Playoff Football: Dundalk Drops Playoff Heartbreaker to Edmondson

Despite stellar defensive play, the Dundalk Owls were unable to pull off an upset against top-seeded Edmondson losing, 22-6, in a Class 2A North playoff game Saturday at Poly High School.

In his final game at the helm of the Dundalk football program, head coach Mike Downes knew that he needed his defense to contain the speedy Red Storm offensive attack.

“We knew we had to play disciplined on defense, and maintain our assignments,” Downes said. “They are so fast that we don't have anyone that can catch them.”

The loss dropped Dundalk's record to 5-6. Edmondson, now 8-4 record, advanced to play Chesapeake-Baltimore County at 4 p.m., Saturday at Poly.

The Owl defense came to play, shutting out Edmondson in the first half.

“Defensively, we played our best game of the year tonight,” Downes said after the loss. “We did some film study on them and knew what they were going to do on offense, and we stopped it. They were only able to score on broken plays.”

The Owl offense did not have the same success, unable to maintain any long drives in the first half.

“They are so fast our running backs couldn't get outside,” Downes said. “We kept telling our backs to stay inside, stay inside, but we kept trying to bounce it to the outside, and (Edmondson is) too big and fast for that.”

Early in the third quarter, a costly Owl fumble handed the ball to the Red Storm deep in Dundalk territory.

Edmondson running back Steve Everette broke the scoreless tie with an 8-yard touchdown plunge. On its next possession, the Red Storm drove 69 yards, capped by a 24-yard Tyjuan Eaton TD pass to Lawrence Jackson, putting the city school up 15-0.

Still unable to generate any offense, the Owls went three-and-out on their next possession but the Dundalk defense got the big play it needed when Moe Howard sacked Eaton on a corner blitz.

Eaton coughed up the football and Dundalk lineman Sean Miskimon scooped it up and rumbled 57-yards for a touchdown. After missing the two-point conversion, the Owls trailed by nine points, 15-6.

A failed on-sides kick attempt by the Owls handed Edmondson the ball on the Dundalk 39-yard line. Two plays later, Jackson scored a 16-yard touchdown.

Dundalk threatened to score late in the fourth quarter when Dwayne Marshall hauled in a Luah Talo Hail Mary pass on the 3-yard line. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved the ball back to the 18-yard line and Dundalk was unable to score.