After enjoying a Bye week thanks to their 6-3 record, Fallston football greeted Sparrows Point into The Den for a second-round playoff matchup this past Thursday, November 14, in a win-or-go-home game. They welcomed the Pointers by playing commanding football for 60 minutes, stacking up 38 points and shutting out the opposing Sparrows Point to a goose egg.
Proving they could shake off whatever rust there might have been after getting an off week, the Cougars put on a show under the Thursday Night Lights, continuing to dominate following their win over Bo Manor in the last regular season game.
After winning the coin toss and deferring to the second off, the Cougars got consecutive defensive stops before they got the party started with a field-flipping deep pass from Mikey Griffin Jr. to TJ Shimaitis, landing the Cougars inside the five and setting them up to punch it in with a run from Dominic Foster. Continuing a common motif from Fallston Football, the Cougs defense suppressed the Pointers with an Evan Alcide interception, once again setting them up in Sparrows Point territory. Playing complementary football, the offense made sure they got on the board once again after their defense got them the ball back. Griffin Jr. dropped back and once again found TJ Shimaitis deep down the field, who made sure he wasn’t stopped short this time, running all the way into pay dirt and making the score 14-0.
Still before halftime, with the defense still holding the shutout, the Cougs offense methodically drove down the field and earned their second rushing touchdown, piercing through the Pointer defensive line, this time with Caleb Canatella making it 21-0. Showing no signs of fatigue, the offense got the ball back and once again drove toward the endzone. Griffin Jr. got the snap and targeted Shimaitis once again, who promptly caught the lob over one defender and stayed up after contact from another to earn his second touchdown of the night and pushed his receiving total to over 150 yards.
After half, the defense made sure they didn’t let up, even with the large lead as they quickly pressured the Pointers QB and forced a tough throw downfield, turning into Fallston’s second interception of the night as Tavone Spencer Jr. went up for the ball, catching it while just barely staying in bounds.
The rest of the game saw another passing touchdown, this time to Hunter Solwold and a field goal from Cole Hassenplug, putting the finishing touches on a 38 to nothing ball game. The Cougars now look toward a tough third round matchup against Baltimore City’s Dunbar, home of former West Virgina star and recently retired NFL player, Tavon Austin. That game will take place this coming Saturday, November 23, as Fallston looks to get past the third round.
