Fort Hill pulls away from New Oxford, 49-21, behind Daniels' 5 touchdowns

Oct. 21, 2023
by Alex Rychwalski

CUMBERLAND — With Fort Hill’s offense unstoppable, the Sentinels just needed to get off the field on defense twice to win the football game.

Jaylan Atkinson was the catalyst of both defensive stands. His first-quarter interception allowed Fort Hill to build a two-touchdown lead, and his tackle on a New Oxford run on 4th-and-1 from its own 29 all but secured the win.

That was all Fort Hill needed, as the Sentinels’ offense — led by Jabril Daniels’ 200-plus yards and five touchdowns — racked up more than 500 yards and 25 first downs to hand New Oxford its first loss, 49-21, on Friday at Greenway Avenue Stadium.

“New Oxford showed us exactly why they were undefeated this year,” Fort Hill head coach Zack Alkire said. “They had a great game plan and exposed us a little bit, but we were able to make the right adjustments to come out with a win.”

Fort Hill (8-0) took on its third unbeaten team in three weeks — the exception a one-loss Wadsworth, Ohio, team — and for the third time, its opponent left with its first loss.

It was too close for comfort at times for Fort Hill, as New Oxford (8-1) trimmed its deficit to 28-21 after a nine-play, 80-yard drive to open the second half.

Fort Hill answered with an eight-play, 80-yard scoring series, capped by a Daniels run, to go back up by two touchdowns. Atkinson’s fourth-down tackle of New Oxford quarterback Idriz Ahmetovic gave the Sentinels a short field at the Colonials’ 29-yard line.

Three plays later, their lead swelled to 42-21 after an eight-yard Daniels touchdown with 47.1 seconds left in the third period.

Ahmetovic pulled his groin at the end of the third quarter, forcing New Oxford to waive the white flag, and Fort Hill cruised to its 16th straight victory.

Daniels finished with 222 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries to lead a Fort Hill ground game that racked up 385 yards on 50 runs.

Tristan Ross ran the ball nine times for 48 yards, Carson Bender had eight totes for 48 yards, Deshaun Brown carried it four times for 33 yards, and Steven Spencer added four runs for 23 yards.

“Bril is a stud. He runs hard. He runs north-south,” Alkire said. “We’ve got a couple guys that are able to run the ball too. It helps when you have five senior offensive linemen (Carter Hess, Brayden Sines, Logan Vanmeter, Camron Banks and Riley Williams) that just like the maul people.”

Brown completed 9 of 14 passes for 132 yards and a 31-yard touchdown to Landon Sensabaugh on Fort Hill’s first drive — Brown found the end zone on the Sentinels’ last drive with a one-yard QB sneak.

Fort Hill dominated the first half, holding a 18:20-5:40 edge in time of possession and 342-180 margin in total offense while running 27 more plays (41-14).

New Oxford completed just three passes before halftime, but two of those went for 150 yards and two touchdowns allowing the Colonials to hang around.

Ahmetovic tossed touchdowns of 81 and 69 yards to Brennan Holmes during the first and second quarters, respectively — the latter a tip drill one-handed catch and run down the home sideline.

While New Oxford couldn’t get off the field, its deficit stood at just 28-14 at the half.

“(Holmes) is the real deal,” Alkire said. “He’s probably the best receiver we’ve seen here in a few years. He has great feet. He makes great catches. ... He’s been a problem for two years, and I’m happy to see them go.”

Holmes’ two scores sandwiched an Atkinson interception on a tipped pass.

Fort Hill showcased its aerial attack before halftime too, as Brown completed 8 of 12 passes for 108 yards.

That kept New Oxford honest and freed up Daniels and company to slice through the Colonials’ defense.

“We have a lot of confidence in our passing game,” Alkire said. “I know we haven’t shown it a lot up until last week, but we’re pass protecting a whole lot better.”

Daniels had a six-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, a one-yard TD scamper on the first play of the second period and a 32-yard scoring run with 5:07 to play in the half.

Sensabaugh caught two passes for 44 yards, Bender made three grabs for 34 yards, Spencer had a 23-yard reception and Gavin Carney had an 18-yard catch.

Fort Hill didn’t put the ball on the turf or throw an interception, though it was penalized eight times for 90 yards. Fort Hill ended with a 517-264 edge in total offense and 30:54-17:06 advantage in time of possession.

The 8-0 Sentinels now turn to Allegany (6-2) next Saturday, where they’ll look to win their 15th straight Homecoming and 19th in a row over the Campers overall.

“It’s always going to be a big week,” Alkire said. “The kids should be really excited about it. They know Allegany better than anybody else. Allegany knows us better than everybody else.

“It’s just a matter of coming up with a scheme, putting the pieces in the right spots and having a great week of practice.”