Totaro throws 3 touchdowns to lead Atholton football over Reservoir

Atholton head football coach Justin Carey told his senior quarterback Dominic Totaro that Friday night's game against Reservoir was going to fall on his shoulders.It's safe to say after a 27-6 home win over the rival Gators that his right arm delivered.&quot;The key to the victory was our quarterback and our passing game,&quot; Carey said. &quot;Because we were running heavy in the first two games of the season, teams were loading the box. We hit some play actions today and I think moving on we're going to take a more balanced approach with our quarterback. He can throw, so we just have to trust him. We're going to ride our quarterback.&quot;After going 12-for-18 for 185 yards and a touchdown through the first two games, Totaro ripped the Gators' secondary and finished 15-for-22 for 222 yards and three touchdown passes and an interception to help the Raiders improve to 2-1. The loss drops defending 3A East region champions Reservoir to 0-3.&quot;The first two games we didn't really pass that much – we were more just running down people's throat – and then we just realized let's throw the ball around because we have great receivers and a great line to protect me,&quot; said Totaro, who was 9-for-12 for 127 yards with two touchdowns in the first half. &quot;We did it and it worked well. Our passing works and we just executed very well.&quot;While Totaro picked Reservoir's defense apart, he didn't need the whole field to do it. Of Atholton's six first-half drives, three started inside Reservoir territory with the average starting field position being the Gators' 35. All three of those drives ended in touchdowns.&quot;That's a credit to our defense and our punt return unit,&quot; Carey said. &quot;Our defense was in the backfield tonight ... If we're in Reservoir's territory we need to take advantage of it, and we stressed that all week after our Long Reach loss.&quot;Totaro completed his first three passes for 30 yards, and on his fourth he found Jacob Waterworth (5 receptions, 47 yards), who beat two defenders for a 25-yard touchdown to complete a quick two-play drive.Two possessions later, Totaro and the Atholton offense needed just one play to get into the end zone and take a 14-0 lead. Running back Eric Love, who finished the first half with negative rushing yards, was all alone streaking the right sideline for a 43-yard touchdown catch.&quot;We've got a great backfield, but a great quarterback too. He leads us and he was pushing us to catch the ball. That's all we needed,&quot; said Love, who finished with seven receptions for 127 yards and a score and six carries for 27 yards. &quot;Coach told me coming into the game that I needed to catch the ball. He kept asking me if I could catch, and I kept telling him, 'Yes, coach.' I've been trying to show him since 7-on-7 in the summer, and tonight is where I showed up. Big time players show up in big time games.&quot;Jordan Marsh's 5-yard touchdown on a sweep to the right put the Raiders up, 20-0, with seven minutes left in the second quarter.The Gators' only touchdown came late in the first half and, similar to Atholton's scoring drives, it started at the Raiders' 22 after a nice kick return and a 15-yard penalty on the Raiders. Senior running back Kyle Fehr finished off a six-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run up the middle.Atholton led, 20-6, at the half, and put the game out of reach on the first drive of the second half, which once again started inside Reservoir territory. Totaro completed three of his four passes and polished off 49-yard, six-play drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Marsh, who was five yards clear of his defender. The score made it 27-6.&quot;Their passing game really loosened us up defensively and we couldn't stop them in the first half,&quot; said Gators coach Bryan Cole. &quot;Hats off to those guys. Their quarterback played great – those balls were on. That really helped their running game.&quot;When they came out in the second half and scored – there's always the momentum-side of the game. ... I'm sure that had an impact on the kids a little bit.