If there is one team the James Buchanan Rockets know will run the football, and run it well, it’s the Brunswick (Md.) Railroaders.
Last season the Railroaders ran through and around James Buchanan in a convincing 55-16 victory.
The Rockets will look for a little revenge Friday night as they host Brunswick at Rocket Stadium at 7 p.m.
Brunswick comes into the game 6-2 after last week’s 43-0 win over Pikesville.
The Railroaders are led by running back Layne Harich, who rushed for 105 yards and a TD last week. Earlier this season Harich ran for 310 yards and 4 TDs in a 24-21 win over Frederick, a team that beat the Rockets 61-47 three weeks ago.
“They have a couple good runners,” JB coach David Miller said. “All of them run the ball hard. Harich is a real athletic kid and the quarterback (Brady Snoots) can hurt you with his arm and legs.”
Against Pikesville, Snoots was 9-of-16 for 99 yards and threw 2 TDs to Jaeden Spriggs. Running back Jake Remsburg chipped in with 92 yards (1 TD) and also returned a fumble 15 yards for another TD.
“Up front they are a big, physical team,” Miller said. “They are an uptempo, no-huddle team so this week we did some extra conditioning. Defensively we just need to keep our gaps sound, which sounds easier than what it is. If we can shut down their running we should be OK.”
Miller would like to see offense as balanced as what it’s been the last 2 weeks.
In last Friday’s 35-14 win over Pottsville BVM, RB Cormac Houpt, who became the school’s single-season rushing leader, rushed for 192 yards and 3 TDs. Houpt now has 1,171 yards and 15 TDs for the season.
QB Sebastian Wise went over 1,000 yards passing on the season with his 7-of-14, 147-yard performance.
“First and foremost we have to be able to run the ball because that opens everything else up,” Miller said. “And then we’ll see what they give us in the passing.”
Miller hopes the Rockets can finish strong in their last 2 games of the season. Next Friday JB plays at Northern Bedford.
“We excited for everything Sebastian and Cormac have done,” Miller said. “But now we have shifted our focus back to team accomplishments. Players have a chance at a non-losing season and the best record since 1995.”
A victory in either of their last 2 games would guarantee JB (4-4) a non-losing season.