There are four big reasons why Smithsburg’s football team would love nothing more than to beat Mountain Ridge in Friday night’s Maryland 1A West Region second-round game.
The first three reasons are simple. The Miners are 3-0 against the Leopards in the all-time series.
The fourth reason, however, is a bit more personal. After all, it was none other than Mountain Ridge that bounced Smithsburg from the playoffs last fall.
The Leopards — experiencing their best season since 2008 — not only want to win, but they also believe they have the talent to do so. We’ll find out on Friday, when Smithsburg hosts the Miners in a contest we’ve selected as our Game of the Week.
Defeating Mountain Ridge will be no easy task, not with Levi Clise on the prowl. The explosive Clise not only leads the Miners in both rushing and receiving, he can also pop a game-changing play in the return game at the drop of a hat. Smithsburg will counter with a run-dominant offense fueled by junior bruiser Nicolas Roncone.
Whoever comes out on top will be making a trip to the state quarterfinals.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming games we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
MPSSAA 1A West Second Round
No. 3 Mountain Ridge at No. 2 Smithsburg
Kickoff: Friday, 6 p.m., at Smithsburg
Records: Mountain Ridge comes in at 7-3, while Smithsburg checks in with a 7-2 record.
Last game: The Miners kicked off their postseason with a 62-6 rout over Northern Garrett, while the Leopards enjoyed a first-round bye.
Last meeting: Mountain Ridge knocked off Smithsburg 28-15 in the first round of the region playoffs last season.
What’s at stake: The winner moves on to the state quarterfinals, while the season ends for the loser.
Meet the Miners: After a 3-3 start to the season, Mountain Ridge has caught fire with four consecutive wins, including a 56-point victory in the opening round of the region playoffs … The Miners, who have outscored opponents 355-190 this fall, own notable victories over three programs with winning records: Allegany (6-4), Williamsport (8-2), and Keyser (6-4) … Mountain Ridge’s losses have come to Boonsboro, Frankfort, and Fort Hill, three squads who combine for a 25-4 record … Smithsburg would be wise to keep an eye on No. 0, Levi Clise, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound athlete who is a terror in all three phases of the game … The explosive Clise leads the Miners in rushing (94 carries, 824 yards, 9 TDs) and receiving (44-684-7), while also averaging 24.4 yards as a punt returner … The trigger man for Mountain Ridge’s offense, which averages 35.5 points per game, is junior Brayden Glass. The QB has completed 122 of 173 passes this season for 1,652 yards and 23 TDs. He’s also carried the ball 48 times for 155 yards and two TDs … Glass’ favorite receiver has been Clise, but he’s done a solid job of spreading the ball around to Sam Patterson (30 catches, 392 yards, 5 TDs), Jasper Crissman (11-155-2), Nathan Miller (10-184-4), Daniel Swindle (11-117-2), and Carter Clites (11-117-4) … Throw in a talented stable of runners that include Crissman (44-344-2), Ryder Growden (19-152-1), and Patterson (24-150-1), and it’s easy to see how the Miners can take over a game … Mountain Ridge’s defense, which allows 19.0 points per game, is led by none other than Clise, an inside linebacker who leads his team in both tackles (76) and tackles for loss (12) … Other key players on the defensive unit include Swindle (56 tackles, interception), Braydn Yates (43 tackles), Noah McKenzie (33 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks), and Caden Zeigler (20 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4 sacks) … Junior William Hughes serves as both the kicker and punter for the Miners. He is averaging 46.5 yards on kickoffs and 33.0 yards on punts, while knocking in 31 of 33 extra-point attempts … A triumph over the Leopards would put Mountain Ridge two wins away from reaching the state-title game for the fourth time in program history.
Meet the Leopards: Following a 7-0 start to the season, Smithsburg enters the postseason on a two-game slide following losses to Fort Hill (49-14) and Boonsboro (35-0), two squads that combined for a 16-3 record … The Leopards have already clinched their first winning season since 2015, and no matter what happens on Friday, this campaign will be their most successful since the program went 10-1 in 2008 … Coach Dave Lawrence’s boys have outscored the competition, 284-158, and own a notable win over Williamsport, a squad that is 8-2 this season … Smithsburg, which averages 31.6 points per game, is spearheaded by the triple-headed running attack of Nicolas Roncone, Noah Hegbe, and Zach Linn … Roncone is the primary option out of the backfield, as he leads the Leopards in carries (98), yards (717), and TDs (12). He’s also hauled in 12 catches for 156 yards and two scores … Hegbe is effective both on the ground, where he’s logged 46 carries for 436 yards and 4 TDs, and in the kickoff return game, where he averages 27.3 yards per return … Linn (48 carries, 346 yards, 5 TDs) has been a solid No. 3 in the run game, while Riley Carr (16-106-2) has made the most of limited touches … QB Luke Scott has completed 52 of 104 passes for 613 yards, eight TDs, and five interceptions … Scott’s top targets have been Dakota Sowers (13 catches, 243 yards, 5 TDs) and Marquis Weakfall (17-108-1) … Defensively, the Leopards allow 17.6 points per game and are anchored by the trio of Carr, Scott, and Hegbe, who combine for 197 tackles, including 20 tackles for loss and four sacks … Roncone leads Smithsburg in sacks (4), while Jack Rawlett ranks No. 1 in the LocalNews1.org coverage area in interceptions (4) … Look for the Leopards to also get defensive contributions from Jaxon Dodson (47 tackles, 2 interceptions), Zach Linn (44 tackles, 3 tackles for loss), and Sergio Funes (31 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, interception) … Kicker Walker Clark has converted 33 of 36 extra-point attempts and 3 of 5 field goals, including a long of 38 yards. Clark also handles kickoffs, and is averaging 47.7 yards per boot … Nick Kessinger averages 35.8 yards per punt … Smithsburg is aiming to build on its rich football history, which includes five state championships and four state runner-up finishes.
Sandrik’s pick: Leopards by 2.
