St. Charles blanks Northern
Spartans stay perfect with shutout
In many respects Friday’s Southern Maryland Athletic Conference Potomac Division contest between two previously undefeated teams at Northern High School evolved into a defensive struggle in which the difference hinged on one team’s ability to capitalize on opportunities that were few and far between.
St. Charles (5-0, 1-0 SMAC Potomac) remained perfect on the season by blanking host Northern (4-1, 1-1) as the Spartans took advantage of two first half turnovers by the Patriots and forged a 12-0 lead that lasted through the last 33 minutes of play. Northern had several good drives, but each of them ended without points as the Patriots were handed their first setback of the season.
“We had a good week of practice and this was definitely a team win and a defensive win,” said St. Charles firstyear coach Patrick Orndoff, whose team will face winless Leonardtown at 7 p.m. Friday for the Spartans’ homecoming game. The Raiders lost to Chopticon in Week 5, 340. “We really didn’t do much offensively, but we made the plays when we had to. Then defensively we played really well.”
St. Charles crossed midfield on its opening possession before punting, but the Spartans got the ball back two plays later. Northern quarterback Nick Olson fumbled the shotgun snap and St. Charles recovered at the Patriots’ 26-yard line. Two plays later, following a chop block penalty, St. Charles quarterback Kameron Blount scored from 39 yards out on a keeper then pushed his extra point attempt wide left and the visitors led 6-0.
Northern crossed midfield on each of its next two possessions, but those drives failed to produce points when Olson was first intercepted by Konner Blount-Foster
and the Patriots punted on their next possession. St. Charles immediately responded when Blount connected with Blount-Foster for a 65yard scoring toss on a screen pass and the Spartans owned a 12-0 lead with just less than 10 minutes remaining in the half.
Northern spent much of the second quarter in St. Charles territory, but netted nothing. The Patriots again responded with a long drive, but after
marching 60 yards on 16 plays they again came up empty. Olson had tight end Luke Wooldridge wide open inside the Spartans’ 5, but his pass was under thrown and Wooldridge was unable to cradle the ball while backpedaling into the end zone.
Northern then got the ball back courtesy of a Blount-Foster fumble with 1 minute 25 seconds left in the half, but the Patriots again turned the ball over on downs after four Olson incompletions. Each team had six first downs and one turnover
in the first half, but it was the Spartans who headed to the intermission with a 12-0 lead, which would eventually prove to be the final margin.
Northern spent much of the second half in St. Charles territory as the Spartans managed just one first down in the last 24 minutes, coming courtesy of a 43-yard run by Blount that flipped the field and forced the Patriots to sustain long drives. Northern accumulated yards and first downs, but eventually their drives met the same fate.
“One thing I loved from
our guys was they never gave up,” said Northern second-year coach Steve Crounse, whose Patriots are at unbeaten North Point (5-0, 2-0) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Eagles defeated Huntingtown in Week 5, 31-6. “We had some opportunities, but we were not able to finish drives. We had not played well the first four games and we were lucky to come away with four wins and tonight it caught up to us. But we have to regroup and get ready for North Point next week.”
Northern reserve quarterback Rex Fleming had
the Patriots’ longest play from scrimmage in the third quarter when he raced 34 yards on a keeper, but Northern failed to go much further and punted. Olson returned for the first drive of the fourth quarter and connected with Cameron Wilson for 29 yards and then scampered 20 yards to bring the Patriots to the Spartans’ 16.
On the next play, Fleming’s screen pass was intercepted by Quinton Myrick at the 20.
Northern’s next drive ended with an Olson interception near midfield and the Patriots’ last drive of the game ended with an Olson incompletion at St. Charles’ 25 on the game’s final play. Northern had seven first downs in the second half and 13 for the game, but had zero points to show for them.