Senior quarterback Tyler Crounse threw for 107 yards and two touchdowns and added 148 yards rushing as the Patuxent Panthers rolled over the Huntingtown Hurricanes 27-7 on a rainy Friday night in Calvert county.
An uneventful first quarter came to a close with Crounse hitting junior Tyler Gross for a 21 yard scoring strike. As the rain increased the teams traded punts until midway through the second quarter when Patuxent junior Jared Massengill intercepted the ball and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown.
As the teams came to the field for the third quarter the rain picked up. They traded punts for a while, and with 6 minutes to go in the third, Crounse connected on a 26 yard touchdown pass to senior TE Geoff Ricker. Ricker turned in an outstanding performance. In addition to his touchdown reception also recorded 14 total tackles as a linebacker in the win.
As the third quarter came to a close,, Huntingtown finally scored on a one yard plunge to break the shutout. However, as the 4th quarter began, the Panthers were firmly in control, and their defense smothered any further comeback attempts by the Hurricanes. After a punt, the Hurricanes found themselves with their back to their own goal line, and a fumble ended any chance they may have had. Patuxent junior Chris Long fell on the ball in the end zone for the final score of the game.
After the game, Patuxent coach Steve Crounse said “This is the biggest win we’ve had in the series history (vs Huntingtown)”. Given the battles the two schools have had on the gridiron in the past, this is high praise for his squad. Patuxent jumped ahead of Huntingtown in the SMAC standings, and find themselves second in the conference.
