SMAC All-Stars no match for PG
Get two late touchdowns to avoid shutout in Chick-fil-A Challenge
UPPER MARLBORO — In five of the previ- ous eight meetings on the gridiron between the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and Prince George’s County all-stars, the Chick-fil-A Challenge, there was plenty of second-half dra- ma when that handful of games was decided by a single score.
But Saturday after- noon amid blustery, chilly conditions at Wise High School, the Prince George’s squad gained command early and forged a 34-0 halftime lead en route to a 48-12 victory over the SMAC team.
SMAC, which won last year’s meeting 23-22 to end a five-game skid after winning the first two, got one defensive touchdown from Keisean Wilson (North Point) and one on offense from De’john Broadwater (Thomas Stone).
“At halftime, I just told the guys come out and play hard in the second half and not worry about the scoreboard,” said SMAC coach Tom Petre, the head football coach at North Point. “I thought we put forth a much bet- ter effort in the second half. We got the defensive touchdown from Keisean and then Broadwater had that long run. It was a tough cold.”
Prince George’s, which was actually playing without any of the players from Wise, which won its second consecutive 4A state title one night earlier with a 42-7 victory over Montgomery County’s Quince Orchard, scored one touchdown in the first quarter on a 4-yard run by Karl Mofor [Eleanor Roosevelt]. But the SMAC squad ended other drives courtesy of an interception by Malachi McMillan (North Point) and a sack from Diondre Gregory (Westlake), his first of four on the day.
“It was really an honor to be selected for this game,” Gregory said. “I had the chance to play alongside the best players in SMAC, many of whom I had been playing against the last four years. We didn’t get it done tonight, but we played against a lot of really good play- ers from PG County. It was fun to be part of this game.”
Trailing only 8-0 after the opening period, the SMAC squad got over- whelmed in the second quarter. PG extended the lead to 16-0 on a 42-yard pass from Javonte How- ard (Potomac) to Markell Mayhew (Gwynn Park), made it 22-0 on a 22-yard toss from Howard to Mark Woods (Douglass), day and it was pushed the lead to 28-0 on a 1-yard run by Woods and then to 34-0 on a 17yard strike from Howard to Javon Hayes (Oxon Hill).
The Southern Mary- land squad opened the second half with its best drive of the day, marching 50 yards in 10 plays before turning the ball over on downs in the PG red zone. But on the PG squad’s first play from scrimmage of the third quarter, Howard fumbled and Wilson scooped up the loose ball and raced 18 yards for a touchdown to get the SMAC team on the board at 34-6.
Two possessions lat- er, Broadwater gave the SMAC squad an immedi- ate spark when he raced 53 yards up the middle for another touchdown to trim the PG lead to 34-12 with 3:42 left in the third. Broadwater also had two other productive runs before committing a fum- ble in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the Stone senior was content with the outing.
“When I saw that hole open up and I got through, I knew that I was going to score,” Broadwater said of his long scamper. “That was a huge hole. Give those guys up front credit for that one. It was a tough game, but it was great to be part of it. We have a lot of talent in SMAC. We didn’t win today, but I think we showed what we can do.”
Not long after Broadwater’s fumble on the SMAC opening drive of the fourth quarter, PG needed only five plays to go 50 yards and extended the lead to 40-12 on a 1-yard run by Mofor. Then with just less than five minutes remaining, Howard connected with Isaiah Coulter (Gwynn Park) on an 11-yard toss for the game’s final score, one that invoked the running clock.