Veith, Coyotes Pull Off Stunner Over Screaming Eagles

After leading Clarksburg in receptions the past two seasons, senior Andrew Veith learned three weeks ago that he was going to be the team's quarterback. Luckily for the Coyotes, they can still use his sure hands elsewhere on the field.

With the score tied and seemingly headed for overtime, Veith sat in his free safety spot and watched a Seneca Valley pass head toward the right sideline. It sailed high and Veith swooped, picked it off and race untouched down the sideline for the clinching score with five seconds left, giving Clarksburg a thrilling 15-8 home victory over its neighborhood rival in the first meeting of the two teams.

"I didn't see anything," Veith said, describing the play unfold. "I just saw the end zone. I saw the game right in front of my eyes."

Clarksburg had been an enigma in Montgomery County since the school opened in 2006. The Coyotes went 22-2 the past two seasons, but were classified in Maryland 2A, which meant they didn't regularly compete against the county's elite programs.

This year, the Coyotes were reclassified to 3A. Some in the county thought they would be exposed. This victory was an emphatic retort.

"Seneca Valley is the most storied program in the history of Maryland," Clarksburg Coach Larry Hurd said. "To win this game against that caliber of a ballclub allows us to have some credibility. We've always been told that if you play Seneca or teams [nearby], you'll get run off the field."

The Coyotes struggled in the first half, when 10 of their 19 plays from scrimmage went for zero or negative yardage. The Screaming Eagles went ahead, 8-0, five minutes before halftime on a seven-yard pass from Max Nicholson to Michael Doe. Pierre Hinton ran in the two-point conversion.

Clarksburg came back midway through the fourth quarter, when Moses Anoh blocked a Seneca Valley punt to give the Coyotes the ball at the Eagles 24. Five plays later, Veith snuck it in from one yard out, and Sam Collins ran in the game-tying two-point conversion.

Seneca Valley punted on its next possession and then intercepted Veith with 39 seconds left at its 36. After a completion and a Seneca Valley penalty, the stage was set for Veith to return the favor.

"To be honest, I couldn't believe what just happened," he said. "I've been waiting for this game forever, and to be in the right place at the right time, just amazing."

Clarksburg 15, Seneca Valley 8 New Flock: Seneca Valley, which advanced to the Maryland 3A semifinals last year, brought back just one starter, and 22 of its 42 players this season are juniors. Woke Up in Time: Clarksburg had just four first downs in the first three quarters, but five in the fourth quarter, when the Coyotes scored both their touchdowns.