Landon Football 43 Annapolis Area Christian School 7

The Eagles of Annapolis Area Christian School, an MIAA division C school, has been on the Bears schedule for the last three seasons. Every year the teams have been about the same size and the score was competitive for much of the game. The 2013 score was 14-3 in favor of the Bears at half. This year the Bears won 43-7 with its second and third teams getting significant playing time.

It is hard to assess how good this Landon team is, except to note that the home team was up 23-0 at the end of the first 12 minutes. While the new exciting Under Armour uniforms may have contributed to the advantage, perhaps it was that the home roster was 20 players deeper in number and had a significant upper hand as to the players’ size.

[for all of the 1^st quarter the scoreboard had no power; so there are no time references for that period.]

The Eagles kicked off and three plays later Landon scored on a Colton Rupp run of 25 yards (Cameron Drooz PAT). The Eagles had the ball for three plays and Tommy Crittenberger did a great job of reading the AACS QB’s eyes and intercepted the ball. Josh Hunter barreled over several Eagles defenders and scored a TD with a Drooz PAT. The D dominance asserted itself on the next visitors’ possession. Kolby Williams sacked the opposing QB for a safety. The visitors had to punt the ball and three plays later Johari Johnson flew by the Eagle defenders. The Landon D did not relent and forced a three-and-out. The Eagles punted to end the period.

End of the 1^st quarter: BEARS 23 EAGLES 0

To start this next segment, freshman Joey Epstein carried the ball three on successive runs, Josh moved it closer and then Rob Adkins punched it over from the one yard line, plus another successful PAT by Drooz.

After the kick-off, a Jimmy Killen Tackle For a Loss set the visitors back and then after a good AACS gain on a pass play was erased when Paul Padalino forced a fumble with a well-executed tackle. Two runs by Josh resulted in his second TD plus a Cameron PAT.

The Eagles were frustrated by the aggressive Bear D with a Kolby TFL moving them back. Two plays later Brian Menendez cut in front of an AACS receiver and flew 50+ yards for a TD. Jake Howard missed the PAT.

Halftime score BEARS 43 EAGLES 0

[Under HS rules with a 35+ point advantage, the clock was set to run without stoppages.]

Substitutions were made in the 2^nd quarter, but the entire healthy bench (if my notes are right) played during the second half. Playing against the visitors’ first team, the Bears held their own. A long punt return by the Eagles and several successful plays from scrimmage resulted in an AACS score with 8:59 remaining. It was important for Landon to run out the clock and they did with impressive runs by Joey, Julius Kindfuller, Carson Petty and Griffin Brown. A kneel down ended the game.

Early in the season important measures of how well the Bears are playing are seen in the play of

the O and D lines (Kolby Williams, Keith Simms, Mark Ebo, John Slowinski, Peter Millsbaugh, Tom Evans, Joey Tabb, Paul Padalino, Steven Gee, Trent Whalen, Jimmy Killen, George Shalloway, Joe Gagnon, Tony Harris, Eric Shalloway, Robel Derje, Grant Hani, Derek Hankim, Zach Zulauf) executed well and played with aggression and

the D—LBs and DBs have complex alignments and precise coverages; early in the season there have been moments of confusion, not today (Johari Johnson, Jake Howard, John Hale, Tommy Crittenberger, Conor Price, Brian Menendez, Jake Wright, Ryan Pride, Will Lincoln Andrew Fowler, Koko Avedisian).

All of that went well today. Onto Boys Latin next Saturday; good luck Bears.