Gridiron Classic Championship
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vs. 
1957: North 6, South 6
Ronnie Hawkins rushed for 32 yards and scored a touchdown as North Hagerstown played to a tie with South Hagerstown in the first meeting between the two city schools.
Both teams counteracted each other, as the Rebels shut down the Hubs' powerful ground attack, forcing five fumbles, while the Hubs managed to stop the Rebels' aerial offense, holding them to 77 yards passing for the game.
Terry Myers ran for South's only score of the day in the first quarter, while Hawkins reached the end zone in the second, but strong defense and bad luck for both teams kept the score knotted the rest of the way.
The Hubs' best chance to break the tie came with three minutes left in the game. After driving into South territory, Tom Neely, playing in only his second game at fullback, fumbled the ball on the Rebel 38. The Hubs regained possession after the Rebels turned the ball over on downs, but did not have enough time to mount another drive.
Series: Even, 0-0-1.
1958: North 13, South 6
Tom Neely rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown as North held off South for the first win in the city series.
Dick Spencer also ran for a touchdown for the Hubs, who used their powerful ground attack to pound out 171 yards of offense on the ground.
North scored both of its touchdowns in the first half, relying on its defense to keep the Rebels in check for the rest of the game.
Frank Jeskie rushed for 42 yards and the only touchdown for the Rebels, who were held to 109 yards of total offense.
Series: North, 1-0-1.
1959: North 14, South 2
Tom Martin returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown as North beat previously unbeaten South to win the city championship for the second straight year.
Even though they were held to only 60 yards of total offense by the Rebels, the Hubs were able to capitalize on South errors to win the game.
After South became confused and ran on a fourth-and-19 situation instead of punting, the Hubs took over deep in Rebels territory and scored on a Kenny Ridenour 3-yard run.
South managed to avoid the shutout in the fourth quarter when Melvin Monroe tackled Tommy Hawkins for a safety.
Virgil Nixon had 55 yards rushing for the Rebels.
Series: North, 2-0-1.
1960: South 28, North 13
Fred Martin ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns as South claimed its first city championship as the game was played as the season finale for the first time.
Up 7-6 at halftime, the Rebels came out strong in the second half, scoring in the third quarter on a 58-yard run by Melvin Monroe, and adding two more touchdowns in the fourth to put the game out of the Hubs' reach.
Monroe finished with 94 yards rushing for the Rebels (2-6-2), while Phil Petry ran for 62 yards and a touchdown. Petry also threw a touchdown pass to Martin.
The Rebels (2-6-2) finished the game with 334 yards of offense, 299 on the ground.
Richie Hawkins and Jim Snyder each scored for the Hubs (0-8-1) while Eric Auxt had 83 receiving yards.
Series: North, 2-1-1.
1961: South 13, North 7
Terry Browning scored the decisive touchdown in the third quarter as South claimed the city championship for the second year in a row.
The Rebels held the offensive advantage throughout, gaining 265 yards to 108 for the Hubs. But the Rebels struggled to punch through the Hubs defense for a touchdown, getting the game-winning score after a North fumble to start the second half.
Jim Bell scored on a touchdown pass from Phil Petry in the opening minutes of the game for the Rebels. Petry finished with 108 yards passing and 36 yards rushing for the Rebels (7-2), while Ronnie Sharpe gained 51 yards on the ground.
Joe Henderson scored the only touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Denny Wachter for the Hubs (4-5).
Series: Even, 2-2-1.
1962: South 20, North 13
Phil Petry ran for two of South's three touchdowns as the undefeated Rebels struggled before finally putting away North for the third straight year.
Petry threw for 132 yards and a touchdown and ran for 54 yards for the Rebels, who were held in check for much of the game by the Hubs defense.
Lee Woodring caught a touchdown pass for the Rebels (9-0), who completed the first perfect season in school history.
Craig Ingram ran for 75 yards, while Mike Miller and Skip Barnhart each scored a touchdown for the Hubs (0-8).
Series: South, 3-2-1.
1963: South 15, North 0
Gary Swartz ran for 43 yards and two touchdowns as South blanked North to run their winning streak in the city series to four games.
The Rebels defense held the Hubs in check all night, allowing the Hubs to cross midfield only three times and holding them to 190 yards while recording the first shutout in the series.
Marty Miller threw for 80 yards for the Rebels (5-3-2), while Dan Tuckerman added 34 rushing yards.
Skip Barnhart passed for 91 yards for the Hubs (2-8).
Series: South, 4-2-1.
1964: South 21, North 6
Bob Bloyer, Denny Domer and Dick Roulette each scored a rushing touchdown as South (6-4) rolled to its fifth straight win over North.
Roulette rushed for 79 yards, while Bloyer had 60 yards and Domer added 51 to account for all but 6 of South's 196 rushing yards.
The Rebels defense performed just as well as the offense, intercepting North quarterback Gary Rice four times and holding the Hubs to 135 yards of total offense.
Gary Kochman scored the only touchdown of the game for the Hubs (3-7).
Series: South, 5-2-1.
1965: South 39, North 6
Bob Parks and Victor Stone each scored two touchdowns to lead South to an easy win over North, continuing their domination of the city series.
South's defense recovered three fumbles and intercepted a pass, keeping the Hubs from scoring until the final quarter.
Chris Ramer also scored on an 18-yard interception return for the Rebels (5-5).
John Bentz scored the only touchdown for the Hubs (2-8), catching an 11-yard pass from Greg Wobler with 4:23 left in the game.
Series: South, 6-2-1.
1966: South 21, North 8
Johnny West was a one-man show for South, rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown, intercepting a pass and returning a punt for 74 yards to set up a score.
West accounted for all but 20 of South's rushing yards, while quarterback Eddie Buchanan passed for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
Mac Banks and Billy Seltzer each caught a touchdown pass for the Rebels (3-6-1), who extended their winning streak over North to seven games.
The Hubs cut the lead to 14-6 in the third quarter after quarterback Johnny Beck ran for a 7-yard touchdown. The Hubs defense recorded a safety minutes later, but South's defense stiffened.
Jack Spector had 61 yards on the ground for the Hubs (3-7), while Beck ran for 38 yards and passed for 63 more.
Series: South, 7-2-1.
1967: North 6, South 0
North Hagerstown quarterback John Beck scored on a 4-yard run midway through the fourth quarter for the only score of the game to end South Hagerstown's seven-game winning streak over the Hubs.
North's scoring drive started after the Rebels' Charlie Driggers fumbled a pass from quarterback Jimmy Harne and the Hubs recovered the ball on South's 11. Three plays later and with 7:15 remaining, Beck plowed into the end zone to pull North (7-3) ahead.
The Hubs outgained South on the ground, 164-44, led by Roger Barnes with 72 yards.
Harne was 7-of-15 passing for 64 yards for South (6-4).
Series: South, 7-3-1.
1968: North 20, South 7
Bernie Clutz engineered two second-half touchdowns - one on a pass to Randy Hull - to lead North Hagerstown over South Hagerstown.
Clutz led the Hubs down the field on their first drive of the second half, scoring on a 6-yard pass to Hull to break a scoreless tie.
The Rebels countered less than a minute later when Denny McNamee caught a Mike Tritsch pass and ran 66 yards to tie the game.
Clutz scored on a 2-yard sneak to put the Hubs ahead later in the third quarter. Doug Elgin, who had 104 yards in the second half, set up the score with a 56-yard run. Brad Girard added insurance in the fourth quarter with a 6-yard TD run for North (6-4).
The Rebels (5-5) outgained North in the air 170-7, but were outrushed, 224-126.
Series: South, 7-4-1.
1969: South 20, North 13
Kirk Karn caught his only pass of the game for a 10-yard touchdown with 10 seconds remaining to break a 13-13 tie and give South Hagerstown the win.
