The Starr’s Mill Panthers defeated the New Hampstead Phoenixes in the second round of the playoffs, marking the 200th win in Starr’s Mill football history.

“I know it was a huge milestone, especially for coach [Phillips],” senior Anderson Cardoza said. “Not many teams have made it this far and he kept harping on us all week that this is going to be the 200th win of school history, so I think we all just wanted that.”

The game on November 17 was the second ever meeting between New Hampstead and Starr’s Mill. The 45-27 win showcased how much the Panthers have improved this season.

“We looked as good tonight as we’ve looked all season,” head coach Chad Phillips said.

New Hampstead scored during their opening possession of the game. Starr’s Mill responded by tying the score with a 59-yard run by senior Dorsey Benefield. New Hampstead would score at the end of the quarter to be up 14-7.

The Starr’s Mill offense continued to build momentum in the second quarter. A pair of big plays by junior Logan Inagawa and senior Andersen Cardoza helped the Panthers take the lead assisted by a field goal from senior kicker Hunter Meeks. Starr’s Mill led 24-20 at halftime.

“Offensively, we do a lot of stuff. Our offensive linemen are just getting more and more confident with what they do,” Phillips said. “Logan played exceptionally well. He’s getting better at the passing game.”

The Panthers controlled the third quarter by not allowing New Hampstead to score. Cardoza scored on a 30-yard run to increase the lead to 31-20.

“Defensively, our angles, the way we play defense, moving in and out of different fronts and stunts, it takes that long to really execute things to the details that we expect and that’s kind of where we are right now,” Phillips said.

The defense held its ground in the final quarter as the offense continued to increase the lead. A 15-yard touchdown run from Benefield and a 1-yard touchdown run by Inagawa had the Panthers up 45-20. New Hampstead would score once more late in the game. Starr’s Mill won 45-27.

“We play for each other, and we’ve built off of that every single week, more teamwork every single week,” Inagawa said.

The Panthers went up against Central High School in the third round of the playoffs the Friday after and won 35-29 on a Hail Mary touchdown pass from Inagawa to junior Lincoln DeLaere.

Starr’s Mill advances to the state semifinals for the first time since 2010, but this time they will be the home team. The Panthers host Perry High School at 7:30 p.m. on December 1 in Panther Stadium.

This is the first time in school history that Starr’s Mill has hosted a state semifinal playoff game.