[Baltimore Sun] Catonsville football rolls past Dulaney, 37-18, in John Youngberg’s head coaching debut
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It didn’t take long for Catonsville coach John Youngberg to get comfortable on the sidelines for the Comets’ home opener against Dulaney.
It was his 32nd year with the program, but what was different was that it was his first as a head coach. The host Comets kept the coach undefeated as the big cheese with a 37-18 victory over the Lions.
Senior Tyler Boyd rushed 16 times for 134 yards and three touchdowns and classmate Gunnar Gemmell was 7-for-11 passing for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Gemmell couldn’t have been happier for his head coach.
“It’s awesome, I’m just so happy for him right now,” he said. “After all the things that has happened with us with the coaches and everything, it’s really good to start off with a win, especially with him as head coach.”
Youngberg took over the head position from former Comet and the school’s all-time leading rusher Jaren Maybin, who was there for six years, and the new leader continued his familiar role calling the plays.
“They executed their plays well,” Dulaney coach Paul Thompson said. “They’ve been running those plays for over 20 years, so they executed those plays well and if you don’t key the guard and don’t do what you are supposed to do that’s what happens.”
Behind Boyd, four other Comets rushed for 29 yards or more.
“The line was really good today, creating big holes great for our running backs finding them. It was a great day for us offensively running the ball,” said Gemmell, whose third-and-8 connection with Khamari Chase keyed a nine-play scoring drive on the Comets’ first possession. Boyd scored on a 7-yard run, but the extra point was blocked by Bishop Owolabi.
Dulaney recovered a botched punt after its first drive stalled and the Lions tied the game at 6 on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Angelo Shuler to Jayden Corley-Pugh early in the second quarter.
An 8-yard touchdown run by Paylor and two-point conversion pass from Gemmell to Jeff Lemon put Catonsville back ahead, 14-6. It extended the lead with a defensive gem. A swarm of Comets, including Colin Fox, Peyton Lily and Trae Sears, earned a sack and safety with 1:17 left in the half.
On the last play of the half, the Comets stretched the lead to 23-6 on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Gemmell to Lemon.
“It was a little post corner,” Gemmell said. “We’ve run that a couple times at practice and we knew we were going to see man out of them and I knew I could put it up and he would get there.”
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“It’s something with how a lot of teams play us, many opportunities for that exist and it’s really just calling it at the right time,” Youngberg said.
Thompson said it was a mix of a defensive lapse and a well-executed play.
“They caught us in a bad coverage a little coverage bust and the kid threw a perfect ball and a great catch,” Thompson said.
A 7-yard touchdown run by Schuler and 38-yard TD pass from Schuler to Dajun Rudolph were the Lions’ only scores of the second half. Schuler passed for 127 yards in the final two quarters.
Boyd, who had 99 yards rushing in the second half, also had the Comets final two touchdowns.
“He’s a tough running back, tough as nails,” Thompson said.
Meanwhile, Youngberg praised his entire squad.
“This is our first real contest for this year and they outperformed my expectations, really and I’m very proud of them. They did a great job,” he said.
Thompson is looking forward to developing his squad that includes junior playmakers Kaijiri “JJ” Kaiser (four receptions, 41 yards) and Rudolph (four receptions, 52 yards)
“We are very young, they are all juniors,” he said. “We are going to be OK, little growing pains right now, but we will be alright.”
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