Oakland Mills entered Friday’s Homecoming game against Glenelg unbeaten, thanks in part to its dominant rushing attack.
However, the Scorpions stumbled early, fumbling on their first play and handing the Gladiators the ball in the red zone. Undeterred, coach Thomas Browne stayed committed to the ground game that has brought his team this far. His persistence paid off.
No. 13 Oakland Mills piled up seven rushing touchdowns to defeat the Gladiators, 50-6, and stay perfect, now at 5-0.
Quarterback Taamir Oliver led the offense with three rushing scores, while the defense forced three takeaways. Oakland Mills did not attempt a pass all night.
“I think we have a lot of talent, an experienced O-line, a physical O-line, and then we have a bunch of different guys that can do some things in the backfield between our quarterbacks and our running backs,” Browne said. “I thought we played great in all three phases of the game tonight.”
In almost mirrored fashion, Glenelg (4-1) fumbled on the second play of its opening drive, handing the ball right back to Oakland Mills. On the very next snap, Oliver sprinted 69 yards for a touchdown to give the Scorpions a 7-0 lead. The Scorpions then recovered an onside kick, and senior rusher Shaevon Scott capitalized with a 46-yard score. Oliver added the two-point conversion.
Senior Kasen Bien Aime, who committed the initial fumble, redeemed himself with a 20-yard touchdown run to open the second quarter, his first of two on the night. A 44-yard interception return by senior Tyler Rabey on Glenelg’s next possession set up Oliver’s 5-yard rushing score, stretching the Scorpions’ lead to 29-0 with just over a minute left in the half.
Oakland Mills’ defense capped the dominant half with a goal-line stand in the closing seconds to preserve the first-half shutout.
The Scorpions have rotated between two quarterbacks this season — Oliver and fellow senior Kris Rogers. The two first met in a math class at Thomas Viaduct Middle School, and when Rogers transferred to Oakland Mills as a sophomore, they quickly rekindled their friendship — both on and off the field.
“He was just by my side the whole time [when he transferred] and we’ve just clicked since,” Oliver said.
Bien Aime moved to the area from New Rochelle, New York, n 2022 and spent his first two years on junior varsity before breaking through as a senior leader. Now a top rusher for Oakland Mills, he calls himself and Scott the best backfield duo in the state.
Scott missed the first two weeks of the season with a low ankle sprain suffered in the offseason. Though frustrated to be sidelined, he worked closely with athletic trainer Eboni Coffey to rehab the injury, often stepping away from practice to focus on recovery.
“We are just all connected [right now],” Scott said. “Ever since we’ve been coming to school as seniors, we’ve just been connected.”
Glenelg’s 4-0 start was its best since the program’s last state final appearance in 2018, but the Scorpions shut down its rushing attack. Entering averaging 233.8 yards per game and totaling 17 rushing touchdowns through the first four weeks, the Gladiators were scoreless on the ground.
Bien Aime, who also plays linebacker, said Browne motivated the defense by showing them a recent article where Glenelg coach Willie Bell emphasized his team’s commitment to the run game.
“Our motive on the defense is run hit, run hit, run hit,” Bien Aime said. “The scoreboard speaks for itself.”
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