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Joppatowne takes top football spot

BY RANDY MCROBERTS

Posted 11/04/09

Joppatowne wrapped up the UCBAC Chesapeake Division title and a top seed in the upcoming regional playoffs Friday night with a 35-0 win over visiting Havre de Grace.

The Mariners, 9-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play, earned the top spot in the Class 1A east region and will host a playoff game next week. This week the Mariners will visit C. Milton Wright to close out the regular season. Game time is 7 p.m. Friday night.

Havre de Grace, meanwhile, will likely need a win this week to reach the region playoffs. The Warriors, 5-4 overall and 4-2 in league, will host Fallston for Homecoming Friday night at 7 p.m.

In Friday’s Joppatowne win, the Mariners jumped ahead in the first quarter and never looked back. A 37-yard pass from Dominic Harper to Tony Taylor set the Mariners up at the Warriors one-yard line. Harper then plunged in and Epe Henriques added the conversion by run for a 8-0 lead with 2:43 left to play in the opening quarter.

Joppatowne added to the lead early in the second quarter behind an eight-play, 53-yard scoring drive. Chris Wright did the honors on a five-yard run. Wright also ran for the conversion and a 16-0 lead with 9:12 left in the half.

Joppatowne also scored on its next possession, the final score of the first half. Henriques scored the touchdown on a two-yard run, but it was Joel Scott who had two runs that totaled 59 yards that put the Mariners in scoring position.

A fake on the point-after-try failed, leaving the Mariners with a 22-0 lead.

Havre de Grace struggled to move the ball and Mariner defensive end David Miller was part of the reason, as he recorded four sacks.

The Mariners came out of the extended halftime break due to senior night recognition and put more points on the scoreboard.

The Mariners put together a 75-yard scoring drive that featured 11 running plays. Ernest Hawkins got into the scoring act with a 21-yard run. Harper added the kick and the Mariners were ahead 29-0 and within another touchdown of a running clock, which is put in place when a score of 35 points or more separates two teams.

The Mariners got the points to enforce the running clock when Scott picked off a pass that went out of the hands of Warrior receiver Dayshawn Bolling. Scott grabbed the ball and raced 47 yards for the score.

Scott finished with a game-high 101 yards on eight carries, while Wright had 75 yards on 10 carries. Henriques had 67 yards on 14 carries.

Harper was two-for-three for 57 yards and Jake McGinnis led the defense with 13 tackles.

Havre de Grace managed just 65 total yards. Maurice Clemons completed two of 12 passes for 21 yards. Monty Werts was the leading rusher with 40 yards on eight carries.

Zach Tabor had 10 tackles to lead defensively, while Werts and Nick Gartside had nine each. Anthony Johnson added eight and Robert Rodriguez had seven.