1 Damascus rides Funk past Glenelg, into Maryland 3A title game By Daniel Gallen November 28 at 10:54 PM Four years ago, Damascus was on the doorstep of a state championship game appearance. The Swarmin" Hornets were undefeated and ranked No. 2, and they were hosting an underdog from Howard County with multiple losses. All they had to do was meet expectations and a trip to Baltimore was theirs. Damascus running back Jake Funk remembers that game. He was in seventh grade and watched from a small hill overlooking the field with other middle schoolers and future Swarmin" Hornets. He remembers watching the team turn the ball over five times in a heartbreaking upset loss to Wilde Lake. So before No. 1 Damascus hosted Glenelg, another Howard County underdog, with the Swarmin" Hornets" first title game appearance since 2007 one win away, Coach Eric Wallich was sure to let his team know what was at stake. And Funk did his part to make sure history didn't repeat, rushing 24 times for 221 yards and four touchdowns in the Swarmin" Hornets" 33-0 rout of the Gladiators in a Maryland 3A state semifinal. "They definitely reminded us of that Wilde Lake game, even though none of us were in the high school at that time," Funk said. Damascus will face Franklin on Thursday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore in its 11th championship game appearance. Playing on a sloppy field that was half-frozen but still muddy in some parts after this week's snowstorm, the Swarmin" Hornets (13-0) opened the game by going to Funk seven times on a 10-play drive that ended on a nine-yard touchdown run for the junior. Glenelg (9-4) couldn't muster a response and was unable to stop Funk for the rest of the game. At halftime, Damascus led 20-0, and Funk had 194 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. The dangerous Glenelg duo of 1,000-yard rushers Trey Davis and Brent Richardson also combined for 19 carries, but the Swarmin" Hornets defense held them to 67 yards. Damascus was playing without its leading receiver, South Carolina commit Jalen Christian, and without its leading tackler, Ari Cacopardo, because of injuries. But the Swarmin" Hornets didn't miss a beat with Joey Salisbury filling in for Cacopardo on defense and La'Kye Alston filling in for Christian. "They told me since Jalen and Ari are out, I'll be handling the load a little bit more, but I love pressure," Funk said. I love that feeling. Funk picked up most of the slack. It wasn't his most impressive playoff performance to date - that would be his six-touchdown day against Urbana in the region semifinals - but it returned Damascus to the state final. "He's our workhorse," Wallich said. He's a special player. Every team doesn't have a kid like him, and we like riding him. If we win it, he's going to be a big reason why.