ESPN RISE

BALTIMORE, Md. -- The student section began chants of UN-DE-FEATED as time ran out and Boys' Latin (8-0) defeated Archbishop Spalding, 20-0 at home on Friday to give the Lakers sole possession of first place in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) B conference.

Patrick Steele rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Lakers to victory.

"We're the top dogs now," Steele said after the game. "Everybody thought Spalding was going to be the top guys because they beat Calvert Hall, but we knocked them off. We have the target on our back now."

The Lakers got on the board early in the first quarter when Steele ran for a one-yard touchdown. From there the defense took over, forcing four turnovers and only allowing nine first downs.

Boys' Latin by land and air

Steele will get the headlines with his three-touchdown game, but in the first half the Lakers proved they have a dominating passing game.

Quarterback Kevin O'Neil finished with 174 yards, throwing for 166 in the first half. Receiver Michael Turner was the main beneficiary of O'Neill's day, making seven catches for 112 yards. All but four of Turner's yards came in the first half of play.

"We got a good passer and a good runner, but I don't think anybody knows that we have two good receivers," Boys' Latin head coach Ritchie Schell said.

In the second half, the Lakers turned to Steele who now has rushed for 1,302 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. Steele rushed for 102 yards in the second half, helping to control the clock.

"They were worn out chasing our guys all over the field while we were passing it," Steele added. "They were not staying home, not being disciplined because they're tired."

Getting defensive

The Lakers defense stifled Spalding's running attack - holding K.K. Smith to just 68 yards rushing. Smith has rushed for 1,098 yards this season.

Mike Kantz had a fumble recovery and an interception, helping a defense that allowed only 148 total yards in the game.

"I was amazed. We played as well as we've played in nine years," Schell said.

Boys' Latin also got interceptions from Joe Weidner and Turner.

Round 1 of 2?

With the win, Boys' Latin improves to 8-0 - their most wins since 2006 - and ensures them a spot in the MIAA B conference championship game. The berth marks the first time the Lakers have been to the championship game since 2005 where they lost to Spalding, 35-10.

"We might have woken a giant beast because I think we'll see them again," Schell said. "We're automatically in and I'd be shocked if we didn't see Spalding again."

Spalding falls to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference and sets up a big game between them and John Carroll (5-2, 4-2) next week. If Spalding loses to Carroll it could cost them a berth in the championship game.

They said it

"I don't care about being undefeated. The next game I'd start all the second string. That's just the way I think high school football should be. It's for the kids that I care about being undefeated." - Ritchie Schell

Scoring Summary

Archbishop Spalding 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
Boy's Latin 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20

First Quarter

B - Steele 1 run (kick no good)

Second Quarter

B - Steele 2 run (R.G. Keenan kick good), 1:58

Fourth Quarter

B - Steele 15 run (Keenan kick good), 8:57

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com