FH rolls over Smithsburg

Nov 13, 2010
by Mike Mathews

CUMBERLAND — Catch them if you can.

Smithsburg couldn’t, and the speedy Clay brothers did it again, as Garrett Clay scored four touchdowns in leading second-seeded Fort Hill to a 42-6 win over third-seeded Smithsburg in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs Friday night at Greenway Avenue Stadium.

The win sends Fort Hill (8-3) into Friday night’s region championship game at top-seeded Mountain Ridge (9-2). Fort Hill won the regular-season meeting 20-16.

Garrett and Dylan Clay, who combined for 223 yards rushing in last week’s Homecoming victory, combined for 227 yards on only 24 carries against the Leopards (6-5).

“I think I had a pretty good game, but it’s all because of the line and the coaches,’’ said Garrett, who had touchdown runs of 6, 2, 59 and 9 yards. “The line always does a good job blocking. I think all the good games I’ve had it’s been based on the game the line has had. They’re tough guys and make it all happen.”

Garrett Clay ran 15 times for 122 yards and Dylan Clay ran nine times for 105 in leading a Fort Hill offense that churned out 351 yards, with 316 coming on the ground.

Garrett Clay said there’s no rivalry with his brother. The juniors have been football teammates for 11 years. Garrett had more rushing yards last night, but a 20-yard reception gave Dylan a 125-122 edge in total yards.

Ben Daniels was the workhorse for Smithsburg. The speedy, hard-running back ran 32 times for a game-high 146 yards.

The Sentinels, who led 14-0 after the first quarter and 21-0 at the half, have scored 89 points the last two games. Still, there’s room for improvement, coach Todd Appel said.

“We had some mistakes in the first half and we have to eliminate those,’’ he said. “We can’t put the ball on the ground like we did.”

Team speed can help erase a lot of mistakes, and it did against Smithsburg. Jaron Watkins had 40 yards on only three carries.

“A lot of times kids make you look good as a coach, and this is no exception. We work hard as a coaching staff and put in a lot of hours on a game plan, but a lot of those kids can run, and some people can’t catch them.

“We try to fit our team around the talent we have. Before, we’ve had big fullbacks and we tried to run the clock with the ground game. With these kids, we have to find ways to get them the ball in open space.”

Fort Hill scored on its first two possessions. The first covered 57 yards on six plays, with Dylan Clay’s 36-yard gain setting up his brother’s 6-yard touchdown run.

After a fumble recovery by Justin Dawson at the Fort Hill 14, the Sentinels went 86 yards on only six plays with Garrett Clay scoring on a 2-yard run. Again, Dylan Clay had the big gainers, one a 34-yard run and the other a 20-yard pass from Joe Howser.

Smithsburg drove deep into Fort Hill territory again, but failed on a fourth-and-6 from the 21 and the Sentinels marched 80 yards in 11 plays. The Sentinels appeared to have lost a fumble near the Leopards 10, but an inadvertent early whistle blew the play dead, giving Fort Hill second life at its 15. Two plays later Howser rolled right and went untouched for a 9-yard touchdown.

Any chance Smithsburg had after halftime was doused on the first play of the third quarter when Dylan Clay, running the Wildcat offense, handed off to Garrett Clay, who got a big block by Robert Vincent on the corner and dashed 59 yards down the sideline for a touchdown that made it 28-0.

“We played a pretty good ball game. We didn’t throw the ball as well as we normally do. We were throwing into coverage and had guys wide open,’’ said Smithsburg coach Buddy Orndorff, a former Fort Hill standout. “Daniels ran the ball hard and well.

“We were moving the ball and just killed ourselves with a couple of 15-yard penalties. I thought the score should have been something like 14-0 or 21-7 at halftime. But there was the inadvertent whistle, they score a touchdown, and it’s 21-0. They get the big play to start the half and we’re down four touchdowns.

“What are you going to do against a good team like that? Their speed with the Clay boys ... they were tough to handle tonight. They give Fort Hill really something they haven’t had in a while.”

Garrett Clay’s 9-yard run, and the fourth of five Philip Giugliano kicks, made it 35-0 with 5:20 left in the third.

Daniels got Smithsburg on the board with a 6-yard run that capped a 79-yard drive with 3:07 left. Fort Hill’s Vincent returned the ensuing onside kick 54 yards to the Leopards six, and Lance Fullwood scored two plays later from a yard out with just over two minutes to go.

The Sentinels have won three in a row and have outscored those four opponents by a 109-43 margin.

“I hope and pray we are peaking at this time of year,’’ Appel said. “We are playing well, especially the last two games, and hopefully we can have a run at this. You don’t really try to plan as a coach to predict the future. You just try to work your best every week and let the chips fall where they may.”