Fort Hill runs over MR

Oct 29, 2011
Mike Burke

FROSTBURG — Garrett Clay rushed for 289 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries and the undefeated and top-ranked Fort Hill Sentinels unloaded on the previously undefeated and second-ranked Mountain Ridge Miners in most every facet to come out of snowy Frostburg with a 41-0 victory Friday night in front of a capacity crowd at Miners Stadium.

Garrett Clay scored touchdowns on runs of 77, 44, 34 and eight yards as the Sentinels (8-0) rushed for 376 yards on 42 carries. However, when the Fort Hill offense was stumbling and fumbling with the ball in the first half, dropping six and losing three for the game, the Fort Hill special teams and defense — most notably the defensive line — set the tone for the evening until the offense could catch up in the second half.

Fort Hill’s Austin K. Lee blocked two Mountain Ridge punts, the first leading to the first Fort Hill touchdown, with the same pressure tactics — and advantageous field position — forcing a safety late in the second quarter on another Miners punting attempt. Overall, the defensive line pressured Mountain Ridge quarterback Dan Strietbeck and collapsed on the Miners running game.

Strietbeck completed 8 of 21 passes for 104 yards, but threw three interceptions, one being returned for a touchdown by defensive back Marcus Lee. The Miners managed just 100 yards rushing on 34 carries, led by Josh Vaughn’s 48 on 12 carries and Jarrod Harper’s 38 yards on 16 carries — 31 coming in the second half.

“Our defensive line works hards and (coach) John McKenney has them doing some great things,” said Fort Hill head coach Todd Appel. “Those kids pay attention and they pay attention to film and to scouting reports.

“There is no such thing as non-athlete defensive linemen either. Our guys are smart and they’re great athletes.

“Wesley Wills played a tremendous game. Nick Greise and Bryce Lowery were all over the place. D.J. Jolley, Kaleb Miller ... Cody Arigo. They put the pressure on Dan Strietbeck.

“They’re good athletes. They’re as important to our defense as our linebackers are, and Fort Hill’s always been a linebacker school, so to speak. The defensive line has reinvented our defense for us.”

Mountain Ridge hit on a 15-yard Strietbeck-to-Justin Jeffries-to-Anthony Spataro hook-and-ladder on the first offensive play of the game to move to its 48. A screen pass to Jeffries gained 15, but the Miners were stopped two yards short at the 23 on fourth down on a tackle by Lee.

Fort Hill took over and moved out to the 40, where Mountain Ridge’s Shane Phillips recovered the first lost fumble. But the Miners, hurt by an intentional grounding and unsportsmanlike penalty, were forced to punt.

A low snap sent didn’t help Evan Logue’s cause, but the Fort Hill rush eliminated any hope of Logue bringing that cause to fruition as Lee came up with the block and the recovery at the Mountain Ridge 18.

After a Garrett Clay gain of 14, fullback Ryan Briner bullied into the end zone at 5:51 of the first to make it 6-0.

The teams would exchange turnovers — Dylan Clay interception; two Austin Bohn fumble recoveries — as well as possessions as the Sentinels stopped the Miners on a fourth-and-five at the Fort Hill five to take possession.

Three plays later, Garrett Clay ran left on a sweep and burst through the Mountain Ridge secondary for the 77-yard TD run at 7:10 of the second quarter to make it 12-0.

Lee blocked another punt, but Fort Hill was forced to punt and Cullin Brown got off a beautiful 42-yarder that pinned the Miners to their one. After Vaughn and Harper were bottled up and after a pair of penalties from the one, Logue was put into the catbird seat once more, this time from the end zone, and this time slipping amidst the Fort Hill pressure, with his knee touching down for the safety with 42.1 seconds left in the half, giving the Sentinels a 14-0 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same from the Fort Hill defense and more of Garrett Clay, who was moved to fullback for the second half, gaining 163 yards on nine carries. He scored from 44, 34 and eight yards in Fort Hill’s 27-point period, with Micah May taking in a two-point conversion pass from Mike Austin and Brown kicking an extra point.

Maryland’s 35-point rule went into effect, with the running clock triggering at 38.7 seconds when Clay scored his fourth and final touchdown.

“We put Garrett at fullback and he broke some big plays,” Appel said. “And our special teams — our kids work hard on special teams and Mountain Ridge is a great special teams team. But our kids executed on special teams and defense.”

And they adjusted to the snow conditions, which Appel admitted were a factor.

“There’s no question the conditions helped us,” he said. “We run the ball, they throw it. Not to take anything away from our kids. Our kids played well against the weather and against Mountain Ridge. But Mountain Ridge was hampered by the snow — the snow and Fort Hill’s defense. Both prevented them from doing what they wanted to do.”

Fort Hill plays Allegany Saturday afternoon in their Homecoming Game, while Mountain Ridge will play at Keyser Friday night.