Fort Hill pounds Smithsburg, 56-6

Oct. 25, 2025

CUMBERLAND — Smithsburg couldn’t have asked for a better start, and it was all downhill from there.

The Leopards recovered a Fort Hill fumble on the opening kickoff and jumped in front 6-0, but the second-ranked Sentinels scored 56 unanswered points to pound Smithsburg, 56-6, Friday at Greenway Avenue Stadium.

“We were kind of distracted by some things, and they were able to get their wits about them and play well the rest of the way,” Fort Hill head coach Zack Alkire said.

Fort Hill (5-3) led the battle of the top teams in the Class 1A West Region standings 21-6 after the first quarter, 35-6 at the half and 49-6 entering the fourth.

Smithsburg (4-4) still had momentum after a long kick return and a first down got the Leopards down to the Fort Hill two-yard line trailing 14-6.

Smithsburg fumbled the snap, Neek Taylor recovered the loose ball, and Braelyn Younger ran for an 87-yard touchdown one play later on the final play of the first quarter.

Younger also found the end zone on a 17-yard rush with 3:09 left in the opening quarter, and Carson Bender scored the Sentinels’ first TD on a nine-yard jaunt with 9:09 on the clock.

Taylor found the end zone on a run from the five with 8:22 remaining in the second period, and Chase Lamb had a one-yard touchdown rush as the first-half clock read 3:22.

Taylor and Lamb added ground scores in the third quarter, Taylor from 28 yards and Lamb from 12 yards with 8:25 and :57 on the clock, respectively.

Bender accounted for the lone points of the fourth quarter, an 11-yard run with 6:15 to play.

Fort Hill’s Channing Logsdon recovered a fumble in the first half.

The Sentinels’ Bobby Brauer was 8 for 8 on extra points.

Luke Scott connected with Dakota Sowers for a 29-yard score for the Leopards’ lone touchdown. Harley Twigg blocked the extra point to put the Fort Hill deficit at 6-0 just 57 seconds into the action.

Fort Hill now turns to a Homecoming matchup next Saturday at 12:30 p.m. with No. 3 Allegany (4-4), which held off Northern, 18-13, on Friday.

“Homecoming is always a great game, and I’m looking forward to coaching in it,” Alkire said.