Eagles Hammer Glen Burnie, 34-12

By Colin A.J. Murphy

Receiver Nick Marshall had six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns, quarterback Eric Grantland threw for 141 yards and two touchdowns, the Eagle defense shut down Glen Burnie’s ground game, and Northeast High School delivered a 34-12 thumping of the Gophers under the lights at Chesapeake High on September 16.

“We were just faster tonight,” said Grantland of his team’s impressive all-around performance. “The offensive line did a great job; we ran well, the intensity was there…it was just a great team win today.”

The total team effort was on display from the opening kickoff, and the Eagles were unquestionably the more aggressive team to start the game. After kicking off to the visitors, Northeast’s defense caused and then recovered a Glen Burnie fumble on the Gopher’s first play from scrimmage. On the ensuing possession, Grantland connected with Marshall for a 23-yard gain, setting up a Raheem Willis touchdown from the seven-yard line, and the Eagles took a 7-0 lead after just 90 seconds.

Looking to bury the Gophers right away, the Eagle defense set the tone of the game by establishing the night’s main objective: shutting down Glen Burnie’s All-County running back Brandon Walker. The explosively fast Walker racked up over 1,000 yards on the ground as a junior last season, but on this night the Northeast defense was all over him every time he touched the ball, allowing just 70 yards on 19 toilsome carries.

“We came together and held [the Glen Burnie offense] down,” said Northeast senior linebacker Brian Fletcher. “We knew that [Walker] is what they have and we knew that’s what they were going to use, so we game-planned for him.”

On Glen Burnie’s second drive, junior safety Jake Hesse saved a touchdown with a tremendous tackle on Walker, who had broken through the line of scrimmage for a first down and looked to be on his way to the end zone. Not letting the Gophers seize any momentum, Hesse caused and then recovered another Gopher fumble on the very next play. The ensuing possession saw Grantland find Marshall in the middle of the field with a perfectly placed pass over the outstretched arms of two Glen Burnie defenders. The speedy Marshall did the rest, taking it to the house down the left sideline for a 65-yard touchdown. At the 8:40 mark of the first period, the Eagles had forced two fumbles and taken a 14-0 lead on just three plays from scrimmage.

“We’ve been working hard to get the passing game down,” said Marshall of his timing with Grantland, “and tonight we just had a great connection.”

The defense continued to punish Glen Burnie’s attack throughout the remainder of the half. After the Marshall touchdown, Hesse, Fletcher, junior Daniel Willhelm, junior David Skiratko, and senior Blake Russell each recorded tackles for losses, keeping the Gophers off the scoreboard and repeatedly forcing Glen Burnie to punt. Shortly before the half, Russell finished off a 35-yard Eagle drive with a two-yard touchdown run, giving Northeast a 20-0 lead at the break.

Not satisfied, the Eagles picked up right where they left off to begin the third quarter, as junior Matt Bougard returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, with a successful two-point conversion putting the Eagles out in front 28-0.

Walker finally put Glen Burnie on the board with a touchdown in the third, and the Gophers crept closer with another score two minutes into the fourth, but by then, it was too little, too late. The Eagles ate up the clock effectively before Grantland again found Marshall on a fade route to the left corner of the end zone with two minutes left in the fourth, and Northeast closed out the 34-12 victory.

With his team now at 2-1, Head Coach Kenny Fowler has his young men beginning to take shape as a confident group of heady playmakers. “We had the right game plan in place, and the kids just came out and made plays,” he said. “They had a great week of practice, and hopefully now…we start to roll.”

Marshall likewise sees the Eagles improving with each week, and says he and his teammates have a singular focus as they look to add to their win total moving forward. “Just have to keep working hard,” he said.