BOONSBORO – You got to love it when a plan comes together.
But when the same blueprint works in two different ways, well, that’s more the love. It’s almost euphoric.
The Boonsboro football team was rather giddy on Friday with the way it handled Williamsport’s offense. The Warriors running game not put a lid on the Wildcats’ passing game, it put a curfew on their whole offense.
Boonsboro built an early 14-0 lead and proceeded to play keep away with previously unbeaten Williamsport in a 41-27 victory in arguably one of the top games which will be played in Washington County this year.
The Warriors posted six touchdowns, mostly using an unofficial total of 323 rushing yards on 56 carries. And the king of the day was running back Jadon King, who ran for three first-half scores and added a trick-play touchdown pass to quarterback Blake Main to keep Williamsport at arm’s length most of the day.
“They are a very dynamic and explosive offense so for us possessing the ball was definitely to our advantage,” said Boonsboro coach Mark Wadel. “And we are a running team, so let’s do it.
“We kind of felt if we got up on them early and got a lead it would be to our advantage.”
And that it did.
Boonsboro owned the football for more than nine minutes in the quarter and for 11 of the first 13 plays in the second quarter to build that 14-0 lead. It put Williamsport into chase-mode early.
“It got to the point that we’re trading scores and we got down two and it’s just not going to happen, especially with a turnover or two,” said Williamsport coach Tim Small. “They had some answers for us. We had some answers, too, but they just had more tonight.”
The big answer was Boonsboro’s diverse running game. Using, counters and sweeps to open up the middle for quarterback keeps by Main, the Warriors were rather methodical in moving the ball.
It started with Boonsboro taking the opening kickoff and marching 68 yards on 11 plays to post the early 7-0 lead with 6:57 remaining in the first period. King lurked in the background while Parker DeBaugh and Main did most of the ground work. DeBaugh scored on an 11-yards sweep.
Negative plays and penalties kept Williamsport to 10 yards in the first quarter and an interception on the only play early in the second period.
Then along came King, who broke off three TD runs in the last 9:26 of the half. He scored on runs of 30, 78 and 20 yards to cap a 177-yard half to send the Warriors to the locker room with a 28-14 lead.
“If you want to be a good running back you have to be patient. You have let your blocks develop,” King said. “That’s something I learned along the way here. I used to be one of the most impatient people. I used to run into my tackle.
“I’ve got to shout out Austin Dinsmore, the best lineman in the state. (He’s part of) The best linemen crew in the state … Jackson Hanser, Riley Crist, Steven Lapole and JT Griffith, I love them to death and they take care of me good.”
After falling behind 14-0, Williamsport scored twice to stay within striking distance.
The first came in bizarre fashion as running back Taemyj Boyce-Brown busted through the middle on a run from the Boonsboro 40. The Warriors ran him down and clubbed the ball out of his grasp for a fumble, which was picked up by teammate Kemiko Herron and taken the final six yards for the score.
Boyce-Brown got his score with :28 remaining in the half on a 4-yard run, right before King’s third score with :04 left in the half.
“We had a good week of prep. I thought we had a decent plan,” Small said “Things didn’t happen tonight. The things that (King, DeBaugh and Edward Boakye) and the quarterback play with the Main kid, they do a really good job when that do what they do.”
Williamsport tried to come back with the air attack, but couldn’t get quarterback Gabe Palmer off the ground. Two completions after the second-half kickoff helped position the Wildcats to pick up a 4-yard scoring run by Boyce-Brown to cut the lead to 28-21 at the 10:05 mark.
Boonsboro answered by marching back with a 47-yard drive, capped by Main’s 24-yard TD pass to DeBaugh to reestablish the 14-point lead at 35-21.
Williamsport got close again, using Xavier Bowie’s interception return for an 18-yard touchdown. Williamsport’s extra point was blocked, leaving it 35-27 with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
The Warriors answered again, this time on a direct snap to King, who used his patience in a different. He faked a run up the middle, before lofting an 18-yard pass along the right hashmarks to Main, who sneaked out of the backfield, for the score, making it 41-27.
”We came up with that after I showed my arm on the scout team offense.” King said. “They said ‘maybe we should take a look at this kid to see if he can throw.’
“We schemed it up pretty week Blake stalled and then did his route perfectly and the cornerback bit on it. I thought I was going to miss him.”
Williamsport tried to answer again, but the Wildcats were turned back on fourth down at the Boonsboro 8.
Boonsboro ran out the final 7:17 of the game on 13 running plays to ice the victory.
“I was really proud of the way the kids battled. We faced adversity here,” Wadel said. “We gave up a pick six and allowed them back to within seven there. We got the ball back and scored right away.”
Boonsboro unofficially finished with 390 offensive yards, led by King with 218 on 19 carries, to go along with his 18-yard touchdown pass.
Williamsport finished with 302 yards, led by Boyce-Brown with 89 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Parker was held to 7 of 21 passing for 89 yards and two interceptions.
Other scores
Century 19, North Hagerstown 14
Hubs lose first game of the season
Smithsburg 48, Poolesville 0
Leopards are 3-2
South Hagerstown 14, Catoctin 0
Rebels win second straight game after losing 12 in a row
Albert Gallatin (Pa.) 62, Clear Spring 27
North Star 42, Hancock 6
Thursday
Saint James 51, Brunswick 13