&quot;Defensively, the Raiders pinned their ears back and started to get after Reservoir junior quarterback Jordan Green in the second half. They finished the game with six sacks and five in the final 24 minutes, and Justin Edison intercepted a Green pass late in the third quarter.The biggest key for Atholton's defense was avoiding the big play on the ground. Fehr ran the ball once in the second half with the team playing catch-up. Taking out his two long runs of 30 and 25, he was held to 50 yards rushing on 11 carries. Reservoir had only six first downs in the contest, while Atholton had 10.&quot;We needed to limit the big play,&quot; Carey said. &quot;They run that power scheme well behind their tight end Mason Baker, but have play action shots, too. We harp on reading our keys on defense, especially in the secondary.&quot;The win for Atholton is the first against Reservoir since a 21-20 victory in the opening round of the 2012 playoffs.&quot;We couldn't go 1-2,&quot; Carey said. &quot;This was a must win at home in front of our crowd – a white-out. We couldn't lose today or it would turn into something else.&quot;Cole said he feels like he is reliving last season all over again. The Gators started 0-2 last fall before winning seven straight games, but now at 0-3 he knows his team is on the ropes.&quot;It's extremely frustrating, but I think one of the good things about our team is that our best football is still ahead of us,&quot; he said. &quot;We're one game at a time right now. We're trying to plug our holes and be a better football team offensively and defensively.&quot;Atholton next week travels to Wilde Lake, which beat the Raiders 34-0 last year and is coming off an upset victory against Glenelg, while Reservoir hosts River Hill.Atholton (2-1) – 7 13 7 0 – 27 Reservoir (0-3) – 0 6 0 0 – 6 Scoring plays:First quarterA: Dominic Totaro 25-yard pass to Jacob Waterworth, Ben Lovera kick [7-0]Second quarterA: Totaro 43-yard pass to Eric Love, Lovera kick [14-0]A: Jordan Marsh 5-yard run, kick failed [20-0]Re: Kyle Fehr 5-yard run, conversion failed [20-6]Third quarterA: Totaro 24-yard pass to Marsh, Lovera kick [27-6]Other scores:Wilde Lake (1-2) – 8 6 0 6 – 20 Glenelg (2-1) – 14 0 0 0 – 14TJ Lyles ran for 114 yards on 11 carries and Stanley Kirkland had 104 yards on eight carries as Wilde Lake overcame a 14-0 deficit to beat Glenelg, 20-14. The Wildecats ran the ball 30 times for 256 yards in the upset victory.Scoring plays:First quarterG: Wande Owens 2-yard run, Hunter Forsythe kick [0-7]G: Chase Miller 18-yard punt return, Forsythe kick [0-14]WL: Stanley Kirkland 6-yard run, Jenkins conversion [8-14]Second quarterWL: Kirkland 72-yard run, kick failed [14-14]Fourth quarterWL: TJ Lyles 74-yard run, Jason MacMillan kick [20-14]Howard (3-0) – 7 14 7 0 – 28River Hill (1-2) – 0 0 7 0 – 7Junior quarterback Robby Porter went 19-for-23 for 217 yards and two touchdown passes to Dylan Perez and Cameron Hooper to lead Howard to a 28-7 win at River Hill. Sophomore running back Devin Dawkins led the team in rushing with 63 yards on 14 carries. Seven different receivers caught passes for the Lions, who also got a two defensive touchdowns.Scoring plays:First quarterHo: Ryan Kearney 10-yard interception return, Michael Gillespie kick [7-0]Second quarterHo: Robby Porter 29-yard pass to Dylan Perez, Gillespie kick [14-0]Ho: Porter 13-yard pass to Cameron Hooper, Gillespie kick [21-0]Third quarterRH: Luke Champion 53-yard pass to Daniel Kelly, Brendan McKenna kick [21-7]Ho: Hooper 96-yard fumble return, Gillespie kick [28-7]Oakland Mills (2-1) – 33, Centennial (1-2) – 12Junior dual-threat quarterback Aaron Gibson threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 69 yards on eight carries in the Scorpions' 33-12 win. Jaden Ealey carried the ball six times for 94 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown run, and Jorie Kolliegbo added 62 yards and a score on nine rushes.Senior wide receiver Jordan Hopkins led all receivers with seven receptions for 94 yards and a 24-yard touchdown. Shallon Robinson had 34 yards on four catches, two of which went for touchdowns of 16 and 10 yards.Long Reach (3-0) – 37, Marriotts Ridge (1-2) – 20Mt. Hebron (2-1) – 21, Hammond (0-3) – 14Email stats and scores to TimSchwartz@baltsun.com

Totaro throws 3 touchdowns to lead Atholton football over Reservoir

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