We interrupted this week's drive toward the football playoffs for an inspiring act of sportsmanship that showed how much more high school sports means than just winning and losing.
Then, we went on to consider more superb performances, another major upset and the sprint to the regular-season finish line with just one more week left. Here are some of the numbers that stand out from this weekend and the first nine weeks of the season:
1
Dream come true for Reginald Lewis team manager Michael Gardner, a cancer survivor with a prosthetic leg who scored a touchdown on his first day in a Falcons' uniform thanks to the generosity of Lewis coach Donte' Foster, Digital Harbor coach William Brandon and all of the players
1
Pass break-up by Boys' Latin cornerback Marcus Cohen to deny a conversion pass and seal the Lakers' 35-34 overtime win at St. Paul's
1
Point difference in the last tiebreaker -- points scored in MIAA B Conference losses -- that allows St. Paul's to move on to the conference championship vs. Archbishop Curley instead of Boys' Latin
2
Teams still in contention for the MIAA A Conference championship -- Gilman and McDonogh, who meet in Saturday's season finale. Gilman wins outright with a victory; McDonogh ties the Greyhounds if it wins.
3
Overtimes for Edmondson to beat Dunbar, 28-22
3
Points allowed by Howard's defense against River Hill in two years after Friday's 7-0 Lions' win
4
Straight McDonogh touchdowns by different players -- Connor Young, Nihgel Scott, Mylique McGriff and Jansen Durham-to-Michael Cornwell -- in a 35-14 win over Archbishop Spalding
6
Undefeated teams left in the Baltimore area -- Broadneck, Archbishop Curley, Howard, Mervo, Edmondson and FAET
5
Touchdown passes thrown by Manchester Valley backup quarterback Jake Gerber in his first start, a 33-7 win over Francis Scott Key
7
Touchdowns scored by Liberty quarterback Austin Bode -- five passing, two rushing -- as he gained 353 yards in a 57-42 win over Winters Mill
7
Local teams in first place in their regions -- Broadneck (4A East), Howard (4A North), Aberdeen (3A North), River Hill (3A East), Eastern Tech (2A North), FAET (1A North), Edmondson (1A South)
10
Yards gained by Edmondson quarterback Michael Taylor after some sleight-of-hand trickery on a fake handoff, clinching the win over Dunbar in the third overtime
10
Yards or more per carry averaged by Eastern Tech's Brandon Hlavach, R.J. Stuckey and Ian McBurrough, who combined for 27 carries and five touchdowns in a 46-20 win over Overlea
11
Straight wins by Mervo -- the area's longest active winning streak
13
Consecutive Howard County league wins by Howard
17
Unanswered points scored by Mount St. Joseph to open the game and spark a 24-6 win over St. Frances
32.4
Yards per carry by Mervo's Anthony Simpson, who ran seven times for 227 yards and five touchdowns in a 54-0 win over Forest Park
38
Points allowed this fall by FAET -- the fewest of any local school
76
Passes caught by Westminster's Patrick Fitzgerald this fall -- one of two single-season Carroll County records he set Friday night along with 1,138 yards receiving
116
Points scored in the game between Hereford and Owings Mills, with the Bulls scoring 73 to win
250
All-purpose yards by Annapolis' Montes Davis -- 141 rushing, 42 receiving, 67 returning -- in a 40-26 win over Annapolis
300
Yards rushing by Westminster's Chris Lang in a 53-7 win over Century
399
Points scored by Old Mill this season -- the most of any local team
422
Yards gained by Winters Mill quarterback Liam Butler, who had a hand in five touchdowns in the loss to Liberty
1,520
Yards rushing for South Carroll's Chris Gavin, who has carried the ball 170 times and scored 19 touchdowns this fall