The Battle For Elgard

By David Toronto

The Elgard high school football game featured the two juggernaut Varsity teams in Howard County, Maryland. The Glenelg Gladiators came into the game looking for revenge against the visiting Howard Lions. Howard obliterated the Glads last year 42-7, and took home the Elgard trophy. The origin of the elgard trophy comes from GlenELG and HowARD. These schools were the original two schools in Howard County and take football very seriously. Every year the two teams battle it out to see who can take the trophy home

​This year, the tables turned. Glenelg crushed Howard 42-14. Stud running back from Glenelg, Wande Owens, carried the team scoring four touchdowns. Along with Owens, Tyler Reiff and Sam Alshimer were two of the other two-way stars leading Glenelg. Rieff, starting quarterback and starting outside linebacker had a great game, winning co-MVP with Owens. Rieff went 1-for-3 passing for 10 yards, and rushed 6 times for 35 yards. On defense, Rieff had a sack and a 38-yard interception returned for a touchdown.

​Glenelg may have won by 28, points but it was not a blow out all game. The opening kickoff of the game, Howard star running back, Devin Dawkins, ran the kick back 90 yards for a touchdown. Although the amazing return was called back by a illegal block in the back, Howard still marched down the field on the Glad’s, defense. All of the sudden Owens jumped a hitch route when Howard was on the Glad’s 5-yard line and took it back 95 yards for the Glad’s first touchdown of the night. Then, Howard responded with a 77 yard drive ending with a 15 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jerry O’Neill. The very next drive, Glenelg plowed right through the Lions defense capping the drive with a 13 yard touchdown run by Wande Owens. 14-7 was the score going into halftime.

Glenelg Sophomore Kevin Pak said, “We knew we had them beat at halftime.” The second half is where Glenelg dominated. Owens had a game breaking 82-yard touchdown, and then the score snowballed from there. The Glad’s got a 3-and-out on defense and then took the next drive 64 yards ending in a Rieff two-yard run for another score. Howard responded a couple drives later with a 25-yard touchdown toss from O'Neill to Dawkins, but the 14 point deficit was to much to overcome. The dagger to the game was Owens’s 72-yard touchdown run late into the fourth quarter. The icing on the cake was Reiff's 38-yard interception returned for a touchdown. Glenelg Head Coach Butch Schaffer said, “The Elgard trophy is back home and where it belongs”. In the end, Howard will have more chances to take back the Elgard trophy, but Glenelg looks to defend their title for years to come.