NO. 5 IS SWEET FOR ST. PAUL’S

Crusaders stop Spalding in OT; snaps Cavaliers’ win streak in MIAA B play

     Sixteen. That’s the number of consecutive victories by the Archbishop Spalding High School’s football team in MIAA B Conference play. The only number that mattered to St. Paul’s School was 42, the margin of last year’s loss to the Cavaliers.

     In one swoop, the Crusaders wiped out both Friday night in Severn. St. Paul’s gained atonement with a 26-25 victory in overtime, handing the Cavaliers their first home defeat since 2004.

     Brian Taafe’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Lance Roberts and extra point kick by Tyler Feeley secured victory for St. Paul’s, which trailed by nine points entering the final quarter of regulation. Crusaders coach Dave Dolch was elated with his team’s composure in the final stages.

     “You got really adverse weather conditions that kicked in during the game,” said Dolch standing in a pouring rain near the St. Paul’s bench. “These kids hung in there, came back against a great football team. My hats off to Coach Whittles and his team, but I’ll tell you what, I’m sure proud of our St. Paul’s Crusaders.”

      In running their winning streak to five, St. Paul’s (5-3 overall) is now 5-1 in the B tied in the loss column with Spalding (4-1) and Archbishop Curley (3-1), which hosts league unbeaten St. Mary’s (4-0) Saturday afternoon. The top two teams advance to the conference title game, Nov. 16 at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium.  

       The Cavaliers’ last defeat in conference play was a 20-10 loss at Boys’ Latin, Oct. 15, 2005. Spalding won the prior two meetings with the Crusaders including a 42-0 pasting in Brooklandville a year ago.     

      “We weren’t worried about the streak, we were worried about last year’s feeling,” said St. Paul’s defensive linemen Peter Smyth. “It was embrassing, so we came out here fired up ready to roll.”

      Smyth was part of Crusaders’ defense that created several key turnovers down the stretch. He partially blocked a Spalding punt, setting St. Paul’s with a first-and-goal at the 10. The Crusaders didn’t get in the end zone, but Feeley split the uprights for a 27-yard field goal bringing them to within 19-13 with 10 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

      Two plays later, St. Paul’s defensive linemen Michael Shipley stripped Spalding’s Nick Whittles, and Rich Clough recovered near midfield. The Crusaders needed five plays to tie the score as Taafe hit Colby Roane in the right slot for a 24-yard play with 7:43 left. St. Paul’s got the ball back again and drove to the Cavaliers’ 19, but Feeley’s 37-yard attempt was blocked with 1:27 remaining.

      After Spalding scored on the first possession of overtime on a nine-yard run up the middle by Nick Kuhl, Taafe threw a laser to Roberts, who caught the ball inside the left pylon and a Crusader defender on him, leading to Feeley’s game ender.

       “The corner missed it and I just caught it,” said Roberts. “It was a beautiful pass, right on the spot.”

       After tossing two interceptions in the first half, Taafe, a 6-4 senior signal caller rebounded, finishing 15-of-33 for 230 yards, two touchdowns passing and a rushing score. Roane caught nine passes for 135 yards, and Chris Wilson rushed for 101 yards on 13 carries.

        The Crusaders put themselves in a hole early, fumbling on the second play of scrimmage. Jimmy Thomas (nine tackles, quarterback sack) recovered for Spalding which five plays later, turned it into a four-yard run by Jimmy Hockel (95 yards and three touchdowns).

        St. Paul’s responded as Taafe’s three-yard run (with Feeley’s extra point) completed a nine-play, 75-yard drive. Cavaliers’ defensive back Jim Lohr intercepted Taafe near midfield and returned the ball to St. Paul’s 33. Hockel followed a six-yard run by Whittles with a 27-yard jaunt, giving the Spalding the lead back at 12-7 with 6:19 remaining in the first half.

        A 41-yard field goal by Feeley with five seconds left brought St. Paul’s to 12-10 at halftime. The drive was a setup by a blocked punt by Austin Crabill. The Crusaders kept Spalding off the scoreboard after allowing a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half.

