MSD football has little trouble adjusting to new league with championship
Nov. 29—Maryland School for the Deaf made itself right at home in its first year in the Keystone State Football League.
The Orioles' vaunted program showed few signs of struggle in its transition to eight-man football, asserting itself atop its new conference in the regular season. And, as has become common, MSD capped its season with a title, cruising past Perkiomen School 46-18 in the KSFL championship on Nov. 12.
"It's surreal to win the championship in our first year," Orioles coach Neal DiMarco wrote in an email. "This shows how hard the boys worked through the summer, football camp and on/off the field. They earned it and we, [the] MSD community, are very proud of them."
The familiar end result was no less special for MSD, which has won 15 deaf national championships in its storied history and proved this season it is still a force no matter the league. The Orioles did so with their typical rushing attack, gaining 413 yards on the ground against the Panthers in the final.
It was part of MSD's plan to chew clock and let dual-threat quarterback Zion Ortiz carve up the Perkiomen defense. He ran for 239 yards and five touchdowns while passing for an additional 79 yards, helping turn a close halftime lead into a blowout.
That's been the Orioles' modus operandi on offense from the start, and the transition to an eight-man game didn't hinder them. They averaged 45 points per game.
"We kept our offensive identity with formations, terminologies and numbers," DiMarco wrote. "The players were very comfortable when we started this. From there, we built and enhanced our offense as we [went deeper] into the season."
Of course, MSD faced adversity along the way.
The team still had to adjust to a new league and a new type of football while getting reacquainted with its home field following a renovation. There were a few losses, too.
The Orioles fell to Severn School in their only 11-man game and ended the regular season by dropping a 20-14 contest to Perkiomen. That latter game spoiled a perfect conference record and taught them an important lesson about finishing contests after their complacency let the Panthers rally to win.
"The toughest opponent on the schedule is us, not the opponents on our schedule," DiMarco wrote.
It seemed MSD took that to heart, putting Perkiomen away in the championship rematch.
With that, the Orioles felt at home as ever in the KSFL, ending the year with another trophy above their heads.
