Landon’s scrimmage at Linganore 9/2

Three buses of Bear players and coaches, along with many enthusiastic parents navigated North on I-270 during rush hour and pre Labor Day traffic to watch the scrimmage with the reigning 3A Maryland state champions. It is fair to say that for much of the first half the Bears held their own (7-7). There’s a lot of work yet to be done, but the strong plays offer some optimism for the next game. 

FORMAT:  the 1st teams played each other for a half and then the second teams did the same for another 24 minutes.  [Note– the Landon team had a number of boys wearing the same numbered jerseys and there were no yardage markers on the field; so some of the names and yards may be wrong.]

The visitors received the Lancers’ kickoff and Johnny Sharp ran it back about 15 yards. The first series of the game showed a Landon offense with crisp blocking and speed at the running backs (Pearce Minshall ( 17 yards, TD), DeionWellington ( 18 yards) and John Lynn (5 yards)). Quarterback  Lynn also connected  with Luke Howard for a nice 40 yard pass. Seven plays, showing the versatility of the wing T, resulted in a Bears’ score and Brad Grossman kicked to make it 7-0.

Johnny Cobb kicked off to the Lancers, who did not wear numbered jerseys; so it was impossible to identify which of their players were on the field. After 9 defensive plays (tackles by Lynn, Terrence Fullum, Alex Selowsky,Drew Hayhurst, Will Laco and others plus a sack by Max Lehrman), the Bears stopped the drive (30 yards), forced a punt and got the ball on the 14 yard line.

This Landon offensive possession started poorly with a penalty, but showed promise with successive positive runs  by D. Wellington (4yds.) and Jeff Johnson (4yds.)  A beautiful long pass from Lynn to Howard moved the ball down the field: however, the Lancers caused a fumble on that play  recovered the ball.

On offense, the black clad backs gained nice yardage on three consecutive plays. On the next down, the Bears were in a safety blitz and the result was a 33 yard touchdown burst by the Lancers’ very fast runner. A successful PAT made it 7-7.

There was a squib kick which the Bears recovered deep in their own territory. Myles Allen ( 31 yds), D. Wellington (18 yds) and  Wynston Bouknight (6 yards) moved it down towards the Bears’ goal line. A 4th down attempt was short and the home team took over on their 18.

The teams twice exchanged  possession and then, with 5 minutes left in the 1st half, Linganore  inauspiciously began a drive with a big sack by Max Lehrman. Unfortunately, on the next play, the Bears were stung again by a long run to make the score 14-7 Linagnore.

The Lancers successfully recovered another  squib kick. Several plays later, this field advantage was converted  into a long touchdown score, 21-7  home team advantage.

The Bears ran a few plays and the half ended, 21-7.

The second half involved the play of a lot of underclassmen trying to make the Varsity. There was spirited play by the Bears on both sides of the ball. Several promising runs and emphatic tackles may have caught Coach Padalino’s eye. The final roster will be the best evidence of the performances.

What was learned from the scrimmage–

• the Bears when focused played well on offense and defense;

•  they are still learning the nuances of the wing T package;

• the D depends on ASKR – Alignment, Stance, Key, Responsibility — always

•  if there were  fewer penalties and more caught passes, the Bears would have played even for a half against a very good  high school.

Next game next Saturday at home @ 2:30pm versus McNamara. Hope to have a preview of the Mustangs no later than Thursday (9/9).

Go Bears!!!

(a) the content is mine, does not reflect the opinion of Landon, Coach Padalino or anyone directly related to Landon, (b) that any errors that may exist are mine, inadvertent and correctable (please let me know and I will make ALL corrections);(c) that the author (me) is a huge disciple of the Landon team concept and that I will do everything that I can do to mention all the players; however, universal coverage is not really possible through this medium. If someone believes that a player or group (offense/defense; linemen/backs/ LBs/DB/Ss/P, etc.) should receive greater attention, I am open to such suggestions. I will not mention referees at any time and will limit references to the opposition.(d) that BSN is a volunteer publication and that as the editor, publisher, statistician and writer [me], I am all too fallible and I apologize in advance for any error.