Glen Burnie football hadn’t beaten Old Mill in 29 years — so many of them marred by losing seasons and more recently, heartbreaking close shaves and badly-timed injuries to major players.
Despite carrying a lead into the fourth quarter, Friday turned out not to be the night it all ended.
Old Mill players tossed their water bottles as the clock expired and the 19-7 comeback against the host Gophers went final. The Patriots piled up, chanting, among many things, “30 years.”
Glen Burnie coach Alec Lemon knew Friday’s outcome would be a matter of wills more than skill — who wanted it more? Patriots senior Connor Adams had the answer.
“We’d seen it from kickoff. They didn’t want it as much as us. They didn’t come out with the same energy as us,” said Adams, who collected a fumble recovery and an interception. “We just needed things to fall in line in the second half, and they did.”
Two weeks ahead of the playoffs, Old Mill (5-3) needed this rebound. Most recently, the Patriots dropped two-straight games to Arundel and Broadneck, to go with their early-season loss to Annapolis.
“We believe we’re better than that,” Adams said. “We shouldn’t have lost those games; we’ve been beating ourselves. So for us to come out and play a great team like this, and stick together, even when we’re down seven at halftime? My team showed me they have it in them today.”
It’s fair to say Old Mill held Glen Burnie to a scoreless second half. The Patriots collected two interceptions to cap a four-turnover night. But it’d be equally right to point at Glen Burnie itself.
Along with the turnovers, the Gophers’ genuine chances to score again were hampered into extinction by flags. Likewise, Old Mill’s second and third touchdowns were helpfully pushed to the goal line by a few penalties, too.
“When we’re playing behind the sticks, and our defense is playing their tail off but we’re making mistakes — you just can’t do that against a team like Old Mill,” Lemon said.
When Old Mill scored its third touchdown, Glen Burnie thought it had righted itself at last. Senior Hebrew Norfleet carried Glen Burnie’s literal lifeline to the house — a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown — but a flag canceled it out.
Adams poured salt in the wound shortly after with his second interception.
“They [Old Mill] played a full 48 minutes,” Lemon said. “We started and we didn’t finish, and they did.”
Old Mill knew it was better than its first half.
After Glen Burnie quarterback Noah Mitchell’s 52-yard touchdown pass sailed across the pink sunset sky, the Patriots had no response. But all week, they studied exactly how to puncture Glen Burnie’s defense. At halftime, the offensive linemen gave their report: the Gophers down-blocked and pulled less.
“They said, ‘We can get to the linebackers,'” Old Mill coach Joey Hall said. “Once we got to their linebackers, we knew what we could do.”
Old Mill hosts Meade next Friday before taking its first step into the Class 4A/3A playoffs.
“If this team plays together and we win all phases, I think we have a great chance to win,” Hall said. “Our goal all season was to hit our stride at the perfect time.”
Old Mill — 0 0 6 13 — 19
Glen Burnie — 7 0 0 0 — 7
SCORES
Q1
GLEN BURNIE — NOAH MITCHELL TO BRAEDON BUCHANAN — 7-0, XPT GOOD, DANIEL BURUCA, 6:24
Q3
OLD MILL — DEMETRIOUS JONES 2 YARD RUSH, XPT NO GOOD — 7-6, 1:32
Q4
OLD MILL — RUBEN DENEAL 2 YARD RUSH, 2-PT CONVERSION ATTEMPT NO GOOD — 12-7, 8:01
OLD MILL — DEMETRIOUS JONES, 13 YARD RUSH, XPT GOOD — 19-7, 2:21
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