Atholton football knows it has explosive playmakers. The Raiders are one of Howard County’s most physically imposing teams, but they can also win with dynamic speed.
It didn’t take long for Long Reach to find that out. On the Raiders’ second play from scrimmage Friday night, junior quarterback Tyler Bell hit wide receiver Delbert Cowsette on a swing pass. The senior sprinted down the Raiders’ sideline for a 65-yard touchdown, the first of three 55-plus-yard scoring strikes in a dominant first quarter.
Despite struggling with penalties and other unforced errors, Atholton closed out a 27-0 victory over the Lightning.
“That’s how explosive we can be when things are clicking,” Raiders coach Eric Woodson said. “But then, we take the foot off the gas. Then we relax and stuff doesn’t click for us. If we can sustain that even a little bit per quarter, then we’re putting 40-something, 50-something points on the board, easy.“
Cowsette continued to feast on the Lightning’s defense from the slot. On the ensuing series, he caught a deep pass from Bell in stride, taking it 87 yards for Atholton’s second touchdown of the game.
“It’s really fun,” Cowsette said. “I know I’m fast and these defenders can’t really keep up. So, once it’s there, I’m just glad to be able to catch it, bring it down and run into the end zone.”
Atholton’s aerial attack continued its onslaught the next drive. Bell delivered a perfect pass to Zahir Myrick-Brown for a 55-yard touchdown, pushing the Raiders’ advantage to 20-0 late in the first quarter. The junior quarterback finished the opening quarter completing all three of his passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns.
“It’s amazing to have the receivers that I have,” Bell said. “I’m blessed to be on the team that I’m on. I really enjoy playing with these guys. We came out with a lot of energy. Everyone was ready on go, coming out of their breaks fast, playing with intensity.”
The Raiders’ defense built on the offense’s momentum. Long Reach struggled to move the ball on the ground, putting the offense behind the sticks. Senior safety Ja’Varr Stewart took advantage of that and jumped sophomore quarterback Kenneth Dobbs’ pass for a pick-six. Stewart’s interception was the first of three takeaways by the Raiders on the evening.
“We just didn’t play well today,” Long Reach coach Jamie Willis said. “When you start four sophomores on the offensive line, a freshman at receiver, a sophomore at quarterback … Three of the defensive backs are sophomores or freshman, you have days like this.”
However, Atholton (2-0) didn’t maintain its momentum the rest of the way. The Raiders kept the Lightning (0-2) off the scoreboard but were continually hampered by penalties and other mistakes on both sides of the ball. Despite the lopsided victory, Woodson expressed his frustration with his players after the game, talking about the importance of playing with discipline.
The Raiders’ staff brought that message with a heightened importance as Atholton prepares to host Middletown from Delaware next week. Atholton faced the Cavaliers in an offseason 7-on-7 scrimmage at West Virginia University and understands the challenge that awaits next Friday.
To set that example, Woodson will lean on the program’s veterans. That starts with Bell in his second season as the Raiders’ signal caller and senior center Owen Berngartt as the anchor of the offensive line. Other seniors, including Cowsette, Lawson Mungo, Ian Pope and Brody Pope, are expected to set that tone.
“A lot of those kids play on both sides of the ball. So, that leadership has to come from them,” Woodson said. “We can only do so much. At some point, they’ve got to have their own little meeting and have a heart-to-heart and figure some things out.
“Those seniors, a lot of them are looking for film, trying to get to the next level. For the seniors that are fighting out there, those underclassmen and my juniors, they’ve got to be in there and say, ‘I can’t be selfish, I got to do it for these guys.’ We’ve got goals in mind. We have places that we want to go this year that we haven’t gone, and these guys also have individual goals of playing on the next level. Collectively, we have to tighten it up and get better.”
