OAKLAND — No. 1 Fort Hill bounced back from last week’s shutout loss to Dunbar with a 49-12 win over Southern on Friday.
“I thought it was a great game, I thought both teams played really hard,” Fort Hill head coach Zack Alkire said. “Really happy with our team’s performance.”
The Sentinels’ (2-1, 2-0 Western Maryland Athletic Conference) went three and out to open the game, then Pierce Ramos picked up a first down for the Rams (1-2, 0-2 WestMAC) opening drive.
The drive ended in a punt, which Channing Logsdon fielding it at his own 29.
He made one cut and found a lane down the left sideline for a 71-yard touchdown to open the scoring for the Sentinels.
The Rams’ next drive was a quick three and out, leading to a short punt.
Fort Hill took seven plays to go 51 yards, capping it off with a two-yard score from Braelyn Younger.
“We got our butts kicked from start to end,” Southern head coach Dave McLaughlin said. “I thought it started well, three and out, that may be the first time ever. Excited, then they got a first down on our first drive, I thought okay, things are moving. Just switches went off for us and on for them. That’s the way it is.”
Younger ended the first quarter with a 46-yard touchdown run on the only play of the drive to extend the Sentinel lead to 21-0.
Younger finished with 96 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns, all in the first half.
“Our message all week long was to just move forward,” Alkire said of bouncing back from last week’s 30-0 loss to Dunbar. “We did that today.”
Southern’s first drive of the second quarter led to another punt which was blocked by Parker Beck at the 1-yard line, setting up Carson Bender for a one-yard score on the next play.
On the ensuing kickoff, Anthony Blacker recovered a fumble at the 16, setting up a six-yard score for Neek Taylor.
“It’s just tough, because they have so many weapons,” McLaughlin said of the challenge of preparing for Fort Hill. “It’s Wing-T, they’ve run it forever and they’re very good at it. I know they were missing Noah House tonight, I wish him the best.”
Backup quarterback Levi House entered in the second quarter and found Beck wide open for an 18-yard touchdown pass midway through the second.
Fort Hill led 42-0 at halftime and led in yardage 141-73.
Of Southern’s 73 yards in the first half, 49 came on the final drive, which ended on a blocked field goal by Owen Walker.
The Rams opened the second half with an 11 play, 80-yard drive, resulting in a touchdown by Jacob Brown on a quarterback sneak from a yard out.
Brown led both teams in rushing with 16 carries for 182 yards and a touchdown.
It was Southern’s first time scoring against Fort Hill since Oct. 11, 2018, which is the closest game between the teams in recent memory, with the Sentinels winning 16-9.
“It’s nice to put points on the board, no matter what time of the game, or who it’s against,” McLaughlin said. “All those kids bust their humps in practice, and they want to play too. It was nice to put a couple in the end zone, no doubt about it.”
Chase Lamb scored on a 52-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter for the Sentinels.
Ramos scored on a four-yard run on the game’s final play for the Rams.
Both teams inserted several backups in the second quarter, and most of the starters were done by halftime.
“It’s very valuable,” Alkire said of backups getting playing time in games compared to practice. “They practice hard, all of them. The fact we’re able to get them out there is a real big deal for us.”
Southern out-gained Fort Hill 251-215, running 50 plays compared to only 22 for the Sentinels.
Last week against Dunbar, Fort Hill quarterback Noah House left the game early due to injury and did not return.
He did not play against Southern and Alkire did not give a clear indication of when he’ll be able to return.
Both teams hit the road on Friday at 7 p.m.
Fort Hill heads to Hollidaysburg (5-0) who they beat last season 28-14, but officially forfeited due to an ineligible player.
“They’re the same old Hollidaysburg,” Alkire said. “They’re gonna be a big, athletic team. We’re gonna have to play very well to beat them.”
Southern faces East Hardy (0-3) who had a gauntlet to open the season with defending Class A champion Wahama (79-40), Class A quarterfinalist Pendleton County (56-36) and Class A semifinalist Tucker County (38-27).
“They got a bye this week, so they’ll be rested up, ready to go,” McLaughlin said. “They’ve got a nice program. Got a good back in the (Garrett) VanMeter guy. They can throw it around, a big offensive line. So we gotta get healed up quick and back to work on Monday.”