Allegany Campers Football: Welcome

600 WINS!

This year at Allegany, the football team will most likely achieve a major milestone as they attempt to win the 600 th football victory in school history.  The game should come in the later part of the season as the CAMPERS again take on an aggressive football schedule for 2009.

The CAMPERS are considered the most winning team in the state of Maryland high school football.  Although the teams of City College and Polytechnic in Baltimore have played much longer, there is no record of thier history to date.  Therefore, until proven otherwise, the Campers are the leaders with thier 593 wins to date.

With the talented team and players returning for this season, the CAMPERS have a very good chance to accomplish this feat this season and go even farther into the playoffs again for the 6th season in a row.

This is your chance to watch history this year at Greenway Avenue Stadium as the CAMPERS set out to get the record.  So fans, alumni, parents and all supporters, you have to be there to witness this major accomplishment and come out and cheer on the ALLEGANY CAMPERS FOR 2009. 

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

CAMPERS VS WARRIORS

For the third time since 2006, the Allegany Campers and Boonsboro Warriors will face each other in the 1A semi-finals.

In 2006 the Campers traveled to Boonsboro as the Campers handed the Warriors a 33-0 defeat before their home crowd.  The following year, the Warriors came to Greenway and again the Campers handeled the  Warriors 49-19 on their way to a 1A finals meeting with Dunbar.

This only time Allegany has played Boonsboro is in the playoffs.  They have never met on the field in a regular season game even though they are both 1A West region teams.

The Boonsboro football team needed a big night from someone Friday. The Warriors got it from their youngest player. Freshman Justin Jardeleza had three interceptions — returning one 100 yards for a touchdown — ran for another touchdown and threw for a third to lead Boonsboro to a 28-15 win over archrival Smithsburg.

With the win, Boonsboro (6-4, 3-1) claims the MVAL Antietam Conference title by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker over Smithsburg (6-4, 3-1). The Warriors also clinched a berth in the Maryland Class 1A West playoffs and moved past the Leopards — by one-tenth of a point — for the No. 3 seed in the region. They will play No. 2 seed Allegany next Saturday afternoon in Cumberland.

“I took the seniors aside right before we came on the field and said, ‘This is going to be your last night on this field, but this could be your last ballgame. If we get beat tonight and Clear Spring wins, we’re done,’” Anders said.

“I wanted them to understand just how big it was.” The Leopards already had clinched a postseason berth and will be the No. 4 seed in the region. They will play No. 1 seed Fort Hill on Friday night in Cumberland.

“(Boonsboro) acted like a team that had to win the ballgame to get in the playoffs,” Smithsburg coach Buddy Orndorff said. “We acted like a team that knew it was already in the playoffs. They wanted the game more than we did tonight and it showed.”

Three big plays in a span of 9 minutes in the second and third quarters made the difference for the Warriors. The first was Jardeleza’s 58-yard touchdown pass to Haquan Grant with 1:09 left in the first half.

Jardeleza lined up on the left side and took a handoff as if he were running a reverse, but instead pulled up and lofted a pass over two Smithsburg defenders to Grant, who carried the ball the last 25 yards for a touchdown that gave the Warriors a 14-9 lead at the half.

“We’ve been working that and we hit it every time in practice,” Anders said. “So we thought we ought to give it a shot tonight.” The second came on the opening kickoff of the second half.

Kicking from the 50 because of an unsportsmanlike conduct call against Boonsboro at the end of the first half, the Leopards figured to be able to pin the Warriors deep in their own end. But the kickoff fell short of the end zone, taken by Branden McLean at the 8. He quickly broke through the first wave of would-be tacklers and was off to the races for a 92-yard touchdown and a 22-9 lead after the two-point conversion.

“We’re 15 yards closer and we almost put the ball in the end zone normally,” Orndorff said. “We didn’t do that.” The third came again from Jardeleza. On a third-and-8 play from the Boonsboro 11, Smithsburg’s Justin Morgan threw a pass over the middle that was intended for Jake Gouff.

