Raiders rumble to win behind Brown
It was only fitting that “You Can’t Stop Me” by Andy Mineo blared over the speakers late in the fourth quarter of Atholton’s 28-27 overtime victory over Reservoir on Friday night.
Simply put, Reservoir could not stop Raiders running back Melvin Brown after halftime of the Ravens RISE High School Football Showdown. He ran off tackle to the right side over and over. Most times, a few Gators defenders would finally wrestle him to the ground. But with the Raiders trailing, 21-14, with just 41 seconds to play, Brown would not be stopped before finding the end zone.
His 9-yard touchdown run set the stage for a game-tying extra point that sent the game into overtime. Then, on the first play of the extra period, Brown barreled over a defender on his way to a 10-yard score, putting the Raiders ahead for the first time since the opening quarter.
The Gators would answer with a 9-yard pitch and catch, but instead of attempting the extra point, they decided against trying to stop Brown even one more time and opted for the potential game-winning 2-point conversion. And this time, it was the Atholton defense came through with the most important stop of all. The Raiders gang tackled quarterback Malcolm Brownshort of the goal line, sending the home crowd into a frenzy after clinching an improbable win.
“Basically, just don’t give up,” senior lineman Kevin Brown said of the team’s mentality being down 14 points in the fourth quarter. “Every time Reservoir scored, everyone wanted to go down and give up and all of that. No, we can win this game. Our season is still going, we still trying to make our goals of the playoffs. We’re still trying to get there.”
Kevin Brown was one of several blockers that created running lanes for Melvin Brown throughout the night. The senior running back finished with 187 rushing yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns. All but 34 of those came after intermission. Atholton’s Melvin Brown rushed for 187 yards on 25 carries and scored the winning touchdown on a 10-yard run against Reservoir in overtime Friday night.