Not even a heavy downpour could keep
Patuxent (Lusby, Md.) from winning the battle of 5-0 football teams on Friday night.
The
Class 2A Panthers stopped archrival Huntingtown (Md.) 20-10, snapping a
five-game losing streak against the Class 3A visitors.
Steve Crounse, Patuxent head coach
Courtesy photo
For his team's stellar efforts, Patuxent's Steve Crounse has been named Capital One Bank Washington, D.C. Coach of the Week.
Crounse
told MaxPreps, "It's flattering and very humbling to be chosen, but all
that is because of all my kids and assistant coaches. It was a big win
for us from a confidence standpoint and justification for all of our
hard work. It was a lot for the psyche of our team and how we
feel about ourselves. It was a great win for our community."
He pointed out that the Panthers, who won the first four meetings, have now tied the series at five wins apiece.
"It's
real heated competition and a lot of pride on the line. We are the
smallest team in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (1,130
students in grades 9-12) and it's a source of pride."
The Panthers' coach had to be especially proud of his own son, junior quarterback
Tyler Crounse (6-0, 180), who sloshed through the mud 30 times for 248 yards. Senior
Rafiq Douglas ran 23 times for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Junior linebacker
Geoff Ricker made 13 tackles, including three for losses.
The older Crounse played quarterback and safety at
Abington Heights (Clarks Summit, Pa.)
and graduated in 1988. He later attended West Chester University where
he was an All-American baseball catcher. He became head coach at
Patuxent in 2002, winning four conference titles.
He said that his biggest goal is to advance as far as possible in the state tournament.
This
could be the Panthers' year, because they returned eight starters on
offense and eight more on defense with some dynamic sophomores fitting in. He
also is very high on his offensive line.
"We have a lot of pieces in place," he said confidently. "This is one of the most complete teams we've had."
