Football: Mt. Hebron edges Marriotts Ridge

No football team could rightfully claim to be satisfied with a 3-5 record, but for Mt. Hebron, three wins isn't too bad, all things considered.

The Vikings have lost their starting quarterback, Malik Gilmore, and top defensive player, linebacker Storm Wallpher, to injuries, and went through a head coaching change after the third week of the season.

"We started out with 36 people and now we have like 22 or 23, so we've just got to play with what we have and at least try to win a few more games," said junior Jackson Porter, who rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns and threw a scoring pass to Tyler Anthony in Friday night's 18-14 win at Marriotts Ridge.

Head coach Larry Luthe, who took over for Ross Hannon before the Vikings' 21-14 win over Centennial on Sept. 23, has lost count of his team's injuries.

"Its been a challenging and trying season, we've had ten injuries or nine. Six of the kids that started our first game, defensively, are not playing right now … and they've all been freak injuries, it's not like they're baby injuries, shoulders and knees and broken feet … its been a whirlwind," said Luthe, who was previously the head coach of the Vikings before Hannon took over four years ago.

Mt. Hebron wasn't looking for pity at Marriotts Ridge Friday night, and the Mustangs certainly weren't going to give it. The Battle of Route 99, as the game is billed, has become a bitter rivalry since Marriotts Ridge opened in 2005 and drew students from the Mt. Hebron district.

The Mustangs (0-8) were hungry for a win, entering this week on a 27-game losing streak. Their last win came in November of 2008.

Marriotts Ridge's opening drive ended on downs on the Mt. Hebron three-yard line. Junior Marcus Smith rushed for 23 yards and caught a 23-yard pass from quarterback Shep Stevens on that drive, which stalled on an incomplete pass on fourth and goal from the three.

Mt. Hebron struck first on the first play of the second quarter when Porter broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown run. Then, on the Vikings' first drive of the second half, Porter took a pitch from quarterback Michael O'Rourke and launched a pass to the end zone, where Tyler Anthony laid out to make an amazing, diving touchdown reception.

"That was crazy. We went over that in practice twice, and I wasn't even ready when they called it," Porter said. "I threw it and he went up and grabbed it and scored."

Porter scored his third touchdown on a 36-yard run with four minutes left in the third quarter, and the rout seemed to be on. But Mt. Hebron had failed to convert on all three of its extra point tries, and Marriotts Ridge wasn't going to go quietly.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Mustangs capped a 15-play, 69-yard drive with a 13-yard pass from Shep Stevens to a diving Jake Bart (7 catches, 62 yards). The Mustangs scored again on a Stevens-to-Bart connection with 4:26 left to get within one score. That touchdown was set up when Mt. Hebron was forced to punt from its own 36-yard line, and O'Rourke — also the Vikings' punter — recovered a high snap at the seven-yard line.

The Marriotts Ridge defense came through to force Mt. Hebron into a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, and the Mustangs got the ball back on their own 35-yard line with 3:16 left to score the go-ahead touchdown.

The Mt. Hebron defense held, though, and Porter's first down with less than two minutes left allowed the Vikings to kneel out the clock for the win.

Things won't get any easier for the Vikings, as they face Atholton (6-1) and River Hill (6-2) in the final two weeks of the season.

"Hopefully we can just snap our helmets up and play with some pride and leave the kids on the field with a good feeling," Luthe said. "I've got to give the kids credit, they come to practice everyday, they're working hard, they're fighting through it."

Marriotts Ridge will try to end it's losing streak next week against Centennial (0-8).

MH: Porter, 25-182, 2 TDs; Nicholas, 5-20.
MR: Smith, 11-33; Cho, 3-5.

MH:

O'Rourke, 6/8, 47; Porter, 1/1, 24, TD.

MR:

Stevens, 19/41, 135, 2 TDs, 2 INTs.

MH:

Anthony, 2-34, TD; Jenkins, 2-15; Porter, 2-15; Solo, 1-7.

MR:

Bart, 7-62, 2 TD; Smith, 1-23; Campbell, 3-22; Barney, 4-17; Brown, 2-11.

River Hill (6-2) took care of its business, dispatching Centennial (0-8), 47-0. Since losing back-to-back games in September, the Hawks have now outscored their last four opponents by a combined 186-13 heading into a pivotal week nine showdown with Glenelg (6-1).

Evan Griffin scored on an 85-yard kickoff return and a 15-yard run, and Aaron Wells scored on touchdown runs of 30 and 9 yards.

Atholton at Wilde Lake, 1 p.m.

Howard at Glenelg, 1:30 p.m.

Hammond at Long Reach, 2 p.m.

Reservoir at Oakland Mills, 2 p.m.