Boonsboro’s Scott Haupt tipped the ball into the air and Jardeleza came down with it at the goal line, turning without hesitation to move the ball the opposite direction. He didn’t stop until he reached the end zone, giving the Warriors a 28-9 lead with 4:24 to go in the third quarter. “I kind of watch the quarterback when i’m not supposed to, but it’s been working,” Jardeleza said. “I’m going to try to change and watch more on the receiver, but it worked for me tonight.” Jardeleza had another interception on Smithsburg’s next possession and got his third midway through the fourth quarter to halt another Leopards drive inside Boonsboro territory.

Jardeleza gave the Warriors the lead in the first quarter with a 23-yard touchdown run. McLean added the two-point run for an 8-3 Boonsboro edge. That came just three minutes after Smithsburg got on the board first with Jake Gouff’s 27-yard field goal, which was set up by a 53-yard opening kickoff return by Ben Daniels. Daniels added a touchdown run in the second quarter to put Smithsburg back ahead, 9-8. Neither team accomplished much offensively. Boonsboro had just 207 yards in 42 offensive plays; Smithsburg had 130 yards in 46 plays.

“They’ve been talking about the Smithsburg game since last year,” Anders said. “They were really upset because Smithsburg outplayed us and got us last year and the seniors have been talking about that since August.”

That is all well and good for the Boonsboro team...but now they have to face a determined Allegany team that is loaded with talent and gave the front running Fort Hill Sentinel's all they wanted in a 17-7 loss last Saturday at Greenway Avenue Stadium.

Knowing that they have to win over Boonsboro to get another crack at the Sentinel's, the Campers will come out on fire Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.  The West region of 1A football is all about Fort Hill and Allegany and now is no time to stop that trend.

For the Warriors to win, they will have to stop Hook and Wharton and try to score some points on a defense that proved its mettle against Fort Hill.  Hopefully the Campers will not come into the game flat and let the Warriors hang around to make it a close game.  Also, we have to keep in mind that the Sentinel's have to beat Smithsburg...also at Greenway Friday night to make the rematch happen.

One thing is for sure, the Campers can not overlook the Warriors.  They are a tried and true playoff team and like Allegany...have won several state titles as well.  I am sure Coach Clayton Anders will have his Warriors up and ready for this one as will Coach Preaskorn.

It will probably come down to ball control and both teams need to keep the ball instead of turning it over on fumbles, interceptions and the like.

Look for Allegany to pound the ball with running plays and hit some big pass plays to Wharton and Jessie, while the defense stops the Warrior running game forcing them to pass more then they would like too.

THE OLD SAYING...

OFFENSE WINS GAMES...

DEFENSE WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS

KNEW WHAT THAT WERE TALKING ABOUT!

In a game that many expect to be a blowout...turned out to be a defensive struggle as the undefeated Sentinel's hung on to defeat the Campers at a packed house at Greenway Stadium.

The Allegany defense came to play this homecoming and just about shut down the potent offense of the Sentinel's all day...except for 2 50 plus yard runs and a field goal, the Blue and White were in the game from start to finish.

The Fort Hill defense, led by Defensive Player of the Game Glen Vincent, held the Campers, who were averaging 46 points and 400 yards a game, to just 37 total yards in the first half and 125 for the game. The Sentinels had three quarterback sacks and seven other tackles for losses and came up with four turnovers.

Coming up with big plays for Fort Hill in the defensive battle were Offensive Player of the Game Dakota Welsh with a 55-yard run and Great American Rivalry Player of the Game Sam Walker with a 52-yard scoring sprint to nail down the win. Phil Giugliano kicked a 24-yard field goal and both extra points.

Pinned in its own end of the field, Fort Hill struggled some on offense with the exception of the big plays and finished with 237 yards. The Sentinels turned the ball over twice.

