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MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — South River coach Steve Erxleben knew the key to Team Maryland’s success in the Big 33 Football Classic on Sunday night would be “explosive plays.” He also spent the last several years watching Max Jones do that for Old Mill every Friday night in the fall.
Jones shared the frustrations of his temporary teammates as Team Pennsylvania thoroughly dominated, racking up 244 yards, including 211 in the air, and 10 first downs in the first half alone to start a running clock en route to a 31-7 win. Those lopsided statistics — Team Maryland had just 22 total yards and committed five penalties for 66 yards in the first half — aren’t uncommon in the annual classic as Team Pennsylvania, which led 31-0 at the break, improved to 16-3 all-time in the series. Maryland’s last victory came in 2018.
Jones, a two-time Rhodes Trophy nominee and Anne Arundel County’s leading rusher the past two seasons, had planned to carry the load against their opponent from the north. But in the first half, he carried the ball only twice for 2 yards.
“We needed a spark,” Jones said. “Thankfully, I was able to give it to them.”
That spark came in the second half when Team Maryland quarterback Brenton Toles connected with the 5-foot-9 Patriots star for their team’s only score of the night. Jones sprang into a celebration with his fellow Marylanders, the lone moment to cheer in an otherwise dreary evening.
For his work, Big 33 officials awarded Jones with the team’s Most Valuable Player trophy.
“It feels good. It means the world to me,” Jones said. “But you got to keep it humble. It’s been a fun four years [at Old Mill], but it’s time to go to college.”
Erxleben said players don’t always understand just how respected they are by their competition’s coaches. Jones told his temporary leader about his favorite play from his career: a crafty 2-point conversion to beat South River in overtime in 2022.
“I said, ‘Me too,’” Erxleben laughed. “Max is a good boy. Bowie State is really lucky to get him. He did a real good job and it was nice to get to know him a little bit more than just a postgame handshake.”
Granted, Team Maryland still trailed by a large margin after Jones found the end zone. But their defense, which comprised of players from the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, national contenders and public school giants, held Team Pennsylvania scoreless in the second half. A goal-line stand made sure of it.
That might not have happened had Team Maryland not kept Jones’ momentum rolling. Just over a minute after the Old Mill senior’s triumph, St. Frances cornerback Kevyn Humes lurched into the spotlight. The Maryland-bound Mitchellville native leaped in front of Team Pennsylvania’s Aaron Enterline and intercepted the pass.
The subsequent drive fell inches short, despite a hearty effort by North Point’s Kaleb Hart to push for the last 2 yards.
“Proud of our kids boning up on the goal line twice, and scoring,” Erxleben said. “In the first half, we struggled with that, but in the second half, we came back.”
For the first 24 minutes, Team Maryland could not keep up with Team Pennsylvania’s passing attack, which was led by wide receiver and Penn State commit and Tyseer Denmark. He finished with 95 yards on four catches and seemed to cleave through Team Maryland defenders on touchdown catches of 21 and 52 yards.
In the second quarter, he tucked Team Pennsylvania quarterback Hayden Johnson’s pass neatly in his hands by ripping through a pair of Team Maryland defenders to extend the home team’s lead to 30-0.
Team Maryland did whatever it could to make sure he stopped there.
Seeking to score its fifth touchdown late in the fourth quarter, this time on the ground, Team Pennsylvania quarterback Alex Erby returned to what worked — and Denmark awaited him in the end zone.
Or at least, he tried. Frederick High defensive back Newton Essiam herded Denmark to the sideline to make his catch came inches out of bounds.
“You can only play so well for so long,” Erxleben said. “We started feeling it. They did not. They made plays in the first half, and then we started.”
Though the trophy will remain in Pennsylvania, players appreciated the experience of getting to know former opponents or strangers from a part of the state they never played in. For Meade senior Moses Gakodi, the game was a chance to share the field with future teammates.
The offensive lineman was one of four Monmouth commits present, including his new college roommate, offensive lineman Collin Goetter of Central Bucks South in Pennsylvania.
“It’s an opportunity for us to connect earlier. We’re all heading to the next level together,” Gakodi said, “and I want to do great things with them.”
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