River Hill defensive back Nicolas Robertson kept repeating, “I’m going to get the ball” during the fourth quarter Thursday against Reservoir.
With the Gators trailing by a field goal inside of three minutes remaining, freshman quarterback Zach Lindheimer fired a pass on the outside toward Khalil Malloy. It was at that moment Robertson delivered on his promise. He snared the high pass out of the air and sprinted down the Hawks’ sideline on a 30-plus yard return to set River Hill up at Reservoir’s 12-yard-line.
“He ran a fade, I saw the ball up in the air,” Robertson said. “I had to go up and grab it. I had to make a play. I came down with it, I was like, ‘Is this real?’ I didn’t really think this was happening. I ran down the sideline, ran off, spun the ball and I felt very great about that play.”
On fourth-and-goal, senior quarterback Landen Araojo got space on the outside and ran in his fourth touchdown of the evening, making it a two-possession game with 1:12 remaining. Soon after, River Hill closed out a 31-21 win, its fourth straight.
“We had to score. We didn’t want to give them any opportunities with the time that was left on the clock,” River Hill coach Brian Van Deusen said. “We kind of came up with a little deception there. We faked and did a little quarterback keep. Again, we were going to put the ball in Landen’s hands and have him make a play. He made a huge play for us and made it a little bit more comfortable there at the end.”
River Hill’s offense capitalized on good field position in the second half as its defense and special teams completely turned the game. While Araojo didn’t generate any explosive runs with Reservoir stacking the box, the senior quarterback delivered when it mattered. His second-half touchdowns from 1 and 2 yards away came on fourth down as the Hawks’ low red-zone execution made the difference.
Van Deusen credited his quarterback’s toughness and praised his offensive line for their improvement in the second half. Meanwhile, