacrificed quite a bit since last January. All that we asked was one last night of their best. And we got that. I couldn’t be prouder of the guts that they brought to this competition.”

The defense came out with energy and aggression, bottling up dynamic quarterback Raymond Moore and keeping the Mustangs (13-1) far from the red zone. As the fog grew thicker and both teams committed to the run, every play looked something like a car wreck as red and white jerseys clashed and pushed and fought. Every once in a while, a ballcarrier would emerge from the mess, and his supporters would burst into cheers for what was sure to be a nice gain.

Junior Damien Brown gave North Point a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter, and the Eagles clung to it for the next hour. With three minutes remaining in the third, Mervo capitalized on a North Point fumble and got on the board. Eagles linemen Kendall Carter blocked the extra point, and North Point entered the fourth up 7-6.

Ultimately, the game slipped away in less than a minute. Mervo’s offense took over with 2:33 remaining and scored in two plays as Moore extended second down with his feet and then found Justin DeVaughn for a 31-yard score.

North Point took over and quickly went four and out, its hopes ending with a short run and a tough spot. Mervo’s offense returned to the field not long after it had exited, this time to assume the victory formation.

“These last two years just went by so quick,” senior running back Kaleb Hart said. “Going from last state championship right into workouts. Trying again. It all went too quick.”