GLENELG, MD — For the Glenelg football team, it was good to be home. After starting the season 3-2, including a one-point loss at River Hill on opening night and a last-minute setback at Howard last week, the Gladiators shut down previously unbeaten Oakland Mills on their home field Friday night, 35-6.
"Although we lost it was always at the end of the game, but we made those changes and I think that's why it turned out like this," said Glenelg's Matt Baxter, who rushed for 50 yards, blocked an extra point, and recovered two Oakland Mills fumbles to stop drives. "With some minor tweaks we might be 5-0, but we were good here and now we just need to build on it."
Oakland Mills was 5-0 going into Friday's game, but the Scorpions lost three fumbles in the red zone — Baxter recovered two and Florida State-bound lineman David Robbins snatched up the other — and turned the ball over on downs five times. Oakland Mills was averaging 47 points and had played all of its games on artificial turf before playing on Glenelg's natural grass field.
"We love playing here," Baxter said. "I think it definitely helped us. We're a real between-the-tackles kind of team, smash-mouth football. We were hoping that the rain would come down and slow them down a little bit."
The forecasted rain held off for most of the game, and when it did come it was nothing more than a steady drizzle, but Glenelg's formidable running game had no problems sustaining drives.
The Gladiators rushed for 515 yards and five touchdowns on 58 carries (8.9 per carry), led by Trey Davis (25 carries, 240 yards, TD) and Brent Richardson (15, 124, 2). Quarterback Jack Hogan rushed for 20 yards and a score, Andy Mayhew added 30 yards, Sam Hulett scored on a seven-yard run, and sophomore Noah Williamson gained 54 yards on five second-half carries.
"Our O-line played great, they were absolutely dominant, especially that right side," Baxter said. "Once the running backs got to the second level it was one cut and we were good to go."
Oakland Mills' Tre Hopkins caught 12 passes from David Pindell (20/36, 232) for 170 yards, and rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown. He also had more than 120 kickoff return yards. Pindell also rushed for 44 yards, while Deandre Coles and Rashawn Curbeam added 15 rushing yards each. Shawn Harris caught seven passes for 50 yards.
OM
(5-1) 0 0 6 0 - 6
G
(4-2) 7 7 7 14 - 35
First quarter
G: Richardson 25 run (Wasson kick), 2:25. [7-0]
Second quarter
G: Hogan 1 run (Wasson kick), 2:12. [14-0]
Third quarter
OM: Hopkins 39 run (kick blocked by Baxter), 10:54. [14-6]
G: Davis 25 run (Wasson kick), 4:02. [21-6]
Fourth quarter
G: Richardson 14 run (Wasson kick), 10:31. [28-6]
G: Hulett 7 run (Wasson kick), 8:29. [35-6]