Gilman rolls over Spalding, 41-14

Coach Biff Poggi’s Gilman football team, which won the MIAA A Conference last season, opened the 2010 season with a bang on Friday night against the Archbishop Spalding Cavaliers, in Anne Arundel County, blasting the Cavs, 41-14, as Darius Jennings scored five touchdowns to pace the Greyhounds.

Jennings took the opening kickoff 90 yards to pay dirt to set the tone for Gilman. Jennings, who amassed 35 touchdowns as a junior last season, scored Gilmans second touchdown on a one-yard plunge, and then he added two long TD runs from scrimmage, one for 39 yards, and another for 56 yards.  He scored for the fifth time on an 87 yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

Jennings completed 2-of-5 passes for 24 yards, rushed for 180 total yards on 14 carries, and rolled up 381 total yards on the night.

“I really didn’t think I would do this well in the first game,”: said the humble senior.   “We worked hard all summer, and we just want to take this one game at a time, one play at a time.”

Poggi jokingly said that Darius makes the coaches look like they know what they are doing.

“I was proud of the kids.  We flew around tonight, and we played hard,” said Poggi.  “They’ve got a good team.”

With plenty of talent back from a squad that won the MIAA B Conference title last year, Spalding certainly does have a good team, but Gilman looks to have a great one.  The Greyhounds held a 28-0 lead at the half, and they led, at one point in the third quarter, 41-7.

K.K. Smith had a good night on the ground for the Cavs, rushing for 153 yards on 24 carries.

Gilman has some tough competition coming up before they open defense of their A conference crown. The Greyhounds play Good Counsel, the number one ranked team in the state next week at Towson University in the I-95 classic, and the they face Don Bosco and DeMatha.

Spalding will also be at Towson for the I-95 Classic.  The Cavs will play Calvert Hall on next Saturday in a re-match of their upset win over the Cardinals from one year ago.