Oakdale and Frederick earn top seeds in football playoffs

Oct. 30—Oakdale and Frederick earned top seeds in their region for the MPSSAA football playoffs, which begin Thursday.

The unbeaten Bears (9-0) are the top seed in the Class 3A West region almost a year after reaching the state final in 3A. They just completed their second unbeaten regular season and are in hot pursuit of their second state championship after going 14-0 and winning the 2A title in 2018.

At 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oakdale will host No. 8 seed North Hagerstown in a 3A West regional quarterfinal. The winner will take on either No. 4 seed Sherwood or No. 5 seed South Hagerstown the following week.

Meanwhile, Frederick (6-3) is the top seed in the seven-team Class 4A-3A West region and has a first-round bye. The Cadets will either take on No. 4 seed Thomas Wootton or No. 5 seed Thomas Johnson (2-7) next week.

The second round of regionals next week will be followed by the state quarterfinals on Nov. 17-18. Two teams from each region will be reseeded for the quarterfinal round based on the MPSSAA's season-long point system.

The state semifinals will follow on Nov. 24-25, and state finals for the six classifications will be played Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

The higher seeded teams will host games through the state semifinals.

Here is a breakdown of each region involving a Frederick County school:

3A WestAfter Oakdale, Linganore (8-1) is the No. 2 seed in the region and will host No. 7 seed Rockville at 6 p.m. Thursday. The winner will face either No. 3 seed Westminster or No. 6 seed Manchester Valley in the second round of regionals next week.

4A-3A WestUrbana (4-5) is the No. 3 seed in the region and will host No. 6 seed Watkins Mill at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The winner will face either second-seeded Magruder or seventh-seeded Tuscarora (1-8) next week. The Colonels will host the Titans at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, TJ is the No. 5 seed and will travel to face Wootton on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The winner will meet top-seeded Frederick in the second round of regionals.

2A WestWalkersville (4-5) is the No. 4 seed in the region and will host No. 5 seed Poolesville at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The winner will face top-seeded Damascus, which has a first-round bye, next week.

2A-1A WestMiddletown (4-5) is the No. 2 seed in the region and will host No. 7 seed Francis Scott Key at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The winner will play either third-seeded Liberty or sixth-seeded Century next week.

1A NorthBrunswick (7-2), a state semifinalist last season, is the No. 2 seed in the region and will host No. 7 seed Havre de Grace at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The winner will meet either No. 3 seed Boonsboro or No. 6 seed Joppatowne in the second round of regionals.

Meanwhile, Catoctin (3-6) is the No. 5 seed and will travel to face No. 4 seed Loch Raven at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The winner will face either top-seeded Patterson Mill or eighth-seeded Pikesville in the second round of regionals.

Follow Greg Swatek on Twitter: @greg_swatek