Brad Fulk threw the pass to clinch the city championship for the Rebels and drop North out of a share of the Tri-State League title.
The Rebels led 13-0 in the second quarter after Kent Hoover threw touchdown passes to Fulk and Denny McNamee. The Hubs got one score back in the first half as Dave Harris hit Barry Beers with a 24-yard TD pass 50 seconds before halftime.
Beers tied the game in the third quarter by blocking a punt and returning it 25 yards.
Dave Harris rushed for 71 yards for North (6-4) while Beers caught five passes for 56 yards. Hoover gained 115 overall yards for South (6-4).
Series: South, 8-4-1.
1970: North 20, South 2
North Hagerstown took advantage of an interception return for a touchdown and a blocked kick to defeat South Hagerstown for its third city championship in four years.
Mark Yurek recorded the first score by returning an interception of Rebels quarterback Scott Durbin's pass and returning it 20 yards for the touchdown. Dave Kunkel followed by blocking a Terry Brown first-quarter punt to set up a 7-yard run by Rick Bennett.
James Scott put the game out of reach in the third quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run for the Hubs (4-6).
South's only score came in the second quarter when Bennett fumbled and recovered the ball while being tackled in the end zone for a safety. The Rebels (1-9) outgained North, 169-163 but turned the ball over four times, including three fumbles.
Series: South, 8-5-1.
1971: North 21, South 6
Vince Thomas accounted for all three of North Hagerstown's touchdowns to lead the Hubs to their fourth win over crosstown rival South Hagerstown in five years.
Thomas scored in the first quarter on a 35-yard pass from quarterback Rick Bennett to open the scoring for North (6-4). On the next Hubs drive, Thomas ran in from a yard out on fourth down, after Bennett threw a 31-yard pass to Charlie Rideout to set up the scoring play.
Rod Parks attempted to get the Rebels (2-8) back in the game with a 6-yard TD run on the second play of the fourth quarter. However, the Hubs retaliated in the final two minutes with Thomas scoring on a 3-yard run.
Series: South, 8-6-1.
1972: North 18, South 6
Pat Dattilio rushed for 151 yards as North Hagerstown jumped out to a 12-0 halftime lead and cruised to its third consecutive victory - and fifth in six years - over South Hagerstown.
Todd Staley, Dana Williams and Harry Barnett each ran for a touchdown for the Hubs (8-2), who amassed 411 yards of offense against the Rebels (7-3).
South scored late in the fourth quarter - only the Rebels' second TD in their last three meetings with the Hubs - when quarterback Mike Flurie scored on a 12-yard run.
Greg Stewart rushed for 74 yards on 10 carries for North.
Series: South, 8-7-1.
1973: South 19, North 0
South Hagerstown held North Hagerstown to just 88 yards of offense and five first downs, while taking advantage of four turnovers to shutout the Hubs for its first city championship in four years.
The Rebels held a 13-0 lead at halftime, scoring on a 2-yard run by Mike Kridler - his 10th of the season - and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Stan Jones to Mike Brashears. Dane Brewer scored on a fourth-quarter run to put the game firmly out of reach for South (7-3).
North (1-9) drove as far as the Rebels' 20 only once in the game.
Series: South, 9-7-1
1974: North 34, South 14
Jeff Sellers scored twice in the second half and amassed 200 yards of total offense as North Hagerstown broke open a 14-14 halftime tie to defeat South Hagerstown. Chuck Hipp caught a 33-yard scoring pass from Mike Sirbaugh to strike the first blow for the Rebels (2-8). Alan Marriner and Nelson Coles each scored in the next two drives for the Hubs (2-8) before South's Andy Sayles scored on a 1-yard TD run to tie the game at 14-14 at halftime.
North's Rick Suder broke the tie in the third quarter, returning a punt 70 yards for the touchdown. Sellers followed with scores on a 41-yard run in the third quarter and a 32-yard pass from Steve Greathead that put him over 1,000 yards of total offense for the season.
Hipp caught four passes for 66 yards while Dave Mowen added 58 receiving yards for South.
Series: South, 9-8-1.
1975: North 14, South 13
The battle for the city championship came down to the end as South Hagerstown's Tim Armstrong caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Mark Sperry with 71 seconds remaining to bring the Rebels to within a point of North Hagerstown.
Ted Myers missed the extra-point kick, however, to allow the Hubs to escape with the victory.
Nelson Coles and Alan Marriner each rushed for a touchdown for the Hubs (4-6). Marriner ran for a game-high 99 yards.
Sperry went 12-of-22 passing for 141 yards and a touchdown and ran for a 1-yard run in the first quarter before hitting Armstrong with the scoring pass in the fourth quarter for the Rebels (3-7).
Series: Even, 9-9-1.
1976: South 25, North 21
Mike Leonard ran for a touchdown with 2 minutes remaining to give South Hagerstown its second lead of the game and icing a victory over the Hubs.
Mark Sperry passed for 145 yards and rushed for 56 to lead the Rebels statistically and scored on runs of 2 and 3 yards. Leonard also scored twice, on a 2-yard run in the first quarter and for 15 yards for the game-winning score for the Rebels (3-7).
Vic Fowlkes rushed for a game-high 134 yards and a touchdown for North (4-6). Scott Galbraith and Matt Smith each added touchdown runs.
The Rebels outgained the Hubs, 307-174.
Series: South, 10-9-1.
1977: South 9, North 6
South Hagerstown broke on top early in the game with a safety, putting the Rebels up, 2-0. Before the first half was over, Mark Taylor scored on a 47-yard pass from Mark Sperry, and Tim Farris' extra point gave the Rebels a 9-0 halftime lead.
South commanded the first half, led by the rushing of Sperry and Mike Shilling, while North stuggled with poor field position. The Hubs needed two scores to overhaul the Rebels, while the Rebels needed to play tight defense to preserve the lead.
With the Rebels leading 9-0 in the second half, the momentum shifted. The Hubs clicked on a 60-yard pass play on which Jon Craver, the intended receiver, batted the ball to Roger Wollaston, who scampered to the 10. The Rebels' defense forced the Hubs to lose 22 yards on the next three plays. On North's next possesion, the Hubs rallied with two passes to Perry Miller, the first for 30 yards, the second a 12-yard TD near the end of the third period.
In the final 10 minutes, South's defense thwarted two North drives. Eldon Brown stopped one with a crucial interception and the Rebels ganged up on North quarterback Rory Sandberg to stop another at the South 24.
Series: South, 10-8-1.
1978: South 25, North 22
South Hagerstown sophomore Joe Howell scored the game-winning touchdown with 17 seconds left in the game to lead the Rebels over North Hagerstown in stirring comeback fashion.
The Hubs, despite entering the game winless, rolled up 369 yards of total offense. Jeff Miles led the ground attack with 136 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Todd Rideout led the air attack on 8 of 12 passing for 149 yards, including 84 to Chris Pappas.
North appeared to have the contest wrapped up as it led 22-19 with 4 minutes left in the game until a fumble gave South one final chance.
South quarterback Davey Wachter finished 10 of 20 passing, including 4 of 6 on the final game-winning drive.
Series: South, 11-9-1.
1979: North 7, South 3
In the last play of the first half, Jim Scott made a 40-yard field goal to put South Hagerstown up, 3-0.
In the third quarter, Jeff Miles scored on a 21-yard run to give North Hagerstown a 7-3 lead.
With nine seconds left in the game, Rebels quarterback Dave Wachter dropped back from the Hubs 21-yard line and threw a pass toward the end zone. There waiting for the ball was North's Todd Rideout, who intercepted the pass and ran the ball back to the Rebels 21.
Series: South, 12-10-1.
1980: North 10, South 6
South Hagerstown scored first, late in the first half, on a flea-flicker ending in a Tim Mason touchdown. After Mason missed the extra point, North drove the ball 66 yards to take a 7-6 lead on Garry Shank's 1-yard TD run and Nick Billmyer's kick.
