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At halftime of Friday’s game with Severn Run, the Severna Park football team had mustered just 49 yards of offense and zero points.
Because the defense and special teams had done their part, the Falcons somehow held a 7-0 lead at the break.
The offense held up their end of the deal in the second half, and what looked like a potential shock turned out to be far more comfortable than it looked.
Behind a quarterback switch, a renewed commitment to power football, and a headline performance from a JV call-up, Severna Park posted four offensive touchdowns in the second half. The defense continued its dominance to make that stand up, as the Falcons pulled away for a 35-0 win.
Tyler Lawhorne had a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter and added an interception in the end zone in the second quarter, the first of four Severna Park takeaways — all interceptions.
“I caught (the punt) cleanly and I saw lots of grass, so I went for it,” Lawhorne said. “We got a lot of confidence from shutting out Northeast last week, and we really want to keep that ‘donut’ (on the scoreboard).”
The turnovers from Lawhorne in the first half and Noah Croghan, Mason Keegan and Landon Williams in the second provided the Falcons with plenty of breathing room to sort out the offense that was largely stymied. The normally high-flying passing attack led by quarterback Vince Nguyen had just 21 yards in the first half, and Severn Run held Cole Cavanaugh, one of the best receivers in the county, without a catch on the night.
“Those kinds of games are going to happen sometimes, and Severn Run had a great game plan for dealing with our offense,” said Severna Park coach Nick Marks. “We needed to spark something in the second half, so we made some changes, and the guys did a nice job. Our defense was outstanding tonight and really helped keep us in the game.”
The offense’s struggles led Marks to turn to junior quarterback Isaac Graves, who ran for a touchdown and threw for another, and sophomore running back Lucas Zyvloski, who was called up to the varsity squad earlier this month.
Originally set up to spell starter Chase Griner, Zyvoloski showcased a mix of patience, vision, and burst the Falcons sorely needed. He took over as the primary runner in the second half and had three 20-plus-yard runs on his way to a 140-yard rushing effort.
“I really didn’t think I was going to get another carry after the first quarter, but I just tried to run where my blockers were going,” Zyvoloski said. “They made some great holes for me and gave me a lot of room. I couldn’t have done that without the O-line.”
With his effort, Zyvoloski became the first 100-yard rusher in Marks’ tenure as Falcons head coach. The Falcons racked up 171 rushing yards, 143 of them coming in the second half. Graves connected with Dash Havens for a 12-yard touchdown pass, while Joey Viskocil wrapped up the scoring with a 17-yard run to trigger the rolling clock midway through the fourth quarter.
Severna Park hosts Crofton this week for their final regular-season home game. The Falcons have a chance to get back to .500 on the season and get a crucial win over a region rival to improve their playoff seeding.
Severna Park 35, Severn Run 0
Severn Run 0 0 0 0 --0
Severna Park 7 0 14 14 --35
First quarter
SP – Lawhorne 67 punt return (Caffiero kick) 4:56
Second quarter
No scoring
Third quarter
SP – Zyvoloski 9 run (Caffiero kick) 11:03
SP – Graves 1 run (Caffiero kick) 8:46
Fourth quarter
SP – Havens 12 pass from Graves (Caffiero kick) 10:43
SP – Viskocil 17 run (Caffiero kick) 5:36
Team Statistics
Total yards: Severn Run 157, Severna Park 216
Rushing yards: Severn Run 66, Severna Park 171
Passing yards: Severn Run 91, Severna Park 45
Turnovers: Severn Run 4, Severna Park 1
Sacks: Severn Run 3, Severna Park 0
Penalties: Severn Run 3-38, Severna Park 8-70
Individual Statistics
Passing – Severn Run: Carr 7-21-3-83, Hull 2-3-1-8. Severna Park: Nguyen 4-10-0-21, Graves 3-4-1-24.
Rushing – Severn Run: Golden 19-50, Burrell 5-18, Clary 5-5, Adamah 2-(-3), Carr 4-(-4). Severna Park: Zyvoloski 15-140, Griner 8-26, Viskocil 1-17, Graves 4-11, Nguyen 5-(-23).
Receiving – Severn Run: Hardman 6-33, Worker 1-29, Washington 1-28, Lingo 1-1. Severna Park: Havens 3-24, Tramontana 3-13, Halloran 1-6.
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