■ No. 10 Princess Anne knocks off No. 4 Ocean Lakes
The playoffs started early for Princess Anne High.
Following the Cavaliers’ season-opening loss to Salem, they know they have to win the rest of their games to have a chance to make the postseason.
So far, so good as the No. 10 Cavaliers went on the road and upset No. 4 Ocean Lakes 22-7.
“It’s the playoffs,” Cavaliers coach James Yeager said. “We’ve been saying that since the first week when we lost a tough one to Salem. ... But if we win out and are 4-1, we might still be in the dance when things are wrapping up. We just have to control what we can control every week.”
The Cavaliers (2-1) took control early. Following a failed onside kick by Ocean Lakes to start the game, the Cavaliers got the ball on the Dolphins’ 49 and marched eight plays to the end zone. Quarterback Ryan High threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to DJ James. Michael Newell scored on a two-point conversion to give the Cavaliers an 8-0 lead.
After Ocean Lakes went
three-and-out, the Cavaliers got the punt on their own 42. This time, they drove 58 yards in nine plays, capped by High’s 6-yard touchdown run. The conversion run failed, but Princess Anne led 14-0 in the first quarter.
The Cavaliers had an opportunity to score in the second quarter when they moved the ball to the Ocean Lakes 5. But two failed runs,
a fumble and incomplete pass foiled the drive.
“It could have been 21-0,” Yeager said. “We knew there was a very small margin for error against Ocean Lakes.”
Princess Anne outgained Ocean Lakes 182-32 in the first half.
The second half would be much different as the Dolphins started moving the ball.
They got the ball to begin the second half and marched 57 yards on 11 plays. Josh Brown completed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown.
After the Cavaliers went three-and- out, Ocean Lakes took the ball into the red zone with about four minutes to go. But Princess Anne’s defense held the Dolphins out of the end zone.
“Our guys are just tough,” Yeager said. “We came out and showed our resolve and our grit, and we shut them down and gave the offense the ball again.”
With about eight minutes remaining, the Cavaliers put together a nine-play, 85-yard drive that took more than five minutes off the clock. It ended with High scoring from 10 yards on fourth-and-inches.
“It was a tough, long drive and we milked the clock, which is what we wanted to do,” Yeager said. “I told the players, ‘You score here, it’s a wrap.’ And they went out there and took care of business.”