Billmyer added a 30-yard field goal early in the third quarter to make the lead 10-6.
With 2:02 remaining in the game, the Rebels recovered a Hubs fumble at their own 8-yard line. The Rebels marched 84 yards for a first down at the Hubs 9 with 24 seconds left. On second down, South quarterback Darren Dattilio passed to Mason, who was stopped at the 1. On third down, Dattilio tried to sneak the ball across for the game-winning touchdown, but North's defense allowed no gain. The clock ran out, but the officials ruled that while South was lining up, a North player inadvertently kicked the ball. The officials added two seconds, but before Dattilio got the fourth-down snap, time expired.
Series: South, 12-11-1.
1981: North 17, South 0
Kenny Branch, who rushed for 184 yards, led North Hagerstown's fourth quarter charge with a 61-yard sprint to the South 25-yard line. Branch finished the drive with a 7-yard TD run.
North turned a South fumble into another quick TD to bury the Rebels.
A determined Rebels defense contained the Hubs in a scoreless first half, but four Rebels turnovers, including two interceptions by Brian Shaw, helped North break lose in the final two quarters. Mickey Billmyer gave the Hubs a 3-0 lead with a 32-yard field goal in the third period.
Series: Tied, 12-12-1.
1982: South 15, North 6
Dave Williams ran for 155 yards - 118 in the second half, including a 32-yard touchdown early in the third quarter which broke a scoreless tie.
North's Scott Austin returned a Rebels fumble 50 yards for a TD later in the third period.
Brian Stone recovered a Hubs fumble on North's final scoring threat, and Rebels QB Eugene Rowley cemented the victory with a 25-yard TD run with 51 seconds remaining.
Series: South, 13-12-1.
1983: North 20, South 6
While John Lewis led North Hagerstown with two touchdowns, Carlton Gaines produced a critical touchdown with two minutes left, placing North Hagerstown ahead of South Hagerstown, 14-6.
A final touchdown was set up when Chuck Brandt intercepted Eugene Rowley's pass with less than 2 minutes to play. Lewis scored the final TD on a 14-yard run.
In the first quarter, Lewis ran in a TD from 9 yards out.
Series: Tied, 13-13-1.
1984: South 8, North 6
Gary Mozingo scored South Hagerstown's touchdown on a 23-yard pass from Mike Skubon in the second quarter of the Rebels' victory. Skubon connected with David Weaver for the two-point conversion, giving the Rebels an 8-0 lead.
North scored when Pat Hutzell ran the ball in from a yard out with 6 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Rebels avoided defeat by forcing four Hubs turnovers, including an interception by Craig Price on North's two-point conversion attempt in the final seconds of the first half, and two more interceptions in the final 1:43 of play to clinch South's victory.
Series: South, 14-13-1.
1985: South 27, North 12
Craig Price threw for 150 yards and three touchdowns, including a 40-yard pass to David Weaver only five plays into the game, in South Hagerstown's victory.
Price found Brian Hollinger with a 20-yard TD pass and then found Weaver for the two-point conversion before the first period ended. Gary Mozingo scored two TDs for the Rebels, including a 6-yard run and a toss from Price.
Jeff Heflin scored twice for the Hubs on 18- and 19-yard passes from Scott Rippeon.
Series: South, 15-13-1.
1986: North 12, South 0
This edition of the rivalry could have been a tossup. The teams took a scoreless tie into the fourth period. North Hagerstown ignited its offense and scored two touchdowns in the final quarter.
Al Varnadoe scored this first points with 7:08 left, with a 3-yard TD run for the Hubs. On the kickoff, South's David Weaver fumbled the ball and North recovered on the South 36. A personal foul gave the Hubs the ball at the Rebels 21. North moved the ball to the 9, and from there Varnadoe ran in his second TD.
Series: South, 15-14-1.
1987: North 6, South 0
Eric Peifer scored the game's only touchdown on a 5-yard run late in the second quarter as North shut out South for the second year in a row.
The Rebels' best scoring chance came with 39 seconds remaining in the first half. With the ball on the Hubs 4, Dwayne Freeman failed to get in the end zone on consecutive runs and time expired. North's defense held the Rebels (2-8) to just 40 yards in the second half and 113 for the game.
David Gladhill, whose playing status was questionable going into the game, ran the ball 11 times for 55 yards for the Hubs (4-6), who maintained possession for most of the second half by going 3-for-3 in fourth-down conversions.
Series: Even, 15-15-1.
1988: North 28, South 7
Mitchell Branch returned from an injury to rush for 71 yards and two touchdowns, while North's defense smothered South for the third straight year and the Hubs took the lead in the city series for the first time since 1960.
The Hubs (3-7) controlled the ball throughout, putting together a seven-minute drive in the first and second quarters which culminated in a 1-yard run by Branch. He scored a 3-yard touchdown on North's next possession.
Mike Noe and Eric Peifer also scored for the Hubs, who outgained South, 245-38. The Rebels (2-8) ran just 12 plays in the first half for minus-4 yards.
Series: North, 16-15-1
1989: South 28, North 22
James Frisby ran for 149 yards and all four of South's touchdowns as the Rebels evened up the city series once again.
Frisby scored on three 1-yard runs and an 8-yarder, and Bobby Moats added 73 rushing yards for the Rebels (6-4), who won the season finale for the first time since 1986.
South's defense held North (7-3) to 66 rushing yards and forced two turnovers.
Hubs quarterback Eric Hallenbeck completed 12 of 21 passes for 189 yards, and connected with Eric Peifer for a 7-yard score with 29 seconds left. North's onside kick attempt was recovered by South's Tony Kajencki to seal the victory.
Series: Even, 16-16-1.
1990: South 22, North 13
James Frisby had another huge North-South game, carrying 40 times for 237 yards and all three South touchdowns to lead the Rebels to victory and put North's playoff hopes in question.
Frisby had a hand in all of South's points, running for a two-point conversion and passing for another. He also set a South single-season record for rushing yards with 1,344.
North jumped out to a 13-8 lead at halftime as Shawn Ferguson scored on runs of 31 and 37 yards. But South (7-3) dominated the second half and, despite playing on a wet field, did not fumble the ball in 51 rushing attempts. The Rebels ran the same play - Frisby running behind fullback David Lawrence - 23 times in the second half.
The Hubs (8-2) did qualify for the playoffs.
Series: South, 17-16-1.
1991: North 27, South 12
North jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first half and held off a third-quarter charge by the Rebels.
The Hubs (6-4) scored on three of their first four possesions in the game, but were halted on their first two possesions of the second half, allowing the Rebels (3-7) to mount a comeback. Larry Wiles caught a touchdown pass from Kenny Jones and Jay Subetto ran for a 5-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 20-12.
North quarterback Dan Cunningham put the game away with his second 1-yard touchdown run. E.J. Fuller and Dusty Shatzer also scored for the Hubs.
Series: Even, 17-17-1.
1992: North 14, South 6
E.J. Fuller carried 39 times for 200 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, to lead North to its second straight win over South.
Fuller carried the ball 22 times in the Hubs' final 26 snaps, including 16 of their 19 offensive plays in the fourth quarter. Greg Rice scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter for North (5-5).
South (1-9) scored its only points on a 10-play, 76-yard drive, capped by Mike Webb's 5-yard scoring run.
The Rebels had a chance to tighten the game with 1:30 left, but North's Danny Marsh stuffed Steve St. James in the backfield on fourth-and-one at the Hubs 26 to end the South threat.
Series: North, 18-17-1.
1993: South 13, North 0
South's defense forced five turnovers and the Rebels scored a controversial touchdown as they beat North (3-7) for the first time in three years.
South got its first points when quarterback Che Swayne recovered a bad snap, scrambled and threw the ball to the middle of the field, where South center Bill Kidd caught it for a touchdown. The result of the play stood despite the protests of North coach Glenn Cross.
