Howard slips by Reservoir on homecoming

Senior running back Ryan Dacus ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns in the first half as Howard held off a late comeback attempt by Reservoir, 21-14 on Saturday.

On a nice, sunny day and in front of a large homecoming crowd, the Lions used a 17-play, 72 yard drive that spanned the first eight minutes of the game to get an early lead on the visiting Gators.

Dacus capped the long drive when he rushed for the first of his two touchdowns from two yards out.  On that drive, Howard converted one third down and two fourth downs to keep the chains moving.

On the first play of the second half, Dacus raced down the left sideline for a 38-yard score to give the Lions a 14-0 advantage.

Later in the quarter, after a fake punt was snuffed out by Gators’ sophomore defensive back Robert Armstrong, Reservoir started on its on 45-yard line.  Nine plays later, senior running back Demetri Dennis plunged in for a one-yard touchdown to cut the Lions’ lead in half.

Ahead 21-7 with two minutes left in the third quarter after a score by quarterback Ryan Wade, Howard had the game under control but the Gators weren’t done.

With just over 2:30 minutes remaining in the game, wildcat formation quarterback Kendrick Frazer threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Kyle Mitchell to bring Reservoir within a score.

Kicker Brendan Castleman recovered the onside kick attempt, giving the Gators one last shot at forcing overtime.  But Howard’s Colin Kelly made an interception to kill Reservoir’s comeback attempt.

Steven Marsh, Evan Jackson and Chris Mukasa also had second-half interceptions for the Lions.

Howard improved to 4-1 overall and in Howard County play, propelling itself into a four-way tie with Hammond, River Hill and Wilde Lake as the top team in the league.  The Gators dropped their second straight decision and fell to 3-2.

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