Football: No. 7 Damascus rides home run hitting Vinson past No. 8 Quince Orchard, 21-13

Trailing in a regular season game for the first time in two years, Damascus stared at 13-7 deficit deep into the third quarter amid a stalling offense and a muddled defense.

After a productive Quince Orchard drive was held in check — a 23-yard field goal that flared wide left — Damascus could feel momentum was up for grabs. Two plays later, and with The Swarm behind him, Markus Vinson bounced outside and raced 55-yards down the left sideline to give the Hornets a lead they would not lose.

On Friday night, Vinson teed up gashing jaunts to burn No. 8 Quince Orchard for 278 yards and three touchdowns, lifting No. 7 Damascus to a 21-13 rivalry win on the road.

“I saw a hole, and I had to go,” Vinson said of his 55-yard touchdown in the third quarter. “I knew nobody could catch me.”

Despite mistakes surrendered in the secondary, and a muffed punt that could have proved detrimental in the second half, Vinson received energizing jolts of confidence throughout the night courtesy of “Mar-kus Vin-son!” chants raining down from the Damascus faithful.

“They were the ones that were picking me up,” Vinson said. “I was really down, all the mistakes I made on defense.”

Vinson, who had runs of 68, 55 and 66 on the night, wiped away the Hornets defensive breakdowns that led to their 13-7 deficit at halftime. With 8:26 left in the first half, Quince Orchard quarterback Doc Bonner floated a 17-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Kyle Moats, and then with under four minutes to go in the second, Bonner found a wide open Brendan McGonagle – both busted coverages.

“We just kept making too many mistakes,” Vinson said. “We weren’t relaying our calls

A year ago, the Hornets put teams away well before halftime, and outscored their opponents by an average of over 38 points a night. According to Wallich, Friday night was the first time Damascus trailed in a regular season game since 2013. For many players, it was the first time they trailed in their high school football career.

“I didn’t know how they were going to respond,” Wallich said. “But they dug deep. We found a way.”

Outside of Vinson’s 278 rushing yards, Damascus only generated 56 yards of offense and struggled to string together productive drives. Vinson accounted for every Hornet touchdown on Friday night, scoring from seven (8:02 left in the second), 55 (4:50 left in the third), and 66 yards (11:54 left in the fourth).

“He was our workhorse,” Wallich said of Vinson. “Last year he was a heck of a player, kind of played second fiddle to (Jake) Funk, but this year is his year. He put the team on his back.”

After coming off a record-setting performance in 2015, Damascus returns this year, restocked to make another bid at would be the schools ninth football state championship. With Friday night’s victory against 4A West power Quince Orchard, the bullseye placed on the Hornets hasn’t moved an inch, and that’s OK with Wallich.

“We relish that,” Wallich said. “We want every team’s best shot, and we know we’re going to get that.”

For Damascus, the win, though Week 1, propels them to the top of the 3A West playoff standings and in control to run the table in the grueling region once again in 2016.

“It feels good,” Wallich said. “This is a big matchup. It’s nerve wracking, the whole offseason, knowing this is coming. It sets you up for a great season knowing you got one of the big ones off your back.”

Bonner finished the night completing 14 of his 25 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 73 yards on the ground.

Damascus (1-0) travels to Rockville next Friday and Quince Orchard (0-1) is on the road as they take on Walter Johnson.

Box score

Scoring summary

First quarter

None

Second quarter

QO — Kyle Moats 17-yard pass from Doc Bonner (PAT good), 8:26

DAM — Markus Vinson 7-yard run (PAT good), 8:02

QO — Brendan McGonagle 17-yard pass from Doc Bonner (Kick failed), 3:13

Third quarter

DAM — Markus Vinson 55-yard run (PAT good), 4:50

Fourth quarter

DAM — Markus Vinson 66-yard run (PAT good), 11:54

Damascus individual stats

PASSING

#10 Wade Rippeon — 1-4, 15 yards

RUSHING

#16 Markus Vinson — 14-278 (19.9 YPC), 3 touchdowns, 68 long

#27 Ben Lokos — 3-28 (9.3 YPC), 25 long

#5 Elijah Atkins — 10-24 (2.4 YPC), 6 long

#12 Cedric Cole — 1-(minus 11)

RECEIVING

#21 Javier Smith — 1-15 (15.0 YPR), 15 long

Quince Orchard individual stats

PASSING

#10 Doc Bonner — 14-25, 187 yards, 2 touchdowns

RUSHING

#10 Doc Bonner — 18-73 (4.1 YPC), 12 long

#5 Titus Johnson — 13-44 (3.4 YPC), 10 long

#35 Gerald Wade — 5-25 (5.0 PC), 16 long

#2 Will Scott — 2-10 (5.0 YPC), 7 long, 1 fumble

#4 Larry Hinson — 1-2 (2.0 YPC), 2 long

TOTAL — 39-154 (3.9 YPC), 16 long

RECEIVING

#81 Brendan McGonagle — 5-66 (13.2 YPR), 1 touchdown, 18 long

#35 Gerald Wade — 1-48 (48.0 YPR), 48 long

#13 Kyle Moats — 4-41 (10.3 YPR), 1 touchdown, 17 long

#12 Elijah Payne — 2-33 (16.5 YPR), 18 long

#15 Noah Pagley — 1-5 (5.0 YPR), 5 long

#5 Titus Johnson — 1-1 (1.0 YPR), 1 long