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Sports

Sloppy Play Slips Trojans to Third Straight Loss

Turnovers and special teams plague Gaithersburg in 34-27 defeat at Northwest.

Article by Brandy Simms and Robert Huttenlocker; photos by Robert Huttenlocker

After starting the season with four impressive wins, the Gaithersburg Trojans' losing skid has stretched to three games thanks to a mistake-filled 34-27 loss to the Northwest Jaguars Friday night in Germantown.

Playing on a rain-soaked field, the Trojans turned the ball over five times against a Northwest (4-3) squad fighting to keep playoff hope alive. The Jaguars drew added incentive from first-year head coach Michael Neubeiser, a 1990 Gaithersburg graduate.

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“I told the kids before the game I grew up bleeding blue and gold,” Neubeiser said. “I’ve been a Trojan my entire life, but now I’m black and silver and I’ll be that for the rest of my life. I needed this win and they got it for us.”

Gaithersburg struck first when senior quarterback Lincoln Reyes scored on a one-yard run less than two minutes into the game. The Jaguars took a 7-6 lead early in the 2nd quarter on Matty Callahan’s six-yard scoring pass, his first of two touchdowns on the night.

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Trojan turnovers started taking their toll just before halftime, when a botched snap on a punt was recovered by Northwest in the end zone. The extra point made it 14-6 with 1:23 to go before halftime.

Reyes came right back to hit senior wide receiver Billy Brown for a 70-yard touchdown on the first play of the Trojans' ensuing drive. Reyes completed the two-point conversion to senior wide receiver Simba Gwashavamhu, knotting the score at 14-14 with 1:08 left before the break. 

The Jaguars drove into field goal range as the clock ran down. When the snap went bad, Callahan—the Jaguars’ kick holder—improvised for the short touchdown pass that sent Gaithersburg into the locker room down 21-14.

Gaithersburg tied the game again on another 1-yard touchdown run by Reyes this time with 8:33 to go in the 3rd quarter. But Northwest senior Stephon Thomas returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards for a touchdown.

The Trojans closed to 28-27 later in the quarter on Reyes’ third touchdown pass of the game, this one going 15 yards to Simba Gwashavanhu.

The score was set up when Billy Brown blocked a punt that gave Gaithersburg possession deep in Northwest territory. The 6’ 5” standout has been a menace on both sides of the ball all season long. His line against Northwest: four catches for 170 yards and a touchdown, two sacks, a blocked punt and a blocked extra point.

“There is nobody better,” said Gaithersburg Coach Kreg Kephart. “He’s the most valuable player in the county. I don’t care what anybody says.”

Late in the 4th quarter, Northwest turned the ball over on downs after Gaithersburg defensive back Kolanji Kelly batted away a pass intended for the Jaguars’ Ryan Markush in the end zone.

But Reyes promptly threw his second interception of the game, and Northwest put the game away three plays later on a 34-yard touchdown run by Thomas.

After Brown blocked the extra point, the score stood at 34-27 with 41 seconds left. Gaithersburg's drive made it to midfield before Reyes's third interception sealed the win for Northwest.

Gaithersburg’s road ahead doesn’t get any easier; their final three games pit them against Seneca Valley (6-1), Quince Orchard (7-0) and high-scoring Wootton (3-4).

“That’s a tough schedule,” Kephart said. “But you know what? They aren’t unbeatable. They’re 16-, 17 year-old kids just like we are. They get up in the morning, see the sunshine and get on their Xbox, do some Twitters. They aren’t indomitable. If we play good football we can beat anybody we play—but we’ve got to play good football.”

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