5 Takeaways from Patuxent's Historic 2A/1A state title victory over Dunbar

Evan Blouir's numbers were not brilliant but his leadership was as the Panthers overcame the state's most prolific state championship program

Patuxent quarterback Evan Blouir passed for 244 yards and rushed for 202 more in a 42-13 playoff win over Middletown. / Evan Blouir Instagram

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - It was history, finally, for Patuxent High Friday. 

The Panthers defeated Dunbar, 8-6, to win the Maryland Class 2A/1A state football championship at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Evan Blouir threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Keiden Gutierrez for Patuxent.

The Southern Maryland school (14-0), ranked No. 11 in High Schools on SI Maryland Top 25, combined the big scoring plays along with several defensive stops to win its first state title and deny Dunbar (13-1) a fourth straight 2A/1A championship.

Here’s five takeaways from Friday:

Friday was the best chapter so far for Evan Blouir at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

Blouir, Patuxent’s prolific dual threat quarterback, had an “off-day” stat-wise Friday. But on the field where he will spend the next four years of his athletic career, Blouir got his most memorable win to date.

The 6-foot-2 senior converted a pair of third down runs, helping Patuxent run out the final 5 minutes and 32 minutes of regulation. 

“It’s the best feeling ever…2022 was the hardest game of my life,” said Blouir. “It’s my last high school game…I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Two years ago on Navy’s football field, Blouir, then a sophomore, got Patuxent to the state final against Dunbar. He ran for a score and threw for another score, helping the Panthers to an early 13-0 lead.

Final score: Dunbar 22, Patuxent 13. Blouir threw four interceptions, the last returned 87 yards for the game-clinching touchdown for the Poets.

Blouir had 213 total yards (107 rushing, 106 passing) Friday, roughly 250 below his average this season. 

But, unlike 2022, Blouir closed the deal and cemented his legacy. 

“Evan Blouir is the greatest quarterback I’ve ever coached, and I coached my three sons who weren’t bad,” said Panthers coach Steve Crounse. “This game was the greatest ever but it’s the one thing the kid didn’t do…this is the cherry on the top.”

The third time was the charm for Patuxent

The Panthers exorcised playoff headaches at the hands of Dunbar Friday. The Poets defeated Patuxent in last year’s state semifinals on the Panthers’ home field after the 2022 state final loss.

The Lusby (Md.) school broke through the hard way, scoring only one touchdown. The Panthers came in Friday averaging 46 points a game.

Patuxent outlasted perennial Maryland state champion Dunbar, 8-6, in a defensive struggle at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium to win the 2024 MPSSAA Class 2A/1A state championship. / Derek Toney

“They (Dunbar) have a great defense…they got kids who can play,” said Crounse. “We just had to figure out a way to win.”

The 14 points scored is the fourth-lowest in a state final since 2005. Dunbar defeated Calvert, 8-0, in last year’s 2A/1A state final.

Dunbar was unable to overcome mistakes

The Poets’ bid for a fourth straight crown disintegreated Friday under the weight of offensive errors. 

On its first drive, Dunbar drove from its 11-yard to Patuxent’s 8 before fumbling. The Poets turned the ball on downs after reaching the Panthers’ four.

Dunbar opened the second half with another promising drive (reached Patuxent’s 29) that was short-circuited by an interception. The Poets scored their only points on their next drive, but was denied at Patuxent’s eight late in the third. 

In the fourth, Dunbar went from its 38 to the Panthers’ 31. On fourth-and-7, the Poets were stopped a yard short.

“We were in the red zone four times and didn’t score. So we got nobody to blame but ourselves for this,: said “We’ll learn from this and come back stronger.”

Back to the drawing board for Dunbar

For the first time in 1,814 days, the Poets left the football field with a loss. The Baltimore City powerhouse’s 51-game winning streak was snapped Friday.

The Poets last loss came against Catoctin in the 2019 Class 1A state final at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. There was no 2020 season because the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dunbar’s streak started with a 52–0 win over Baltimore City league rival Digital Harbor on Sept. 3, 2021. The Poets fell two wins shy of equaling Damascus’ record of 53 consecutive victories (2015-2018). 

City College has the mark for consecutive games without a loss - 54. 

“We didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” Carter said. “The guys really worked hard, came together [this season]. Just at the end, we didn’t make enough plays to win it….We’ll be back.”

Another caveat for the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference

Patuxent’s victory gives the SMAC two titles so far on Championship Weekend. The Panthers went undefeated through the league that’s considered the best in Maryland public high school football.

Huntingtown plays for the 2A title Saturday against Stephen Decatur. Thursday, North Point won the 4A/3A title with an overtime victory over Mervo.

The SMAC, which placed five teams in the state semifinals, has won three titles since the state football tournament was expanded from four to six classifications.

“The SMAC is underrated. We have some of the best players in Maryland but just don’t get the recognition that we deserve,” said Evan Jones,  a junior wide receiver who has early offers from Maryland and West Virginia.