No. 9 Arundel explodes on Severna Park, 47-28

by Pat O'Malley
patomalleysports@aol.com

(See extended gallery below)

Quarterback Billy Cosh threw five touchdown passes, two to Alec Lemon, while running back Derrick Rhodes scored thrice as DigitalSports No. 9 Arundel blew by Severna Park, 47-28, in Gambrills Friday night. Their coach, Chuck Markiewicz, passed an icon and became Anne Arundel County's all-time winningiest coach in the process.

Coupled with No. 7 Old Mill's 22-21 loss to No. 18 North County, the Wildcats moved into a three-way tie for first place in Anne Arundel County with the two afore mentioned teams, each at 6-1.

"This was really big win, really big because we told the kids this was a trap game and we couldn't look past anybody," said Markiewicz, who notched career win No. 157 in his 22nd season, the last eight at Arundel. He broke the career record that stood for 20 years and belonged to late Annapolis coach Big Al Laramore. Laramore was 156-68-2 (.696) in 23 seasons at the Cap City school and died of a heart attack January 10, 1989 at age 53 after going 8-2 in his final season in 1988.
  
Markiewicz is 157-77 (.671) in his career with stops at Chesapeake-AA, Meade, North County and his alma mater, Arundel. Passing Big Al and Jerry Mears, who coached at Arundel and Meade and who was Markiewicz's mentor, means an awful lot to the latter.
 
"It's pretty humbling to be in this position," said Markiewicz, who with Laramore and Mears are the only three Anne Arundel coaches to win state football championships - Mears at Arundel in 1975, Laramore at Annapolis, 1978 and Markiewicz at North County, 1994.
  
"I'm blessed, got a good family, good support and all of that. It's a pretty neat thing. If you do it long enough with good people, sometimes this happens. It's the result of having really good coaches over the years, really good players and very supportive administrations and all that. I'm excited."
  
Cosh, who completed 32 of 42 passes for 337 yards and threw at least five touchdowns in a game for the third time this season, including six to tie the state record two weeks ago against Meade, said Markiewicz is "the best coach" he has ever played for.
  
"He's a great coach, could be a college coach," said Cosh, who has thrown an area leading 27 TD passes in seven games and for 1,883 yards.
 
"Off the field, he's a great mentor and emphasizes academics. He's a great coach and a great man. I'm honored to play for him."
  
Rhodes, who ran for 77 yards and scored three touchdowns, one on a five-yard pass from Cosh and the other two on runs, said coach Markiewicz "is the best coach I've ever had, the best coach in the game. He should be out in college somewhere, but he enjoys it here and we enjoy him being here."
  
The first two touchdowns by the Wildcats were by Rhodes in the first period with a Severna Park TD sandwiched in-between on a Sam Jones (8-for-17, 197 yards and three TDPs) 50-yard bomb to Austin Lewis. Arundel opened its lead to 21-7 in the second period on Alec Lemon's first of two TD passes from Cosh, a five-yarder that capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive.
  
After the Falcons (4-3), who had a four-game winning streak eclipsed, answered with a Jones to Anthony Jackson 25-yard aerial strike with 42 seconds on the clock, the Wildcats staged an incredible 73-yard all-passing drive down the field to six points in seven plays with two seconds to spare.
  
Cosh completed five of six passes in the march, four to Lemon (11 catches for 128 yards in the game, 53 on the season already) including a  nine-yarder for the touchdown. Freshman Colin Potter, just called up from JV booted his fourth consecutive extra-point to give the Cats a 28-14 lead at intermission.
  
"That was key," said Cosh. "We practice that everyday on Wednesdays, the two-minute drill. To convert on that was really key for us because it brought us momentum going to the half.
  
"We knew we could keep moving the ball up and down the field. It gave us a momentum for the second half."
  
Big Mo did in fact carry over into the second half as the Wildcats scored twice in the third period to build a commanding 40-14 lead. On their initial drive of the second half, the Cats took the kickoff, then drove 54 yards in seven plays culminated by a nine-yard run by Rhodes to make it 34-14.
  
With 3:29 remaining in the third quarter, Cosh found Ronnie Harris all alone for a 29-yard TD pass set up by Tyrone Brown's fumble recovery at the Falcon 31. Suddenly it was 40-14 and pretty much game over.
  
"When you turn the ball over like we did, it sets the tone real quick," said coach J.P. Hines, whose Falcons fumbled six times but only lost two.

Severna Park scored seven points in each of the four quarters and had 408 yards of total offense to 457 by Arundel, but couldn't manage to contain the Wildcats.
  
"They were very tough, very physical and they totally outplayed us. You can score, but you're noty going to stay with them. You're not going to go score for score with them. It's just not going to happen."
  
Jones' third TD pass of the game, a nine-yard toss to Kyle Convissar (five receptions for 92 yards) came with 35 seconds left in the third period to make it 40-21.
  
Cosh would throw his last TD to Sean Fitzgerald from the 12 on the fourth play of the fourth period to put a lid on the Wildcat scoring. The Falcons final score came on a 26-yard TD pass from backup QB Ryan Faini to Kyle Zorn with 29 seconds left and Ryan Norton kicked his fourth extra-point.
  
Linebackers, junior Bobby Partilla and seniors Chris "C.J." Rice and Rob Gant led the Wildcat starters on defense. Gant was in on 10 tackles.

Severna Park (4-3)    7     7      7    7    -    28
Arundel (6-1)         14    14    12    7    -    47

A - Derrick Rhodes 5-yard pass from Billy Cosh (Colin Potter kick)
SP - Austin Lewis 50-yard pass from Sam Jones (Ryan Norton kick)
A - Rhodes 1-yard run (Potter kick)
A - Alec Lemon 5-yard pass from Cosh (Potter kick)
SP - Anthony Jackson 25-yard pass from Jones (Norton kick)
A - Lemon 9-yard pass from Cosh (Potter kick)
A - Rhodes 9-yard run (kick blocked)
A - Ronnie Harris 29-yard pass from Cosh (kick failed)
SP - Kyle Convissar 9-yard pass from Jones (Norton kick)
A - Sean Fitzgerald 12-yard pass from Cosh (Potter kick)
SP - Kyle Zorn 26-yard pass from Ryan Faini (Norton kick)