When Loyola Blakefield kicker Owen Scheihing stepped onto the field in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 104th Turkey Bowl, he wasn’t thinking about his two earlier punts that Calvert Hall blocked on the rainy and gusty day.
“[My coach] told me to just flush it whenever a bad play happens,” the senior said. “I had to just flush it and move on to the next play.”
Midway through the final quarter of a tie game, that next play turned out to be the biggest kick of Scheihing’s career, as he struck the ball well and snuck a 42-yard field goal just inside the left upright to put Loyola ahead for good in its 17-14 win before an announced 7,128 at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium.
The victory is the third in four years for Loyola (6-5 overall, 4-3 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference) in a rivalry that Calvert Hall (7-5, 4-3) had previously dominated by winning 11 of 13 between 2009 and 2022. The Dons extended their lead in the series, which predates the start of the NFL, to 52-44-8.
“The whole [theme] was about changing the narrative,” Dons quarterback Brad Seiss said. “I feel like we did a good job.”
Seiss, who will continue his career next season at Monmouth, played a huge role in doing that, completing 16 of 23 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, both in the first half to put his team in front 14-0. The team scoring first now has won nine straight games in the series.
“We were trying to get off to a quick start,” Seiss said. “We just kept driving … we didn’t stop. The offensive line did a great job protecting me.”
After holding Calvert Hall to a three-and-out in the game’s opening possession, Loyola quickly moved the ball downfield on Seiss’ 17-yard pass to Khary Adams and an 8-yard pass to Mason Russell. Then, on a third-and-13 from the 37, the senior rolled to his right and fired deep, where receiver Logan Furst had a step on his man and caught the ball in the back corner of the end zone.
It was Furst’s first catch of the season after the sophomore had missed significant time with a shoulder injury.
Calvert Hall appeared to tie the game on the next play from scrimmage, but John Asuquo’s 65-yard run was negated by a holding penalty. The Cardinals’ drive eventually ended with an interception by defensive back Jesse Legree.
“Honestly, we got a terrible call on that sideline on a hold. It should’ve been a touchdown there,” Calvert Hall coach Josh Ward said. “You can’t blame the refs, but we need to do a better job out there. It’s a tough loss. We hurt ourselves.”
That call loomed large as the half progressed, especially early in the second quarter when, after the Cardinals’ fourth-down conversion attempt came up short, Seiss fired a pass over the middle and found Legree between the corner and free safety for a 29-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0.
Seiss was 10 of 14 for 165 yards and two touchdown passes in the first half.
Calvert Hall got on the board late in the half thanks to its special teams.
On a fourth-and-long down from Calvert Hall’s 46, the Cardinals’ Jermaine Anderson burst through the line to block Scheihing’s punt, and teammate Luke Speicher recovered at the 14. Five plays later, quarterback Oliver Noll scored on a keeper from the 1, cutting the deficit to 14-7.
It remained a seven-point game until late in the third quarter, when the Cardinals got the ball at midfield following a punt and embarked on a seven-play drive, all on the ground, capped by Asuquo’s 8-yard run up the middle to tie the game. He finished with 83 rushing yards, not including the negated 65-yard scamper.
Following the touchdown, however, Loyola wasted little time mounting its winning drive, getting 27 yards in the air and 25 on the ground from Seiss, who excelled with his legs in the second half.
“Defense just lost contain and our line did a great job setting up the pocket for me where I was able to roll out and get some yardage on the ground,” Seiss said.
Loyola drove to the 19 before an illegal shift penalty moved the ball back to the 24, setting up the game-winning kick.
“Great hold, great snap, the line was blocking great,” Scheihing said. “We practiced it for the past two weeks and it really went perfectly there.”
“He drilled it when we needed it,” said Dons first-year coach Blake Henry, who spoke to his kicker after the early punting issues. “I just said, ‘Hey, think about what [former] coach [Anthony] Zehyoue, our old coach, used to say. Just flush what just happened and concentrate on the next kick, and he did.”
Scoring plays
L: Furst 37-yard pass from Seiss (Scheihing kick)
L: Legree 29-yard pass from Seiss (Scheihing kick)
CH: Noll 1-yard run (Zakroski kick)
CH: Asuquo 8-yard run (Zakroski kick)
L: Scheihing 42-yard kick
Calvert Hall — 0 7 7 0 — 14
Loyola Blakefield — 7 7 0 3 — 17
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