        “We came out a little flat and it was real disappointing,” said Smyth, whose team will try to extend its win streak to six against McDonogh School next weekend at Johns Hopkins University in the second game of the inaugural DigitalSports Primetime Pigskin High School Football Series. “We got a little pumped up, got a couple of turnovers and we were ready to go.”    
 
St. Paul’s 26, Archbishop Spalding 25
St. Paul’s   7  3 0 9 7-26
Spalding    6  6  7 0 0-25
Scoring summary
First quarter
S-Hockel four-yard run (kick failed). Drive: Five plays, 20 yards.
SP-Taafe three-yard run (Feeley kick). Drive: Nine plays, 75 yards. Key play: Roane 33-yard pass from Taafe on third-and-12.
Second quarter
S-Hockel 27-yard run (run failed), 6:19. Drive: Two plays, 33 yards. Key play:        
SP-Feeley 41-yard FG, :05. Drive: Seven plays, 15 yards. Key play: Roberts 10-yard pass from Taafe on fourth-and-9.
Third quarter
S-Hockel six-yard run, 4:28. Drive: 13 plays, 61 yards. Key play: Whittles five-yard run on fourth-and-1.
Fourth quarter
SP-Feeley 27-yard FG, 10:24. Drive: Four plays, 0 yards. Key play: Smyth partial blocked of Spalding punt.
SP-Roane 24 pass from Taafe (kick failed), 7:49. Drive: Five plays, 54 yards. Key play: Wilson 18-yard run on second-and-10.
Overtime
S-Kuhl nine-yard run (kick failed)
SP-Roberts 10-yard pass from Taafe (Feeley kick).

Quarterback Blake Thomas ran for a 5 yard score and later complete a two-point conversion pass to lead the Crusaders (2-6, 2-4), who won for the second time this year in the B Conference.

Leading 6-0 at the half, Gibbons took control with a 40 yard run by senior Troy Lewis, in the third quarter, and, in the fourth quarter the Crusaders blocked a field goal attempt and returned it 70 yards for the final score.

Severn (2-5 overall) fell to 0-5 in the league.

AT AACS, IT’S WAYNE’S WORLD

Mike Wayne made good on his first career start at quarterback, punctuating a dramatic and historic game-winning drive with a touchdown pass and his two-point conversion run to give first-year program Annapolis Area Christian its first-ever victory, 21-20, at MIAA C Conference opponent Friend School.

And the 5-foot-11, 150-pound junior made it count.

Wayne engineered an 11-play, 65-yard drive that ended with his 16-yard scoring pass to freshman Tyler Weist with no time remaining, then ran for the game-winning, two-point conversion to lift first-year football program to a 21-20 victory.

“The play was a boot-leg left, and when I started to go, I saw an open field. I saw daylight. And I didn’t trust myself to getoff a pass,” Wayne said. “It just worked out. But when I reached the endzone, the first thing I did was throw the ball into the air. Then, before I knew it, I was being mobbed by my teammates.”

The win improved the Eagles to 1-2 in the league, and, 1-4, overall, while the Quakers slipped to 0-3, 0-6.

Wayne and his Eagles trailed, 13-0, midway through the second quarter before he started their comeback, finishing with the scoring pass to Wiest, while also completing those of  7 and 40 yards to Regan Edmonds and Matt Soldano, respectively.

Wayne’s heroics in what coach Ken Lucas called “a drive that seemed to last forever,” and which began with 1:31 to play, also included freshman Joe Memmel and Joe Stelfox, the latter of whom Lucas called, “probably the player of the game.”

The Eagles overcame a 20-14 deficit by “slowly working their way down the field with short passes to multiple receivers,” Lucas said.

“I was fortunate, because I had thrown an interception, but then, our defense held them,” said Wayne, crediting the blocking of Edmonds and fellow linemen Johnny Marsh, Brian Chew, Mitch Wiley, Jason Bowen and Adam Smith.

“Coach gave me the plays, told me to be calm, and to just do what I could do,” Wayne said. “I’m just glad that when I got the ball in my hands, I was able to do something with it.”

Wayne and [running back] James Hagerott “even added a few rushing yards along the way,” Lucas said. “With no time on the clock, that put the Eagles in a position to tie or win.”

