New Town came to Owings Mills for the Ravens RISE High School Football Showdown Friday night fired up about last week’s two-point loss to No. 9 Milford Mill. The Millers hung on for a two-point win in that contest, and the Titans wanted better in their second game.
This time, New Town started a bit slowly but scored the game’s final 35 points, including all 29 in the second half, and rolled to a 42-8 victory over Owings Mills in a Baltimore County matchup.
Quarterback Brian Williams led the way on offense, along with running back Zavion Woodard. Williams ran for two touchdowns, threw for another and ran for a two-point conversion as New Town (1-1) dominated play in the final three quarters — especially in the second half.
“We lost to Milford Mill last week, and we were hungry, but we came out flat in the first half,” Williams said. “But our energy turned up in the second half.”
Woodard helped the offense also as he ran for 125 yards. The running game really improved in the second half as the Titans were able to keep possession for longer stretches.
“We needed a [strong] win,” New Town coach Mike Savage said. “I think going into the second half, we ran much better. The offensive line really clicked in that second half.”
The Titans also got help from their defense. New Town scored two defensive touchdowns and shut down the Owings Mills offense after the first quarter.
Gerrell Johnson returned a fumble for a 41-yard touchdown on the fifth play of the game to give New Town an early 7-0 lead. Owings Mills (1-1) then scored on Cameron Hughes’ 9-yard run. Hughes added a two-point conversion for an 8-7 lead with 1:08 left in the first quarter.
After that, it was all Titans. Williams ran for an 11-yard touchdown that gave New Town a 13-8 halftime lead. Raiheem Olokekan recovered a fumble in the end zone early in the third quarter, and Williams later ran for a 1-yard touchdown. That gave New Town a 27-8 lead after three.
Woodard ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Williams later found Johnson for a 24-yard scoring pass for the team’s final touchdown.
The positive that Owings Mills got out of it was what came from the Ravens on this night. Wide receiver Willie Snead IV came early and spoke to both teams. In addition, there were cheerleaders in place along with a type of tunnel that both teams ran out of.
Snead said he enjoyed having the chance to come to this event because it reminded him of where he was in his high school days.
“Just keep doing the little things right,” Snead said. “I remember when I was in high school, in 2011 when I graduated, I was dreaming big and all I had to do was continue to stay with my studies and get the opportunity to go to college.”
Owings Mills coach Travis Hall said he and his team enjoyed what the Ravens brought to this game.
“Just the whole overall experience was great,” Hall said. “The guys loved it. The Ravens put on a great show.”
![Severna Park girls lacrosse had a seemingly unshakable advantage through most of the third quarter. But Archbishop Spalding had Gabby Greene. The Florida-committed midfielder had spotlights pinned on her from the moment she stepped onto Love Field — and yet, she seemed to vanish into oblivion every time she wanted a goal. And when the Falcons levied a 10-6 lead more than halfway into the third quarter, and seemed to be pressing the brink of running away with it, Greene wanted a lot of goals. With a hat trick already in the bank, Greene haunted the Severna Park cage to […]](https://www.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CAP-L-SEVERNAPARKSPALDINGGLAX17.jpg?w=525 "Severna Park girls lacrosse had a seemingly unshakable advantage through most of the third quarter. But Archbishop Spalding had Gabby Greene. The Florida-committed midfielder had spotlights pinned on her from the moment she stepped onto Love Field — and yet, she seemed to vanish into oblivion every time she wanted a goal. And when the Falcons levied a 10-6 lead more than halfway into the third quarter, and seemed to be pressing the brink of running away with it, Greene wanted a lot of goals. With a hat trick already in the bank, Greene haunted the Severna Park cage to […]")