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It's 7:00 p.m., game time is here. Eastern Tech�s football team has been on the
field for an hour and is anxiously awaiting the biggest game of the season on
the campus of CCBC Essex.
The animated Tech crowd was ready for the match-up between
two unbeaten teams in Baltimore
County action. Clad in orange and black, the Maverick
faithful had noise makers, whistles and flashing lights in preparation for the
game.
The referees were set and ready to blow the whistle but there
was only one problem, Randallstown was stuck
in traffic.
Rush hour hustle and a backed up Route 40 delayed the start by
of the game 35 minutes.
Once the whistle blew, it didn�t take long for Eastern Tech (6-0)
to get rolling. On their second drive of
the game, Mavericks senior quarterback Travis Crane surprised the Rams (5-1) and rushed
up the middle for a 70-yard touchdown run.
On his way back to the Eastern Tech sideline, he yelled to
his teammates, �I told you I got them!�
�All week, I�d been telling them (the team) that I was going
to step up. And I just wanted everyone
to reach my level. And once I put that
first one in, I took it to the next level and I just wanted everyone to rise up
with me.�
Crane, whose close friend and teammate Thomas Edwards didn�t
play in the game after his mother passed away last week, had �RIP� writing up
and down his arms.
�She was real close to me because we (Edwards and Crane) played
rec. football and lacrosse together. I
played inspired and I wanted to do it for her tonight,� Crane said passionately.
After Randallstown�s second
turnover on downs of the first half, the Mavericks quarterback led a six-play
drive from the Rams� 40-yard line to a four-yard touchdown run.
�(Crane) is just a real mobile kid�You put him in the
shotgun, he�s dangerous,� head coach Marc Mesaros said of his talented
quarterback. �He�s a difference maker
and he�s always been that way. I�m really
proud of him.�
Trailing 20-0, Randallstown
threatened late in the second quarter with a 76-yard drive that started
at their own 20, giving them a first-and-goal from the four-yard line. Rams
quarterback Tashaun Stanfill-Perry�s second-and-goal pass was deflected at the
line of scrimmage and ended up into defensive back/quarterback Joey Jones�
hands.
�You can�t say enough about that stand,� Mesaros said. �They are just fast, fast, fast. Our guys stepped up and that�s a good team we
beat. Al Howard is a great coach and I
think we will play them again in the playoffs.�
Eastern Tech has outscored opponents 226-29 this season on
their way to a 6-0 record. The
Mavericks totaled 312 yards offensive, 254 of those came on rushing yards. Travis Crane had five carries for 114 yards
and two touchdowns. Derryck Davis had 12
carries for 38 yards and a score. Andre
Hall and Darian Conners also had a strong rushing day for Eastern Tech. But it was the defense that came up big in pressure
situations to hand Randallstown its first loss
of the season.
After a Dave Spalt 43 yard field goal, Randallstown
threatened again on their first possession of the second half.
A kickoff return by Jordan Taylor was taken to mid-field and
the Rams charged to a first-and-10 from the Eastern Tech 14. After an incomplete pass, Stanfill-Perry was sacked on back-to-back plays by Aaron Wilson (four tackles) and Derryck Davis respectively, forcing another fourth down attempt that again was unsuccessful.
Randallstown went 0-for-3
on fourth down conversions in the first half and 1-for-3 in the second half.
Following an Eastern Tech punt, the Rams used a long nine-play drive late in the third quarter to get back into scoring position. The drive included a delay of game penalty on Randallstown, a late hit call on the Mavericks and two near interceptions by Joey Jones and the Rams were forced to punt.
The Mavericks defense remained tough and another Joey Jones
interception, his second in four tries, with 1:07 to play, closed out the game.
Eastern Tech 23, Randallstown 0
Randallstown 0 0 0 0 0
Eastern Tech 7 13 3 0 23
ET--Crane 70 run (Spalt kick)
ET--Crane 4 run (kick failed)
ET--Davis 3 TD (Spalt kick)
ET--Spalt 43 FG
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