You could argue at what point Severn football beat Annapolis on Friday. But whether it was a defensive stop, a turnover or an ill-timed injury to a quarterback, Admirals coach Demetrius Ballard knew when he wanted to end it — up by seven with three minutes left — and how.
“Throw it,” he said. “End it.”
Senior Jack Fowler knew it, too. The wide receiver told his own quarterback, Ty Bussard, that he wanted a ball to catch.
Bussard shifted a few steps back from the pocket and spiraled a high pass 48 yards through the sticky September air, right to where Fowler sprinted near the left sideline. The senior gave a quick glance to the Annapolis defensive back pursuing him and dashed into the end zone.
Before he could celebrate, a flash of yellow caught his eye.
Flags littered the field from the first quarter on. The officials’ calls had already deleted a ton of long rushes and towering throws, but no touchdowns yet.
“I was just confused. I was just running my route and I felt [the Annapolis player] fall behind me, so I didn’t know if they were gonna call pass interference on me,” Fowler said. “Obviously it worked out.”
Cheers flared from the Severn offense as officials retracted the flag, and after an extra point barreled through the uprights, the Admirals cemented the 28-14 final and their first victory of 2025.
“I thought we played well Week 1, but we made a lot of mistakes. Not saying we didn’t make mistakes today,” Fowler said, “but we came into this game a lot more confident, thinking we were gonna roll through these guys.”
From a 48-yard touchdown to answer Annapolis’ opening score to a late-game forced fumble that crushed the Panthers’ comeback hopes, senior Jules Floyd fulfilled that shared mission.
“I told myself, ‘That first carry. Tell them we’re here right now,’” Floyd said. “By the end of the game, I was definitely feeling it — a little tired, a little hurt — but I understood I had to keep fighting.”
Emotion choked Ballard at the mention of Floyd’s name.
“I’m going to cry like a baby when he leaves,” the coach said. “He is truly the heart of our team.”
The win didn’t come without its costs, even for the Admirals. Injuries sidelined key starters early, like running back Charlie Runco and tight end Lincoln Watkins, forcing Severn to shuffle its personnel as it trailed 7-6 at the end of the first. In the meantime, four-star edge rusher Rion Jackson began lunging at Bussard on every other play, something that might’ve stopped Severn from claiming control of the game.
That is, if Annapolis could get out of its own way.
What could have forced Severn to attempt a field goal from the 16-yard mark instead became a free first down, gift-wrapped by the Panthers’ defense yanking Bussard’s face mask. Only a pair of snaps later, Floyd skated into the end zone and junior Dom Montgomery — who collected a kickoff fumble recovery and a handful of key tackles on the night — plucked Bussard’s pass down for the 2-point conversion to make it 14-7.
“I think the senior leadership at halftime calmed our team down,” Ballard said. “It’s great to have seniors like that.”
Come the second half, enter Fowler.
Bussard sliced 31 yards off the field, hitting Fowler on the first third down of the second half. Though a flag eliminated another double-digit grab by the wideout, the Gettysburg lacrosse commit shook off the frustration and soon hauled Bussard’s 14-yard toss in for six points.
Best receiver in the MIAA, Runco said afterward.
“I felt confident in my hands today,” Fowler said.
Even late, Annapolis had its chances to rally. After Panthers running back DeMyen Gray narrowed the deficit shortly before the end of the third with a touchdown run, defense fended Severn off, snuffing Bussard’s pass attempts.
Then, on the next drive, Annapolis quarterback Zyhir Neal put the tie game in his backs’ hands. After completing a 28-yard pass, he handed the ball off to Gray, who scampered from the 19.
At first, it looked as though he might slip through the horde of Admirals on him — or at least close some distance to the end zone.
Floyd made sure he didn’t, punching the ball into the fray and getting it in Severn hands. Then, injury claimed Gray and Neal both for the rest of the night.
“No excuses,” Panthers coach Dewayne Hunt said. “We made mistakes and we lost to a great team over there.”
Have a news tip? Contact Katherine Fominykh at kfominykh@baltsun.com or DM @capgazsports on Instagram.
SEVERN — 6-8-7-7 — 28
ANNAPOLIS — 7-0-7-0 — 14
SCORING
Q1
A — ZYHIR NEAL 32-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS TO BODIE OLDHAM; XPT GOOD — 7-0
S — JULES FLOYD 48-YARD RUSHING TOUCHDOWN; XPT NO GOOD — 7-6
Q2
S — JULES FLOYD 2-YARD RUSHING TOUCHDOWN; 2-PT CONVERSION TY BUSSARD TO DOMINIC MONTGOMERY GOOD — 14-7
Q3
S — TY BUSSARD 14-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS TO JACK FOWLER; XPT GOOD — 21-7
A — DEMYEN GRAY 7-YARD RUSHING TOUCHDOWN; XPT GOOD — 21-14
Q4
S — TY BUSSARD 48-YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS TO JACK FOWLER; XPT GOOD — 28-14