No. 2 Fort Hill heads to New Oxford tonight
Oct. 22—NEW OXFORD, Pa. — After a get-right game against Smithsburg last Friday, No. 2 Fort Hill is back on the road, as the Sentinels head to New Oxford, Pennsylvania, today at 6 p.m.
Fort Hill (6-1) will have its hands full with the pass-first offense of New Oxford (7-1), which would be a Class 2A school in Maryland with an enrollment of more than 1,200 students.
The Sentinels have ran the road gauntlet this season, winning at Class 4A Old Mill, 9-7, and 3A Oakdale, 49-21, before seeing their 18-game winning streak snapped by Mountain Ridge, 30-8, in Frostburg two weeks ago.
Fort Hill is ranked No. 20 in the state media poll, one spot behind Mountain Ridge.
After the loss to the Miners, now the No. 1 team in the area poll, Fort Hill bounced back with a 52-0 rout of Smithsburg. The Sentinels got back to the basics, rushing for 267 yards and five touchdowns on 40 carries, while limiting the Leopards to negative 60 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Anthony Burns was efficient, completing 5 of 7 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown.
For the season, Tavin Willis is up to 572 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, Tanner Wertz sits at 571 yards and seven scores, and Mikey Allen has 482 yards and five TDs.
Reigning Lineman of the Year Carter Hess leads the area with 81 tackles with 14 for loss. Bryson Metz isn't far off at 74 stops, five tackles for loss, an interception and a sack.
New Oxford, meanwhile, is the only team on Fort Hill's schedule with more passing yards than rushing yards (1,351-1,117).
Quarterback Jett Moore has been dominant over the Colonials' eight contests, completing 86 of 133 passes for 1,335 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Brennan Holmes and Evan Schriver are his top targets. Holmes has 27 grabs for 507 yards (18.9 average) and nine touchdowns. Schriver has 415 yards and five scores on 31 receptions. Neither receiver has imposing height: Holmes is 6-foot and Schriver is 5-11.
The matchup through the air could be the deciding factor. Fort Hill has allowed just 364 passing yards all season (52 per game), so something has to give.
Anthony Palmisano, last year's Homecoming Defensive Player of the Game, leads the Sentinels with three interceptions, and Willis has 41 tackles, a pick and two deflections. The duo were All-Area performers in the secondary last year.
Allen, who has 30 tackles, returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Oakdale to hold off the surging Bears.
Fort Hill will also need its pass rush to be a factor. Chevy Perkins (four sacks), Landen Keech (two sacks, three fumble recoveries) and Hess (22 pressures) could be X-factors in limiting Moore's effectiveness through the air.
In New Oxford's lone loss this year, 24-7 to South Western, Moore threw two interceptions, and New Oxford was just 1 for 11 converting third downs.
New Oxford does have a pair of capable backs. Brittyn Eakins (6-0, 195 pounds) has 487 yards and eight TDs, and Riley Killen (5-1, 170) has 325 yards and three scores.
Eakins is a stalwart defensively, boasting 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. The Sentinels would be wise to avoid throwing in the direction of Idriz Ahmetovic, who has seven interceptions.
Fort Hill is 24-1 against Pennsylvania schools since 2000 and 12-0 on the road.
