Rise of the Wolverines

After his team moved its record to a perfect 5-0 Saturday afternoon with a win over New Town, Western Tech High football coach Alan Lagon put the situation in perspective as only as a coach could.

“We got a long way to go so we can’t start patting each other on the back,” said Lagon. “We got some good players but they have to keep getting better.”

The Wolverines aren’t ready to print up state championship t-shirts, but the Catonsville school crossed new terrority with its 35-8 decision over the Titans. It’s the best start in the program’s history, and leaves the Wolverines with No. 12 Franklin as the only unbeaten teams remaining in the Baltimore County ranks.

Senior running back Kane Parson scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and senior Juleon Killikelly-Lee returned an interception 99 yards for a score and threw for a touchdown. Jerome McKoy and Carlton Harris found the end zone.

The Wolverines capitalized on three New Town mistakes en route to a 28-0 halftime lead as they stand atop the Baltimore County 1A/2A along with Dundalk, Owings Mills and Sparrows Point (all 2-0). The 5-0 start is Western Tech’s longest winning streak since winning four straight to end the 2007 campaign.

Though the Wolverines may be the biggest surprise among the area’s unbeaten, they say they’re not.

“We’re just hard work every day, we don’t get any slack,” said Parson, 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds. “We’re just doing what we’re supposed to do, execute.”

“We’re all hard workers from practice,” said Killikelly-Lee, who plays quarterback and defensive back. “Coach [Lagon] keeps us working, no slacking.”

Lagon said Killikelly-Lee, a track standout who hopes to attract a football scholarship, quickly made the adjustment at quarterback after a preseason injury to senior Ricky Racks. Last week, Killikelly-Lee set a school-record with five touchdown passes in a 47-20 decision over Lansdowne at CCBC-Catonsville.

Killikelly-Lee started the latest Western Tech’s win Saturday, finding McKoy from 18 yards out in the first quarter, following a New Town fumble. Killikelly-Lee, who won the Baltimore County 100- and 200-meter outdoor track last spring, showed his speed. He came from his left to the middle to grab Shawheem Dowdy’s pass, slipped out of a tackle near New Town sidelines and easily won the foot race to the end zone.

“I just dropped back and watched the quarterback, they run the ‘hot’ a lot,” said Killikelly-Lee. “I saw the ball come through the middle and got it. I had some great blocking down the field.”

Parson scored on a 25-yard jaunt and capped a short 23-yard drive, set up by another New Town fumble, with a one-yard score, capping the Wolverines’ 28-0 first half performance. Harris’ 63-yard run late in the fourth quarter closed the Western Tech scoring.

“We were very fortunate. We caused a lot of turnovers and jumped on them early,” said Lagon. “We threw them out their comfort zone.”

New Town lost six fumbles in addition to interceptions by Killikelly-Lee and Parson Saturday. Titans coach Joe Holland was befuddled by his team’s carelessness.

“The ball was dry and they kept putting the ball on the ground, it’s an enigma to me they expect to win games with the mistakes they’ve made,” said Holland, whose team got a 12-yard scoring play from Dowdy to Malik Jones late in regulation. “Ten penalties and eight turnovers, a NFL team can’t win a game with that. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot.”

“They [Western Tech] got guys who want to make plays,” added Holland. “They never give up on a play and try to make something big happen. It’s going to carry them through this division.”

The Wolverines head to Sparrows Point Friday evening with a share of first in the 1A/2A on the line. Lagon said the Wolverines need to continue making strides defensively as they move into the second half with current league co-leaders Dundalk, Sparrows Point and Owings Mills still remaining.

“We’ve set team goals and we haven’t accomplished them yet,” said Lagon. “We have a long way to go.”

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