These Colonels Do It Right

By Sheldon Shealer

So just how long has it been since Col. Richardson won a league game?

* Ronald Reagan was president.

* The Soviet Union existed.

* The Internet was an unknown service.

Well, the Colonels managed to escape the 1990s with at least one league win, defeating Washington, 31-28, in dramatic fashion on Friday.
The victory ended Col. Richardsonís 28-game losing streak and a Bayside Conference losing streak that dated to 1985.

Col. Richardson drove 75 yards in the final 1 minute, 40 seconds, capped by a one-yard run on fourth-and goal with seven seconds remaining.

ìIt was really an emotional, estatic feeling,î said Jim Cave, the Colonelsí third-year coach who was in middle school when Col. Richardson won its last conference game. ìWe probably insulted Washington because we celebrated a little too much. But after 14 years, I hope they understand. Itís not every day you end a streak like that.î

By winning, Col. Richardson handed the distinction of the stateís longest active losing streak ó 18 games ó to Laurel. Dulaney is riding a 17-game losing streak and South Hagerstown has dropped 14 in a row.

ìIíll gladly pass that streak along,î Cave said.

Col. Richardsonís last league win was over Pocomoke, which no longer fields high school football.

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TAKE NOTE

In a battle of state-ranked teams, Suitland defeated Eleanor Roosevelt, 23-7, on Saturday. It was the first time Eleanor Roosevelt failed to reach 44 points in a game this year.

(Side note ó No school named in honor of a female has won a football state title in Maryland. DuVal, in 1988, was the most recent school named in honor of an individual to win a football state title. DuVal is named after Gabriel Du Vall, who was an associate justice on the Supreme Court.)

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UPSET CITY

Wicomico was coasting along as the undefeated Class 2A East region leader, then came Easton.

The Warriors, losers in four of five games before Friday, handed the Indians a surprising 33-12 defeat. Wicomico still leads the 2A East region, but now by a fraction of a point over Queen Anneís.

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SURPRISING NAMES, NEW PLACES

Yes, thatís North Harford and Fallston near the top of the Harford County League standings.
These two perennial doormats have combined for an 11-1 record this year. Fallston is 6-0 and tied for first in the league. North Harford is 5-1 overall and in third place. Fallstonís school record for victories in a season is eight. Until this year, North Harford hadnít won more than four games in a season in more than a decade.

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DID YOU NOTICE?

Prince Georgeís Countyís 2A/1A League completed its non-league play last week, and the six members combined for a 23-7 non-league record. Every team had a winning mark outside of league play.