Immediately after Wayne’s pass to Wiest, Lucas summoned the offense to stay on the field.

Lucas called a play-action pass, but Wayne “pulled the ball down and ran in for the go-ahead two-point conversion,” the coach said.

“Whatever it was, or whatever it was intended to be, it was certainly a beautiful thing,” said Lucas. “This was a hard-fought game with the Friends School jumping out on top in the first-half with a 13-7 lead. [We] achieved a milestone this evening.”

The Eagles, who have been shut out three times by a combined, 119-0, had achieved their first milestone when junior John Phillips scored the program’s first-ever TD on a 4-yard run with under a minute left in a 25-7 loss to the Maryland Christian Saints on Sept. 21.

GAELS’ COLLINS REIGNS IN RAIN

“I was so down last week, I dropped a couple of passes that could have
turned the game around,” said Gaels’ quarterback Chris Collins, referring to last week’s loss at McDonogh. “I don’t feel like we should have lost that game, but then again, any
team can be beaten. I think we showed that tonight. Now we’re right back in it.”

The way Collins sees it, the game, played on a sunny afternoon, literally had slipped from the Gaels’ grasp.

“I was so down last week, I dropped a couple of passes that could have turned the game around,” said Collins, who plays a variety of positions for the Gaels, including receiver and running back.

“I don’t feel like we should have lost that game, but then again, any team can be beaten,” Collins said. “I think we showed that tonight.”

Collins spoke while standing in a downpour on Johns’ Hopkins University’s astro turf field after engineering Friday night’s 24-7 rout of previously unbeaten A Conference tri-champion Loyola (6-1, 1-1) in the inaugural DigitalSports Primtime Pigskin High School Football Series.

Collins staked the Gaels (3-4 overall, 2-1 league) to a 14-0 lead by throwing a 30-yard scoring pass to Kevin Fitzpatrick and rushing, untouched, for an 18-yard touchdown, helping to bring to an end a 10-game winning streak by a team which defeated Mount St. Joseph in the final seconds last season.

“We had some bad games, dropping balls, blowing leads like we did
against Thomas Johnson, which was also played in the rain,” said
Collins, a fleet-footed, 5-foot-11, 155-pounder.

“But tonight, I think
the rain favored us, with our ball-controll,” Collins said. “They like to run shot-gun,
don’t like to go under the center. But with this nice turf, we can cut
real good. I think it helped us out a lot.”

	Collins, one of many Gaels’ seniors who experienced their first victory over the Dons, also watched teammate Christian Lowe boot a 21-yard field goal and three extra point kicks. Collins later helped to set up Shelton Hall-Bennett’s 1-yard touchdown run with 7:02 to play by completing an 18-yard pass to Anthony Armstead. Armstead controlled Collins’ pass before landing at the 1-yard line after the ball had been tipped and nearly intercepted by the defender. Earlier, Collins had sustained the 11-play, 58-yard drive, when, on fourth-and-2 at Loyola’s 19, he completed a 5-yard pass to Dom Serio for first-and-10 at the Dons’ 14. “Our center, Jake Willertz, did an excellent job snapping the ball tonight, and we didn’t drop many passes tonight,” said Collins. “We just came to play, and and  we were focused.”
“Our center, Jake Willertz [No. 56,], did an excellent job snapping the ball tonight, and we didn’t drop many passes tonight,” Mount St. Joseph quarterback Chris Collins (No. 7) said of Willertz, whose recovery of a muffed punt return set up the Gaels’ first touchdown.  “We just came to play, and and  we were focused.”

The Dons, who averaged 35.5 points per game coming into the game, were held to their lowest point total of the season.

Loyola’s only score came with 4:53 left in the first half, when they were within, 14-7, after junior quarterback Leon Kinnard, ran for a 12-yard touchdown to finish off a  13-play, 80-yard drive. But the Gales responded with Lowe’s field goal with 9.7 seconds left in the half, going up, 17-7, at the intermission.

“I thought we came out ready to go and defeated them really in all phases of the game. Hats off to our kids, they just played a great game all around,” said third-year coach Chip Armstrong, crediting his linebacking corps of J.T. Ervin, Kirk Brooks, Tom Conley and Leroy Bradford. “There was a time where I thought we were getting gassed, and they were running ball effectively since they were pretty big up front.”

