By: Gabe Kamins, Co-Editor-in-Chief
With the Hawks up 16-0 early in the second half, the Marriotts Ridge Mustangs were searching for any glimmer of hope. They faced improbable odds in the second half last year against River Hill too, and were able to come up big. With the ball near midfield on 4th and 1, the Mustangs handed the ball to their best player, Kam Young, and asked him to pick up a yard to keep the drive – and the game – alive. But Zach Igwebe, the Hawks’ best player, had other plans. Igwebe zoomed through the gap and tackled Young in the backfield for a loss of three yards. As the stadium erupted with cheer, Igwebe punched the air while teammates swarmed him with glee. This was most certainly the dagger. The Hawks would add another touchdown and end the season with a 23-0 victory over Marriotts Ridge, bringing their record to a county-best 5-0, clinching yet another county championship, and sending the seniors off with one of the most impressive victories in program history.
The Hawks were focused all week long. Not only did they want to avenge their loss from last season to Marriotts Ridge, but they wanted to dominate a Mustangs team that many pundits were picking as the top in the county. Marriotts Ridge, on the other hand, was coming off of a disappointing 14-0 loss to Atholton, and desperately wanted to send its loaded senior class off with a bounce-back victory over their rivals.
With these storylines in mind, one might have expected a competitive, back-and-forth game. However, this was far from the case. The Mustangs had a decent first drive, somewhat establishing the run game and making a play through the air. After the drive stalled out, the Mustangs punted to the Hawks, who proceeded to put together one of their trademark 19-play drives that ultimately ended with a missed field goal. After a Marriotts Ridge three-and-out, senior leader Zach Igwebe decided to take over. Igwebe broke a long run, using his elusiveness and strength to evade Mustang defenders, and found the end zone just two carries later. The Hawks would then get an interception from – you guessed it – Zach Igwebe just a few plays later, setting up kicker Poojan Patel for a 27-yard field goal on the final play of the half. The Hawks made their final walk of the season to their halftime resting spot with a 9-0 lead.
Marriotts Ridge must have used up all of their second-half magic last season against the Hawks, because the 3rd and 4th quarters were all River Hill. A Daniel Fahmy interception set up a smooth touchdown scamper by Michael Crisitello, which would later be complemented by a powerful touchdown run by Nick Laumann. Igwebe, Crisitello, and Laumann all found the end-zone in the final high school game of their careers. Igwebe would explain to the Baltimore Sun after the game how it was “amazing” to see the trio shine bright in their last game. “We all came here the same [year], and we’ve worked hard for a long four years,” he explained. The three senior running backs also played a significant role on the defensive side of the ball, holding the dangerous Mustang attack to just 56 total yards, many of which came on the final drive of the game when the Hawks were in prevent defense.
Igwebe finished with 129 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and four tackles for loss. It was a masterclass for the Wake Forest commit, who told The Sun that the team “cherished [everything] a little bit more” during the shortened five-game season, and that “the revenge tour” was officially complete after the Hawks avenged both of their losses from the previous season (Wilde Lake and Marriotts Ridge), with victories over Hammond, Howard, and Atholton sprinkled in.
While the talented 2021 class that included the aforementioned trio, in addition to Devary Bennett, Zafer Esreb, Dylan O’Brien, Gabe Kamins, Devin Campbell, Gurdeep Barring, Kyle Martin, Christian Myers, Dylan Burnett, and Kyle Henry all had dreams of one day bringing home the Hawks’ fifth state championship trophy, this certainly isn’t the worst way to go out. “I think this is up there with our wins over Glenelg and Howard last season,” explained senior tight end and defensive end Kyle Martin, who started for three seasons on the varsity team. “For our senior class to go out on top and get that win…it means the world to us.”
Next year’s Hawks will have a lot of new faces and questions that must be answered before the team suits up again, as is the case whenever a team graduates an impressive senior class. But one thing is for sure: they’ll have big shoes to fill.
A special shout-out and congratulations to captains Michael Crisitello, Nick Laumann, and Zach Igwebe, as well as Coach Van Deusen, Coach Gruneberg, Coach Hebron, Coach McCoy, Coach Owens, and trainer Becca Weinberg, who each kept the team motivated and prepared during a season that was like no other.