By Jeff Nelson
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, September 27, 2008

Looking back at the run that sparked Linganore's 17-13 home win over Thomas Johnson last night, Lancers running back Zach Zwinak shrugged his broad shoulders, as though there wasn't much to say.

"It's just a [basic] play," the 6-foot-2, 238-pound junior said. "The line made good blocks, the receivers made good blocks, and it was the play that made everything go."

Thomas Johnson led 16th-ranked Linganore 13-0 at the time of Zwinak's big run. The Patriots had just scored on Brock Chapman's four-yard run with 18 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

After the Lancers returned a squib kick to their 43, Zwinak took a handoff, ran through a large hole created by his offensive line and the big back wasn't brought down until he had reached the Thomas Johnson 17-yard line with five seconds left in the half.

Alex Eckard made a 34-yard field goal as time expired, and even though Linganore's deficit still stood at 10 points, the Lancers carried that momentum into the second half.

"That [play] gave them life," Thomas Johnson Coach Ben Wright said. "That's our fault for relaxing and letting a kid run [40] yards on a simple play."

"That was huge," Linganore Coach Rick Conner said. "If you play for Linganore, you're not allowed to quit. You've got to keep playing. And Zach's a great talent and he got some blocks and made a play."

The Lancers (4-0, 1-0 MVAL Chesapeake) started the second half with a nine-play, 57-yard touchdown drive that ended on Pat Balderson's two-yard run.

Later in the third quarter, Linganore's Kevin Meyer, a 5-foot-7, 160-pound junior speedster, ran through a gaping hole and ran untouched for a 41-yard score that put Linganore ahead by the final margin.

The Lancers' second-half success provided a stark contrast to the first half, when they had only 60 total yards before Zwinak's run.

Wright attributed the change to Thomas Johnson (2-2, 0-1) having smaller players, including seven who play both ways. He said his team "ran out of gas."

Myers said he and the Lancers stayed "persistent."

"I kept telling the line, it's not working right now, but we gotta keep wearing them down," he said. "I think that's what happened."

No. 16 Linganore 17 Thomas Johnson 13 Make It Six: Linganore has won its last six games against Thomas Johnson, dating from 2002. Get Up: Thomas Johnson had spectacular leaping catches in the first half from junior Victor Walker, who finished with four receptions for 53 yards, and junior Marquis Woodyard, who scored the game's first touchdown.