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Week 1
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Huntingtown 41, McDonough 24
| BOX SCORE: SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 HUNTINGTOWN VS. MCDONOUGH |
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUNTINGTOWN (1-0, 1-0) | 7 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 41 | ||
| McDONOUGH (0-1, 0 -1) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 24 |
Photo By Linda Davidson -- The Washington Post
Skill and Luck Make Hurricanes Unstoppable
Huntingtown 41, McDonough 24
His uniform soaked with sweat and rain from showers associated with Tropical Storm Hanna, Conor Stueckler jumped as high as he could and pumped his fists in the air. Then he screamed as loudly as he could and leapt into the arms of a nearby teammate.
Moments earlier, the Huntingtown junior had reeled in his second touchdown catch of the night, running near the back of the end zone, snatching the ball out of the air and cradling it in the back of the end zone after it ricocheted out of the hands of a teammate.
That play was symbolic of the sharp instincts Huntingtown displayed, as well as the good fortune it enjoyed, as the Hurricanes defeated host McDonough, 41-24, in the season opener for both teams in Pomfret.
"We had a couple of things fall into place for us," Stueckler said. He finished with three catches for 31 yards.
That wasn't the case for McDonough (0-1), which committed a handful of errors. The Rams recorded the first touchdown of the game, a 17-yard strike from Bradly Hardos to Javarrus King, but lost a fumble while trying to field a kickoff and failed to convert on all three of its two-point conversion attempts.
The woes extended to McDonough's defense, as well. As the Rams struggled to secure a good field position and score, Huntingtown (1-0) managed touchdowns on five straight possessions.
"They outsmarted us in every phase of the game," McDonough Coach Luke Ethington said. "When we were here, they were there. When we zigged, they zagged."
Huntingtown kept McDonough guessing with its balanced attack on offense. Quarterback Peter Athens, who played for St. Mary's-Annapolis last season, threw for 123 yards and three touchdowns, including an exciting strike on a broken play late in the second quarter. With a defender bearing down on him, he rolled to his right, and, just before being slung to the ground, zipped a pass to Tyler Ricchiuto, who streaked 20 yards up the sideline and put Huntingtown ahead, 34-12.
McDonough got within 34-24 early in the third quarter on a Hardos keeper from one yard, but Huntingtown's ground attack blotted out any hopes for a comeback. Greg Goodwin carried the ball four straight times for the Hurricanes, amassing 33 yards, including a 21-yard scamper up the middle for a touchdown.
Still, although they were impressive in the win, the Hurricanes know they have a long season in front of them and don't want to get too far ahead of themselves.
"We got up early and kind of slacked," Stueckler said. "We need to learn how to finish."
Calvert Recorder Staff photo by GARY SMITH
Hurricane Peter leads H-town to big win over McDonough
Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008
By DALLAS COGLE Calvert Recorder Staff writer
Paths crossing at the right time, and that is not referring to
the weather-related hurricanes.
Instead, it describes the formula behind the Huntingtown
Hurricanes’ 41-24 triumphant kickoff to the football season
Friday night, impressively overwhelming the host McDonough Rams
while serving notice as a factor in the hunt within the Southern
Maryland Athletic Conference.
The paths of Huntingtown senior quarterback Peter Athens and
junior running back Greg Goodwin brought together a pair of
teammates – representing different clubs and competitive levels
a year ago – who accounted for a combined four touchdowns in the
season opener.
Athens, a transfer from St. Mary’s of Annapolis and former
Northern signal-caller who is starting for his third different
team in as many years, shook off an early first-quarter fumble
on a handoff to showcase a productive 8-for-14 outing through
the air for 109 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 13
yards.
‘‘It was awesome. The line was giving me a bunch of time to
throw the ball and giving the running backs big holes,” Athens
said. ‘‘We’ve been getting ready for McDonough all summer long,
so all our hard work definitely paid off. It’s a big boost going
into this season with a big win on the road.”
Goodwin, who was a member of La Plata’s junior varsity outfit
last year, displayed a explosive combination of power, speed and
field vision as a rusher in his varsity debut. He found the end
zone twice during his 13 totes for 59 yards.
‘‘It feels good to go 1-0,” said Goodwin, who carried tacklers
the final three yards of his first touchdown from 10 yards out.
‘‘Everyone was fighting for the running back spot. I didn’t know
how many touches I was going to get tonight, but I feel happy. I
feel like my line blocked real good. Before I came here, I was
going to try and do my best whether I was going to get the start
or not. I was going to run as hard as I could.
‘‘We’re a good football team. We’ve got the ability, and we’ve
got the coaches.”
Athens posted a prolific season a year ago with St. Mary’s,
tossing for 22 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards.
He was there one year, transferring in from Northern where he
was the starter as a sophomore.
Athens’ arrival to Huntingtown provided the team with two
capable quarterbacks, including sophomore Justin Bittner, whose
only pass Friday was a perfect seven-yard strike to junior tight
end Conor Stueckler for a touchdown.
