North Harford running back Brandon Bayer turned Thursday night's game into a nightmare for the Joppatowne defense. Bayer ran for 155 yards and scored three touchdowns — and that was just in the first half.
Bayer finished with 188 yards to help the No. 11 Hawks roll to a 35-16 victory over the visiting Mariners in an Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference game.
That performance followed Bayer's 127-yard effort last week at Fallston. Bayer ran for a touchdown with 47 seconds left and the subsequent two-point conversion that gave the Hawks a come-from-behind 36-35 victory.
But Bayer did even more in this game, especially in the first half. He was busy from the start, carrying the ball 12 times in the first quarter for 133 yards, pounding Joppatowne (4-3, 1-2) with his speed and power. North Harford (7-0, 3-0) got a big game from its offensive line, which repeatedly opened up huge holes for Bayer and Ben Kenley (92 yards, two touchdowns).
"We came off a huge win, and we wanted to put it away early," Bayer said. "I wasn't getting touched for the first 5 yards."
Bayer's 155 yards in the first half helped North Harford to a 21-8 halftime lead and put the Hawks in control. He scored on runs of 1, 4 and 33 yards as the Hawks got touchdowns on three of their five first-half possessions.
His 33-yard touchdown run on the Hawks' second possession provided a 7-0 lead. He ran for the 4-yard score — plus the two-point conversion — with 36.7 seconds left in the first quarter that put the Hawks up for good at 15-8.
"He's in his rhythm now," North Harford coach Ken Brinkman said. "He's running downhill, and he's on a roll."
Joppatowne had problems stopping the rest of the North Harford running game, too. The Hawks piled up 381 yards on the ground and broke off a number of big runs that let them keep the ball for long stretches.
Kenley's biggest carry was a 63-yard run that set up a touchdown by Bayer late in the first half, but he also contributed second-half touchdowns of 8 and 12 yards that helped the Hawks pull away.
"They opened big holes," Joppatowne coach Bill Waibel said. "They've got a very experienced and big offensive line."
Joppatowne was able to move the ball at times but couldn't do it consistently enough. Running back Chris Wright (70 yards) and quarterback Tevin Taylor both made a number of good plays behind an offensive line that has been improving.
Wright ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Taylor added the two-point conversion to give the Mariners a brief 8-7 lead. But Bayer and North Harford scored touchdowns on two of their next three drives to take the lead for good.