Sports Roundup: Answers Await Area Football Teams in Week 3

How long can the Howard High varsity football team keep piling on the points and stay unbeaten?

Can winless Centennial get healthy before its season of promise is ruined?

Will young Mount Hebron stop making the kind of mistakes that have resulted in two blowout losses?

Week 3 of the season should offer a lot of clues about the paths the Ellicott City teams will take this season.

Howard (2-0) travels to Oakland Mills (2-0); Centennial (0-2) meets visiting Atholton (1-1); and Mount Hebron (0-2) is at Reservoir (2-0). All three games are at 3 p.m. Friday.

Here's a glance at how things are shaping up for the three teams going into the third round of games:

HOWARD

The Lions have scored a total of 94 points and allowed only 26 in victories over Marriotts Ridge and Mount Hebron. Howard third-year head coach Bruce Strunk is quick to give credit up front.

"The reason why we're putting all these points up is the entire offensive line," he said. "They've done a great job.

"That's a lot of points," added Strunk, who has been a head coach at Northern of Baltimore, Randallstown and Eastern Tech, and an assistant at Wilde Lake, Patterson and Poly. "Our players have done a good job of wearing people down. Our offensive line – we're not big but we're pretty experienced. And they work hard. They keep going at it. They're in good shape."

Seniors Charles Hayes, Jake Miller, Steve Via, David Friedman, Ryan Caruso and junior Noah Johnson and sophomore Jack Friedman have had their way with defenses the first two games.

Also-unbeaten Oakland Mills will likely be more challenging on both sides of the ball.

"They're very good," Strunk said. "They're very, very athletic. They have good size. They fly around and they're playing with confidence, something their football players haven't had in a long time"

CENTENNIAL

In the preseason, Ken Senisi was excited about coaching a team that included 26 seniors. He said his main goal was to stay healthy.

It didn't happen.

Senisi goes into Friday's game without four starters, including two team captains. And the backup for one of those starters is out.

At least quarterback Matt Harbinson, another captain, is returning after suffering a mild concussion in the season-opening loss to Oakland Mills.

"It's tough, because we start out 0-2," Senisi said. "We had some pretty good expectations and we still do. You have to stay the course.

 "The guys we have in there are first-string guys, but some of them are playing a little bit out of position right now. I don't want to bring up kids from JV because I want them to get experience and learn."

 "Our seniors really stepped up this week, taking on new roles. We had one of our better weeks of practice. I'm really proud of them."

Among the wounded are tailback Bray Benning (fractured toe) and cornerback/wingback Sam Duffee (knee injury). Both are team captains and could return next week.

Also out are safety Edwin Heck (concussion), running back/defensive back Josh Jones (twisted ankle), and Bray's backup, Stephen Sieron (muscle pull).

"With these type of injuries, you don't want to rush them back too soon," Senisi said.

The makeshift lineup will be dealing with a quick Raiders squad.

"Atholton is a good program," Senisi said. "They have some talented backs.

"It's one of those games where we've had a really good week of practice and the kids know what we want to do. If we can stay with their speed, I think we'll be in good shape."

MOUNT HEBRON

Mistakes, particularly on special teams, have cost the Vikings heavily in a 40-0 drubbing against Atholton and a 45-20 loss to Howard.

 "We're not doing anything on our kick returns," said head coach Ross Hannon. "We're shooting ourselves in the foot, starting with horrendous field position. We started inside the 10 against Atholton, down 7-0. We started inside the 4 down 7-0 to Howard.

"We have to tighten up a lot of aspects. Right now the things we are doing are about us. As much as I want to credit the opponent and the coaching, and those schemes and the game planning and the talented players, we're just not doing the simple fundamental things – fielding kicks, getting our blocks. Until we do that, we're going to struggle."

It didn't help that quarterback Malik Gilmore had to leave early in the season opener with a shoulder injury. He returned against Howard.

"He played great," Hannon said. "With Malik, everybody's going to know it, he's the X factor. We probably go as he goes. And people want to defend him and load up the box. He has the ability to put the ball up, or if they want to play some coverage he needs to be accounted for in the run game."

Mount Hebron fell behind Howard 22-0, and then fought back to 22-20 before the Lions broke it open.

"If we're able to finish and take a lead against a well-coached, solid program at Howard, who knows?" Hannon said. "We opened the door and they took advantage of it and took it right down the field and scored. And then we drove down and had our chance again and threw a pick, but I'm proud of our kids. I really am.

"I don't think it was very efficient, but I thought we threw the ball effectively when the opportunity was there last week. We're going to try to build on that.

"It gets no easier with Reservoir. They're extremely athletic. A lot of size and a lot of experience coming back….We lost on the last play of the game two years ago. We won on the last play of the game last year. It's going to be an emotional game. We need to rise to the occasion and play with them."