Pikesville Shuts Down Towson High, 26-7

After a big 21-6 victory against Digital Harbor last Saturday, Towson High School entered Friday's game against Pikesville High School with momentum and confidence. Not only were the Generals coming off of an impressive win, but Pikesville dropped their first game to Catonsville High School, 54-12.

Instead Towson High found themselves on the other end of the scoreboard in a 26-7 loss at Pikesville High on Friday night.

Before the game, coach Scott Mathena was by no means underestimating the Panthers.

"Our big key to winning is to control the ball on [the] ground, keep their offense off the field as much as possible, play good special teams, and don't give up any big plays," Mathena said ahead of kickoff.

It turned out that was easier said than done. The game's first half was a defensive struggle. Towson had a chance to score early in the first quarter after a 30-yard run by senior Damon Jones and two short runs put the Generals at third and goal from the one-yard line. There, while in a huddle, a Towson player muttered something to a referee who threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, sending the Generals back 15 yards, and ending their chance.

Pikesville broke through the gridlock when running back Keon Wright broke a 35-yard run with 4:15 left in the second quarter, followed by a Bradley Garfield 25-yard catch and run to the nine-yard line. From there, Pikesville tried to run the ball four straight times, but the Towson defense held the Panthers a half-yard from the end zone to complete the amazing goal-line stand.

After two interceptions in the second half, the Panthers swapped the quarterback with their normal starter—junior Julian Barnes—who Ted Winner, Pikesville's athletic director, admitted "got banged up last week," which is probably why he did not start.

In his first drive of the game, with six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Barnes hit Garfield, on a 65-yard touchdown pass to take a 6-0 lead.

After a Towson three and out, the Panthers were back on the prowl.  Two plays into the drive, Wright took a screen pass from Barnes 81 yards for a touchdown – giving Pikesville a 13-0 lead over the Generals.

During their next offensive possession, Towson fumbled. Pikesville recovered and Wright soon went 24 yards to put the Panthers up 20-0.

However, all was not lost for the Generals.  Return-man Damon Jones took the next kick 81 yards before running out of bounds on the one-yard line.  Two plays later, Preston ran up the middle for Towson's first score of the game, putting the Generals down 20-7.

After forcing a three and out with nine minutes to play, the Generals got the ball with a chance to make the game close.  But instead of throwing the ball and trying to score early, Towson continued to run.  The Generals' drive stalled with five minutes on the clock, essentially sealing their own fate.

On Pikesville's very next play, Wright ran right up the middle for a monstrous 55-yard touchdown, putting the Panthers up 26-7 with just 4:04 left in the game.

On their next possession, Towson turned the ball over on downs and Pikesville ran out the clock to win the game 26-7.

Pikesville looked very sharp throughout the game, despite returning only 8 players from last year's great varsity team.  "[Coach Jamie Willis] came in and won with the talent that was here," Winner said.  "Now he is reloading."

Towson, in a similar rebuilding season, did not quite respond the way the Panthers did.  Towson's loss was marred with sloppy play—big gains negated by penalties and turnovers.  The Generals fumbled five times in this contest—losing possession three times.

After the game, Mathena declined to comment about the loss, saying, "Not tonight."

The coach's two words could not have summarized the Generals' efforts any better.

Final Thoughts: Without Michael Obineme in the lineup, the Generals failed to consistently run the ball up the middle. Instead, they were forced to run sweeps to either side. This was effective at first, but Pikesville soon figured out how to stop the Towson running attack. Without an effective running game, the Generals' offense failed to move the ball any substantial distance in the second half.

For the second straight week, the Towson passing attack was basically non-existent. Quarterback M.J. Preston only dropped back to pass a few times during the game - and when he did, he was not effective. The Generals' only positive pass play came on another trick play involving Bennett Okoro. Just like in week 1, Okoro came on the wide receiver reverse, got the ball, and stopped. The defense, which had committed to the run, left receiver Gabe Eicholtz wide open.  It was an effective play, but it cannot account for all of the team's passing offense.

Even when they were down 20-7 in the fourth quarter—with less than nine minutes to go in the game—Towson was still trying to run the ball. Instead of trying to score quickly and get back into the game, the Generals ran five minutes off the clock. Towson needs to figure out how to move the ball effectively if they ever want to win on a regular basis. Some nights the run will not be there. When this happens, your entire offense cannot shut down.