“Dynamic, explosive, phenomenal” — all adjectives Atholton football coach Eric Woodson used to describe the connection between senior quarterback Tyler Bell and junior wide receiver Jordan Dailey.
Bell is in his third year as the Raiders’ starting signal caller, while Dailey transferred to Atholton over the summer from Glen Burnie. Dailey has introduced his elite playmaking to a new set of opponents in Howard County.
Friday night at Wilde Lake, the quarterback-wide receiver tandem showed off that special connection. After connecting for 154 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener, their explosive plays once again fueled the Raiders’ offense in a 34-26 rollercoaster win.
“The first day he was at practice, I knew he was something special,” Bell said of Dailey. “We’ve just been working at it every practice and it’s showing. The connection’s definitely there and it’s going to stay there the whole season.”
Dailey and Bell made their mark on the second play of the game. Bell delivered a strike to Dailey on a post route, who effortlessly snared it with one-hand and sprinted down the Wildecats’ sideline for a 91-yard touchdown.
Wilde Lake answered back with 10 straight points to take the lead, but the game took an emotional turn at that moment. On Ryan Thurston’s go-ahead touchdown run, Raiders’ senior Emmanuel Carroll sustained an upper body injury and was taken off in an ambulance, which paused the game for roughly 30 minutes. Carroll returned to the Raiders’ sideline in the second half.
Meanwhile, but Dailey and Bell continued their dominance after the long break.
On the ensuing Atholton possession, the duo connected for another deep pass, this time a 61-yard touchdown to put the Raiders back on top. Dailey finished the first half with four receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
“I feel like I got a chip on my back because I’m a transfer,” Dailey said. “I had to come in and work to get my spot. Every time I step on the field, I’m just trying to do better and better every time.”
Bell’s ability to extend plays and escape the pocket was vital. On his third touchdown of the first half, he ran from side-to-side evading defenders before lofting a 25-yard pass to Evan Morton.
Special teams were a struggle in the first half for Wilde Lake as its mistakes in that aspect led to 14 Raiders points. Morton’s touchdown came on a short field after a fumbled kickoff, while Jamal Kelly went 75 yards to the house after Wilde Lake answered Morton’s touchdown with one of its own.
However, those special teams struggles vanished in the second half. Junior Jaydin Gore showed off his speed and quick burst with a 77-yard touchdown on the second half opening kickoff to bring the Wildecats back within three.
Atholton stymied its offense with consistent penalties in the third and Wilde Lake took advantage with a safety to get within 27-26 early in the fourth. The Wildecats were unable to sustain that momentum as Atholton’s defense came up with a critical fourth-down stand near midfield to give its offense the ball back.
“I just thought the game was well played,” Wilde Lake coach Brian Henderson said. “In a game like that, we had opportunities. We could’ve taken advantage of some things, but we also could’ve folded. It was like the tide kept changing, both hands. I thought we were going to make something happen after the safety, but we didn’t cash in and that’s OK.”
Bell followed up that strong defensive series with his fourth touchdown of the game. This time, he took a quarterback keeper from a yard out to push the Raiders’ advantage to 34-26 with 4:41 remaining.
Wilde Lake surged down the field on the ensuing series looking to tie the game. However, with the Wildecats driving inside the Atholton 35-yard-line, Gore was tackled from behind by Raiders linebacker Marc Sawyer. Sawyer dislodged the ball and Abiosu Phipps recovered to give Atholton possession back inside of three minutes remaining.
Wilde Lake’s defense gave the offense another opportunity with one more stand, but Atholton’s defense shut the door. Bell took one final knee and cemented the Raiders’ victory against a cross-town Columbia rival in what was a rollercoaster throughout.
“It was big, just how the guys that stepped up into a role that we weren’t expecting them to be,” Atholton coach Eric Woodson said. “In a big game, going back and forth, it was very tight. Did we make mistakes of course we did, but guys filled that role and we got the win.”
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