Mavericks grind past Catonsville

Eastern Tech High’s football team overcame an early first quarter deficit and rolled off 19 unanswered points en route to a crucial 19-6 victory at Catonsville Friday night, claiming sole possession of first in the Baltimore County 2A/3A league.

The Mavericks (7-1 overall, 5-0 2A/3A) relied on their relentless wing -T ground game to overwhelm an upset-minded Catonsville (5-2, 3-1 2A/3A) defense. Senior tailback Marquiese Bannister provided two second half rushing touchdowns and senior tailback Kenyon Crawford added the other score.

“That was a big win for us. If you watch enough game film you’ll know how good Catonsville is,” said Mavericks coach Marc Mesaros. “I’m proud of my kids for winning it, but if we would have lost, there would be no shame in losing to that team.”

After cruising to five straight victories by a combined score of 247-52, Eastern Tech found itself in unfamiliar territory as Catonsville struck first quarter with junior Aaron Jones found junior Deniko Carter for the long touchdown reception. The Mavericks’ offense didn’t get going until right before halftime as Crawford scored on a sweep to the right side as time elapsed.

“When we came out in the second half, I just made up my mind to stay true to us and true to what we do,” said Mesaros. “It is a complicated offense, but when we execute, it can give you a lot of options.”

Eastern Tech opened the second half with a six-minute opening drive, resulting in a 2-yard Bannister score. Bannister added a 3-yard score midway through the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

“We knew they were a tough defense and our main goal was ball security and to keep the legs driving,” said Bannister.  “We just had to play offense the way we know how to play offense – smash mouth football.”

The Mavericks did almost the same on defense, keeping Catonsville from the end zone the final three quarters. The Comets came into Friday’s contest averaging nearly 43 points a game.

“We challenged them to drive the ball on us and they did. I commend our defense for really reading their keys and doing what we asked them to do,” said Catonsville coach Rich Hambor.  “We got beaten by a team which really played better than we did today, and that’s the bottom line.”

The loss will drop the Comets out of the fourth and final spot in the 2A North Region playoff standings. Catonsville will likely have to win its final two games, starting with Randallstown Friday evening at home, to gain a postseason spot.

The defending state 2A champ Mavericks appear headed to the No. 1 seed in the North Region and home-field. Eastern Tech takes on winless Patapsco Friday before closing the regular season at Patuxent in southern Maryland.

CLICK RELATED VIDEOS FOR GAME HIGHLIGHTS