Glenelg football hosts Howard for 'Elgard' Trophy

It's not only the oldest football rivalry in the county, but the Glenelg-Howard game also tends to have more than just a victory on the line.That will be the case for the second straight year, as the Lions (8-0) face the host Gladiators (6-2) looking to clinch at least a share of the county title and hoist the &quot;Elgard&quot; Trophy.Howard, which is coming off a dramatic 14-7 win over previously unbeaten Long Reach, has won each of the last two meetings by a combined 46-22 margin, but has lost five of the last eight matchups dating back to 2008.&quot;It's a tough turnaround because Glenelg is tough,&quot; said Lions junior quarterback Robby Porter. &quot;They're a really good team and it's for the 'Elgard' Trophy, which is one of the biggest rivalry games we have. It will be another highly anticipated game because they're a very good team this year.&quot;The Gladiators knocked off Marriotts Ridge, 35-13, on Oct. 21 behind three touchdowns and 303 yards rushing from sophomore running back Wande Owens. But coach Butch Schaffer knows his team will need to play a near-perfect game and mix things up to end the Lions' county winning streak and notch their first win over Howard since a 35-20 victory in 2013.&quot;Howard's a tremendous football team. Obviously they've won 32 games in a row in the county,&quot; said Glenelg coach Butch Schaffer. &quot;We'll have our hands full trying to keep pace with them. We're going to have to play our best game and hopefully we get a couple bounces here or there. I know our kids are going to show up and play extremely hard — those things I'm not worried about — but depth is an issue. We've got to keep things headed in the right direction for us.&quot;Porter said slowing down Owens will be one of the keys to the game, which is harder said than done considering the size of Glenelg's offensive line.&quot;They have a lot of size and they're very good at what they do,&quot; he said. &quot;Their running back is really good, and he gets like 40 carries a game. I'm always confident in our defense and their ability to get the job done. ... They're very well coached and on the defensive side they do some things very well. It will take a lot of execution from our guys to allow us to win.&quot;Porter also said that while capturing at least a share of the county championship has been discussed, the focus is on improving on the mistakes from the Long Reach game and taking things one step at a time.&quot;We have a lot to improve on as a team,&quot; he said. &quot;That was probably our first huge test and it was a playoff atmosphere and now we've got that out of our system and we can move on and execute in the bigger games.&quot;Howard County football Week 9 schedule:Howard (8-0) at Glenelg (6-2)Centennial (1-7) at Wilde Lake (5-3)Oakland Mills (4-4) at Atholton (5-3)Marriotts Ridge (4-4) at Mt. Hebron (2-6)Long Reach (7-1) at Reservoir (2-6)Saturday, October 29:River Hill (4-4) at Hammond (0-8)

Glenelg football hosts Howard for 'Elgard' Trophy

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