The Gaels, earlier, 40-3 winners over league-rival Georgetown Prep of
Bethesda, also have lost, 15-14, to Landon, a team both the Dons and
McDonogh had routed by large margins.
                                                                                                                                                       

The Gaels’ defense set the tone on the Dons’ second play from scrimmage, when Brian Petroski sacked Kinnard for a loss of seven yards. The defense also set up Fitzpatrick’s scoring reception at 5:47 of the first quarter, which came one play after Jake Willertz’ recovery of a muffed punt return at the Dons’ 30-yard line.

The Gaels, meanwhile, gained 214 yards of their 262 total offensive yards on the ground, mostly behind Renard Robinson (65yards), Collins (63), Rod White (55) and Nick Hutcherson. Collins credited the blocking of Conley, Serio, Willertz, Tyrell Fridie, Kirk Brooks, John Evans and Jay Drenner.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do for those guys, but my offensive line did an excellent job,” said Collins. “We just came to play, and we were focused on playing right. We look at McDonogh as being an upset, but we bounced back with another MIAA A Conference win. And now, we’re right back in the race. We can tie for first place in the league.”

Mount St. Joseph  24, Loyola    7

Loyola                   0          7        0        0           7
Mount St. Joseph    7         10       0        7         24

1st
MSJ-Fitzpatrick 30 pass from Collins (Lowe kick)

2nd
MSJ-Collins 18 run (Lowe kick)
LOY-Kinnard 12 run (Timmons kick)
MSJ-Lowe 21 FG

4th
MSJ-Hall-Bennett 1 run (Lowe kick)

SAINTS SACK ST. JOHN’S

Four fourth-quarter sacks secured Baltimore Lutheran’s 26-0 rout of visiting MIAA C Conference rival, St. John’s Catholic Prep, the Saints’ fourth of the season and its third straight victory, moving them into sole possession of first place in the league standings.

Baltimore Lutheran sophomore Aaron Lee sports an innocent-looking, brace-toothed grin.

But behind that smile is a football player whose goal it is to wreak havoc in the offensive backfields
of every MIAA C Conference team he faces.

“We’ve got that swagger, you know? To keep everybody from scoring,” said Lee, a 5-foot-8, 145-pound outside linebacker for the Saints who has returned an interception 70 yards for a score this season. “Everybody gets negative yards. Tackle them in the backfield. Just wrap them up. That’s our mentality.”

Lee and a number of his Baltimore Lutheran teammates put that mantra into effect on Friday afternoon against visiting MIAA C Conference rival St. John’s Catholic prep, earning their fourth shutout in as many victories, and going unscored upon for the third time in as many league games, 26-0.

Senior Ben Thomas had two sacks, with one each from Lee and junior Ryan McNamara.

“I don’t know how many sacks we had, but were all over the place,” said McNamara, a 5-11, 145-pounder. “Our coaches were calling blitzes left and right, and the holes were there, so we took advantage of it.”
                  
Saints’ junior quarterback Billy Seymour rushed for one touchdown and threw scoring passes of 13 and 30 yards to Sean McFadden and Cody Chamberlain, and Akil Thomas rushed for 131 yards and a 13-yard touchdown run in the third straight win by the Saints, who rose to 4-3 overall, and, 3-0 against the C conference.

The Vikings, who were held to minus 35 yards in the fourth quarter, and, 121 total yards for the game, slipped to 4-4 overall, and, 2-1 in a four-team conference whose teams must play each other twice before a titlist is determined.

	Seymour, a 5-foot-5, 125-pounder whose favorite QB is Peyton Manning, engineered the Saints’ first two scoring drives for a first-quarter 13-0 lead . Seymour’s 5-yard touchdown run ended a 13-play, 65-yard drive, giving the Saints a 7-0 lead after Chamberlain’s first of two extra point kicks at 5:08 of the first quarter. The Saints then covered 69 yards in only five plays before Seymour found McFadden, making it, 13-0, just 19 seconds before the second quarter. “We came out and we executed perfectly today,” said Seymour. “The defens was all over the ball and really stepped up today.”
“We came out and we executed perfectly today,” said  Baltimore Lutheran junior QB Billy Seymour (No. 7), who threw two touchdowns and rushed for another in the Saints’ fourth shutout, 26-0, over St. John’s Catholic Prep. “The defense was all over the ball and really stepped up today.”