Malcolm Printup added a 10-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the game for the Rebels (5-5).
Glenn Dalton, Shane Eichelberger and Ebby Bynum each had an interception for South.
Series: Even, 18-18-1.
1994: South 13, North 0
Thomas Ashby carried 26 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns as South scored its second straight shutout win over North.
Ashby gave the Rebels (5-5) a lead just 2:22 into the game when he capped a five-play, 63-yard drive with his first touchdown run.
The Hubs (2-8) took the second-half kickoff and drove to the South's 25, where the drive came to an abrupt halt when quarterback Ben Grantham overthrew his intended target and was picked off by South's Daryl White.
South turned around and drove 80 yards, with Ashby scoring on a 5-yard run. Rebels cornerback Glenn Dalton preserved the shutout by breaking up a sure touchdown pass, then getting an interception on the next play with 1:55 remaining in the game.
Series: South, 19-18-1.
1995: South 18, North 6
South returned two interceptions for touchdowns and Cory Barnett handled the offensive load as the Rebels won their third straight game over North.
Donnie Wright stepped in front of North receiver Josh Fitchett and intercepted Hunter Cross' pass, returning it 64 yards for a score to give South (6-4) a 6-0 lead in the second quarter. Later that period, defensive lineman Mike Hull grabbed a Cross pass and ran 16 yards for another South score.
Barnett carried 13 times in a drive that took 10 minutes off the clock in the second half, dimming the hopes for the Hubs (2-8).
Patrick Livesay ran for 85 yards and a touchdown for the Hubs, who had five passes intercepted in the game. Danny Moore picked off three passes.
Series: South, 20-18-1.
1996: South 25, North 0
The Rebels scored two touchdowns in two minutes early in the second half to open up a close game and help South to its third shutout win over North in four years.
Glenn Harvey returned the second-half kickoff 75 yards for a score to give South a 10-0 lead. Two plays later South's Adam Cline recovered a North fumble, which led to Bryan Glines' 1-yard touchdown run.
Bryan Kaufman scored on a short run later that period as the Rebels (5-5) scored 22 points in the third quarter.
Donnie Wright ran for 110 yards on 27 carries for the Rebels, who gained 225 of their 240 yards on the ground. North was held to just 12 yards rushing.
Series: South, 21-18-1.
1997: South 21, North 0
Jason Priecko ran for 164 yards and a touchdown to lead South to its fifth straight win over North.
Priecko eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark during the game to become only the fourth Rebel runner to reach the milestone.
The South defense controlled the entire game, recovering three of six North fumbles. Hubs quarterback Hunter Cross was just 6 of 24 for 81 passing with four interceptions and the Hubs were held to 80 yards on the ground.
The Hubs finished the year 2-8 and failed to notch three wins for the fourth straight season. South finished the year 3-7.
Series: South, 22-18-1.
1998: North 6, South 0
North overcame five turnovers and made a second-quarter touchdown run by Kyle Doucette stand up as the Hubs ended South's five-game series winning streak.
The Hubs (3-7) moved the ball well, rushing 58 times for 291 yards, but three fumbles deep in South territory prevented them from putting more points on the board. Jamere Burnett ran for 139 yards and Doucette added 108 yards.
The biggest threat from South (1-9) came in the fourth quarter after recovering a North fumble at its own 18. Backup quarterback Dustin Short, who came in for injured starter Domonique Richmond, led the Rebels to the North 15 but failed to score.
The Hubs more than doubled South in total offense (306-150) and first downs (23-9).
Series: South, 22-19-1.
1999: North 35, South 13
Seth Staley scored three touchdowns and Reggie Dawson returned an interception 71 yards for another score as North routed South to prevent a winless season.
North (1-9) started quickly, driving 70 yards in 10 plays on its first possession. Jeff Seidman capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Hubs a 7-0 lead.
Staley scored his first touchdown on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and Dawson followed with his interception return to give the Hubs a 21-0 lead at halftime. Staley added second-half touchdown runs of 5 and 15 yards.
South (0-10) scored two touchdowns only after North had already established a 35-0 lead. Tony Marker scored on a 6-yard run and Mike Jeter scored on a 6-yard pass from Jon Showe.
Series: South, 22-20-1.
2000: North 7, South 6
Jeremy Petty's extra point in the third quarter proved to be the difference as North beat South and kept the Rebels from claiming their first playoff berth.
Zack Stowell answered South's third-quarter touchdown with one of his own, a 4-yard run that knotted the score and set up Petty to be the hero.
David Line scored on a 7-yard run for the Rebels (6-4), who needed a win and one other team to lose in order to reach the playoffs.
South's passing game was grounded by high winds and North's defense bottled up the run. The Hubs (6-4) used the weather to their advantage by grinding out the ball on the ground and eating up the clock.
It was the final game for North coach Glenn Cross, who stepped down after 19 years.
Series: South, 22-21-1.
2001: South 7, North 0
North's Bobby Waugh came up inches short on a fourth-down play at the Rebel 2-yard line with 1:34 in the game as South ended its two-year series losing streak.
South played the game without starting quarterback Domonique Richmond, who was suspended for "internal matters."
Richmond's replacement, Mike Moyseenko, scored the only touchdown of the night on a 2-yard run early in the second quarter. The Rebels enjoyed excellent field position all night, running just 10 plays from their end of the field.
The Rebels (6-4) played solid defense as well, holding North (4-6) to 51 yards until the Hubs' final drive of the game.
Series: South, 23-21-1.
2002: South 39, North 0
David Miner completed all six passes he threw in the second half, including three for touchdowns, as South defeated North and locked up its first postseason berth.
South (7-3) established its dominance in the first two minutes of the game. After stopping North (2-8) on its first possession, Hubs punter Kyle Robinson bobbled the snap. South's Josh Bussard scooped up the loose ball and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.
Jamel Smith scored on a 10-yard run to put the Rebels up 13-0 at halftime. South raised the level of play in the second half as Miner connected on touchdown passes of 23 yards to Matt Reichert and 21 yards to Ben Mertz.
The Rebels finished the season second in the MVAL standings, their best finish since joining the league in 1989. The win also gave the Rebels a 7-3 record, their best since since 1990.
The 39-point victory was the largest in series history and the 39 points scored by the Rebels matched the the most scored by one team in the series.
Series: South, 24-21-1.
2003: North 41, South 0
The Hubs came into the game with an undefeated season on the line and defended it easily as they shut out the Rebels.
A city school hadn't gone undefeated since the Rebels did it in 1962. The Hubs also became the first county school to complete a season without a loss since the 1995 St. James team.
With the win, the Hubs (10-0) also locked up the first MVAL Antietam conference title and guaranteed themselves at least one home game in the Maryland Class 2A West playoffs.
North struck early as Leon Finley returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to give the Hubs a 7-0 lead. Bryan Slater led the Hubs offense with 175 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
North held the Rebels (3-7) to 64 yards and five first downs on the night.
Series: South, 24-22-1.
2004: North 39, South 0
The Hubs wrapped up their second consecutive MVAL Antietam Conference title and held South to 36 total yards and two first downs in one of the most dominant performances by one team in the history of the series.
Leon Finley ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Robbie Thompson and Logan Kelso combined for 137 yards and three touchdowns through the air for the Hubs (9-1).
The Rebels (5-5) allowed 11 points per game through the first nine games of the season but gave up 16 in the second period alone to the Hubs.
Series: South 24-23-1
2005: North 42, South 15
Cadyn Robinson's 78-yard fumble return for a touchdown halted a possible go-ahead scoring drive by the Rebels and opened the door for North, which scored four straight touchdowns to defeat South.
With the win, the Hubs evened two records: Their final season record at 5-5 and the series record against South.