With Allegany getting possession of the ball in Fort Hill territory most of the first half, the Sentinel defense kept coming up with the big stops to keep the Campers out of scoring range.

TURNOVER A PROBLEM FOR BOTH SIDES

Allegany got the opening kickoff but turned the ball over with a fumble on the third play from scrimmage and Howser came up with the recovery at Campers’ 36-yard line.

The Sentinels moved the ball to the 2, but J.D. Hook came through to throw Welsh for a 5-yard loss on third down. Giugliano came in to boot the 24-yard field goal with 6:49 on the clock in the opening quarter.

The teams then started exchanging punts with three each on the next six possessions.

CAMPERS COME TO LIFE IN SECOND QUARTER

After another three-and-out by the Allegany offense, Lee looked to go downfield again but had the pass intercepted by Steffan Bonnett, who returned the pickoff 31 yards to the Fort Hill 22-yard line.

Hook, the Campers’ All-Area fullback, was handed the ball three straight plays and had runs of seven, three and two yards. Dustin Wharton, who led Allegany with 45 yards on 18 carries, went five yards on second down and then got outside on a 5-yard run for the touchdown with 4:37 remaining in the half. John Carpenter kicked the extra point, making it 10-7. 

SECOND HALF MORE OF THE SAME FOR BOTH

The Campers came out in the second half knowing that if they can stop the Red offense on the first series, things could start going their way.

The second half started with the teams exchanging punts and turnovers. Welsh came up with an interception at the Fort Hill 37, but the Sentinels gave the ball right back on a fumble that was recovered by Wharton at the 35. But the Campers couldn’t move the ball on three plays.

A misfired punt only went seven yards and Fort Hill started the final scoring drive at its 38-yard line.

A scramble by Lee had the Sentinels in Campers’ territory, but a holding penalty on the play moved them back to their 48-yard line. On the next play, Walker showed his speed and big-play ability as he went the 52 yards to pay dirt at the 1:37 mark in the third quarter. Giugliano concluded the scoring with the extra point.

Walker’s interception came with 57 seconds left to end Allegany’s final threat.

“I’m really proud of the way our defense played,” said Allegany coach Tom Preaskorn. “Going in, the question was how well our defense would play, and they stepped up and played a topnotch game. Coach (Tim) Foley had an excellent game plan. A?couple of broken plays or missed tackles, and what was a close game would have been a lot closer.”  

“Fort Hill’s line is awfully tough, especially the two tackles,” said Preaskorn. “We have to figure a way, in the next two weeks if we play them again, to be able to stop that pressure and move the ball against them. Our offense has to play better and put some points on the board.”

One thing is for sure...we all know that the Campers can play with Sentinel's and that we just need to get some offensive movement mixed in with the defensive play.

Allegany was well prepared for this game and now has to concentrate on the Boonsboro Warriors that will come to Greenway next Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

If the Campers can win that game, the rematch will again take place as it has since the 2005 season.  There has never been a split in the playoff series between the city schools and who knows...this may be the year.  Only time will tell and will the Campers be up for it if it happens.

A great game though on both sides of town.  Lets get on with the next game of the playoffs and hopefully we will see if that split can happen or not.

OUCH!!!

It had to happen to the Guesserman sooner or later and last week was the week that it happened.  In the unpredicable world of high school football, upsets or unexpected wins can happen at anytime.

Last week I missed 3 games, but those losses really took a hit on my average for the year.  For the year, I am now 66 of 93, but my average has significantly dropped to an unrespectful 71% for the season....OUCH!!!

The Frankfort game was the biggest surprise as I thought the Falcons would have a hangover from the Allegany loss...but I was wrong.  Oh well...lets leave last week alone and get to the biggest weekend of high school football for the area.

Without a doubt, the big one is the Campers going to Greenway as the vistors to take on undefeated Fort Hill.  The real deal Sentinels are looking to extend their impressive 9-0 record while the Campers look to pull a minor upset.  Minor you say?  Well...we all know that anything is possible in the annual battle of Cumberland and it could happen!

