MILLERSVILLE, Md. — With a spot in the 4A state quarterfinals on the line, Old Mill (10-1) used the strength of its defense to power past a shorthanded Glen Burnie (7-4) team, 27-6 on Friday night.
Old Mill coupled two rushing touchdowns along with two defensive scores to defeat their neighboring rivals and secure a spot in the next round of the playoffs. Glen Burnie was without the services of standout quarterback Romeo Edmonds, who was sidelined with an injury.
The Patriots kicked off the night with a bang, as senior Isaiah Thomas received the opening kickoff and nearly took it all the way back for a touchdown. He was finally brought down at the 10-yard line, but that’s all the closer Old Mill would get on its initial possession. The Gopher defense held strong, and after a few penalties, Old Mill missed a field goal to keep the game scoreless.
Glen Burnie split time at quarterback between Antoine Wilson and Tim Shadare throughout the game. On their first possession of the game, Shadare fumbled, and Old Mill’s Torrian Jones, who forced the turnover, scooped up the loose ball and ran it in for the first score of the game. The snap on the extra point was bobbled, so the Patriots took a 6-0 first quarter lead.
After a long pass from Shadare to receiver Bradeon Buchanan, the Gophers drive was punctuated by a touchdown run by running back Jonathan Bediako. He broke a tackle and powered into the end zone, but the extra point was no good, and the game was tied 6-6 heading into the second quarter.
The Old Mill defense would tighten up in the second quarter, and throughout the rest of the game as well. The Patriots forced a turnover on downs, and then would score when senior running back Maximus Jones took the direct snap across the goal line, and then did the same thing to convert the two-point try. Old Mill would take a 14-6 lead midway through the quarter, and would not look back.
Less than a minute later, Wilson would fumble after a hit from Torrian Jones, and again Jones grabbed the ball on the turf and sprinted back towards the end zone for his second defensive touchdown of the game. On the backs of its defense, Old Mill would take a 21-6 lead into halftime.
Both teams began to settle in during the second half, and offense was at a premium. The lone score of the second half of the game came on a direct snap to Maximus Jones from only a few yards out. A scuffle after the touchdown run led to a long delay and the ejection of an Old Mill player, and eventually the extra point was blocked, which gave the Patriots a 27-6 lead.
Punts, penalties, and turnovers on downs were common for the remainder of the game. Old Mill would eventually run out the clock on a solid victory. Odds were if your last name was Jones and you played for Old Mill, you had a pretty good chance of finding the end zone. The Joneses, Torrian and Maximus, accounted for all four of the Patriots scores on the night.
Old Mill advances to the state quarterfinals round for the third straight year, and is projected to face Eleanor Roosevelt from Prince George’s County next week. Glen Burnie sees its successful season come to a close and will look to build on this season for the future.
