Gilman Pulls Off Stunner

By Sheldon Shealer
FoxStudentSports.com

When it rained Saturday, it poured turnovers, and Gilman took advantage, scoring twice as a result of DeMatha miscues to stun the No. 1 Stags, 14-0, at Parkdale High School in a meeting of Maryland prep powers.

Gilman (1-0) improved its win streak to 22 games while DeMatha (0-1) suffered its first regular-season loss in 33 contests and its first shutout since 1980. Gilman's victory marked the first time since 1966 that a Baltimore city school had defeated DeMatha.

"We had six turnovers, and we can't do that and win," DeMatha coach Bill McGregor said. "Our trademark is execution and we didn't do that today."

The game was played in a constant downpour, which let up only briefly during the second and third quarters. The weather conditions led to sloppy play for both teams. Gilman turned the ball over on its first three possessions. DeMatha turned the ball over six times during the contest. There were another half-dozen fumbles on the center exchange that were recovered by the offensive team.

Gilman struck first when Napoleon Sykes picked off a DeMatha pass and went 76 yards untouched for a touchdown. Tilghman Morton added the PAT for a 7-0 Greyhounds lead with 4:50 left in the first half.

Early in the third quarter, DeMatha coughed up the ball on a quarterback option play, and Gilman's Aaron Nocar recovered at the 11. After a penalty and a 1-yard run, Morton, subbing at quarterback for the injured starter, connected with Anthony Triplin for a 15-yard score. Morton's PAT made it 14-0.

DeMatha never threatened to score in the second half, and with it ended a string of more than 200 straight games of at least scoring.

"DeMatha is awesome, and this was a great priviledge for us," said Gilman linebacker Starrett Esworthy, who led a defense that recorded its 11th shutout in the last 21 games. "We gave it all we had. ... This is something we've been working on for four years. (This victory) is built on the back of a lot of other men. ... Our team is together, like a family, and that's too tough to beat."

DeMatha had several scoring chances in the first half, recovering a fumble inside Gilman's 5, and driving to the 5 on another series.

"Points are big in a sloppy game," McGregor said. "We had a chance for a touchdown and a field goal early and we came away with nothing."

After Gilman took the lead, the Greyhounds worked the clock behind a powerful running game led by junior Malcolm Ruff, who finished with a game-high 113 yards on 23 carries.

City College in 1966, then coached by George Young -- who later became the general manager of the NFL New York Giants, was the last Baltimore city team to defeat DeMatha.

DeMatha's loss opens the door for a new No. 1 in Maryland, and it will likely fall to either Eleanor Roosevelt, which was No. 2 in the preseason poll, or Gilman, which started No. 3. Eleanor Roosevelt received a pair of first-place votes in the preseason poll. Yet, Gilman's victory may overshadow Roosevelt's early standing. The next state poll will not be released until Sept. 12, following the first full week of high school play in Maryland.