Other big games of the week will see Frankfort entertaining the Trojans of Hampshire, Bishop Walsh traveling to Hancock, Northern Garrett entertains Southern Garrett in the annual Garrett County tilt and Mt. Ridge will travel to Keyser to take on the Tornado in what may become an annual homecoming game in itself.

Hedgesville travels to the mud pit at Berkeley Springs, Jefferson travels to Washington as does Tucker County going to Philip Barbour at 7 p.m.  Moorefield will entertain Tygarts Valley, South Hagerstown goes to North for their annual tilt, Smithsburg travels to Boonsboro for their big one and last but not least, in a game that has playoff implications, Williamsport will host Clear Spring.  The Wildcats need to win and Boonsboro to lose to make it into the playoffs this year.

All the local games are big ones in our eyes here in Western Maryland.  Of course the Greenway game is the biggest, but the biggest could be the lower rated teams trying to get into the playoffs this year.

So here we go for the final regular season games.  Hopefully all teams and players will come out without any injuries and healthy for the rest of the season.  Good luck to all teams that play football and on to the guessing.

Novermber 6 & 7, 2009

Allegany  24  Fort Hill  20 (wasn't to far off)

Frankfort  42  Hampshire  14  * 

Keyser  32  Mt. Ridge  14  *

North Hag  28  South Hag  16  *

Bishop Walsh  24  Hancock  14  *

Tucker Co  42  Philip Barbour  20  * 

Jefferson  35  Washington  14  *

Moorefield  35  Tygarts Valley  10  * 

Hedgesville  24  Berkeley Springs  21  * 

Boonsboro  24  Smithsburg  20  *

Williamsport  28  Clear Spring  14  * 

*  Denotes a correct guess!

YOU WANT TO SUPPORT

ALLEGANY CAMPERS FOOTBALL...

ITS EASY!

CHECK OUT THE GRID IRON WEB SITE AT;

www.alleganygridironclub.com

Click on the headline above for access to the site. 

The Allegany High School Grid Iron Club supports the activities of the Campers Football program by selling items at the Grid Iron Booth at Greenway Avenue stadium, sell lottery tickets at the games as well as the weekly programs you buy before each home game.

During all the home games, the Grid Iron has given away T-shirts and Homecoming 2005 blankets to those lucky people who simply buy a program and have the correct markings on the selected page in those programs.  These are just a few things that the Grid Iron Club does for the team.

If you would like to see the vast array of items the Grid Iron sells at the booth at Greenway, you can simply look to the left hand side of this screen and click on the Grid Iron Products section and see what all they have.  You will be surprised as to all the different items of spirit and motivational items the club carries for all Camper Fans. 

You can buy them at the stadium of course, it is so easy you'll come back often.

SO....YOU WANT TO SUPPORT ALLEGANY FOOTBALL...THIS IS IT!

A very important thing for all those who need to know, the Allegany High School Grid Iron Club supports the activities of the football team.  Items like end of season jackets, championship rings, supplying food after home games and providing funds for away game dinners.  Purchasing the "Big A" at the stadium, the 25 second time clocks at the stadium and the team run through tunnel of a few years ago.  Also, the Grid Iron is solely responsible for the football programs that we all enjoy at the stadium each and every week at Greenway and they help purchase necessary equipment when needed.  That is just a few items of interest.  So you can see how vitally important this club is to the school and team. 

An even more important item to remember is that all funds collected during the season and after the season by the Grid Iron Club, goes directly back to support the football program at Allegany High School.

So, you want to help.  That is easy.  The Grid Iron Club always needs volunteers to help out with selling programs, in the booth or just simply help out the club when needed.  At $5.00 a year dues, you can't go wrong by helping out one of, if not the finest high school football program in the state of Maryland.

SO COME ON OUT AND GIVE THEM A HAND...

YOU WON'T REGRET IT!