HOMECOMING: For Sentinels, another case of next man up

MIKE BURKE
TIMES-NEWS STAFF WRITER

CUMBERLAND — For undefeated Fort Hill, it’s all about sticking together and the next man stepping up, and that’s what the Sentinels proved on Saturday in their toughest and most physical game of the season, a hardfought 26-8 win over arch-rival Allegany in the Homecoming Game at Greenway Avenue Stadium.

With two normally high-flying and high-scoring offenses on the field, there were no 100 yard rushers in the game and just four plays that covered 20 yards or more, with the teams combining — or limiting each other — to 389 yards of total offense. In the truest tradition of old-time Turkey Day Games, Fort Hill and Allegany went toe-to-toe all day against one another.

“It didn’t surprise me, definitely not,” said Fort Hill quarterback and defensive lineman Rashaan Shives. “It’s Homecoming, and everybody fights when it’s Homecoming. Nothing they did surprised us, they just fought and played us tough. But we fought them and played them tough as well.

“Stopping number 31 (Alco running back Kirk Robinette) was our main goal. We got great play from our defensive line, and that’s why we were able to do what we did.

“We’re clicking on all cylinders, but it’s one game at a time. When Ty went out we fought hard and came together. If Ty, or any of us go down we have to come together. We’ve done that all year.”

One of several players to leave the game as a result of the physical play that took place all afternoon was Fort Hill running back Ty Johnson, last year’s Area Player of the Year and Maryland commit, who came up from his cornerback position late in the second quarter to make a tackle on Robinette along the Fort Hill sideline.

Johnson, who rushed for 32 yards on seven carries, including a 24-yard touchdown run, would come back in the game midway through the third quarter.

“I made it clear Ty was not going to play if the doctor says he doesn’t play,” said Fort Hill coach Todd Appel. “The doctor came back from looking at somebody on the Allegany sideline and cleared him to play. But Ty was not going to play unless the doctor cleared him. Ty wanted to play and the doctor gave him permission.”

Rashaan Shives’ brother, tight end-defensive lineman Ryan Shives, said he was pleased with his team’s resolve in winning such a tightly-contested, physical game.

“It’s a very emotional victory. We fought hard,” he said. “To go undefeated two years in a row makes me very happy. The defensive line did a good job, and definitely the offensive line did a good job. If we hadn’t I wouldn’t be so happy right now.”

The running was tough for both sides, and Johnson said as hard as the Sentinels prepared for the Allegany defense, it’s just not the same until you see the real thing.

“We practiced their defense all week, but their defense is hard to practice when you don’t do it every day,“ he said. “They gave us a lot of trouble today, but we fought adversity and came through as a team.” Guard Timmy Friend said afterward that the performance and the victory by Fort Hill was simply an example of the Sentinels’ next-man-up approach.

“It was a good team effort,” he said. “It shows if one player goes out we always play as a team. We don’t rely on just one player to win here. We all rely on each other.

“When Ty left the game, it didn’t rattle us. The coaches took control and we followed suit.”