Green Street’s football run ends

Green Street Academy’s football team historic postseason run fell short Saturday.

Fueled by the rushing tandem of Zack Ayers and Ethen Gunter, Perryville ended Green Street’s season with a 17-16 come-from-behind victory in a Class 1A East Region second round match at Poly.

Gunter led all rushers with 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries while Ayers recorded 73 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries to guide the Panthers (7-4 overall), who will play at Western Maryland powerhouse Fort Hill in a state quarterfinal match Friday evening in Cumberland.

Green Street (6-4), a Baltimore City public charter school located in West Baltimore, in its first postseason, was poised to extend its stay with a fourth quarter lead. But a fourth quarter gamble backfired and Perryville took adantage.

“Perryville – I gotta give them all the credit. They made just one more play than us today,” said Green Street coach Darrell Alt said. “A one-point game is going to sting, but overall I’m pleased with our performance. We let down here and there, and that’s what cost us.”

Leading 8-3, Green Street decided to go for it on fourth down at its 15-yard line. The Chargers didn’t convert.

Three plays later, Gunter muscled his way into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown to give Perryville a 10-8 lead with 10 minutes, 45 seconds remaining in regulation. The Panthers got the ball back after another turnover on downs by Green Street at its 38.

Ayers took a handoff, cut to the outside and sprinted down the sidelines for a 38-yard score, putting Perryville ahead 17-8 with 6:10 left in regulation. The Chargers, behind backup quarterback Tyree Harris who came in for injured starter Michael Young, directed a 54-yard scoring drive.

Harris, who completed four passes in the drive, got into the end zone from three yards. The 5-foot-10 senior, who’s also a receiver and defensive back, capped off the drive with a conversion pass to Daniel Griffin to trim the deficit to 17-16 with 3:07 left in regulation.

The Chargers didn’t get another opportunity as Perryville was able to bleed the clock – thanks in part to a pivotal 26-yard first down conversion run by Gunter – to seal the win.

“We kind of adopted the ‘gritty-not-pretty’ motto where we just keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting,” Perryville coach Sean Sandora said after the narrow decision. “Our seniors did a really good job of stepping up and leading our team. We made some key plays at key times… hats off to Coach Alt and Green Street. They’re a tough team.”

A second-quarter touchdown scamper by Young gave GSA an 8-3 lead - a lead that lasted until early in the fourth.

In its fifth season, Green Street Academy has grown “leaps and bounds” according to Alt. The Chargers play most of their home games at Babe Ruth Field, located behind the old Cardinal Gibbons building.

Green Street defeated MIAA C Conference champ Severn during the regular season and loss to state quarterfinal-bound programs Harford Tech, Joppatowne and Prince George’s County’s Largo.

“We’ve kept carrying the bricks each year. We’re not done, we’re going to keep grinding and keep working. So we’re really pleased with our trajectory,” Alt said.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with our seniors. I just want them to know how much we love them and how thankful we are for them,” Alt added. “We wanted to send them off better, but we’re thankful for all they gave us.”

Outside linebacker Tyree Johnson was an anchor on Green Street’s defensive line Saturday, finishing the afternoon with a sack and multiple tackles for loss.

Johnson, who has attended Green Street since middle school, said being a part of the program has meant everything to him..

We’ve all been here since middle school. We had a brotherhood, a bond, a family,” said Johnson, a senior. “It hurts us that we can’t play no more; for most of us, this was our last one together.”

CLASS 1A EAST REGION PLAYOFFS

SECOND ROUND

at Poly

PERRYVILLE 17, GREEN STREET ACADEMY 16

Perryville 0 3 0 14 — 17

Green Street 0 8 0 8 — 16

Second quarter

Perryville - Zack Ayers 27 field goal

Green Street - Michael Young 2 run (Daniel Griffin run)

Fourth quarter

Perryville - Ethen Gunter 2 run (Ayers kick)

Perryville - Ayers 38 run (Ayers kick)

Green Street - Harris 3 run (Griffin pass from Harris)

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