A mere 3.1 miles separate neighborhood rivals Patapsco and Sparrows Point. The distance between victory and defeat when the two met on the football field Friday night was even smaller. Two successful drives by the host Pointers were enough for a 15-0 victory.
Sparrows Point (2-0) scored once in each half behind a punishing run game led by running back Mikey Maynor (140 rushing yards) and his hard-charging offensive line of Alex Hess, Connor Quarles, Tyler Hall, Mason Stack and Jaxson Kreiner. Meanwhile, the group smothered the Patriots’ offense by controlling the line of scrimmage on that side of the ball as well.
“Our rivals, they call us the team down the street, so big win for us,” said Maynor, whose 9-yard touchdown run with 2:22 left in the contest helped seal the win for the Pointers. “A huge win.”
After a scoreless and penalty, miscue-riddled first quarter on both sides, Sparrows Point opened the game’s scoring on a yard rush by quarterback Maceo Hardnett, who faked a dive handoff to Maynor before rushing around the left end for a 7-0 lead.
Chase Carnahan set up the scoring run with a nifty 14-yard scamper the play before after subbing in for Maynor, who was sent off for not wearing his mouthpiece.
The Pointers challenged again late in the first half, but the drive ended on fourth-and-goal from the 7 on an incomplete pass. The drive actually stalled at the 17-yard line largely due to a first down sack, but back-to-back offside penalties by the Patriots on two field goal attempts prompted Sparrows Point coach Nick Burkhardt to send his offense back on the field inside the 10.
Conversely, Patapsco managed just a yard offensively in the opening 24 minutes of action against the stout Pointers’ defense that has allowed just six points through the first two games this season.
“Our defense was lights out tonight,” Burkhardt said. “We knew what we had to do coming into tonight, and I’d say there’s not a better working unit in this league. They show up every time they come out here. I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids.”
The Patapsco offense fared better in its first two drives of the second half, but numerous costly penalties, some surrendered sacks, and a drop in the end zone by wideout Shamar Johnson kept the Patriots from penetrating deep into Sparrows Point territory.
“It was the game,” Patapsco coach Tyler Clough said of his team’s drive-killing penalties. “We finally got some offensive rhythm in the second half, and we couldn’t finish drives. It was definitely the story of the game.”
Maynor then put the game away with his 9-yard scoring run up the middle. Cameron Watkins followed with a punishing run into the end zone for a successful 2-point conversion for the final 15-point advantage. Maynor set up that touchdown with a 31-yard dash down the home sideline.
“My offensive line did great,” Maynor said. “They helped me get that touchdown, pushed me in.”
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Anthony Maluso at amaluso@baltsun.com, 567-230-6024, x.com/TonySunSports and instagram.com/TonySunSports.