Long Reach gets payback against Chesapeake-Anne Arundel

Long Reach High’s football team has had Chesapeake-Anne Arundel on its mind since last season. In the second round of the Class 3A East Region playoffs, the Cougars went to Howard County and came out victorious.

The defeat left a sour taste in the mouth’s of Lightning players. They knew they had a chance to rematch with Chesapeake this year.

The opportunity came Friday night in Pasadena and Long Reach did not squander it. The Lightning held on for a 14-13 win to advance to the state quarterfinals next weekend.

“They came to our house when most of us were juniors last year, and they beat us,” Long Reach coach Jamie Willis said. “They made it an effort and they said they wanted to play Chesapeake again. And they got their opportunity to play Chesapeake.”

Both teams looked ready to come out of the gate strong. Neither team particularly did, however. The first quarter saw punts traded, with Chesapeake’s best drive in the opening frame ending with a missed field goal.

Long Reach (9-2 overall) was unable to get anything started on the ground however.

At the start of the second quarter, the Cougars (8-3) took over near midfield. They chewed up almost half the quarter in a nine-play drive that ended with Logan Clark scampering 25 yards for a touchdown. A blocked extra point attempt kept it at 6-0 for the home team.

Long Reach responded with a long drive of its own. Nine plays and 67 yards later, Jaylen Etheridge caught a pass from Brice Koontz, spun out of a tackle, and finished a 17-yard touchdown.

The Lightning clung onto a one point lead into halftime, and after a few punts, Rushaun Tongue intercepted Koontz, and returned it 55 yards to the end zone to put the Cougars back up six points.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Chesapeake coach Rob Elliot said. “They played an outstanding game.”

After the interception, Koontz knew he needed to bounce back. And he did.

He led Long Reach on a 14-play drive that was capped by his two-yard touchdown plunge. The Lightning found success running the ball on the drive, picking up 36 of the 65 yards on the ground. Koontz had 16, plus 34 through the air.

“(I had to) keep my head, keep my cool. Do what I do,” Koontz said of his mentality following the interception. “Keep my composure and do what I got to do to win the game.”

After a Chesapeake punt and a Long Reach turnover on downs, the Cougars had a chance to take the lead in the final moments. As the fourth down pass fell incomplete, the Lightning could celebrate their victory.

That sour taste was finally gone.

“Ever since that playoff loss last year, this is the team we’ve wanted all season,” Koontz said. “We went through 10-11 different teams, just for this moment. This is the week we waited for. I’m just so proud of our guys that we got the win.”

CLASS 3A EAST REGION PLAYOFFS

SECOND ROUND

LONG REACH 14, CHESAPEAKE-ANNE ARUNDEL 13

Long Reach 0 7 7 0 — 14

Chesapeake-AA 0 6 7 0 — 13

Second quarter

Chesapeake - Logan Clark 25 run (kick blocked)

Long Reach - Jaylen Etheridge 17 pass from Brice Koontz (Rowan Shanley kick)

Third quarter

Chesapeake - Rushuan Tongue 55 interception return (Justin Miller kick)

Long Reach - Brice Koontz 2 run (Shanley kick)

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