Chris Monroe makes most of his chances with McDonough, while Old Mill starts strong

Heading into his first season as McDonough’s featured running back, Rams senior Chris Monroe couldn’t wait for the chance to finally carry the ball in a crucial situation.

After Northern kicker Andrew Rexroth forced overtime with a late 22-yard field goal Friday, Monroe got his opportunity on opening night.

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Host B.J. Koubaroulis runs through the top plays from the first full slate of games in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia football seasons.

Running off left tackle behind senior linemen Na’Ty Rodgers and Charles Jennifer, Monroe scored from two yards out on the Rams’ second offensive play of overtime to beat Northern, 22-16.

“It was an honor because I felt like my coach put the ball in my hands and trusted me that I could make a play to win the game,” Monroe said. “I saw an opportunity and I took it and ran as hard as I could.”

Monroe finished with 122 yards and two touchdowns, pacing the Rams who won their fourth consecutive season opener despite playing what McDonough Coach Luke Ethington said was far from their best game.

“Northern’s a good team,” Ethington said, “and as far as execution goes, I’m not sure the better team won.”

McDonough led 16-7 in the second half, but Northern senior running back Mason Cox rushed for his second touchdown of the night in the third quarter, and Rexroth tied it with his short field goal with about two minutes to play.

The Rams had trouble controlling possession, and won despite running only 23 offensive plays.

“We’ve got to go back and get more established in our offensive systems so we can put drives together,” Ethington said. “Unfortunately we played bad but fortunately we still won.”

Elsewhere, Patuxent junior running back Rafiq Douglas rushed for two touchdowns and 135 of the No. 18 Panthers’ 307 yards on the ground in a 49-13 win over Thomas Stone...Calvert shut out Chopticon until a safety late in the fourth quarter to earn a 19-2 win over the Braves. It was the Cavaliers’ first victory in a season opener since 2009…

North Point junior running back Marquel Dickerson rushed for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-0 win over Leonardtown.

Senior running back Carl Riffe rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns as Huntingtown cruised past Great Mills, 42-0, in Brendan Galligan’s head coaching debut…North Point dominated Leonardtown, 34-0, to win its season opener for the fourth consecutive year…

Sophomore running back Eriq Fadahunsi rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns in his varsity debut to lead Lackey to a 30-12 win over Charles County rival La Plata…Westlake struggled in a 17-0 loss to perennial Frederick County power Urbana.

Around Anne Arundel

No. 9 Old Mill opened its season with a bang Friday, scoring a pair of special teams touchdowns and scoring three times on plays of 59 yards or more in a 35-7 win over Broadneck.

Patriots senior wide receiver Carl Chance put the first points of the season on the board for Old Mill, with an 80-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jalen Jones in the first quarter.

Chance later put an exclamation point on the victory for Old Mill by reeling in a 59-yard touchdown, his second of the game. The senior finished the victory with three catches for 160 yards. Jones, the quarterback, finished the game with a modest 4 completions out of 9 attempts, but threw for 198 yards thanks largely to his big-play connection with Chance.