Laurel Aims For 2-0 Start in Football

For , a football program that has not had a winning season in nearly 15 years, every victory is a big one.

And the fact that the Spartans can improve to 2-0 Monday is even more exciting for first-year head coach Todd Sommerville and the school.

"Overall, it is a positive feeling in the school right now," said Sommerville, whose team beat host High Point, 49-0, on Sept. 2 to open the season. "The student body is excited for them and [the players] are excited for themselves."

Laurel will host Bladensburg on Monday at 3:30 p.m. on Cherry Lane in the second game of the season and the first home game for the Spartans.

The game was slated for Saturday at 2 p.m. but was postponed as heavy rains forced county public schools to switch most games from Saturday to Monday.

Laurel athletic director Torrence Oxendine told Laurel Patch on Friday that Kirby Field was playable at the school but the county made the decision to switch games. So now the Spartans will have to wait a few extra days to face Bladensburg.

"They play hard. The thing we have to do is execute," Sommerville said Thursday night, after heavy rain forced county public schools to cancel practice earlier in the day. "We have to run the plays the right way. It will be a struggle."

Laurel was 1-9 last year under former head coach Brian Moore.

Laurel led, 15-0, after the first quarter and 36-0 at halftime at High Point.

"Don't let the score fool you. Nothing was easy about it," said Sommerville, a former assistant at Parkdale High in Riverdale. "We made some good plays. It was not easy by any means."

Jarvis McClam completed nine of 13 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, Joel Roberson had two carries for 72 yards and a touchdown and Malik Harvin had one carry for 40 yards.

Pallotti Prep also opened its season with a win, posting a 40-22 comeback victory on the road Sept. 2 at St. John's Catholic in Frederick.

"We started off slow in the first half," said Allen Bright, a standout running back and defensive back for Pallotti Prep. "We knew we were the better team and we had to come together."

The Panthers play their second game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at The Severn School in Anne Arundel County. The game originally had been slated to be held Friday night at Fairland Regional Park in West Laurel but the location was changed due to wet fields at Fairland, according to Pallotti Prep head coach Ben Thompson.

Pallotti trailed, 8-0, in the opener after the first quarter but came back to win on the road as Bright ran 17 times for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two interceptions on defense.

The Panthers' offense exploded under returning quarterback Rafi Correa. "Rafi is experienced with our line. Our offensive line knows the things that Rafi does," said Bright, a resident of Howard County. "Rafi just came together and threw some great passes."

Justin Mealy had three carries for 23 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers scored 27 points in the fourth quarter to come back from a 22-13 deficit for the win. It was the first game under Thompson, a 1993 Pallotti High grad.

Prep notes: Pallotti Prep beat crosstown foe Laurel High in a non-league volleyball match on Tuesday, 25-6, 25-13 and 25-6. Carissa Hill of Pallotti Prep had seven of her team's 24 aces and teammate Victoria Johnson had 10 kills. Pallotti Prep won the JV match, 25-19, 26-24 ... Pallotti Prep improved to 3-0 with a 25-6, 25-10, 25-4 win Thursday over National Cathedral as Hill had 10 aces and freshman hitter Valen Johnson, Victoria Johnson's sister, had seven aces. The Panthers had 25 aces. "We controlled the match," Pallotti Prep head coach Scott Fifield told Laurel Patch on Thursday. The Panthers were 4-0 at the start of last season ... Laurel High graduate Brandon Harvey had a strong game at linebacker, with four tackles and an interception, as Delaware State opened its season at VMI in Virginia with a 24-21 win on Saturday.