By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC
Through all his team has gone through this season, Patuxent coach Steve Crounse was still looking for that one defining performance to figure out exactly what his team was. On Thursday night, in the Panthers' seventh game of the season, he finally got it.
Riding on two-touchdown performances from Justin Ford and Ra'Joun Nelson, as well as one of the best showings for quarterback Marcus Bullock this year, the visiting Panthers overcame an early deficit and spoiled Chopticon's homecoming with a 34-18 win.
"We got down 6-0, it's their homecoming, they're flying high and I tell you what," Crounse said, "there were a couple of plays that made us turn the corner."
Plays like Nelson's 36-yard run down to Chopticon's 4-yard line midway through the second quarter, which set up Nelson's four-yard touchdown run for Patuxent's first score of the game. Plays like Ford's 82-yard interception return for a touchdown on the final play of the first half, and plays like Ed Massengill's 48-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Ford on a fake punt early in the third quarter.
Chopticon (5-2, 3-2), which entered the game riding high off of a win over conference-favorite Lackey last week, moved the ball and made its own plays. But more often than not, Patuxent (5-2, 4-1) had a response on both sides of the ball, whether it was holding firm on defense in the red zone or putting the ball in the end zone on offense.
"Every time they [made a play] we answered," Crounse said. "That's really the mark of a champion. I told the boys tonight, "I saw you grow up before my eyes.' I've been waiting to see that all year. I think tonight we really finally found our family, our brotherhood. We finally claimed an identity."
And the identity is not all that different than it was in past years. The Panthers were diverse on offense, with Nelson rushing for 144 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Bullock completed 16 of 29 passes for 212 yards and spread the ball to seven different receivers, with Justin Ford leading the way with 104 yards on six receptions. But it was Ford's interception that stood as possibly the biggest play of the night.
With Patuxent ahead 7-6 late in the second quarter, Chopticon drove from its own 23 to the Patuxent 24. With 10 seconds left in the half, quarterback Leo Kyte was picked off by Ford, who streaked 82 yards downfield for the touchdown as the half expired. The play sent the Panthers to the break with confidence, and the team responded by outscoring the Braves 21-12 in the second half.
"That could turn our season around," Crounse said of the play. "If we get into the playoffs, we're going to look back at that interception as the play that got us over the top."
Also aiding the defensive effort was Bullock, who returned to his role in the defensive backfield for the first time this season. The senior missed the opening of the season after suffering a collarbone injury in the summer, and when he did return he was restricted to quarterback duties. But on Thursday he was back making an impact on defense, and hauled in two interceptions in the second half.
"It was a good feeling to finally be able to get back out on defense after sitting out the whole first half of the season," Bullock said.
With two losses, every week provides another must-win game for Patuxent as it attempts to claw into the crowded 2A South playoff field. Furthermore, the Panthers are the defending SMAC champions. While recent weeks may have dropped them out of the minds of some, the Panthers still have only one conference loss and would be tied for the conference lead if North Point were to lose a game.
"We know we don't have any control over it," Crounse said. "We just have to keep winning."
Heading into this week's action, five teams had just one loss in-conference while North Point was still unbeaten. Chopticon dropped from the one-loss group on Thursday, and North Point and Lackey will play Friday in a game that could ultimately determine if the Eagles can win the conference outright or if the championship will be shared. But if nothing else, Patuxent's win over Chopticon, which Crounse labeled the team's biggest since knocking off North Point in the season opener, keeps the Panthers in the mix.
"We practiced hard for this," Justin Ford said. "We wanted to get it all done and make sure we put them away for good because the SMAC banner's still looking good for us if North Point loses."
Chopticon, in the midst of a brutal three-week stretch of schedule that features Lackey, Patuxent and Westlake, entered the week on top of the 3A South standings. The loss brings the Braves back into the mix with Huntingtown, Friendly, Westlake and Lackey -- all vying for four playoff spots.
"We made our position a little more difficult," Chopticon coach Tony Lisanti said. "We have our work cut out for us.
"We knew Patuxent was a great team, just like we know Westlake is a great team. We don't have an easy road."
Patuxent 34, Chopticon 18P 0 13 14 7
C 6 0 6 6
First quarter
C - Labanowski 14 pass from Kyte (kick failed), 10:01
Second quarter
P - Nelson 4 run (Ragusa kick), 4:25
P - J. Ford 82 interception return (kick failed), 0:00
Third quarter
P - K. Ford 48 pass from Massengill (Ragusa kick), 10:04
C - Summers 2 run (run failed), 8:03
P - J. Ford 11 pass from Bullock (Ragusa kick), 6:01
Fourth quarter
P - Nelson 50 run (Ragusa kick), 1:22
C - Labanowski 16 pass from Kyte, 0:00
Top individual performers
Rushing
Patuxent: Nelson 27-144, Swearingen 2-7
Chopticon: Herbert 10-60, Makle 7-24
Passing
Patuxent: Bullock 16-29-1 212, Massengill 1-1-0 48
Chopticon: Kyte 24-45-3 273
Receiving
Patuxent: J. Ford 6-104, Swearingen 3-44, Pichon 3-34, Farmer 2-41, K. Ford 1-48
Chopticon: Labanowski 9-69, Delozier 4-85, Summers 4-31, Dickerson 3-37, O'Grady 2-52