Diez Johnson, a sophomore transfer from South, scored two touchdowns for the Hubs (5-5), including a 45-yard run. Dee Mency had 130 yards receiving and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard catch for a score. Logan Kelso threw for 157 yards to put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Tony Bender ran for 117 yards and a touchdown for the Rebels (1-9).
Rebels kicker Dustin Rowland’s extra-point boot bounced off the left upright and gave North a 28-27 victory as the Hubs extended their current mastery over South to six straight wins and a 27-24-1 lead in the series.
Tied at 21, North (3-7, 2-2) scored on its third play in overtime when sophomore quarterback Steve Coccodrilli flipped a screen pass from the 7 to Demetrius Myers in open territory to the right. Chase Worthington added the extra point.
South (4-6, 1-3) answered when sophomore quarterback Hunter Phillips took advantage of Cory Shank’s 6-foot-4 frame on a post route from 12 yards.
Jordan Ricketts scored on a 2-yard run to highlight a 10-play, 55-yard first-quarter drive.
Two possessions later, as the game entered the second quarter, North went 62 yards in six plays with sophomore Anthony Winters going 17 yards when he latched onto a lateral toss from Coccodrilli.
With South in dire field position on its own 6 after a penalty, Phillips hit ex-Hub Nick Stubbs on a swing pass around the North 15 and Stubbs did the rest, breaking off one tackle and then outrunning two North defenders for a 94-yard touchdown. However, South’s PAT failed.
After stopping North, the Rebels then marched 87 yards, with Phillips’ 23-yard pass to Devaun Bowie setting up a 1-yard plunge by Antoine Malone, who also ran in the two-point conversion for a 14-14 tie.
Coccodrilli hooked up with Winters on a 48-yard pass play to highlight an 88-yard drive in the fourth quarter, setting up Ricketts’ 8-yard TD run with 5:47 remaining.
South came right back on a 59-yard drive, with Phillips hitting Shank on a 19-yard scoring pass with 3:56 left. Rowland’s kick knotted the game at 21.
Ricketts finished with 102 yards rushing on 23 carries, while Coccodrilli threw for 99 yards for the Hubs.
Derek Black returned the opening kickoff 35 yards to the North 48 and the Hubs, with the aid of a South penalty, drove 52 yards, with A.J. Staley scoring from South’s 6.
Anthony Winter ran for 19 yards to help set up his own 3-yard touchdown, and quickly the Hubs led 12-0 with 3:37 left in the first quarter.
Zach Eppard, Greg Pheabus and Zach Schreiber took turns with defensive stops in the second quarter as South went three-and-out on four straight possessions.
Meanwhile, North’s offense kept rolling. After Joe Mattei returned a punt 29 yards, Winter scored from the 7 with 5:57 remaining in the first half.
Starting its next drive from the South 48, North needed just two plays, the second Steve Coccodrilli’s play-action 43-yard scoring connection to Black with 4:10 left in the half.
After the fourth quick three-and-out by South, North romped 72 yards behind signal-caller Lynn Lowman, who finished the march off with three straight completions. He hit Black for 34 yards, Desmond Meade for 21 and Pheabus out of the backfield for a 6-yard touchdown to make it 31-0 following the PAT.
North scored twice in the final period under a running clock. Anthony Wells scored from the 2 with 8:45 remaining, then broke loose for a 24-yard score with a minute to play.
North’s defense was stingy, allowing minus-13 yards rushing on 23 tries and 51 yards in total offense.
The Hubs racked up 263 yards rushing, including 119 on 26 carries by Winter and 83 yards on 14 carries by Staley. In addition, North passed for 132 yards between Coccodrilli and Lowman.
On the other side, there was South quarterback Hunter Phillips, who did all he could to match Winter. The senior ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns and also threw for 196 yards and another score, all while shaking off a shoulder injury.
South had a 12-play, 56-yard drive, moving the chains twice on pass plays from Phillips to Jordan Nicewarner and getting another new set of downs when Phillips drew the Hubs offsides on a fourth-and-2 play at the North 22. Phillips capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, but the PAT was blocked, leaving North with a 7-6 lead.
Winter and Phillips traded off touchdown runs in the second quarter and Winter added a 30-yard touchdown run with 4:30 left in the half to take a 21-13 lead. Winter finished the first half with 225 yards.
South cut the deficit to one again on the opening drive of the second half, as Phillips completed a pass around midfield to Davis, who made a move to the outside and outran three Hubs for a 66-yard touchdown.
Again, North answered South’s score, going 54 yards in nine plays, culminating in Steve Coccodrilli’s 2-yard touchdown run for a 28-20 lead.
After a South punt gave North the ball at the 50, Winter gave the Hubs a two-touchdown cushion, breaking off a 33-yard scoring run on a fourth-and-3 play.
Phillips scored his third touchdown with 3:05 left, but was stopped short on the two-point conversion try. North recovered South’s onside kick attempt and ran out the clock.
South (7-3, 4-2 MVAL Antietam) snapped an eight-game losing streak against North, which still leads the series 29-25-1.
The loss eliminated North (7-3, 4-2) from playoff contention in Maryland Class 3A West and gave the MVAL Antietam title to Boonsboro, the only team with one conference loss.
South rolled up 480 yards of offense against North, with Hess and Smith doing much of the damage. Hess threw for 163 yards and ran for 80, while Smith rushed for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.
On the third play of South’s first drive of the game, Hess lofted a pass to a wide-open Teon Maeser, who then put a move on North’s Sergio Galvan to complete a 66-yard touchdown connection with 7:08 left in the quarter.
On its second possession, North started regularly feeding the ball to running back Phillip Butler, who ran three straight times to get the ball to midfield.
But quarterback J.T. Root fumbled the exchange on the next play and South’s Denzel Helms recovered to put the ball back in Hess’ hands.
Hess went right back to the air, this time hitting Michael Hill in stride for a 47-yard score and a 14-0 Rebels lead.
After another North fumble, South again needed just one play to reach the end zone as Hess went around end on a keeper for a 24-yard touchdown.
On the Rebels’ first play, Smith took a handoff right up the middle and went untouched for 81 yards and a touchdown that gave South a 27-0 edge with 2:13 still remaining in the first quarter.
The Hubs broke through in the second quarter, getting an 11-yard touchdown run from Kyle Hewlett to cut the deficit to 27-7. But South answered right back with its first sustained drive of the game, going 70 yards in seven plays — culminating in a 28-yard scoring run by Smith to give the Rebels a 34-7 lead at the half.
Smith went over the 200-yard mark late in the fourthquarter
with a 57-yard touchdown run that closed the scoring.Butler broke North’s single-season rushing mark, set last year by Anthony Winter, with 150 yards on 22 carries. The Hubs finished with 225 yards of offense.
The Hubs (9-1, 6-0) clinched the MVAL Antietam title, but more importantly, they assured themselves of at least one more game this season by qualifying for the Maryland Class 3A West playoffs. They’ll be the No. 3 seed and will play at Seneca Valley next weekend.
Preston Carey ran for a 6-yard gain to the South 15 but was stripped of the ball. The Rebels (8-2, 4-2) recovered with 1:56 remaining and set out on their final drive of the game.
Brandon Jackson completed a pass to Willie Rivas for 7 yards, but overthrew his receivers on second and third downs. Jackson hit Noah Wright just across the 25-yard line for a first down, but Wright wasn’t finished. He slipped one tackle to pick up five more yards, then jumped out of the grasp of another defender and was off to the races before finally being dragged down by North’s Tre Anderson after a 52-yard gain.
On first down from the North 26, Isiaha Smith gained a modest three yards. But the Rebels picked up 14 more on a personal-foul face masking penalty against the Hubs, pushing the ball to the North 12. Jackson picked up three yards on first down, then threw incomplete twice, barely escaping pressure from Roland Renner on second down.
