It started out as a “Happy Birthday.”
Soon, it became a surprise party for eight Boonsboro senior football players.
On a whim, starting with an innocent side comment on the Warriors’ coaching headset network, a honey-do-like gift list, of sorts, was created during the second half of Boonsboro’s 66-0 victory over Loch Raven last Friday in the Maryland Class 1A North Regional bracket final.
“To perfectly honest, it wasn’t anything we actually thought of until it happened in the moment,” Boonsboro Coach Mark Wadel said. “We were obviously doing very well on Friday night and one our assistant coaches came across the headset and said ‘You know, it’s Brayden Antos’ birthday. You think you can get him a catch.’
“I was like ‘well, maybe. We have to make sure we get this win.’ By that point, we were up pretty good. I said ‘I really don’t want to throw the ball, because that’s kind of ignorant to the other team. I’ll see what we can do.’”
The notion became an objective, which turned into a campaign to make sure every senior skilled position player – quarterback, running back and receiver – scored a TD in their final high school season.
No need of boxes, bows and wrapping paper for these presents. Nothing is more special – or desired – to a football player than scoring a touchdown. One size fits all.
At this stage of the season, Antos and Joey Macomber were the only two of the eight not in the scoring club. The other six – Parker DeBaugh, Elijah Weddle, Edward Boakye, Logan Atkinson, Nathan Bosnick and Justin Pazos – were able to feel paydirt in the season’s first 10 games.
For Antos, his moment came in the form of a 25-yard sweep in the third quarter. For Macomber, it was in an eventful sequence resulting in a 12-yard TD on the game’s last offensive play.
And with a 52-0 halftime lead and the Warriors clearing the bench for the second half that sent them to the state quarterfinals, this alternate project kept Boonsboro focused to the end.
Operation: Touchdown
So, what’s the big deal about scoring a touchdown.
For a football player, it is like being an actor winning an Academy Award or earning high score status on a video game.
Touchdowns are instant cred.
They are ink in a record book, a name that goes public and, in this case, a birthday gift that keeps on giving.
For the other six of Boonsboro’s “Scoring Eight,” getting the ball across the goal line has meaning and memories:
- “It’s important that we all scored; it really brings us together as a team. I’m not playing ball after high school. This is my last opportunity to be able to play football with my buddies and what not, so it’s pretty important to me.”
DeBaugh, a starter and team captain who has 12 total touchdowns out of the backfield this season.
- “It shows how unselfish everyone is, including myself. We are all blocking for each other and practicing for each other. It’s good for everyone to score.”
Weddle, who caught two TD pass this season, the second came against Loch Raven
- “It brings us all together and brings us closer. It is nice to get the chance, but the only thing that matters is that my team wins. It’s all about team at the end of the day.”
Wadel added “He is one of the starting backs, but Eddie was the one who remained in the game on Friday night to block those other two guys (Antos and Macomber) who are not normally running backs. He does such a good job blocking.”
Boakye, who has five touchdowns as the third running weapon in Boonsboro’s backfield
- “Scoring let me build a legacy outside my sister’s shadow (former Boonsboro lacrosse player Leah Bosnick). I’m of known for being in her shadow. It allowed me to show that the Bosnick name is not from just my sister.”
Bosnick, who returned an interception against Mountain Ridge for his touchdown
- “I’m a kicker. Kickers don’t usually score touchdowns. It felt different, because of instead of scoring a point or three points, I got to score six … and then kicked a PAT to make it seven for myself. I had an opportunity because my coaches and teammates helped me.”
Pazos, who got the scoring spotlight, scoring on a 10-yard run in the 63-12 win over Western Tech during the first round of the playoffs
- “I’m more on the defensive side of the ball, so I don’t get many opportunities on offense. Just getting into the end zone was awesome. It’s cool because I’m not going to every play football again. Just to know I’ve been in the end zone once means the world.
Atkinson, who will be playing baseball at UMBC (Maryland-Baltimore County) after graduation, scored his first varsity TD on a game-opening kickoff return against Western Tech before scoring as the quarterback in the fourth quarter
Let the party begin
Usually. the best parties are the ones that seem to just happen.
“Going into halftime, I said to (Antos) ‘Hey, do you want to try and run the ball?’ Wadel said. “He kind of looked at me like I was crazy. I said ‘Hey, do you want to try and score a touchdown?’
“He said ‘Well YEAH.’ And I said ‘Well, alright, this is what we are going to do.”
Wadel had a specific play in mind, one that would get an inexperienced run to the edge without absorbing unnecessary contact.
“I kind of diagrammed it out for him and made him practice after halftime on the sideline because he ran a speed sweep so he had to have the motion and timing right,” Wadel said. “It was funny. There first three balls, he almost fumbled. … the fourth time he did it, he fell down. Then he did two more and they looked fine.
“The very first play that we ran (in the second half), we went out and did it. I called the play wrong, so we got a penalty, because we had two guys in motion at the snap … my fault because I thought he was going to be the other back. And then we ran it the next play.”
Antos took the handoff and headed around the left sideline. He bounced off at least two Loch Raven defenders and streaked into the end zone for his “birthday present.”
“I was 100% (surprised),” Antos said. “It was my birthday, but it meant a lot that (the coaches) were able to go out and do something like that for me.
“I don’t get to play a whole lot, so whenever I get go out there and the coaches give chances to score, it’s something that I’ve wanted to do. So, it was big to me.”
Happy Birthday, Brayden
“After Brayden scored, I was cheering in the press box. I was super excited,” Wadel said. “All the parents were looking up at me because they didn’t know what was going on.”
But then, Wadel got another message in his headset.
“It wasn’t something we had planned but we were in a situation where it made sense,” Wadel said. “Once Brayden scores his, someone said ‘Joey has never scored one.’
“So, all right, let’s get him in and let’s do it.”
Macomber is a defensive player and an important member of the Warriors’ scout team. He ran before, but not for a couple of years.
He checked into the backfield with five minutes to go and the ball on the Boonsboro 36 in the running-clock situation. On first down, he ran over right end for 41 yards.
“He didn’t even take practice reps at running back this year,” Wadel said. “But we knew he had the foundation in him to do it. We didn’t even practice with him. We just knew he’d remember.”
A play and a Boonsboro penalty later, Macomber took another handoff from the Loch Raven 14. This time, it was around left end as he veered to the sideline. With field dwindling to nothing, Macomber made a dive to end zone and clipped the marker on the goal line for the TD.
“It was super close,” Wadel said. “It almost didn’t get in so we would have had to run him with it again.”
Twice was enough for Macomber. The first carry good, but the second was for posterity.
“It was important because I haven’t run with the ball since I’ve been J.V.,” Macomber said. “It was great that the coaches and staff gave an opportunity to score on a higher level and in front of the home crowd, especially with it being a playoff game.
“It will be with me forever as long as I can remember.”
Touchdowns are the gift that keeps on giving, even if it isn’t your birthday.
