Cotton tossed a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to help the Mustangs jump to a 19-6 lead, but Cosh, wideout Alec Lemon and a big-time performance from the Wildcat defensive secondary shifted the momentum and handed Meade its third straight loss after a 2-0 start.

"We just were taking what they gave us," said Cosh, who finished with 364 yards on 26-for-41 passing, though he threw three interceptions in addition to his six strikes. "We were able to catch [Meade off guard with a few vertical plays, and some guys made some great plays for us."

Lemon was a frequent Cosh target, hauling in 10 passes for 149 yards and four touchdowns, and he rushed for a momentum-boosting touchdown with less than ten seconds left in the first half that made it a one-score game going into the break.

Ronnie Harris and Sean Fitzgerald also came up big for Arundel, hauling in passes for 113 and 84 yards, respectively, with Harris scoring the tying and go-ahead touchdowns in the third.

"We got them on the ropes, and [after the first half , we knew where everyone was going," Lemon said. "We just figured out how to make it work and we did it."

Cotton, who went 20-for-51 for 259 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, appeared to be in control of the game in the second quarter, connecting for touchdowns with Trevor Turner (nine receptions, 170 yards, two touchdowns) and Aaron Williams after Williams rushed for an early touchdown to take the 11-point lead.

But Arundel stole the momentum less than two minutes later with Lemon's direct-snap score from just outside of the goal line. The score came on a drive that was saved after a Cosh interception was fumbled right back to the Wildcats.

"The biggest thing for that was it broke the ice," Arundel's Chuck Markiewicz said. "For a while, we were struggling to find ourselves, and that got us ready for the rest of the game.

"To put together a comeback like that against a team like Meade is a big boost for us, especially at this point in the season."

As impressive as Arundel's offensive burst in the second half was, particularly its 27-point fourth quarter, the Wildcats' tightening of the defensive screws against a Mustangs attack that gained yards at will in the second quarter was even more crucial.

"We worked hard all week in practice," said Lemon, who broke up several passes in the secondary, including back-to-back would be touchdowns on a key third quarter stand deep in Wildcat territory. "We know they like to go vertical, but our defense really played great after they got up early."

Meade was also hurt by dropped passes, for which Cotton blamed himself.

"They hurt us, but that's on me because I didn't put the ball where I needed to," Cotton said. "We've just got to work harder and make sure we stop errors from happening."

Meade's first-year coach Lance Clelland was dissapointed losing a third straight, particularly since the previous two have come after his Mustangs held early leads against region playoff teams from 2007.

"The biggest thing is that we're beating ourselves with things like dropped passes and missed blocks," he said. "Physically, I believe we're better than a lot of teams, and if we execute, we'll win. But long story short, [Arundel made plays when it counted."

The game was stopped with nearly a minute left on the clock on a scary note, as Meade's James Sayers was upended on a long pass play, landing awkwardly.

He appeared responsive and able to move his feet, but school officials decided to place the senior on a backboard and have him taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

Arundel (4-1) 6 7 6 27 - 46

Meade (2-3) 0 19 0 6 - 25

AR - Lemon 5 pass from Cosh (kick failed)

ME - Williams 4 run (Hawk kick)

ME - Williams 13 pass from Cotton (kick failed)

ME - Turner 37 pass from Cotton (run failed)

AR - Lemon 1 run (Reece kick)

AR - Harris 4 pass from Cosh (kick failed)

AR - Harris 59 pass from Cosh (Reece kick)

AR - Lemon 15 pass from Cosh (kick failed)

ME - Turner 49 pass from Cotton (kick failed)

AR - Lemon 23 pass from Cosh (Reece kick)

AR - Lemon 29 pass from Cosh (Reece kick)

RUSHING: AR - 45; ME - 94. PASSING: AR - Cosh 26-41-3=364 yards; ME - Cotton 20-51-1=259 yards.