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The high school rivalry game is sport in its purest form. Players, wearing jerseys on their backs and pride on their sleeves, pour their hearts out on the field, not for money, or for fame, but just because they love to play. And fans, who live and die with every snap their quarterback takes, cheer their team to victory, hoping they can hold bragging rights.

So, when Gilman’s football team visits the Eagles in the 88th meeting of the two squads on November 8 at 1 p.m., emotions will run high. But this year, the stakes may be greater. With the luck of Gilman (3-5) and McDonogh (5-3) running low, this game for both teams is about salvaging the season that could have been.

“That’s our season right there,” says senior Bryan S. about the match up. “We want more than anything to beat them. We’re going to play it like it’s for the A Conference championship.”

If there's disappointment in McDonogh’s 5-3 record, it is not because of players' inexperience. Rather, it stems from experienced players not getting it done. This year’s team, which features 14 seniors, is talented, but has been inconsistent.

Damico, however, does not think his team’s record reflects its real ability.

“If you had told me at the beginning of the season that we would score 97 points in the three league games we played and had a record of 1-2, I wouldn’t have believed you. I would have thought we’d be 3-0,” he said.

Keys to the Game

Co-Captain Cameron G. thinks McDonogh controls its own destiny. The key for the Eagles to win this game lies not in outplaying the Greyhounds; it is about the Eagles not letting themselves get beat.

“We need to run our plays right, can’t mess up assignments; 11 guys on the field, no less, doing the right thing on every play. One breakdown could hurt our team,” Cameron said.

In practice, McDonogh has focused on each player’s role on the team. Players are making sure that they know their assignments on every play, and are doing everything in their power to execute those responsibilities. The Eagles have also altered their defense, keeping the 4-4 formation, but changing around the schemes.

“We’re adding a couple wrinkles to the defense,” Damico says. “We’re mixing up in the sense of moving players around to throw off our opponents.”

Gilman, which went undefeated last year and was ranked 14th in the final USA Today poll, is in the midst of rebuilding. The Greyhounds graduated four seniors who signed with Division I squads, including The Sun male athlete of the year, quarterback Ambrose Wooden, and the Associated Press player of the year, linebacker Victor Abiamiri, who are now under the tutelage of Tyrone Willingham at Notre Dame.

The senior leadership that has replaced Wooden and Abiamiri come from, of all places, the lacrosse field. Senior Alex Wharton, after hiding in the shadows of Wooden, has finally emerged to take the starting role. While no D-I football coaches are knocking at Wharton’s door, Notre Dame, Cornell, and Georgetown are currently recruiting him for lacrosse. Another lacrosse standout, Grant Zimmerman, anchors the Greyhound defense at safety and serves as running back.

Don’t be mislead, however, that this year’s Greyhound team lacks talent. As McDonogh head coach Dom Damico points out, Gilman always fields a solid squad.

“Gilman is the same type of A Conference team it has been for the past five years,” he says. “They’ve got a big offensive line, backs that run strong and hard, and quick receivers.”

For McDonogh, consistency is important, because the Eagle defense will be facing a strong running attack led by Zimmerman and Ben Eaton. In order to stop the run, McDonogh must stay disciplined, with its players focusing on their own assignments and penetrating the defensive line.

On offense, the interesting match up should be between McDonogh’s talented corps of receivers and Gilman’s defensive backs, led by Zimmerman. The Greyhounds must find a way to stop speedsters such as Corey D., Justin D, and Darius H-B from getting open.

Where Gilman will be most effective, Damico says, is in their run defense. The Greyhounds are the best in Baltimore at closing gaps in the interior and making plays. Stopping the run has allowed the Greyhounds to hold Loyola and St. Joseph’s (PA) in their last two games to only 14 points.

Disappointing Defeats

When McDonogh started off the season 4-1, the future seemed bright. After the 41-14 thumping of Calvert Hall on October 4, the Eagles, ranked number 10 in the area, were playing the best ball in the league and poised to be the top contender for the MIAA title.

The very next week, McDonogh collapsed. Facing Loyola in the last home game before Gilman, the Eagles came out hot. Corey led the charge with a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown and an 11-yard TD reception. By midway through the second quarter, McDonogh was winning 18-0.

And then the roof caved in. Big time. Led by quarterback Brady Smith, the Dons complied 270 yards of total offense and scored 21 unanswered points, to beat the Eagles 21-18.

“We made some assignment mistakes. We had a chance to step it up. You just can’t let a good team like [Loyola] come back in the game like that,” said Cameron.

McDonogh was unable to correct those mistakes and had the same fate as the week prior. After taking the early lead against Mt. St. Joe, the team collapsed. Again. This time, however, it was able to mount some form of a comeback, losing 38-35.

“Guys were taking plays off. That’s going to come back and bite you in the rear,” said senior Corey.

Gilman has had its share of letdowns as well.

Gilman fell to Loyola 14-0 on October 18, making it the first time in three years that the Greyhounds have been shut out. The last time was in 2000 when McDonogh beat Gilman 7-0 to finish as the top team in the state. Its other league loss was a 20-7 routing by Calvert Hall on November 1.

Gilman was shut out 14-0 again when it hosted Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Prep, which is ranked sixth nationally by USA Today.

The Greyhounds also dropped their first two games of the year, losing to suburban Washington, D.C. powerhouses Georgetown Prep and Dematha 14-9 and 15-7, respectively.

Tradition, Tradition, Tradition

No matter how either team is playing in a given year, each meeting between the two rivals is significant in the player’s minds.

“It’s just about pride,” says Cameron. “You know you want to win, it’s just a great feeling to know you’ve beat your rival to finish the season.”

That’s especially true given the Eagles recent track record. In the three seasons that this year’s senior class has been in high school, the Greyhounds have won two of three, in 2001 and 2002.

In 2000, the then-freshmen witnessed one of the best contests ever played. Junior E.J. Hamilton ran for 120 yards on 30 carries, including a 1-yard TD run to lead McDonogh to a 7-0 victory over the favored Greyhounds, spoiling Gilman’s undefeated season. In 2001, Gilman kicked a last-second field goal to beat the Eagles at home 21-18.

If the McDonogh squad wants payback, this year is as good a time as any to get it. And the Eagles are going to do whatever it takes to win this game, not just for their pride, but also for the sake of their season.

“All that matters is what happens in this game,” Cameron said.