For the 9-11 and 8-10 Arbutus Golden Eagles, their seasons ended one victory away from reaching the coveted prize: a berth in the mid-Maryland Youth Football League Super Bowl.

Arbutus 9-11 lost to Maplewood in a playoff semifinal, 19-6, after whitewashing the Sykesville Raiders, 24-0, in a quarterfinal.

Despite the semifinal loss, Golden Eagles' coach Tom Arnold still considers the year a roaring success.

"Our players won more games this year than they ever have," Arnold said. "For many of the kids on the team, the most games they ever won was like five games (in a single season) and a lot of them hadn't even won that many."

Maplewood (9-1) jumped out to a 12-0 lead on Arnold's team.

Running back Chris Jones made it 12-6 at halftime with an 8-yard touchdown run in the final second of the second quarter behind the blocking of lineman Devontay Douglas and fullback Michael Gibson.

The Golden Eagles' defense, led by linemen Devin Razor, Shawn Kashlak, Darian Hale and Hunter Addison and cornerback Tristian Jenkins, limited Maplewood to six points in the second half, but Arbutus' offense stalled the rest of the way.

Arbutus 9-11 thrashed Sykesville, 24-0, in a quarterfinal, thanks to the offensive performances of quarterback Teron Owens and running backs Dee Thomas, Jones and Mike Gibson.

The trio helped the winners rack up 293 yards rushing.

The 8-10 Golden Eagles thumped Olney of Montgomery County, 27-0 in a quarterfinal as running backs Donte Lafavors scored two touchdowns and tailback Rashard Taylor and quarterback Ivan Atkinson each rushed for one.

They ran behind the offensive line spearheaded by center Durrand Roundtree Jr., guards Tyler Ellis and Steve Guevcio and tackle Robert Adams.

Cornerback C.J. Monroe and ends Cameron Green and Andrew Mitchell helped the defense record a shutout.

Unfortunately, the defense didn't play nearly as well in a 27-0 semifinal loss to Maplewood (11-0).

"Their record speaks for itself and they have a longer history together than us," Arbutus 8-10 assistant coach Michael Leach said.

Leach added: "Our season was a success. We made it to the second round of the playoffs for a second straight year."

The 11-13 Golden Eagles squad ran into a formidable foe in the quarterfinals: the 9-1 Olney Bears.

Host Olney of Montgomery County blanked Arbutus, 28-0.

"We just couldn't move the ball," Golden Eagles' assistant coach Bryan Green said. "There weren't many highlights."

The play of running back Keon Sellers, quarterback Tyler Westphal, defensive linemen David Pule and Alex Webb and corner back Nick Farmer were the positives for Arbutus.

The Golden Eagles (3-7) advanced to the playoffs after beating Elkridge in their season finale.

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