And it was the defense that was the story of the game, including McFadden’s interception, Thomas’ team-high six tackles, McNamara’s fumble recovery and five tackles; Lee’s four tackles; and Justin McCraw’s four tackles and a pass distruption.

Also playing well defensively was Aaron Chotikul with four tackles, and Steve Grueninger and Daniel Bright with three tackles each for a squad which, in four wins, has out-scored its opposition by a combined, 136-0, including a 115-0 advantage over league opponents.

“We’re working hard, trying our best. We’re working hard in the weight room in the offseason, which is a big part of it. And we’re just executing,” said Thomas, a 6-foot, 200-pounder whose sacks totaled minus 19 yards.

“Our defensive coach, Mark Layman, has a lot to do with it,” Thomas said. “He’s teaching us to go after the ball, and if you make a mistake, to get back up and to not let it affect you. You may not win all of the time, but you’ve got to do your best when you can.”

A season-opening, 21-0 win over Clear Spring ended a 22-game winning streak by the Saints, who then lost three straight games.

“I thought, for a while, that it was going to be another losing season like last year. But I was not going to let that happen,” said McNamara, who, in one recent game, recovered a fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown.

“Our seniors have stepped up, our coaches have stepped up,” said McNamara. “We watch film consistently and we scouted this team very well.”

The Vikings’ best chance to score came late in the first half, when they drove to the Saints’ 8-yard line only to turn the ball over on downs 16 seconds before halftime.

“We knew we could do it, we just had to execute and make sure that we had our plays in line,” said Lee. “Now, it’s just one game at a time.”

Baltimore Lutheran  26,   St. John’s Catholic Prep 0

St. John’s                    0       0          0           0             0
Baltimore Lutheran       13      0         0         13           26

L- Seymour 5 run (Chamberlain kick)
L- McFadden 13 pass from Seymour (kick failed)
L- Chamberlain 30 pass from Seymour (Chamberlain kick)
L- Thomas 13 run (kick failed)

EAGLES BLANK FRIARS, 2-0

Chris Agorsor had a goal and assisted the other by teammate Andrew Bulls, as McDonogh goalie Tom Caso regitered his 16th shutout over defending MIAA A Conference champion Archbishop Curley.

The victory improved the Eagles to a league-leading 10-1-3 in the conference, and 16-1-3 overall, dropping the Friars to 11-3, and 18-3.

McDonogh, which earned a first-round by in the upcoming playoffs, has allowed only five goals this season although it suffered its lone loss against league rival Calvert Hall — a 3-1 loser to Loyola on Thursday.

Agorsor, who had at least three near-misses against Friars goalie John Connolly (10 saves), drove home the first goal of the day on a feed from sweeper Jake Levin 11 minutes into the first half

“I came in on the corner, and the ball came my way. I was able to deflect it to Chris, and he did the rest,” said Levin. “We were ready for this game. Curley beat us here last year, and we were up for this one.”

Caso, who is headed to Bucknell next fall, said the early goal allowed the Eagles to relax — but only a little.

“We came out and worked hard, and we got the early goal,” Caso said. “That was a big thing for us, because it allowed us to play our game.”

But the Friars almost tied the game when a shot hit the post in the first half.

“They had a breakaway, coming out of the corner of the box, and Chris Weaver chipped it toward the goal, and it hit the post,” Caso said. “They caught us on a counter, and that’s one of the things we try to work on. I came off my line and he got to the ball first, and flipped it over my head, but it did hit the post.”

Agorsor then fed Bulls 18 minutes into the second half to give the Eagles a two-goal cushion.
 
“Chris and Andrew seem to provide the offense, and we try to hold up the defense. We came in thinking we might have a disadvantage in the midfield,” said Levin, whose Eagles controlled that portion of the field for the most part.

