You can throw out the record books when Howard and Glenelg football face off. Howard County’s two oldest schools always have a fierce battle with the Elgard Trophy on the line.
The Lions prevailed in a grind-it-out defensive battle, 14-7, to bring home the coveted trophy for the second straight year.
“It’s great for a lot of reasons,” Howard coach Ross Hannon said as his team advanced to 6-0. “I’m so happy for our team, for our seniors, for our alumni. This trophy seems to go back and forth every year. It’s rare that you hold onto it for a second year in a row. We’re going to cherish it, get home and get ready for a good game next week.”
Playing in his final iteration of the rivalry, Howard senior Darius Moore made a substantial impact on both ends of the field. Moore, who entered Friday’s contest as the third leading public-school rusher in the state according to MaxPreps (782 yards), once again keyed the Lions’ offense in the win.
He finished with 18 carries for 125 yards and scored the game-tying touchdown late in the first half from 5 yards out on a critical fourth-and-3. The dynamic senior also provided a spark on the go-ahead touchdown drive with five carries for 39 yards.
While Moore didn’t break off many chunk plays, he remained patient, churning out tough yards while taking what the Gladiators’ defense gave him.
The veteran two-way starter, described by Hannon as “a sneaky dangerous defender,” also anchored the Lions’ defense and delivered a critical play when his team needed it most. After a Gladiators interception late in the second half, Moore thwarted Glenelg’s momentum in an instant.
With Glenelg pushing toward a potential-game tying touchdown at the Howard 24-yard-line inside of two minutes remaining, Moore showed that tremendous burst. On first down, he perfectly read Glenelg’s counter play and flew off the backside with a thunderous tackle for loss on Gladiators running back Jai’len Johnson.
“The whole drive they were running counter to the backside,” Moore said. “So, when I saw they lined up like it was going to be coming to my side, I just felt like, it’s my senior year, last time playing them probably. So, make a play, a big play for my team.”
The Gladiators were unable to recover from behind the chains after Moore’s play. Glenelg was called for back-to-back false starts before Jayson Allen broke up Patrick Masterman’s pass on fourth down to seal the victory. The Gladiators struggled to generate a rhythm offensively all evening, plagued by penalties and injuries to the backfield.
Glenelg (4-2, 2-2) entered Friday night’s game without two of its leading rushers Russell McIntyre and DJ Morgan. That already thinned out running back room took another hit when Cole Waggoner suffered a leg injury in the first quarter and didn’t return.
Howard junior quarterback Donte Jones showed his resolve in the second half. Jones was strip sacked to give possession back to Glenelg.
However, the first-year signal caller didn’t hang his head. He responded two drives later with a 24-yard touchdown on a zone read, emphatically spiking the ball in the end zone.
Jones is one of many Lions newcomers who are stepping into new roles after Howard graduated numerous standout performers from last year’s nine-win team that won a share of the Howard County title.
Plagued by some penalty issues earlier in the season, the Lions are playing cleaner football and building momentum heading into the final three games of the regular season.
“That’s why the quarterbacks get paid the most money in the NFL,” Hannon said of Jones. “The highs, the highs, the lows, the lows. We believe in him. We ride or die with him. This was a big-game atmosphere. It was sold out.
“His first year as a starting quarterback, we can’t ask him to do things that he’s incapable of at this point in time. We’re trying to get a little more balance in our offense. If that means with the legs first and then the arm second, so be it. We’re working on those things as the season goes on.”
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