Turnovers difference as Arundel takes down Annapolis
Arundel’s triumph Thursday night against Annapolis may have come from the hands of its quarterback, running backs and wide receivers, but none of it would have come about if not for the Wildcats defense.
The unit, which had a strong game against Old Mill last week despite a loss, capitalized on six Panthers turnovers to come away with a 24-8 victory in Gambrills.
With the win, Arundel (1-1) has the motivation and confidence to face what coach Jack Walsh considers the best team in the county next week: Broadneck.
“We had to do some things we don’t normally have to do, holding the ball. But turnovers were big. Hats off to our defense; they executed our game plan,” Walsh said.
Senior Jaire Le’Mon led the way with 105 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown that extended the Arundel lead to 24-0 late in the contest.
“We’re happy we were able to run the ball when we had to, versus when it doesn’t matter,” Walsh said. “Really happy with our kids’ effort today.”
On the other side, senior Jalen Lamkin did most of the damage for Annapolis (1-1), piling up 140 yards on 13 carries and scoring the Panthers’ lone touchdown — a 59-yard sprint. The game, however, was already out of reach, due in large part to the turnovers.
Misfortune roiled Annapolis’ offense in the first half. Anything quarterback Deshawn Austin and the Panthers tried to drum up ended with a punt of a giveaway.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Annapolis coach Nick Good-Malloy said of the turnovers. “This isn’t taking anything from Arundel, but some of those were unforced, us just mishandling the ball. They were definitely playing hard on defense, don’t get me wrong. I think some of those were self-inflicted wounds, which you can’t do against a good team like Arundel.”
Senior Ethan Facey put one of his fumble recoveries to good use, skirting down the field to haul in a 62-yard touchdown that put Arundel ahead 10-0.
Then, Facey’s interception sparked an Arundel drive that’d end another score. Wildcats junior quarterback Cameron Leight put faith in his arm three times in that drive, and his receivers, Marcus Cager and Jeremy Weinstein, thanked him for with three receptions. The third landed in Weinstein’s hands for a 17-yard touchdown, extending the advantage to 17-0 before halftime.
Along with the touchdown, Leight finished 13-for-21 with 93 yards.
“He’s working through the process. He’s taking the bumps of a first-year starting quarterback,” Walsh said of Leight, who had five interceptions last week. “His arm strength is
solid; it’s more the consistency of his throws. That comes with time and reps.”
Walsh credited the patience and faithfulness with which the more experienced receivers work with the new quarterback, to come together in a partnership quickly during the short, four-game season.
“They’re not upset they’re not getting the balls they’d normally get. They’re not upset the throws aren’t happening the way they’d normally happen,” Walsh said. “That’s what I commended my guys on today, playing selfless football. Bottom line is Arundel came out on top, and that was the goal.”
There was a quarterback battle during the preseason at Annapolis, with Austin competing for the starting role with junior Kyle Williams.
When another Annapolis drive ended with the football in the hands of Facey, Williams’ time to take the reins came. His guidance directed the Panthers to their closest opportunity to score yet, a possession that featured a 42-yard run by junior Kemari Taylor and ended 3 yards from the red zone.
Ditching unnecessary turnovers, Good-Malloy said, and keeping a good grip on the ball is what made their go-to, the triple-option offense, function so much better in the second half.
“Multiple people handling the football on different plays. You can’t put it on the ground no matter what kind of offense you run. We started eliminating that and moving the ball,” Good-Malloy said.
Arundel interrupted whatever excitement the Panthers were brewing with another in the fourth quarter. Leight navigated his offense 19 yards downfield, and when a play put the
Wildcats at the 8-yard line, Le’Mon took it from there.
Annapolis could not allow itself to drive back to Fred Stauffer Lane empty-handed. Even as a win’s possibility withered away, a score remained out there for the taking. Lamkin made sure there would be no shutout, as he took a handoff 59 yards for a score with 2:05 left.
It was another drive setup by Williams.
“We had total confidence in him, and we told him that going into the game.
It was nice to get a little spark,” Good-Malloy said. “We told Deshawn we have total confidence in him, but sometimes you need a change of pace, and Kyle provided that.”
Chesapeake rolls North County
The defense scored a pair of touchdowns and Larry Hurst kicked a trio of field goals from 22, 25 and 25 yards out to lead the Cougars to their second straight lopsided victory, 37-20.
A 20-yard Hurst field goal and a 4-yard scoring run by Ryan Rush (7 carries, 19 yards) put Chesapeake ahead 10-0 in the first quarter, and the advantage swelled to 14 by halftime after a Hurst 31-yard field goal and an Aiden Yost fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Kyle Lane (15 carries, 64 yards) added to the lead and scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone, and Rushaun Tongue (2 receptions, 89 yards) snagged a 50-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Nate Rosado (4 of 7 passing, 111 yards, TD) to make it 37-6 in the third quarter.
Severna Park 30, Northeast 7: Sophomore quarterback Seamus Patenaude had a rushing and passing touchdown while senior running back Colin Shadowens ran for a score to lead the Falcons (2-0) to their second straight win. Junior wide receiver Colton Adams caught a touchdown pass and on defense, junior linebacker Brayden Layne had a pick-six.
The Eagles fell to 1-1.
Southern 28, Glen Burnie 14: The Bulldogs jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first half and earned their first win of the season. The Gophers dropped to 0-2.
South River 21, Meade 12: The Seahawks (1-1) earned their first win of the season while the Mustangs lost their second straight game.