Owens makes the difference
Senior QB has hand in all 3 TDs as Gladiators vanquish Scorpions
Any football coach will tell you that the team that plays better in the trenches usually wins the game.
It’s true, of course, but the cliché doesn’t account for when a team has Bisi Owens.
Despite being outplayed up front by visiting Oakland Mills on Friday, Glenelg earned a 20-8 victory behind three touchdowns from Owens and a defense that came up big in the second half.
“We lost up front,” said Glenelg coach Tim Cullen. “We got a little lucky and made some big plays in a couple big spots.”
Owens threw for a 57-yard touchdown in the first half and ran for two more scores in the second half to propel the Gladiators offense. The senior quarterback ran for 94 yards on 22 carries and added 65 yards through the air. He also made multiple touchdown-saving plays on defense at the safety position.
“We had the motivation tonight,” Owens said. “They were 4-0, and we wanted to knock them off. They’re a really good team, really fast. We made a few mistakes tonight, but we kept our heads up and stayed strong.”
Cullen said the game was dominated by both defensive lines, as Glenelg’s front was also impressive, preventing Oakland Mills’ run-heavy offense from getting too many chunk plays. Glenelg (4-1) held Oakland Mills (4-1) to 145 yards on 45 plays (3.2 yards per play).
Neither team scored in the first quarter of the contest at Glenelg High School.
Overall, Oakland Mills’ defense did a good job of containing Owens, who didn’t have much success on his QB counter runs. But, as Scorpions coach Thomas Browne said, it’s “only a matter of time” before Owens makes a play.
“A kid who is that good is going to get a couple of big hitters,” Browne said.
Western Tech 36, Lansdowne 28, 2OT: Western Tech might only have 23 players on its roster, with several playing both ways, but the Wolverines proved they were in shape Friday night as they outlasted host Lansdowne 36-28 in double overtime.
On the first possession of the second overtime period, Western Tech’s Tino Mangwende scored on a 5-yard run and then ran in the two-point conversion.
Lansdowne had one last chance to answer from the 10-yard line in the second overtime. Western Tech’s Airik Jenkins stuffed Karon Jett for a 2-yard loss on first down. After an offside penalty moved the ball to the 7, Jenkins stopped Jett again and shortly after — following two incompletions — the Western Tech players celebrated the team’s third straight win after opening with two losses. — Craig Clary
Westminster 20, Manchester Valley 17: With his team trailing in the fourth quarter, Westminster receiver Clayton Dorsey knew the Owls needed a spark.So he literally took th ings into his own hands.
The sophomore broke loose for two long catches to set up the decisive score as
Westminster rallied for a 20-17 victory over Manchester Valley in the Ravens RISE showdown Game of the Week on Friday night.
With the Owls backed up at their own 10-yard line and facing a third-and-long, Dorsey caught a pass along the sideline from quarterback Jack Gruenzinger and turned it up the field for a 40-yard gain. Two plays later, Dorsey struck again for 20 yards to set up a first-and-goal.
“He’s one hell of a player,” Gruenzinger said of his sophomore playmaker. “We’re good at playing from behind; we do a lot. Our team kind of comes together and we do what we have to do. We get the ball to our playmakers and get a score.”
After a completion to junior Mason Fisher moved the ball down to the 4, running back Matthew Heath put the Owls up for good with his second touchdown of the game that created the final three-point margin with 5:37 left in the game.
“We didn’t let being down get to us,” Heath said. “We kept fighting and got a win. It was a great environment and great energy. It helped us.”