Top-ranked Gilman continued to pound away at Good Counsel’s stout interior line after initially struggling to move the ball. And the Greyhounds eventually began to find bigger holes by the fourth quarter of Saturday’s night’s highly anticipated matchup between the state’s top two teams.
A hard run by quarterback Shane Cockerille set up a fourth-and-1 from the six with 2:50 remaining and Gilman trailing by five. But Good Counsel’s defense then stopped Cyrus Jones on the next play and held on for a 26-21 victory in the final game of the Patriot Classic at Navy-Marine CorpsMemorial Stadium.
The Greyhounds (2-1) upset Good Counsel 28-7 in last year’s I-95 Kickoff Classic, but this time the Falcons, ranked No. 1 in the ESPN High School statewide poll, simply had too much size and depth on both sides of the ball.
"It was a great game, and I thought both teams played really hard," Gilman coach Biff Poggi said. "It should have been the National Game of the Week. It came down to the wire. We got stopped on the 5-yard line. We needed a foot and we got stopped. When you do that, you deserve to win."
Also ranked 11th in the ESPN High School Powerade Fab 50, Good Counsel (2-0) scored on their first drive on a 6-yard pass from Brendan Marshall to fullback Drew Stefanelli with 5:06 left in the first quarter.
With its offense sputtering, Gilman (ranked second in the state poll and 42nd nationally) used its special teams paved the way for the tying score.
A punt by Trevor Wey pinned Good Counsel on its own 1-yard line. After a three-and-out, Gilman got the ball on the Falcons’ 21-yard line and scored four plays later on a 15-yard pass from Cockerille (two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown) to Micah Kiser.
But Good Counsel took the 10-7 lead into halftime on a 21-yard field goal by Ryan Corriere with no time remaining. Corriere initially missed from 31 yards but got a second chance because of a roughing the kicker and an offside penalty.
The Greyhounds’ top playmaker, Jones was under constant pressure each time he touched the ball, and he managed just 12 yards on four receptions in the first half, including a 12-yard loss.
Good Counsel added to its lead on the first drive of the second half on a 7-yard run by Wes Brown. That touchdown was set up by a 40-yard pass from Marshall to Kendall Fuller on the previous play. Gilman responded on the ensuing drive on a eight-play, 69-yard drive capped by Cockerille’s 9-yard run that cut the lead to 17-14.
"We came in prepared, but they're good team, give them credit," Cockerille said. "We had some chances. Everybody played hard. I'm proud of our guys."
The Greyhouds then took their first lead on a 58-yard pass from Cockerille to Jones with 2:36 left in the first quarter. Good Counsel pulled within two when Gilman muffed a punt and the ball went through the end zone. The Falcons then retook the lead, 26-21, on the ensuing drive on a 40-yard run by Brown with 11:34 left in the game.
"I thought we were wearing them down in the fourth quarter," Poggi said. "Our goal is to win the league and beat McDonogh. We're just getting warmed up. We're not hanging our heads. We play teams like Oscar Smith and Good Counsel because we want to promote football in the state of Maryland. We're proud we play the toughest schedule in the state of Maryland ... us and Good Counsel."
No. 1 Gilman 26, Good Counsel 21
GI 0 7 14 0 – 21
GC 7 3 9 7 – 26
GC- Marshall 7 pass to Stefanelli (Corriere kick)
GI- Cockerille15 pass to Kiser (Wey kick)
GC – Corriere 23 kick
GI – Cockerille 9 run (Wey kick)
GI – Cockerille 58 pass to Jones (Wey kick)
GC – Safety
GC – Brown 40 run (Corriere kick)