Before beginning his college career at Northwestern, it was time for Alonso Mayo to make one last big play as a high school football player.
The Gilman cornerback played perfect coverage, read the eyes of the quarterback and hauled in an errant pass for an interception before running off the field and pointing up to the stands in celebration at McDaniel College's Kenneth R. Gill Stadium.
Although Mayo's Baltimore team fell to Washington, 31-21, in Sunday's Maryland Crab Bowl, an all-star game for high school seniors, he and several other of his new teammates made an impact one last time.
"You're always looking to make a play," Mayo said. "So when the opportunity came, I just grabbed it and I do what I do."
Mayo's forced turnover came in the third quarter when Baltimore was trailing, 24-21, but the offense couldn't take the momentum and turn it into points.
McDonogh linebacker Connor Young was another one of Baltimore's defensive players that made an impact on the large stage. He recorded a sack and continually wreaked havoc in Washington's backfield.
"Everyone out here's a competitor, everyone out here's an all-star," Young said. "Everyone's great, so when you make plays, you feel good about yourself. I kind of just used that to keep going."
On offense, Franklin running back Darius Hinton led the way on the ground for Baltimore, rushing for 47 yards on 12 carries.
Washington scored on its opening drive, marching 65 yards in just less than two minutes. North Point quarterback Brandon Battle connected with Bullis running back Devonte Williams on a 32-yard touchdown.
But Oakland Mills quarterback David Pindell and his Baltimore teammates answered right back. Beginning at his own 33-yard line, Pindell opened the team's first drive with a 17-yard scramble for a first down.
Eight plays later, Pindell hit Franklin wide receiver Jordan Adams for a 27-yard touchdown, tying the game, 7-7. Adams made a tough grab in coverage on the right side of the end zone, but a perfect throw by Pindell allowed the Indians receiver to come down with it.
Pindell completed 6 of his 15 passes for 52 yards, but he also threw two interceptions.
After Baltimore tied the game, Washington scored the next two touchdowns.
Williams ran for a 5-yard touchdown with 2:58 to go in the first quarter to make it 14-7. Then, with just less than nine minutes to go in the first half, Battle threw his second touchdown, an 83-yard connection with Good Counsel receiver Keon Paye for a 21-7 lead.
When Baltimore took over at the Washington 26 with 4:16 remaining in the first half, C. Milton Wright quarterback Omar Wright helped his team cut into the deficit. On the seventh play of a drive that lasted 3:05, Wright scored a 5-yard touchdown on a second effort to make it 21-14.
Washington converted a field goal on the final play of the first half, a 28-yard kick by Leonardtown's Jamie Gillian.
On Baltimore's second possession of the second half, Urbana running back Raekwon Gray scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to cut Washington's lead to 24-21 with 3:02 to go in the third quarter.
Williams sealed the win for Washington on a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:15 to go in the game. Two plays before that, Washington converted a third-and-17 from its own 38 with a 62-yard pass from Patuxent quarterback Tyler Crows to Williams.
Former NFL running back Lamont Jordan, a Suitland High and University of Maryland alum, served as an honorary captain for the game.