“They play five guys there and we play four, but our center midfielders really stepped up today,” Levin said. “That carried the team.”
 
The win culminated a busy week by the Eagles, who also blanked then-third place Mount St. Joseph, 4-0, a few days earlier.

“We were very solid defensively, and if we can keep the other team from scoring, eventually Bulls and Chris will make something happen on the other end,” said McDonogh coach Steve Nichols. “Curley is a great team. They’re well coached, and we’ll probably see them again in the playoffs.”
 

LOYOLA ROMPS PAST FADING CALVERT HALL

Steven Levine scored twice for the surging Dons and David Butler also
scored, as Loyola (10-3-3, 8-3-3) moved up to third place in the league
by extending its unbeaten streak to five straight games.

Calvert Hall (9-8-2, 7-5-2) has now lost three straight and has just
one victory in its last seven games.  Despite the slide, the Cardinals,
who are currently in fifth place, have already locked up a playoff
spot.  However, with just two games to play, the Cardinals are in
danger of dropping into the sixth and final seed.  They lead Gilman,
which will visit the Hall on Tuesday, by just one point.

McDonogh and Curley, which are tied for first place after the Eagles
convincing 2-0 win over the Friars yesterday, have already locked up
the top two seeds in the A Conference and will have first round byes
for the coming playoffs.

Loyola owns a three point lead on Mount St. Joseph, in the battle for
third place, as well as four and five point leads over Calvert Hall and
Gilman, respectively.

Loyola 3, Calvert Hall 1
Goals: L-Levine 2, Butler; CH-Barreiro.
Assists: L-Doyle, Levine, Taylor.
Saves: L-Peitsch 2, Littleton; CH-Brashears.
Half: Loyola, 2-0.

CONCORDIA CONQUERS CHAPELGATE

Mark Concordia’s overtime goal, on a penalty kick, secures the win for Mount Carmel as well as the first league loss for the two-time MIAA C Conference champion Yellowjackets.

The victory raised Mount Carmel to 3-6 in the league, and, 11-8 overall, dropping the Yellowjackets to 9-1, and, 14-3.

Following a scoreless first half, during which each team struggled with shooting opportunities, Mike Lovaas led the Yellowjacket defense.

But Mt. Carmel was equally determined to keep Chapelgate off the scoreboard, resulting in two ten minute halves of sudden death overtime

After being fouled during the  second portion of overtime, Concordia took advantage of the opportunity to clinch the win against keeper Matt Siggins (2 saves).

The Yellowjackets, nevertheless, retained their position on top of the league standings.

Halftime score 0-0
Regulation score 0-0
Overtime score 1-0 Mt. Carmel
 
Goals: MC-Mark Concordia
Saves: MC-M. Kranabitter 9. C- M. Siggins 2, S. Handy 2.

LANE’S ACHES & PAINS, PERSONAL GAINS

“I’ve done well…I don’t expect or think I’ll ever reach my goal…which is a perfect game,” said Lane Clelland. “I can always be getting as close to it as I can.”

The
6-foot-5, 270-pound Clelland believes the Eagles can win their remaining games if their dedication remains intact.

by Lane Clelland
as told to DigitalSports
 

DS: Lane, can you assess how you believe youâ??ve done, in general, this season as far as your preseason expectations and what actually has happened?

LC: I’ve done well, I have been consistently getting better each week and honestly that is all anyone can ever ask for.”

Do you believe that you have achieved your goals, personally, as a player, from a standpoint of technique, results, statistically (pancakes, etc?)
 
No, and I don’t expect or think I’ll ever reach my goal…which is a perfect game. Though I doubt any player has ever had a 100% perfect game, I can always be getting as close to it as i can.
 

Do you feel that you have been the leader that you have wanted to be?

I’m not much of a rah rah guy, but I can sometimes be the leader and other times, I honestly do not know what to tell the team — especially after a game like Malvern Prep’s [46-7 loss] or even Loyola’s [9-6 overtime looss]. It’s hard. As a lineman also I think the best way I know how to lead
is just through actions and just doing my job. I truly believe that actions speak louder than any of my words would. 
 

How taxing were the last two games mentally, and, physically, against Loyola and Mount St. Joseph?

