Anne Arundel notebook: Annapolis comes back to shock Arundel; South River’s Watson suffers ankle injury
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Version 0 of 1. After stunning Arundel by scoring its second fourth-quarter touchdown to tie the score at Friday night, the Annapolis offense trotted back to the 10-yard line to form a huddle. The Panthers always attempt 2-point conversions, and Coach Nick Good-Malloy wasn’t going to tinker with that philosophy on the cusp of perhaps the most impressive victory during his tenure. “At the beginning of the year, we decided, with our kicking game, that it would be better to focus on going for two every time,” Good-Malloy said. “We stuck to that.” And it worked. Running back Cameron Hough plunged his way into end zone, and Annapolis made the last of three late defensive stands to polish off a 30-28 come-from-behind win over longtime powerhouse Arundel. The victory did more than validate Good-Malloy’s decision to try the two-point conversion, though. It also pushed the Panthers’ record to 4-1, bringing the team one win away from tying its highest mark in any season since Good-Malloy took over in 2012. Plus, a victory over an always competitive Wildcats team helps Annapolis assert itself as a contender in Anne Arundel County this season. But beyond all that, Good-Malloy said Friday he finally reaped benefits of a message he’s preached since he took over the Panthers. “Coach is always talking about how you got to bounce back from adversity and never give up,” linebacker Chris Parker said. “That’s what we did. We got together at the end of the third quarter, and said, ‘This game isn’t over.’ ” Sure, Annapolis trailed 28-14 entering the fourth quarter, but Hough said the team didn’t show the tentativeness or frustration it has in the past. Instead, the Panthers were fired up. Parker, a captain, remembers running down the sideline moments before the third quarter began, tapping his teammates’ shoulder pads and telling them to “finish better than Arundel.” Minutes later, Hough scored a touchdown, and the ensuing two-point conversion trimmed the Wildcats’ lead to six. Then quarterback Nate Vance hit Montes Davis for another score, setting up Hough’s game-winning run and leaving Anne Arundel County with a cluster of teams near the top of the pack. “After beating Arundel, we’re thinking we can make a run,” Hough said. “We always take it one game at a time, but I think we can do it.” Late in the fourth quarter of South River’s loss at Glen Burnie on Friday night, Seahawks running back Brooks Watson took a screen pass to the left side of the field and tried to spin back to his right. But playing on a slick and slippery surface, the South River star lost his footing. His left foot landed awkwardly in the turf and the weight of his body rolled over it. “And right then, I knew something was wrong,” Watson said. Watson, who was at the heart of the Seahawks’ shocking upset over Broadneck to open the season, was helped off the field and later underwent X-rays that suggested he has a small fracture in his ankle. He’s planning to revisit the hospital Tuesday to get a second opinion. Watson, a junior, said he’s not sure yet whether he’ll be able to play again this season, but he and doctors are hopeful. Nonetheless, Friday was an emotional night. “You’ve worked so hard to get better for yourself and your teammates, and I know we’re a good team,” he said. “So just to have an injury that’s going to sideline me, it’s so, so hard to take that in.” |