Lions get revenge for busted streak

Junior RB Dawkins scores three TDs; defense holds Gladiators to 125 total yards

for Howard, it didn’t have to wait long to exact revenge on Glenelg for ending the Lions’ 32-game county winning streak with a 25-20 victory Oct. 28.

No. 7 Lions junior running back Devin Dawkins was held mostly in check, finishing with 54 yards on 16 carries, but scored three touchdowns and senior linebacker Ryan Kearney and company did the rest to shut out the No. 14 Gladiators, 34-0, on Friday night in the 60th battle for the annual Elgard Trophy.

“I thought we played great,” first-year Howard coach Ross Hannon said. “Offensively controlling the ball and defensively, our defensive line, really we won first down and that really was the key to the game. Last year we did not. We put them in second and long and were very disciplined.”

Lions senior quarterback and secondyear starter Robby Porter had one of his best games. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 137 yards, including 78 in the first quarter, and managed the game with ease.

Howard’s defense, however, shut down Glenelg junior running back Wande Owens, last year’s Howard County Times Offensive Player of the Year and the all-time single-season rushing leader for Howard senior linebacker Ryan Kearney the league. Owens finished with just 39 yards on 17 carries and his longest run of the game was eight yards.

Overall, Glenelg managed only 125 yards of total offense.

“I knew we’re a different team than we were a year ago and we’re still learning to get better,” Gladiators coach Butch SchafFortunately fer said. “Howard is just a tremendous football team. They’re bigger and better at every position . ... There’s a reason they’re a 4A school and we’re a 2A school.”

Dawkins capped the Lions’ first possession with an eight yard touchdown run to make it 7-0, and he found the end zone again on a three yard run on the next drive in the opening quarter. His third score of the game came on a 1-yard plunge on the first possession of the second half and back-up running back Robert Agbai closed out a 10-play, 83-yard drive on Howard’s next drive to make it 27-0. Agbai scored again on a 45-yard run late in the fourth quarter.

“[Revenge] was definitely on our minds,” said Kearney, who was named the Player of the Game alongside Demetrius Majors. “Right when we got the schedule for this year, we saw they were the first game and I immediately circled that date, and I knew I would have to be ready for this game. Our whole team was ready today.”