Falling at the end

GM downed by Calvert in final minutes

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by REID SILVERMAN Great Mills quarterback Brian Jenner rushes into Calvert territory en route to a third-quarter touchdown drive. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Calvert senior running back Dai'Quan Garner emerged from the middle of a pack of players Friday night at Great Mills with his feet moving and jersey stretched as an opposing player tugged at it attempting to keep him out of the end zone.

It was his toughest 10 yards of the night, but the most important 10 yards of the night, as Garner scored the game-winning touchdown to give Calvert a 21-14 lead — after a successful 2-point conversion — with 3 minutes 5 seconds remaining in the game. The touchdown capped off a 90-yard drive.

"When I was running toward the goal line, all I could think was to keep moving my feet," said Garner who finished with 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts. "In practice, that is all we work on is moving our feet. … When I crossed it felt great."

The 21-14 victory improved Calvert and head coach Marc Watson to 2-0 (1-0 SMAC) on the season.

"It is very exciting to be 2-0 right now, and our guys are confident going into the game next week," Watson said. "…It is great for these guys because they have worked extremely hard. Being down at halftime these first two weeks and we still find a way to win. In the past, we would find ways to lose these football games, but now we have decided to make plays because it matters to these guys and they want to win."

Despite the happy ending, Calvert had worrisome moments, in particular after quarterback Frank Lanham (4 for 9 43 yards) connected with Zach Johnson on an 11-yard touchdown pass to end the third quarter.

The ensuing point-after try was blocked, however, leaving Calvert down 14-13, and seemingly swinging the momentum into the favor of Great Mills.

The momentum continued for Great Mills as it connected on a big play down the Calvert sideline, but a fumble recovered by Calvert's D'Andre Holland set up the 90-yard eventual game-winning touchdown.

"My teammate knocked the ball out of his hands," Holland explained, "and I came by and scooped it up. … It helped the team come together."

"We were just going to take it first down by first down," Lanham said on the game-winning drive. "I told them in the huddle that we were going to take it all the way down, and that's what we did."

Watson added on the drive: "You get a turnover and you go down 90 yards in the final five minutes to score, that takes a lot of execution and communication, a lot of drive."

Great Mills (1-1, 0-1) was led by senior quarterback Brian Jenner as he converted 12 of 27 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing.

Great Mills head coach Bill Griffith was very-much pleased with the effort shown by his team on the evening despite being on the wrong end of the scoreboard. And although a roughing-the-kicker penalty was assessed on the Calvert scoring drive, Griffith looked for no excuses.

"Our kids played their butt off," Griffith said. "…I can't blame it on the officials, but we didn't play hard the entire game."

On Jenner's impressive game, Griffith added: "He threw the ball well all night. He played his butt off. … We just have to come back and be ready for Landsdowne [at 5 p.m. Thursday at Landsdowne]. … It's a shame that this had to happen to them. They deserved to get the victory but they didn't."

Hopes are high at Calvert.

"It feels great," Garner said of being 2-0. "A lot of people are not expecting us to win as many games as I think we are going to win. It's a good feeling to know that we are turning things around for the program."

jmccray@somdnews.com

Results

Calvert 21, Great Mills 14

Calvert 0 0 13 8

Great Mills 6 0 8 0

First quarter

GM – Jenner 1 run (kick failed), 12:00

Third quarter

C – Garner 2 run (Moran kick), 4:51

GM – Wilkerson 8 pass from Jenner (Johnson pass from Jenner), 8:55

C – Johnson 11 pass from Lanham (kick failed), 12:00

Fourth quarter

C – Garner 10 run (Johnson pass from Lanham), 8:55

Team stats

C (15 first downs, 34-210, 43 passing, 3-1 fumbles, 6-40 penalties)

GM (11 first downs, 10-53 rushing, 184 passing, 4-2 fumbles,

8-75 penalties)

Top individual performers

Rushing – C: Garner 16-105, Johnson 6-50; GM Jenner 9-37

Passing – C: Lanham 4-9-1 43; GM: Jenner 12-27-0 184

Receiving – C: Cooke 2-18, Gott 1-14; GM: Moye 2-57, Wilkerson 3-31