More mentally for me I think it was hard to bear the fact that we lost in such a close game to Loyola. We were right there and couldn’t pull it through. That game was very frustrating but we just went back to work on Monday as always and prepared for the next win. 

Were there any aches and pains to overcome the next morning?

Always, there are always aches and pains after games. I expect them and there’s nothing you can do except run some distance and take it easy. Honestly, the pain wasn’t physical. When you pour everything you can into a game like Loyola’s, it hurts a lot deeper to lose than it does to feel pain on the surface.

What chance do you believe you have as a team of someone else beating Loyola, and then, you guys winning out and sharing the title?

Well, hopefully, someone can see that Loyola is a beatable team. But the chances? I have no clue. I just want to go through and not lose another game. We have to beat Gilman most of all. If we do all of that, then the rest will take care of itself.
 
What do you recall about some of the most recent conversations you had with Lance, who is now at Dartmouth, and not coaching you, as he did as a McDonogh assistant for your previous years at the school.

Well, they can involve anything from school, to family, and of course football. On the football note though, we talk a lot about how I can improve on the little film he is able to see. And he tries to help me in any way he can. I usually have a few questions on any aspect of the game which I ask, and which he is able to answer. But other than that, we just talk like brothers.

Do you believe you would have handled any of the situations this year differently if Lance were here to counsel you?

Yes, of course. But I need to find my own true sense of perspectives and ideas on things. With him hear, it would have made it harder in college, knowing that, when I’m college, I’ll have to be without his help. Now that he is not here, that will make the transition to college easier.

You remained committed to wrestling your final year of high school when many top football recruits elect to take off from other sports as seniors. What do your football coaches think about you wrestling?

Well I know specifically that the majority of the coaches I have talked to in that past about my wrestling background love it. The reason is simple: One, for my motor, as they call it, which is my tempo and intensity on the field. The motor of any player must be high on the field. And for lineman, wrestling is the best combination for that high motor. Also the fact that wrestling deals with many of the same techniques that offensive and defensive line-play does. So my coaches really like and respect the fact that I wrestle. In fact, they expect me to do well.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: SINK OR SWIM

As the A and B Conference races approach their points of no return, that of the C Conference, featuring St. John’s Catholic Prep and Baltimore Lutheran, has only just begun. St. John’s and Lutheran will play again, no matter the outcome of Friday afternoon’s game.

Mount St. Joseph (2-4) vs. No. 4 Loyola (6-0)
Site: Johns’ Hopkins University
Time: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Outlook: In
spite of their losing record, the Gaels (1-1 league) are a dangerous
proposition for the Dons (1-0) league.
                                                                                                                                             

The Dons are coming off of a bye week after having beaten McDonogh, 9-6, in their A Conference opener. The Gales are coming off of last week’s 14-7 loss at McDonogh. But  the Gaels’ versatile athlete, Chris Collins, will be a threat to break for a TD at anytime on the artificial surface on which the teams will be playing. LBs Tim Bolte and Bubba Harris have been solid for the Dons, who are looking for their 10th straight victory and their 19th in their past 20 games after having gone a school-record 10-1 for last year’s tri-championship shared with Gilman (1-1 league) and McDonogh (1-1 league).  Junior QB Leon Kinnard is 16-1 as a Loyola starter, and has spread the ball well to his WRs and RBs, including RB Terence Garvin.

Loyola running back Terence Garvin (above) is part of an offense that seeks the program’s 10th straight victory in defense of its league title against A Conference rival Mount St. Joseph on Friday night at Johns Hopkins University. Loyola is 6-0.

MIAA Interdivisional

Boys’ Latin (3-3) at Georgetown Prep (2-4)
Time: 4 p.m., Friday
Outlook: The gap between the A and B Conference has rarely been wider than this season, when the B Conference has gone 0-9 against the A.

The visiting Lakers, of the B Conference, lost their season-opener, 49-7, to Loyola.

The
homestanding Little Hoyas, two weeks ago, came from behind for a 23-20
victory over St. Mary’s of the B Conference, which earlier, routed the
Lakers, 56-14.