Stueckler also hauled in a touchdown reception of 17 yards from
Athens – in much more unconventional style – in the second
quarter. Athens’ pass, originally intended for Justin Albro,
deflected off his hands and went to a diving Stueckler in the
back of the end zone . That gave Huntingtown a 28-12 lead.
‘‘That was pretty crazy,” Stueckler said of his improbable
effort on the diving touchdown grab. ‘‘I was happy to get out
there and try to make some plays for the offense.”
Bittner, who was being groomed into Huntingtown’s starting job
before Athens turned up, will get some playing time on a regular
basis behind the former St. Mary’s and Northern product.
Athens said: ‘‘I’m just trying to use the gifts that God’s given
me and just give him the glory and let him do the things he’s
doing through me.”
The Huntingtown offense spotted McDonough a 6-0 lead before
mounting a scoring barrage of touchdowns on five consecutive
possessions from the first through the third quarters to
determine the outcome.
A four-yard touchdown scamper by junior Joe Karbowsky began the
string of visits to paydirt by Huntingtown late in the opening
period, taking a 7-6 lead over McDonough.
Athens’ pass to the flat, where D.J. Hooper turned the play
upfield for a 21-yard score, capped Huntingtown’s consecutive
touchdown frenzy, cushioning its lead to a commanding 34-12 lead
four minutes into the second half.
‘‘We feel we have some playmakers,” said Huntingtown head coach
Jerry Franks, who had no clue Athens was transferring to his
program until the day football equipment was handed out to the
players. ‘‘Our offensive line did a great job coming off the
ball, controlling the line of scrimmage. Consequently, we were
able to control the game and get a big lead early. We’re just
really happy.”
Athens’ older brother, Andrew, quarterbacked under Franks in
2003 at Northern. Franks was an assistant with Northern before
taking the head gig at Huntingtown when it opened in 2004.
Huntingtown’s successful player debuts soured the start to
McDonough first-year head coach Luke Ethington’s tenure.
‘‘Huntingtown is an outstanding team; they beat us in every
phase of the game,” said Ethington, whose club racked up just
eight total yards less than Huntingtown’s 284 but failed to come
away with key defensive stops. ‘‘Our momentum up front changed
[when Huntingtown went on its touchdown run]. We’ve got to go
back and look at conditioning and look at execution.
[Huntingtown] showed a true determination when they had the ball
on offense. They seemed really confident in what they were
doing. The adjustment part is my responsibility, and I just
didn’t come through as far as getting [my players] adjusted and
putting them in the right spot.
‘‘I can do nothing but tip my hat to Coach Franks and his staff.
I think [Huntingtown] is legit, and not just because they beat
us like they did. They didn’t surprise me.”
In Ethington’s pistol spread-option offense he has introduced to
McDonough, senior quarterback Bradley Hardos is in the middle of
almost every play with a bevy of responsibility.
Hardos’ first game running the system revealed both plenty of
output and areas for improvement, as he rushed for a game-high
119 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown and was 7 for 22 in the
air for 56 yards and another score. He also threw a pair of
interceptions.
‘‘We still have plenty to work on,” Hardos said. ‘‘We have guys
in the right spot, we have great reads, we have everything in
place. We need to just keep doing our thing. We wanted [this win
for Ethington] so bad. We wanted everything to go right.”
‘‘I just believe in it,” Ethington added about his offensive
system. ‘‘Our goal is a minimum of 24 points. We feel if we put
up 24 points, we should be competitive.
Huntingtown 41, McDonough 24
First quarter McD – Wilson 16 pass from Hardos (run failed),
7:37 H – Karbowsky 4 run (Peterson kick), 11:20
Second quarter H – Stueckler 7 pass from Bittner (Peterson
kick), 1:26 McD – Griffin 1 run (pass failed), 6:07 H – Goodwin
10 run (Peterson kick), 9:30 H – Stueckler 17 pass from Athens
(Peterson kick), 11:52
Third quarter H – Hooper 21 pass from Athens (pass failed), 3:59
McD – Brooks 37 run (run failed), 10:09
Fourth quarter McD – Hardos 1 run (pass failed), 4:02 H –
Goodwin 13 run (Peterson kick), 9:26
Team stats H (13 first downs, 38-168 rushing, 116 passing, 2-1
fumbles, 3-40 penalties)
McD (11 first downs, 32-220 rushing, 56 passing, 3-0 fumbles,
1-15 penalties)
Top individual performers Rushing –– H: Hooper 8-68, Goodwin
13-59, Karbowsky 2-21; McD: Hardos 11-119, Brooks 6-56, Wilson
6-23
Passing –– H: Athens 8-14-0 109, Bittner 1-1-0 7; McD: Hardos
7-22-2 56
Receiving –– H: Jenifer 3-42, Stueckler 3-32, Hooper 1-21; McD:
King 2-18, Wilson 1-16, Joseph 1-13