Loyola sacks Fork Union

FORK UNION — Loyola Blakefield found a simple, but effective formula to shut down Fork Union — the Dons established a strong ground game early and let their defense do the rest as they handed the Blue Devils their first loss of the season.
Loyola (Towson, Md.) racked up 256 rushing yards and capitalized on five FUMA turnovers, cruising to a 49-0 win on Saturday to stay unbeaten.
“Today they were that much better than we were. They played exceptionally well, and they have a great program,” said Fork Union coach Micky Sullivan. “Last week they were [ranked] one of the top four teams in the state of Maryland and they played like it. We did not execute the way we had to to stay in the game with them. We turned the ball over and we had stupid penalties. And those things against great teams kill you.”
The Dons’ offensive line worked overtime, paving the way for bruising back Terence Garvin, who led all ball carriers with 125 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. Garvin, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, scored the opening touchdown as the visitors took a 7-0 lead. He is headed to West Virginia next year.
Loyola (4-0) then took to the air, as senior quarterback Leon Kinnard found Jon Neskow from 14 yards out to extend the lead. Neskow also made the point after attempt — he was 7 of 7 on PATs in the game.
Kinnard, a Connecticut commitment, ran for two more TDs, including one from 1 yard out before halftime as the Dons took a commanding 21-0 advantage.
A scary moment for the Blue Devils came in the second quarter as offensive lineman Russell Bodine went down with an apparent knee injury. He limped off the field and did not return.
Things did not get any better for FUMA in the second half. In the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils lost two fumbles and the Dons had an interception return for a touchdown to help preserve the shutout. Loyola came up with three interceptions and put a lot of pressure on FUMA quarterback Jahmeal Quarles-Belt throughout the game.
“I thought our defense played a great game, especially our defensive line,” Loyola Blakefield coach Brian Abbott said. “Fork Union’s just huge — their backs run hard and I didn’t know that we’d be able to keep them out of the end zone like that.”
Loyola stifled the Blue Devils’ ground game, holding them 112 rushing yards. Ethan Taylor paced FUMA with 61 yards on eight carries, while Louis Litkett, who has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in several games this season, was held to just 26 yards.
“That’s what we have to do to win — we have to run the ball to stay in it. And we couldn’t run the ball early and they did a great job defensively,” Sullivan said. “They had a good scheme — we knew they’d put eight guys in the box and they did. We just couldn’t cut their backside linebacker off. He was making a lot of tackles and we couldn’t get rolling.”
Fork Union hopes to learn from its mistakes and move on — the Blue Devils play host to Woodberry Forest next week in a heated rivalry game.