An Unexpected Blowout

By William Covington

On Friday night a highschool football game drew fans from all over Allegheny county to the Mountain Ridge High School football stadium. The game was a matchup of epic proportions; the undefeated Fort Hill High School Sentinels (8-0) against the undefeated Mountain Ridge High School Miners (8-0). The turnout for the game was huge, despite the cold weather. Conservatively, there were over 4,000 fans in attendance (the stadium seating was packed to capacity, with many more people forced to stand in order to watch the game). Both teams went into the game with the expectation of a fierce battle. It certainly appeared as though the game was going to be an exciting one following the kickoff. Mountain Ridge elected to receive the ball first, and proceeded to drive down the field. However they were unable to score, and Fort Hill took the ball. Despite fumbling twice in the first half, Fort Hill dominated throughout as Mountain Ridge failed to capitalize on the opportunities they were given. Senior fullback Ryan Briner scored the first Fort Hill touchdown, after which the game was put into the capable hands of star running-back Garrett Clay. Clay rushed for 289 yards on just 15 carries, and scored 4 touchdowns. Despite the extremely one-sided final score (41-0), the game still appeared close at halftime.

Fort Hill carried a 14-0 lead into the half (Briner and Clay’s touchdowns didn’t have their extra points converted, however a safety on a blocked punt supplied the missing 2 points). Fort Hill (and Garrett Clay) came out and scored another touchdown after receiving the kick-off following halftime. After the getting the ball back Mountain Ridge attempted to drive down the field. However, Fort Hill intercepted the ball and returned it for a touchdown (Mountain Ridge quarterback Dan Strietbeck threw 3 interceptions over the course of the game). After this interception the attitude of the crowd changed. Previously the fans in attendance were split relatively evenly between the two sides. After the pick-six however, the bulk of the Mountain Ridge fans left. Garrett Clay would go on to score 2 more touchdowns, before the game was ended by football’s equivalent of the “slaughter rule,” wherein if a team is losing a game by 35 points or more the game is halted. Another aspect of the game that should be considered is the 2-3 inches of snow that fell during the game. The fact that this entirely failed to discourage fans from attending shows the zeal that fans have for highschool football in Western Maryland.

Jannelle Walbert, a former Mountain Ridge High School student, said, “It was really embarassing, but Fort Hill basically beats everyone. “ Brandon Rodgers, also a former Mountain Ridge student agreed, saying, “We sort of knew this would happen. I guess I expected a closer game, but Fort Hill seriously runs over everyone. That Clay kid is a monster.” Nathan Williams, an employee of Frostburg State University who attended the game summed up the ending masterfully, “Fort Hill crushed them. Even after putting in their second-string players they continued to stimy the Mountain Ridge offence. It was a pretty typical Fort Hill game actually.”