The Glenelg Gladiators will venture away from home to take on the Atholton Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Glenelg will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.
Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Glenelg turned things around against Long Reach on Friday. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 40-3 win over the Lightning. The game marked the Gladiators' most dominant victory of the season.
Dwane Morgan
| 09/05/25 @ South Carroll | 140 |
| 10/24/25 @ Long Reach | 96 |
| 09/20/25 @ Wilde Lake | 74 |
| 10/16/25 vs Guilford Park | 60 |
| 09/12/25 vs River Hill | 45 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Glenelg to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jailen Johnson, who rushed for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only eight carries. Johnson got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 72 yards. Dwane Morgan helped out on the ground, rushing for 96 yards and a rushing touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Glenelg was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 263 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 167 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Glenelg's defense and their four sacks. In that department, Russell McIntyre was the leader with two. Max Beares was another major factor on D, forcing one fumble and making 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, after soaring to 37 points the game before, Atholton was a bit more limited in their matchup on Friday. They took a blow against Oakland Mills, falling 43-13. While losing is never fun, the Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Maryland football rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Scorpions are ranked 26th).
Glenelg will have to contain Tyler Bell as he made an impact in Atholton's last game. He rushed for 32 yards and one score, and also threw for 134 yards and one TD.
Atholton's loss dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Glenelg, their win bumped their record up to an identical 5-3.
Thursday's game might be decided on the ground. Glenelg has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 210.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Atholton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 148.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Glenelg was able to grind out a solid victory over Atholton when the teams last played back in September of 2023, winning 17-9. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gladiators since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