MIAA B Conference


St. Paul’s (4-3) at Archbishop Spalding (4-2)
Time: 7 p.m., Friday
Outlook: The
visiting Crusaders (4-1 league) have won four straight conference games
since losing, 16-0, to league rival Archbishop Curley, which the
Cavaliers vanquished, 17-7.

	The Crusaders, winners of their last of four league titles in 2003, also are still smarting from their past two losses to the Cavaliers, who are in search of their third straight B Conference crown. Two years ago, the Crusaders lost, 14-13, when a late extra point kick bounced off the crossbar. Last year, however, the Cavaliers routed the Crusaders, 42-0. But after losing their first three outtings, the Crusaders have righted themselves for a run at the league title game paced by 6-4, 215-pound QB Brian Taaffe and WRs Scott Matthews, Jared Fradkin, Lance Roberts and Colby Roane. Cavaliers’ QB Kevin Moran has a nice receiving corps of his own, however, along with confidence gained by the Cavaliers’ 16-game winning streak against conference foes.
St. Paul’s QB Brian Taaffe, a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder, tries to lead the Crusaders to their fifth straight win on Friday night at two-time B Conference champ Archbishop Spalding. The Cavaliers have won their past two meetings with the Crusaders.

MIAA C Conference

St.John’s Catholic Prep (4-3) at Baltimore Lutheran (3-3)
Time: 4 p.m., Friday
Outlook: Excitement
reigns in this four-team conference, in which these two have emerged as
the two best halfway through the league’s season.

The
visiting Vikings (2-0 league) have won four games by a combined,
124-14, with three shutouts. They have beaten league rivals Friends and
Annapolis Area Christian by a combined, 69-14.

The Saints (2-0
league) have three shutouts by a combined, 110-0, including an 89-0
advantage over league rivals Friends and Annapolis Area Christian.

Not
matter which team is victorious, there will be a rematch at St. John’s
Catholic Prep, since all four of the teams in the C Conference must
play the others twice before a league champion is determined.

MIAA A Conference

McDonogh (3-3) at Calvert Hall (3-3)
Time: 1.p.m., Saturday
Outlook: The
Eagles (1-1 league) have an under-appreciated defense, one which held
conference rivals Loyola and Mount St. Joseph to one TD apiece in a
loss and a win, respectively.
                                                                                                                                             

The Cardinals (also 1-1 league) rebounded from a conference loss to Gilman (1-1 league) to defeat league rival Georgetown Prep (1-2 league), an earlier 14-6 winner over Gilman. Each team has a veteran offensive line: The Eagles are led by Notre Dame-bound Lane Clelland, and the Cardinals, by twins Pat and Sean Boyle. But each has experienced an inability to score once in the redzone. McDonogh sophomore QB Rudy Johnson completed a TD pass last week despite being sacked often. In what could be a high-scoring game, the key offensive players appear to be the Eagles’ WR Gerrard Sheppard and the Cardinals’ RB Justin Strickland.

Calvert Hall quarterback Zach Blake fires a pass over Georgetown Prep’s defense as the Cardinals ended a two-game losing streak, 27-6, last weekend. The Cardinals (1-1) try to make it two straight victories on Saturday against visiting McDonogh, last year’s A Conference tri-champion with Gilman and Loyola.

Calvert Hall coach Donald Davis, in his first season, appears to have the Cardinals moving in the right direction.

But
the Eagles, of Dom Damico, have played a much more difficult schedule,
with the likes of Loyola , Mount St. Joseph and Philadelphia-area
programs Malvern Prep and William Penn Charter.

MIAA B Conference

St. Mary’s (4-2) at Archbishop Curley (4-3)
Time: 1:30, Saturday
Outlook: St.
Mary’s (4-0 league) averaged 53 points in three straight wins over B
conference opponents until losing, 23-20, to Georgetown Prep of the A
Conference.

The Saints bounced back with last week’s 20-7 league win over Cardinal Gibbons, and are led by RB Dontra Peters.

The
Friars (3-1 league) have UCONN-bound LB Jerome Junior, among others,
who will try to keep the Saints from putting up so many points.

Along
with St. Paul’s and Archbishop Spalding, which meet on Friday night,
these two teams figure to factor into the league title game.