MDHigh.com - Week 10 Weekend Wrap-up (Part III)

November 2, 2009

Dave Lomonico
MDHigh.com Publisher

Shockers, upsets, last-minute victories, and overtime thrillers were in-vogue in Week 10. With playoffs spots on the line, some teams stepped up and showed they deserved a postseason berth. Others fizzled out under the immense pressure. Read on for the best of last week's action.

McDonogh 7, Calvert Hall 0

No. 16 McDonogh (8-1) came into this MIAA A-Conference showdown with an offense that was scoring 30 points per game and a red-hot quarterback in Rudy Johnson. But Calvert Hall's (6-4) defense was ready, just like they were when they shut down Gilman quarterback Darius Jennings earlier this year. The Cardinals put a clamp on McDonogh's rushing attack and sacked Johnson (7 of 12 passing for 139 yards) four times. The Eagles hadn't been held to seven points or less since 2007.

But it was all for naught. McDonogh's defense was just as dominating, holding Calvert Hall to just 167 yards of total offense. And Johnson came up big when it mattered most.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles put together their longest drive of the game. Johnson hit receiver Neil Kennedy with a 43-yard pass, and then a pass-interference call moved McDonough to the Calvert Hall 24. On the next play Johnson connected with receiver Justine Gross for 23 yards, falling just short of the goal line. But Johnson finished off the drive, sneaking into the end zone from 1-yard out. The Eagles defense did the rest.

North Carroll 14, Francis Scott Key 12

North Carroll (3-6) scored early and held on late to beat Francis Scott Key (1-8) on Friday night. In the first quarter, Keegan Farley put North Carroll on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run. A few minutes later Carroll's Dan Hoffman caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from John Shipley. That's the last point North Carroll would score all night.

Key scored its first touchdown in the second quarter when Nick O'Meilia hit Derrick Petry for a big 67-yard pass. The missed extra point made it 14-6.

But the real drama came in the fourth quarter. With just under 3:20 to play, O'Meilia hit receiver Keith Woodrow for a 19-yard score, making it 14-12. Naturally, they went for the game-tying two-pint conversion. But O'Meilia was sacked and North Carroll still held a two-point lead.

Game over? Not quite. Key recovered an onside kick at midfield and had a chance to win with just a field goal. But O'Meilia's pass to receiver Steven Vant sailed high and North Carroll's Sean Nolan picked it off, thus ending the game.

St. Mary's 14, St. Paul's 13

The last-minute victories were in-vogue this weekend. In the MIAA, St. Mary's (5-4) had to sweat out a late St. Paul's (3-6) rally to hang on for a one-point victory, 14-13.

St. Mary's had just taken a 14-7 lead late in the fourth quarter after Mark McNeil capped an 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. But with less the four minutes to go, St. Mary's almost gave the game away. After intercepting St. Paul's quarterback Zach Linkous, St. Mary's should have sealed the win. But they fumbled the ball away.

St. Paul's then went on a 60-yard drive that ended with a Linkous 7-yard pass to Jay Carolson. The ensuing two-point conversion failed, however, allowing St. Mary's to hold onto a one-point lead.

St. Paul's had no choice but to try an onside kick. They recovered, setting up a potential game-winning drive. St. Paul's moved all the way inside the St. Mary's 30-yard line before attempting a game-winning 41-yard field goal. But the holder mishandled the snap and St. Mary's escaped with the win.

Northwestern 7, Laurel 6

Turnovers, mistakes and defense defined this one. Laurel (3-6) had just 22 yards of total offense, but they were set up with tremendous field position all game. They couldn't capitalize, however. Northwestern (3-6), meanwhile, overcame an array of turnovers and had one great drive that proved to be the difference in the game.

On the game's first play, Northwestern fumbled the kickoff, giving Laurel the ball at the Wildcats' 36. But Laurel's Miles Chew fumbled the opportunity away. Northwestern's case of the drops continued when quarterback Diamond Hansford mishandled the snap and gave the ball right back to the Spartans. This time Laurel took advantage. Quarterback Zane Carroll connected with receiver Jamil DeHonney for an 11-yard score, making it 6-0 in the second quarter. But the missed extra point proved to be costly.

Laurel got the ball back after a blocked punt, but they fumbled once again. The Spartans defense continued to hold Northwestern down, however. After forcing a three-and-out, Laurel's offense had another scoring chance, and this time they didn't turn it over with an interception or a fumble. Instead, they turned the ball on downs.

That's when the Wildcats offense woke up. Northwestern drove 70 yards in eight plays with Donovan Hayden capping the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run at the 3:55 mark in the second quarter. Marquise Blackwell's extra point gave Northwestern the 7-6 lead.

After halftime neither team could move the ball and thus the score stayed 7-6.

Weekend Wrap-up Part I
Weekend Wrap-up Part II

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