Peer sent Coffin — who hadn’t attempted a field goal this season — on to try a 26-yard field goal, but an encroachment penalty moved the ball up four yards, and another moved it two more yards to the North 3. The kick missed and North survived.
The Hubs got on the board first in the second quarter, taking advantage of a 9-yard punt into the wind by South. Three plays later, Nick Karlen hit Gabe Fridgen on a perfect post pattern for an 18-yard touchdown. Mark Grunberg added the point after for a 7-0 North lead.
Later in the second, Renner recovered a snap that went over the head of Jackson to set up North’s next score — a 3-yard keeper by Karlen that gave the Hubs a 14-0 lead.
South came right back, going 80 yards in just six plays, capped by a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Michael Hill. The point after — into the wind — failed and South trailed 14-6.
South scored again in the third quarter when the Rebels blocked a Grunberg field-goal attempt and Reggie Anderson picked up the loose ball and ran 73 yards for a touchdown. The two-point try failed and South trailed 14-12.
Isaiah Keyes ran for 127 yards and Kyle Hewlett added 91 for the Hubs.
Isaiha Smith finished with just 28 yards for the Rebels, giving him 2,005 yards for the season. Jackson threw for 147 yards.
Isiaha Smith has scored 79 touchdowns in his prep career.
He never showed more emotion after a score than Friday night after scoring his 78th.
The South Hagerstown senior dived across the goal line on a 6-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter and quickly jumped to his feet, pumping both fists before calmly handing the ball to an official.
The score gave the Rebels a 28-20 lead, and Smith tacked on another touchdown run later in the fourth to lead South to a 34-27 win over North Hagerstown in the Gridiron Classic at Mike Callas Stadium.
It was an unusual show of excitement for Smith, who has become known for quietly going about his business and allowing his numbers to speak for themselves.
“It’s the North-South game and that score put us back up,” Smith said. “That was a big touchdown. Last year’s loss (to North) really hurt. We wanted to come in here and redeem ourselves this year and go into the playoffs on a win.”
The numbers for Smith speak volumes. He gained 325 yards on 37 carries and scored four times to give South its second win over the Hubs in three years. It also wrapped up the MVAL Antietam title for the Rebels (9-1, 6-0) and solidified their berth in the Maryland Class 3A West playoffs — their first postseason bid since 2002.
The touchdown capped a 96-yard scoring drive for the Rebels. Smith carried the ball nine times in the 12-play possession and South was also helped along by a 15-yard face masking penalty and an unsportsmanlike conduct call against the Hubs.
South coach Toby Peer was just fine with Smith’s display of emotion.
“I liked it, I liked it,” said Peer. “I liked it because it leads our team, it gives them energy and it gives them excitement. That’s what it’s all about.”
Smith’s fourth touchdown — a 38-yard burst off the left side of the line — gave South a 34-20 lead with 6:19 left in the fourth quarter. It was the only time in the nip-and-tuck game that either team led by more than a single score.
But North (6-4, 4-2) battled back, going 80 yards in just under 4 minutes to cut the deficit to seven points. Austin Stone converted an important third-and-1 play into a first down and then caught a 20-yard pass from Nick Karlen to keep the drive going.
On third-and-6 from the South 20, Karlen fooled everybody with a fake handoff to Isaiah Keyes, then rolled to his left on the bootleg for a touchdown with 2:34 remaining.
The Hubs attempted an onside kick, but the ball rolled out of bounds, giving South the ball at its own 46. The Rebels tried to run out the clock, moving the ball all the way down to the North 14 before turning it over on downs with 25 seconds left in the game.
Karlen was under intense pressure from a three-man rush and threw incomplete on three straight plays. He completed a fourth-down pass to Preston Carey, who made a short gain as time ran out.
North ran the ball effectively in the first half and had little trouble moving right down the field on the game’s first possession. Keyes saw most of the action, carrying six times to get the ball inside the South 30. Once there, it was Stone who got the call, breaking a big run on a quick opener before punching it in on the next play from the 8.
Smith’s night started off auspiciously as he fumbled on his second carry at the Hubs 19. North’s Aaron Miller scooped the ball up and returned it all the way to the South 13. But South’s defense tightened up and Mark Grunberg’s 27-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright and fell wide.
South took advantage of the break. Smith carried four times to move the ball from the Rebels 20 all the way to the North 6. Josiah Johnson scored from there to tie the game at 7.
The Rebels got the next break when Keyes lost a fumble at the South 38. Smith again carried the load and scored his first touchdown of the night on an 8-yard run to make it 14-7 South.
North answered with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Karlen to Bobby Brennan to tie it at 14 before Smith grabbed the lead back with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Keyes reached the end zone on a 10-yard run with 42 seconds left before halftime, but Johnson blocked the PAT as South held a 21-20 lead at halftime.
The South Hagerstown football team is like a powder keg. It only takes a fire to light its fuse.
Darian Robinson provided the match on Friday. After that, it was just a matter of time before the BOOM.
Robinson broke off a 74-yard touchdown run on the third play of the second quarter, and it was fireworks the rest of the way as the Rebels ran off with a 46-7 victory over North Hagerstown to win the 58th edition of the City Championship.
South heads to the Maryland Class 3A West playoffs next week with a 10-0 record, the MVAL Antietam title and its first undefeated regular season since 1962.
Robinson finished with 252 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while teammate D’Morea James added three carries for 138 yards and three touchdowns to pace the way to a victory that really wasn’t all that easy.
North Hagerstown (0-10) made sure of that.
“I appreciate the way they came out and played,” said South Hagerstown coach Toby Peer.
“(North) had a game plan and fired off the ball. As a coach, I really appreciate that, but our team rebounded and came back.”
And did it with authority.
North took its opening possession and shredded South’s defense with strong runs by Calvin Bembry and Tucker Brugh. The Hubs finished the drive with a 10-yard score by Bembry for a 7-0 lead with 7:41 remaining in the quarter. Meanwhile the defense kept the Rebels in check.
The whole game changed in two plays for the Rebels.
The first was the first play of the second quarter, when South’s defense held Bembry short on a fourth-down run to get the ball on downs at South’s 20.
The second was three plays later on Robinson’s run. He busted around the left end of the line and dashed that fateful 74 yards for the first score to tie the game at 7 with 11:05 to go in the half.
“(North’s defense) was coming up quick and I was able to get past the first wave,” Robinson said. “It was a lot of work by the O-line and staying back and seeing the holes.”
After that run, there were many more to come for South.
The next two runs by South backs were a 36-yard starter followed by a 25-yard finisher for James for his first score at the 9:10 mark and a 14-0 lead. The Rebels ended the half with a 53-yard TD run by James and a 57-yard scoring jaunt by Robinson as each found the end zone for the second time to give the Rebels a 28-7 halftime lead.
“We tried to blitz and put a lot of pressure up on the line, and couldn’t fill the gaps,” said North coach Greg Stains. “We were giving them too much in the seams. We came out emotional and ready to play, but then we got shell-shocked. ... That happened to us a lot this year.”
With everything rolling their way, the Rebels took care of business to wrap up all the spoils of victory.
Dominique Johnson opened the second half with a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 34-7 lead.
Later, James squirted through the middle of the line for a 50-yard TD run and Robinson capped it off with a 44-yard burst with 3:39 left in the third quarter.
Suddenly, the clock was running — and the Hubs had trouble stopping that, too.
From there, both teams chewed up offensive yardage, but no one scored.
“This was a great job by the offensive line and the reads of the running backs,” Peer said. “That first touchdown got us on track. This is all huge for everyone in the South community and everyone who has ever wore a Rebels jersey.”
Bembry finished with 186 yards rushing on 29 carries for the Hubs.
South ran 27 plays in the game to score six touchdowns and roll up 489 yards of offense.
2015: South 35, North 7
Daniel Moore has painful memories of playing North Hagerstown.
