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Calvert snuffs out Patriots' postseason hopes
Football routs rival, ends playoff bid
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by DARWIN WEIGEL
Northern's Shane Zych and Calvert's D'Andre Holland mix it up Friday.
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Entering the last week of the regular season, Calvert had a motive of finishing out its campaign strong and that they did in a 38-15 throttling victory over county rival Northern. It was the most points scored this season by the Cavaliers.
Calvert (6-4, 5-3 SMAC) would have finished the campaign 5-5 overall, but was awarded a forfeit win from a Sept. 17 contest against Patuxent that was originally a loss but changed after it was learned that a Patuxent varsity player was reportedly living outside Calvert County.
Northern, whose three-game winning steak came to a halt, had won five of the last seven meetings dating back to 2002, but Calvert had other plans, ending the season on a two-game winning streak.
"I told the guys to look at the scoreboard and I said, ‘That's the most points we've scored all season,"' said an emotional Calvert head coach Marc Watson. "We scored on special teams, offense, and defense. It was a complete team effort and for the seniors I can't thank them enough. I can't put it into words of how I appreciate these guys; they're a fantastic group of kids. This win gets us ready for next season and it's something to build on. When we were 3-5, the kids could've laid down, but they wanted to leave the program better than the seniors from last year."
After both teams alternated punts on their first possessions, Calvert senior Griffin Frazier notched a 31-yard field goal with 3 minutes 34 seconds left in the first quarter on the team's second possession.
Calvert junior Frank Lanham completed 5 of 10 passes for 63 yards and his lone touchdown to senior Sean Wallace on an 11-yard strike eight seconds into the second quarter to put his team up 10-0. Lanham also added a rushing touchdown from 11 yards out in the third quarter.
"This win was really special, great group of guys," said Wallace, who dedicated the past two seasons to his father, Travis, who passed away on June 11, 2008. Wallace caught two passes for 22 yards. "Once I saw the ball in the air, I knew I had to go get it."
Lanham added: "We wanted to get this win and we will remember this forever. Sean lives in the next neighborhood from me and we are tight on and off the field. It's like playing backyard football."
On Northern's ensuing possession, senior Philip Taylor sprawled for a 91-yard touchdown run on the first play from his team's own 9-yard line to cut to deficit 10-6.
"We fought hard, but turnovers killed us," Taylor said. "Our defense didn't play up to their potential and let up a lot of big plays and Calvert wanted it more than we did. We just couldn't put it together at the end."
With five minutes left until halftime, Calvert senior Dai'Quan Garner (13 carries, 80 yards) busted his way for a 6-yard score to up the lead to 17-6. The eventual score would then be 17-9 after Northern's Andrew Rexroth kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired.
"This was not only special because of senior night, but we showed that our program is proven in changing for the better and we are making a statement for our upcoming year," said Garner, whose also was a kick return specialist on the night. "We were playing for a lot and the coaches really prepared us tonight."
With a 24-15 lead early in the fourth quarter, 6-foot 251 pound fullback CJ Cannon (8 carries, 71 yards) plowed for a 2-yard touchdown.
With 6:36 left in regulation, the game was delayed for 15 minutes after Calvert's water sprinkling system on the field came on. Three minutes of game time later, D'Andre Holland's 32-yard interception return capped the scoring.
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Results
Calvert 38, Northern 15
Northern 0 9 6 0
Calvert 3 14 7 14
First quarter
C – FG Frazier 31, 8:26
Second quarter
C – Wallace 11 pass from Lanham (Frazier kick), :08
N – Taylor 91 run (run failed), :24
C – Garner 6 run (Frazier kick), 6:54
N – FG Rexroth 29, 12:00
Third quarter
C – Lanham 11 run (Frazier kick), 8:09
N – Clayton 44 run (pass failed), 11:15
Fourth quarter
C – Cannon 2 run (Frazier kick), 1:46
C – Holland 32 interception return (Frazier kick), 8:39
Team stats
N (4 first downs, 21-187 rushing, 32 passing, 3-0 fumbles, 5-45 penalties)
C (13 first downs, 44-202 rushing, 63 passing, 1-0 fumbles, 7-55 penalties)
Top individual performers
Rushing – N: Taylor 3-121, Clayton 10-61; C: Garner 13-80, Cannon 8-71, Johnson 7-35, Lanham 8-22
Passing – N: Emmert 3-11-1 38; C: Lanham 5-10-1 63
Receiving – N: Callahan 1-10; C: Gott 2-25, Wallace 2-22
