The Edmondson-Westside High football team put its title hopes on the shoulders of senior tailback Tariq Jones Saturday afternoon. For Jones, that weight was nothing compared to lifting the state championship trophy.
By running for 308 yards on 34 carries, Jones led Edmondson to the Class 2A state championship with a dominant 37-9 win over McDonough Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. In winning their first title in school history, the Red Storm (13-1) controlled the ground and used an athletic, hard-hitting defense to shut down the Rams (12-2).
“He just do what he always do,” said second-year Edmondson coach Dante Jones, who became the first person to win a state title as a Baltimore City coach and player. “He?s a workhorse. You can stop him once or twice, but he?s going to get it.”
Edmondson, which never trailed, took its second possession of the game down the field in just four plays behind a physical offensive line. Jones capped the drive from six yards out, his first of three trips to the end zone Saturday.
“Our running backs philosophy is, when you get it, run it hard,” Jones said. “That was my plan, making the best of each carry.”
When Jones wasn?t carrying the ball, Edmondson?s defense was continually pounding Rams quarterback Chris Ward. Alge Berry, a senior defensive end, took up temporary residence in the Rams? backfield, registering three sacks for a season total to 18.
Even on running plays, the Red Storm pounded Ward. Defensive lineman Jerome Baskerville hit Ward so hard on an option pitch, the quarterback nearly left the game for good.
“I feel as though we got after him,” Berry said. “The more he ran around, the more we pursued and we noticed that and tried to get after him more.”
With only an 8-3 lead at halftime, the Red Storm scored on their first possession of the second half and never looked back, with Jones leading the way to the end zone.
“You have four state titles [being played for last weekend], and Baltimore City owns two of them,” said Dante Jones, referring to Dunbar?s 38-23 win over Fort Hill earlier in the day. “We wanted to show the state of Maryland that Baltimore City plays great football.”
