North Point football takes down Lackey; Spartans, Warriors, Wolvs win, too
Eagles win with defense, special teams to improve to 2-0
The stands were full and the crowd was ready to go a half hour before Friday night’s kickoff in Waldorf between host North Point and Lackey.
Coming off a convincing 41-18 win over county foe Thomas Stone in Week 1, North Point picked up where it left off a week later, scoring on its first two possessions with two huge special teams plays in the first half, also anchored by a stifling defense, en route to a 35-15 win over the visiting Chargers.
After finishing undefeated in the regular season in 2015, North Point (2-0 overall) has remained perfect through the first two weeks of this season. The Eagles will have another huge test at 7 p.m. Friday when they travel to take on Calvert, which has not allowed a point yet this season after a 13-0 Week 2 blanking of Huntingtown, in another Southern Maryland Athletic Conference nondivision contest.
North Point has beaten Lackey in the last nine meetings.
“Lackey was big up front and our goal this week was just maintaining gap integrity and making sure that we weren’t creating run lanes on our end,” North Point head coach Tom Petre said. “We stifled the run early and were able to get good field position.”
North Point exploded out to a 28-3 lead to end the first half after back-toback touchdowns, the first coming on a 70-yard kickoff return by senior safety Malachi McMillan at the 5 minute 44 second mark and the second a blocked punt and scoop up for six by Dante Grant with 3:02 left.
“That was a big play for us. The kick was short and I just followed my blocks and took it to the house,” said McMillan, whose kickoff return came after a Lackey scoring drive that resulted in a field goal. “I’m so proud of my defense. Everybody just stayed on their assignments.”
North Point junior quarterback Jemichael Jones capped a 17-play 65-yard game-opening drive with a 37-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jon Riley on a fourth down and 22.
“I knew we had to get it down the field and I just trusted my receiver [Riley],” said Jones, who also had a rushing touchdown late in the third. “In practice he was dropping some passes, but he showed out today.”
On the 11th play of that drive, the Lackey defense had forced the Eagles into a fourth down,but was called for a pass interference.
“Those penalties on that first drive killed us and we just didn’t make the play tonight,” Lackey head coach John Lush said. “We thought we were ready to take the next step as a program beating a quality opponent, but we aren’t there just yet.”
Jones went to the air again with 5:25 left in the first on a 49-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Malik Lawrence (4 catches, 84 yards) to put the Eagles up by two scores.
Lackey (1-1), which was held to just 64 yards of total offense in the first half, did not complete a pass until the last play of the game when junior backup quarterback Wesley Johnson found Demontae Owens for 17 yards. Sophomore starting quarterback Robert Middleton did not complete any passes in six attempts.
Lackey senior running back Malik Burns, who was held to just 29 yards rushing in the first half, finished the game with 181 yards on 19 carries, scoring the team’s first touchdown on a 41-yard run with 1:06 left in the third quarter. Running back Khyree Hart scored a touchdown on an 8-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
McMillan and Zaron McCoy had one interception each in the contest.
Lackey will host St. Charles at 7 p.m. Friday night. The Spartans picked up their first win of the season in Week 2, 14-0 over McDonough.