It was an even bigger day for the Allen family of Odenton.
Each of the Allen boys - Eric, Ashton, and Austin - led his team to its respective Anne Arundel Youth Football Association Division I youth football title at Arundel High School yesterday.
Eric Allen Jr. rushed for three touchdowns to lead GORC in a 38-0 rout of Pasadena in the 100-pound championship game. Eric scored on runs of 34, 35 and 66 yards as the Wildcats earned their 48th consecutive win fourth straight county title.
In the first game of the day, Ashton Allen scored five rushing touchdowns to lead the 70-pound Wildcats in a 32-13 win over the Pasadena Chargers. Ashton is rated the fastest 7-year-old in the country based on Amateur Athletic Union track results.
Following Ashton's standout performance, Austin Allen celebrated his ninth birthday by running for the first touchdown of the 80-pound championship game to help GORC defeat Severna Park, 16-0.
"I'm blessed that God gave me three sons with great athletic ability, and my wife and I appreciate it every day," said Eric Allen Sr., father of the Allen boys, who serves as an assistant coach for the 100-pound Wildcats. "They're not just athletes. They're good kids who are well-rounded and do well in school."
Along with the Allen parents, other fans sported their team colors and cheered as 14 elite county teams took the gridiron.
"There will be anywhere from five to eight thousand people here throughout the day," said Rick Peacock, commissioner of the Anne Arundel Youth Football Association. "It's a nice venue and a good day for football."
Austin Slye, who played for the 80-pound county champion GORC team, said, "It feels great," to play in the finals at Arundel High School.
70-POUND CHAMPIONSHIP
GORC 32, PASADENA 13: Quarterback Ashton Allen led the Wildcats with five touchdowns on quarterback-keeper runs of 42, 46, 60, 1, and 8 yards while halfback Cameron Jones added the extra points. Allen was also an anchor of the defense along with Myles Downing and Gabriel Robinson.
"It's a very special year for these kids as first-year players to come out here and go undefeated all year," said GORC coach Clifton Luber Jr.
The win awarded Luber his sixth consecutive championship title with the Wildcats (12-0).
Dominick Williams scored on an 8-yard run and William Katzenberger punched in a TD from one yard out for the Chargers (9-3) in the fourth quarter.
80-POUND CHAMPIONSHIP
GORC 16, SEVERNA PARK 0: Austin Allen followed his brother's tracks and put the Wildcats (12-1) on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1 minute, 50 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Parker Watts tacked on the extra point.
Watts also scored on a 47-yard run, and Allen ran a QB-keeper for the point after. The Wildcats recorded a safety with less than 2 minutes in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
"We have been working diligently," GORC coach Richard Boliek Jr. said. "We have so many opportunities to move the ball with the different backs and play sets we have."
Nose guard Mason Crist led the defense.
Last year, Boliek's team was runner up in the county championship and runner up in the state finals. William Sherwood recovered a fumble and Brent McVicker had an interception for the Green Hornets (9-3).
90-POUND CHAMPIONSHIP
SEVERN 6, CROFTON 0: Brendan Adams received a 29-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Bell for a touchdown with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter to lift the Seminoles (9-3) over the defending county champion Cardinals.
Amari Sims, Cody Anderson, Malik Adams, Tyler Jiles, Joe Jennings, Adams, David Kates, Bell, and Adams put up a strong defensive effort to post the shutout.
"I told my offense they had to buckle down because Crofton's defense is stellar," Severn coach Michael Bell said. "We got that pass off and that was the turning moment."
Jacob Jarosz, Matthew Mancuso, Shane Green and Xavier Lockwood paced Crofton's offense while Anthony Toro, Jacob Harrington and Noah Beres led the defense. Crofton defeated GORC, 7-0, in last year's 80-pound championship.
100-POUND CHAMPIONSHIP
GORC 38, PASADENA 0: Eric Allen scored on touchdown runs of 34, 35 and 66 yards in the second half for the Wildcats (12-0). It was the continuation of a dynasty for head coach Rich Schmidt and this group of players, who have won 48 straight games and four consecutive county championships.
"I'm constantly amazed by these kids. We teach the fundamentals and preach teamwork and they go out on the field game after game and execute," Schmidt said.
Quarterback Brett Baucia scored on a 4-yard run, completed a 21-yard pass to Timmy Cole to set up a score and also tossed a couple of conversion passes. Baucia then sealed the victory with an interception.
Jason Labbe was the workhorse on the ground and also caught a conversion pass. Linebacker Daniel Gomez led a hard-hitting defense that also featured Andrew Santarpia and Daniel Hood.
Running back Tyson Queen had a strong game for Pasadena (10-2), which was coached by Brian Mackell.
11-UNLIMITED CHAMPIONSHIP
CROFTON 38, SEVERN 6: Tyler Perreten led the way on both sides of the ball as the Cardinals captured the 11-year-old Unlimited crown. Perreten scored on a 13-yard run and a 70-yard interception return and was also 3-for-3 kicking two-point conversions.
Quarterback Dylan Stein threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Koehler while Jeffrey Hirata added a 5-yard touchdown run for the Cardinals (11-1). Jordan Carter sealed the victory with an interception. Quarterback Jacob Harris completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Alex Myers for Severn (10-2). Nazaire Biscoe led the Seminoles in rushing and also played well on defense.
12-UNLIMITED CHAMPIONSHIP
PASADENA 19, GORC 16: Brenen Garrett's 40-yard touchdown run with 5:47 remaining in the fourth quarter held up as the Chargers edged the Wildcats in the 12-year-old Unlimited final.
Robert Branch scored on a 25-yard run and added an extra point conversion while Zachary Scott scored on a 1-yard run for Pasadena, which completed an unbeaten 12-0 campaign. Two-way lineman Monte Graves was a key performer on both sides of the ball while head coach Don English highlighted team captain Andrew Lane for his inspirational leadership.
Kyle Evans scored touchdowns on a 67-yard run and a 30-yard interception return to lead GORC (10-2), which drove into Pasadena territory before being stopped on downs with 1:40 left.
13-UNLIMITED CHAMPIONSHIP
GORC 16, BROOKLYN PARK 12: Running back Dominique Drake had a big game running the ball and threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Keith Luck as the Wildcats avenged their only regular season loss on the 13-year-old title tilt. Tailback Devin Salisbury scored the other touchdown on an 11-yard run for GORC (11-1), which had lost 8-0 to Brooklyn Park in the regular season.
Quarterback Syeed Mahdi did a good job directing a diverse attack while Greyson Torain broke some long runs for GORC, which captured the 12-Unlimited crown with this same group of players last season. Defensive end Kwame Kumah provided excellent outside containment against the Broncos' speedy backs while linebacker Colin Peacock made numerous tackles.
John Hendricks put forth a dominant effort at linebacker and also broke loose for a 59-yard touchdown run that pulled Brooklyn Park (10-2) within four points. Tavon Spears scored the Broncos' other touchdown.
(Zach Wagner contributed to this article)
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