In its quest for a third straight state title, River Hill got off to an auspicious start, rolling over an overmatched James M. Bennett team Friday night, 70-0, in a Class 3A East Region semifinal.

An unusually light home crowd watched through intermittent rain as six different Hawks scored during a game River Hill controlled from the outset.

On the third play from scrimmage, senior running back Kevin Johnson scored on a 43-yard sweep -- the first of three first-quarter scores that put the Hawks up, 19-0.

By the end, River Hill (11-0) used 329 yards on the ground, two interception returns for touchdowns, a blocked punt and superior line play to cruise past J.M. Bennett (6-5). The second half was played with a running clock because of the wide margin.

"Overall, we were pretty pleased," Hawks coach Brian Van Deusen said. "We wanted to come out and get off to a good start in the playoffs.

"The big thing is getting better each week and getting out without any injuries. We were able to rest our starters after halftime and we came away healthy and will work on getting better next week."

After falling behind, 19-0, J.M. Bennett drove 49 yards to the River Hill 26. However, the Hawks then pushed the Clippers back on second and third downs before senior corner back Adam Brookhart picked off a long pass and returned it 85 yards to give the Hawks a 25-0 lead and start the rout.

Senior defensive end and running back Nick Bonhag became the fifth different Hawk to score late in the first half. Bonhag swatted down a Clippers' punt on the previous play before scoring from 11 yards out.

The Hawks' ability to spread the ball around this season has been significant, he said. "We've been trying to mix it up so they can't key on one person," Bonhag said.

River Hill has won 39 consecutive games and moves on to face Atholton, Friday, Nov. 20 for the Class 3A East Region championship. The winner also earns a spot in the state semifinals. River Hill won the regular-season meeting Oct. 30 between the two teams, 35-14. Atholton advanced to the regional final by beating Wilde Lake, 14-13, Friday night.

The victory over J.M. Bennett was the 100th career win for Van Deusen, now in his 10th year as the Hawks' coach. However, the coach said the milestone had not been on his mind.

"I didn't know until someone said something today," Van Deusen said. "It's something I'll look at more at the end of the season. Right now we're just so focused on winning the next game and trying to get through the playoffs."

RIVER HILL 70, J.M. BENNETT 0
J.M. Bennett  0  0  0 0 -  0
River Hill      19 35 9 7 - 70

First quarter
RH: Johnson 43 run (kick failed), 10:40.
RH: Johnson 3 run (kick failed), 7:21.
RH: Johnson 23 run (Shahegh kick), 3:36.

Second quarter
RH: Brookhart 85 int return (Shahegh kick), 9:30.
RH: Kluge 42 run (Shahegh kick), 6:38.
RH: Norwood 24 int return (Shahegh kick), 4:59.
RH: Bonhag 11 run (Shahegh kick), 2:42.
RH: Bonhag 7 run (Shahegh kick), 0:25.

Third quarter
RH: Sanders 61 run (Shahegh kick), 6:10.
RH: Safety, 1:45.

Fourth quarter
RH: Smith 3 run (Tajalli kick), 8:12.

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