Last year in the regular-season finale, a torn ACL suffered against the Hubs cost Moore a chance to compete for South Hagerstown in the postseason. The injury was so debilitating that it has limited the explosive running back to spot duty this season, mostly at wide receiver.
But Friday in the City Championship game, Moore played a major role in his final high school game as he energized a sluggish Rebels offense in a 35-7 victory at Mike Callas Stadium.
Carrying five times for 88 yards and scoring two touchdowns, Moore showed South (6-4) the way as it beat North for the third straight year.
“Coaches didn’t want to rush me in, but they knew when it was time to put me in,” Moore said. “It felt great.”
This has been a frustrating season for the 5-10, 160-pound senior, who served as a backup wide receiver much of the way to protect him from the hits he would have taken carrying the ball.
“It did my heart a lot of good to see Daniel make the right cuts, get some yards and have a great game,” South coach Toby Peer said. “He has great vision and burst.”
Peer’s son, quarterback T.J. Peer, also closed his career with a stellar game, rushing 18 times for 110 yards and a touchdown and throwing a pair of touchdown passes — short routes that wideouts McCoy Dutrow and Lincoln Ikwubuo turned into long gains of 19 and 44 yards.
“Great to win our last game,” T.J. Peer said. “We just got the ball to our athletes.”
Unfortunately for North (1-9), the Hubs were without their top playmaker. Sophomore quarterback Bennie Barnes spent the game on the sideline, wearing his No. 5 jersey, but not in pads, serving a suspension for an unspecified violation.
“It was a team decision,” coach Greg Stains said.
North was able to muster just 154 yards and eight first downs. Were it not for a late fumble by South and a recovery by North tackle Aaron Horton at the South 39, the Rebels' defense would have pitched a shutout.
Instead, junior Ben Stottlemyer, a wideout all season, scored on a 3-yard quarterback keeper and kicker Madison Foltz added the extra point with less than a minute to go.
Stottlemyer was the Hubs’ top rusher, carrying 16 times for 76 yards.
“I’ve been the quarterback since Monday,” Stottlemyer said with a smile. “I’ve been joking around with coach all season to let me play quarterback. I finally got my shot.”
Led by linebackers Jacob Sprecher and Tucker Brugh, the North defense was inspired at the start, forcing three-and-outs on South’s first three possessions. But after South’s first seven rushes netted minus-three yards, Moore entered and changed the game.
His first run accounted for 15 yards and his second went for a 36-yard touchdown. Then in the third quarter, Moore scored on a 19-yard burst that was a work of art as he patently waited for a hole to develop, then burst through it.
“The vision’s always there,” Moore said. “The linemen do their job and you just gotta see it and read it out.”
Once Moore and the other South speedsters got into the depleted North secondary, they had smooth sailing.
“We gave them a little scare,” Stains said of the first quarter. “But we ran out of bodies. We’ve lost three or four defensive backs. Their speed got to us.”
2016: South 14, North 0
Lincoln Ikwubuo simplified everything to the bottom line.
"This game was a rivalry," South Hagerstown's senior receiver said. "It makes both teams play hard."
And that the Rebels and crosstown rival North Hagerstown did. In a game that on paper didn't look to be much of a matchup was every bit of a rivalry.
South Hagerstown scored two first-half touchdowns and held on the rest of the way Friday night as the Rebels scored a 14-0 victory in the 60th edition of the City Championship at School Stadium.
It was the Rebels' fourth straight win in the rivalry, but the Hubs still own a 30-29-1 edge in the series.
It wasn't pretty, but South (7-3) did just enough right and North (2-8) made a couple costly errors that made the difference.
"These kids just have to learn how to win," said Hubs coach Greg Stains. "We've been down so long and it takes time."
"I'm proud of our kids," said South coach Toby Peer. "No one gave us a chance this season. The whole year, the goal was to get better."
South quarterback Timmy Townsend scored on a 2-yard run in the first quarter and then found Ikwubuo on a 16-yard out pattern in the end zone in the second period for all the scoring.
It was a game that seemed like it would be so different.
South had played and won so many tight games to stay within striking distance of a Maryland Class 3A West playoff berth. The Rebels were eliminated from contention by the end of the night.
North spent the season learning the ropes and trying to stay close in games.
But on Friday, the teams were on equal footing.
South fumbled the ball four times — losing it once — and they stunted the offense. North committed penalties to hamper drives. Both teams failed to score on two drives inside the 10, although one of the Rebels' came in the final possession of the game with the lead.
In the end, it all came down to good, old-fashioned ball control and some stingy defense to set the tone for the outcome.
"That was our game plan," Peer said. "We wanted to control the ball. I would have liked us to finish better, but we had fumbles and a turnover that hurt us in the beginning. But we settled down and finished the game."
The game opened with North fumbling away the opening kick. South came up empty on the gift by fumbling it back on the Hubs 7.
But the Rebels took the second possession in with a 68-yard drive that lasted 4:46. South mixed power runs with passes to Ikwubuo to get downfield.
After overcoming another fumble, Townsend found Jayswah Sanon on a 48-yard dump pass to avoid a sack, which set up his 2-yard scoring run. Zach Rupp added the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 2:00 remaining in the first quarter.
"They didn't do anything we didn't expect," Stains said. "We played well defensively, but our offense struggled against their fronts."
Both teams continued to turn the ball over on downs throughout the first half. South finally broke through again to provide itself a cushion.
The Rebels took over on downs at their 27 and looked to Ikwubuo to lead the way. Townsend hit his receiver with three passes on the drive, culminating with the 16-yard strike to the front right corner of the end zone.
"We have a combination of routes, and it just depends on what the defense gives us," Ikwubuo said.
The Rebels needed to use those routes.
"They were loading up the box against us," Peer said. "They did a nice job against the run."
Rupp's extra point gave South the 14-0 lead with 4:05 remaining in the half. From there, the game became a grinder.
The Rebels intercepted a Scott Neal pass with 7:08 remaining in the third quarter. South tried to ground out a TD, but sputtered out at the North 4 with 1:32 remaining in the period.
North took the ball and tried to feed South some of its own offensive tactics. The Hubs mounted a 20-play drive that spilled into the fourth quarter.
On the second play of the final period — the seventh of the drive — North running back Ben Stottlemyer had to be helped off the field with a leg injury.
Chase McCoy replaced Stottlemyer and combined with Neal to continue the drive, but it stalled out at South's 3 with 6:49 remaining.
"When we lost Ben, the kids rallied but fell short," Stains said. "When they got down there, they weren't sure of the down and distance. I should have called timeout. It was a bad decision on my part. But the kids played hard."
The Rebels took the ball and produced a 12-play drive down to the Hubs 1, but allowed the clock to reach zero instead of trying to score.
North finished with 222 yards of offense, 136 coming via Neal's passing. Stottlemyer finished with 34 yards.
Sanon had 106 yards rushing to lead South, which finished with 397 yards offensively. Townsend was 13 of 17 for 189 yards, including 10 receptions for 120 yards by Ikwubuo.
"Not at all," Ikwubuo said when asked if he expected this type of game. "North is a good team and it has good players. That was their fight. It was our last game."
2017: South 33, North 6
When North Hagerstown’s Jaynaz Melendez brought down South Hagerstown’s Jayswah Sanon with a textbook shoulder tackle, he knocked the Rebels running back out of the game.
In the Gridiron Classic, how would South do without its prime ball carrier?
Just fine, thank you, as Taliek McKenzie rushed his way into North-South lore.
The senior carried 22 times for 136 yards and three touchdowns — all in the second half — as South pulled away for a 33-6 victory at jam-packed Mike Callas Stadium.
“Jayswah’s a great back,” McKenzie said. “It’s terrible that he went down. But as Coach (Toby) Peer says, ‘It’s next man up.’”
