"No wasted seconds"

by Aaron Gray
agray@digitalsports.com

The clock is always ticking for the Arundel High School football team. It's not a secret -- the Wildcats like to score fast and maximize every offensive possession. But what's the Arundel defense supposed to think when the offense scores before it has time to catch its breath?

"No wasted seconds," said junior middle linebacker Bobby Partilla, who calls the defensive plays for the Wildcats and held a coach's clipboard after practice Wednesday.

Arundel coach Chuck Markiewicz said his no-huddle, spread offense has scored four times this season in under 30 seconds. That doesn't give a lot of time for defensive coordinator Vinnie Elliott to talk with his unit on the sideline. So when his team is on defense and Arundel calls a timeout, Elliott always sprints onto the field so he can get close to his players for instruction.

"You know why he does that?" Markiewicz asked. "No wasted seconds."

The theme has been echoed by both coaches and players this year and will probably be heard on the Arundel sideline Friday when the Wildcats (10-1) host Severna Park (8-3) in the Class 4A East Region championship at 7 p.m.

Last winter, Markiewicz and Elliott were invited to speak at a coaching clinic in Northern Virginia. The topic for Markiewicz was the spread offense and how to run it. Elliott spoke about how a defense successfully complements a spread offense.

"It's a different mindset," Markiewicz said. "Vinnie has a very difficult job.

"You can't always assume that we're going to shut people out. On defense, we have to constantly attack and that can be risky. We need to force three-and-outs so we can get the ball back. We want the ball. That's the nature of the beast."

The Wildcats have surrendered 20 points a game this season but Arundel is on defense for 10 more minutes than its opponents, which is almost an entire quarter.

"Because of the pressure we put on (the defense) and the things we ask them to do, I think they're underrated," Markiewicz said.

Said Partilla, a two-year starter: "Everyone can say what they want about our defense. Once they play us, they find out real quick what we're all about."

At middle linebacker in a 3-5 scheme, Partilla is in the middle of all the fun. He can drop back into coverage, show blitz at the line or stuff the run if he has to. Partilla leads the team with 97 tackles, eight for a loss.

"I think our defense is stronger this year compared to last season," said Partilla, whose Wildcats advanced to the Class 4A state championship in 2007. "We're more of a cohesive unit and we're better against the run."

Newcomer Chris "C.J." Rice, a senior transfer from Cardinal Gibbons, has added an extra ingredient to the linebacking corps. Rice has made several big plays on special teams to go along with 81 tackles (team-high 30 solos), two sacks and forced fumble on defense.

Before the season, Rice said he was excited about the change of scenery. A chance to play with a state runner-up also added intrigue.

"The transition from private to public school wasn't that much of a difference," he said Wednesday. "When I first got here, I thought (the play) was much faster and it took some time to get used to."

Rice learned the team motto quickly.

Both Rice and Partilla are looking forward to going against Severna Park's triple-option. It will be the third time this season they'll see that kind of offense. The Wildcats beat the Falcons, 47-28, in Week 7 and upended Broadneck, another triple-option team, in the season opener, 28-13.

"We just can't make mistakes," said senior defensive end Tyrone Brown, who has tallied 61 tackles, two sacks and a team-high 10 tackles for a loss. "Everyone just has to do their job."

Said Rice: "Against the option, it's like a chain reaction. If everyone does their job, we'll be fine. If there's a break in the chain, it falls apart."