Nobody could have guessed it at the time, but a rivalry was born seven years ago. With the debut of the Long Reach and River Hillfootball programs, Howard County would never be the same.
And at 7 p.m. today, these two powers will meet in a crucial game for both teams. The Hawks (4-0) look to stay undefeated atop the county standings, and the Lightning (3-1) are playing for their playoff lives early in the season.
Aside from the records and playoff implications, this game comes down to a pair of programs that flat-out don?t like each other.
“There?s no love lost between the two,” Long Reach coach Pete Hughes said, pointing to the schools opening in the same year. “That created the rivalry because, as new schools, we wanted to beat each other.”
Last year was a great example of how the sister schools match up: two games … one victory apiece. River Hill was the most recent victor, knocking its rivals out of the playoffs with a 21-13 win.
“We?ve been the best two [Howard County] teams probably the last few years,” River Hill coach Brian Van Deusen said.
According to Hughes, this game is a must-win for his group to get back to the playoffs.
“We have 23 seniors that want to go beyond the regular season,” he said. “So that?s motivation in itself.”
On the field, this game could be decided when Long Reach has the ball. The Lightning own the top-rated scoring offense in Howard County, while the Hawks boast the top defense, allowing just 15 points in four weeks of play.
“Something is going to have to give on Friday,” Hughes said.
For River Hill, the offense must improve upon four first-half turnovers in last Saturday?s 6-0 win over Wilde Lake.
“We?ve got to execute a little better on offense and maintain our drives a little bit better with the four turnovers we had,” Van Deusen said.
River Hill?s defense must be wary of Long Reach senior playmaker Keith Richardson, who ran for more than 700 yards last season and is now the Lightning quarterback.
“He?s one of the best playmakers in the county,” Van Deusen said. “Offensively they?re going to be very tough to defend.”
The respect is there now, but don?t expect any pleasantries between the two programs when the whistle blows tonight.
“It?s going to be pretty intense,” Hughes said.
RIVER HILL AT LONG REACH
» Who: No. 2 Hawks (4-0) at No. 8 Lightning (3-1)
» When: Tonight, 7
» What: Battle for Howard County supremacy
» Why: The two programs split a pair of games last year. Lightning won by one point in the 2005 regular season, but the Hawks redeemed that loss in the state playoffs, 21-13.