Few teams have a “next man” with the combination of size (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) and speed of McKenzie.
Still, he was quick to credit his offensive line.
“Without those big guys up front, there’s nothing working for me,” McKenzie said.
Those big guys also helped protect quarterback Tim Townsend, who had his best night of the season, completing 19 of 25 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns, both in the first half.
“I think the rivalry game really got him ready to play tonight,” senior wideout Chase Molony said of Townsend. “We all came ready to play tonight. We were completely confident in ourselves, which is something we haven’t really had all season.”
In beating North (4-6) for the fifth straight year, South (5-5) evened the series at 30-30-1.
“We hit our stride offensively tonight,” Peer said. “We finally started executing the run and pass game. And our defense really played well tonight. I like how we finished.”
Including the work done by Sanon, who carried 11 times for 105 yards, South accumulated 495 yards and 26 first downs.
The North offense started strong as junior quarterback Scott Neal directed a 56-yard touchdown drive with his arm — throwing a 30-yard pass to Ben Herrera — and legs, as he carried three times for 16 yards, including a 5-yard run to the end zone.
Later in the first half, Neal sparked another drive with a 25-yard scamper down the sideline. The Hubs reached the South 13, but a field-goal try — which would have put North in the lead — was short.
After that, it was all South as North failed to muster a first down on its next five possessions.
“Wasted opportunities,” said North coach Greg Stains. “It’s been our mantra all year. We don’t finish when we need to.”
South answered North’s missed field goal with an 80-yard scoring drive to close the first half. Sanon did most of the work in the march, carrying four times for 50 yards and making two receptions for 29 more before getting hurt.
Nate Moore, who caught seven passes for 73 yards, finished the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown catch, giving South a 14-6 lead.
Then the second half was all about McKenzie, Townsend and South being in total control.
“Yards after the catch were big,” Peer said. “I thought we played very fast tonight. Our receivers and running backs looked real fast on this turf. Be nice to have some of this over at South.”
For the Rebels, the only downside was a score from Montgomery County. An upset by Watkins Mill (5-5) over Blake (7-3) apparently cost South a playoff berth.
“I’m not going to talk about that with the kids. We’re just gonna embrace tonight,” Peer said. “Someone will let us know this weekend whether we’re in or not. We tell the kids all the time that in life you gotta focus on the things you can control. We took care of what we could control tonight.”
All-time series: Tied, 30-30-1
2018: South 43, North 0
An early 5:00 PM kickoff and playing in an absolute monsoon made this gridiron classic a muddy mess. South wasn't fazed by the weather and took control early with their potent ground game as Jayswah Sanon scored on a three-yard run.
Eric McDonald broke loose on a 70-yard gallop and a Ty Keith added a two-point conversion to put the Rebels in complete control.
Sanon had two more touchdown runs and finished with 234 yard on just 13 carries to pace South. Khalil Booker and Timmy Townsend added a TD run each. Kicker Tyler Johnson nailed all five of his extra-point attempts.
South outgained the Hubs 402-107 to dominate this edition of the city series.
Sophomore A.J. Cook was North's lone bright spot - rushing 24 times for 105 yards. Eric McDonald had 92 yards rushing on only three carries.
With the win the Rebels took the lead in the all-time series 31-30-1.
2019: South 44, North 12
Oshane Thorpe found out he has a little Muhammad Ali in him.
The former heavyweight boxing champion used to talk about floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.
South Hagerstown's quarterback knows all about butterflies and bees after Saturday night.
Thorpe shook first-game jitters — coming in his first game as a QB — and came back with stinging plays to lead the Rebels to a 44-12 victory over host North Hagerstown in the City Championship game, summer edition.
"Yeah, I was nervous," Thorpe said. "It was my first-ever game at quarterback and it was in the North-South game. But after the game got started, I got some contact and I knew it was game time. I needed to help my team."
You could say that Thorpe answered the bell.
After shaking off a couple early fumbles — one he lost — Thorpe put South's offense in high gear as the Rebels scored 38 straight points after falling behind 6-0. He started running the ball and showed touch on his passes while being supported by a strong ground game to get the job done.
And for their efforts, the Rebels won their seventh straight city title, but the first in warm weather. The North-South game had been played as the final game of the regular season since 1960 until Saturday.
Thorpe ran for 91 yards and a TD and added 94 yards passing and another TD, and did the job engineering a Rebels attack that the Hubs had trouble stopping. South added physical play on defense to take North out of its flow.
"We have a lot of guys returning on defense. We were hoping to get enough offense to get by," said South coach David Lawrence. "Hats off the Oshane. He never played quarterback and had all the pressure on him that goes with that position. He has grown so much.
"The offensive line did a great job. The defense played physical. I'm just so proud of our team and our coaches."
North looked to have the edge early. The Rebels were making mistakes and the Hubs moved the ball.
The Hubs put together a punishing drive on their second possession. They pounded the ball downfield on the ground before completing a 11-play, 69-yard drive with Jaynaz Melendez's 30-yard fourth-down pass to Devon Napier for a TD for a 6-0 lead with 5:19 left in the first quarter.
It all turned and got away from the Hubs quickly.
"We had a lot of opportunities, but we didn't take advantage of them," said North coach Greg Stains. "We just got hit in the mouth and didn't respond."
The first punch came on the very next play when South's Khalil Booker took the ensuing kickoff back for an 82-yard TD to tie the game at 6 just 9 seconds later.
South took that momentum and ran with it.
"After they scored first, that woke us up," Thorpe said. "We fixed things and I just ran what Coach was telling me."
The Rebels made it 12-6 at the start of the second quarter on a 3-yard TD run by Elijah Hill with 10:43 remaining in the half. Both teams had trouble with their conversions as eight of nine of the combination of kicks and two-point plays failed.
South applied what may have been the dagger just before half.
Thorpe displayed his confidence by delivering a 34-yard strike to Malakai Pinckney, who caught the ball in stride for a TD with 36 seconds left in the half to give the Rebels an 18-6 lead at the intermission.
"I have never seen that kid make that kind of throw," Stains said. "It was a great throw and a great catch in stride."
The play even surprised Lawrence.
"That's just what Oshane does," he said. "I'm not sure that was who we were going to throw to. I was on the headset and the coaches said that that's not what we were trying."
South received the second-half kickoff and took total control. The Rebels scored on their first three drives of the second half to roll to a 38-6 lead.
Thorpe put the finishing touches on the first drive with a 17-yard score and ran in the conversion to make it 26-6. Zhiear Brown followed with TD runs of 17 and 16 yards to make it 38-6 by the 10:22 mark of the fourth quarter.
"When we click and get all that energy, there is no stopping us," Thorpe said. "We just keep it going."
North stopped South's run when Melendez hit Kaelib McElroy with a 12-yard TD pass with 8:33 remaining. South added a 2-yard TD run by Ty Keith with 1:54 remaining to close the scoring.
South ran up a 488-206 edge on offense. Brown finished with 112 yard on nine carries to go with his two scores.
North was led by Melendez with 160 yards passing and two TDs. AJ Cook led the Hubs' ground game with 47 yards.
South 6 12 14 12 — 44
North 6 0 0 6 — 12
First Quarter
NH — Devon Napier 30 pass from Jaynaz Melendez (kick failed)
SH — Khalil Booker 82 kickoff return (kick failed)
Second Quarter
SH — Elijah Hill 3 run (run failed)
SH — Malakai Pinckney 34 pass from Oshane Thorpe (kick failed)
Third Quarter
SH — Thorpe 17 run (Thorpe run)
SH — Zhiear Brown 17 run (kick failed)
Fourth Quarter
SH — Brown 16 run (kick failed)
NH — Kaelib McElroy 12 pass from Melendez (pass failed)
SH- Ty Keith 2 run (kick failed)
AJ Cook rushed for 176 yards in regulation for North Hagerstown on Friday.
