By Keith Mills

Online Exclusive

First and goal from the Archbishop Spalding 1-yard line -- for this year's Boys' Latin football team a subsequent touchdown has been all but a sure thing. Like a LeBron James breakaway dunk or an Alexander Ovechkin shootout goal, first-and-goal for the Lakers at the opponent's 1 has been money in the proverbial bank.

But not on this drive, and not on this gray and gloomy Saturday afternoon at Mount St. Joseph, where Spalding not only prevented that touchdown, but tossed a shutout, 12-0, to regain the MIAA B Conference championship.

Boys' Latin, which had tore through the regular season, winning 10 games without a loss while averaging 30 points a game, took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field, riding the 200-pound frame of Patrick Steele and the arm of senior quarterback Kevin O'Neil. And with the ball at the Spalding 1-yard line, there were few, if any, fans at John Pleyvak Field who thought the Lakers would be denied a score.

But they were stopped, which changed the complexion of the entire game, considering four weeks earlier the Lakers shutout Spalding, 20-0, in a battle of unbeatens that left the Lakers as the clear favorite to win their first championship.

Had the Lakers punched it in the end zone to cap that first drive, they would have clearly taken control of the game. But they didn't.

Here's what happened.
- First-and-goal from the 1: illegal motion, 5-yard penalty
- First-and-goal from the 6: holding penalty on Boys' Latin, 10-yard penalty
- First-and-goal from the 16: O'Neil quick screen to Michael Turner, 4-yard loss, tackle by Spalding cornerback Julian Washington
- Second-and-goal from the 16: O'Neil stopped by Malik Johnson for a 4-yard loss
- Third-and-goal from the 20: O'Neil's pass near the end zone incomplete
- Fourth-and-goal from the 20: Missed 38-yard field goal

After an opening drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock and featured the Lakers' bruising ground game, the game was still scoreless.

It stayed that way throughout the first half as Boys' Latin could not take advantage of good field position. The two teams walked off at the halftime tied, 0-0.

It didn't stay tied for long as Ryan Cochrane, a 138-pound sophomore who spent the entire year playing on Spalding's junior varsity team before being promoted to the varsity last week against St. John's, broke free on the first play of the second half for a 61-yard run to the Boys' Latin 3-yard line. Three plays later, senior Scott Sharik scored for the Cavaliers in what proved to be the winning touchdown.

Spalding added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, after two big stops by the Cavaliers defense again kept BL out of the end zone.

After Spalding took a 6-0 lead, Steele, who rushed for 86 yards in the game, O'Neil and Marcellus Preston helped the Lakers march the ball 60 yards to the Cavaliers' 10-yard line. O'Neil connected with Turner, Ben Kellar and Preston, who hauled in a 23-yard pass on third down to keep the drive alive. But on the 11th play of the drive O'Neil's pass was picked off Washington to keep the shutout alive.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers' defense stepped up again, this time turning a BL turnover into a touchdown and causing another one later in the game.

Junior Zach Waller scooped up a fumble and returned it 39 yards for an insurance touchdown with eight minutes left, while K.K. Smith forced a Steele fumble with four minutes left, recovered by Spalding's senior Chris Piccirilli. Smith also rushed for 86 yards to lead Spalding's offense.

For the Cavaliers, coached by Mike Whittles, it was their third B Conference championship in the last five years.

For Boys' Latin, it was a tough loss after an extraordinary season. Ritchie Schell's Lakers finished the regular season unbeaten for the first time in more than 40 years, outscoring their opponents, 299-134. Steele, O'Neil, Turner, Preston and the offensive line of Greg Pyke, Stephen Andes, Dru Keyser, Slater Wingate and Marco Jones, played at an extremely high level the entire season while middle linebacker Garrett Steele, Patrick's brother, anchored a defense that shutout Spalding back in late October.

But it was Spalding which made the plays on Nov. 14 at Mount St. Joe as Smith, Waller, Washington, Terrell Johnson and a sophomore call-up from the junior varsity (Cochrane) helped the Cavaliers bring the title back to Severn. 

Posted: November 16, 2009