No. 8 Old Mill, No. 17 Arundel renew high-powered rivalry

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Each time McDonough shuts out an opponent, Rams defensive coordinator Thad Freeman rewards his players at their next film session with an appropriately shaped dessert.

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“We get donuts,” senior linebacker Christian Cole said. “Even if we didn’t, we take a lot of pride in shutouts. We work too hard and practice too hard to feel good about giving up points.”

Through five games this season, Freeman has had to stop at the donut shop three times, including each of the last two weeks when McDonough beat Great Mills, 41-0, in Week 4 and beat Lackey, 38-0, in Week 5.

The only points the undefeated Rams (5-0, 4-0 Southern Maryland Athletic Conference) have allowed since their season-opening 22-16 win over Northern was a touchdown on the opening kickoff of their 19-7 win over rival Westlake in Week 3, meaning the defense has played four consecutive games without allowing a single score.

“We’re not trying to do too much,” said Cole, who leads the team with 14 solo tackles (35 total) and 6.5 sacks. “We’re just trying to have everything come together as the full 11 guys and that’s the key to our success.”

The Rams emphasize an aggressive scheme that focuses on pressuring the quarterback while maintaining their gaps and not overpursuing.

They’ve run it to near-perfection so far, and have racked up 26.5 sacks through the first five games while forcing nine turnovers.

Cole, senior defensive end Robbie Owens, senior cornerback Alonte Dunn and senior linebacker Juwan Campbell are among the leaders, but 13 different players have at least 10 tackles so far, 10 have recorded a sack, and eight have either an interception or a fumble recovery.

The Rams host defending Maryland 3A North champion Aberdeen on Friday in a nonleague game, then face what could be their two toughest SMAC matchups in consecutive weeks against North Point and at Patuxent.

Potential SMAC and Maryland 2A titles for the second time in three years are a long way off, but the Rams’ quick start has them thinking big.

“One of our concepts is it would be pointless to have a good start only to have a bad finish,” Cole said. “So we have to keep going and keep getting better each week.”

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Contrasting styles fuel Old Mill-Arundel rivalry

Weekend schedule: Friday | Saturday

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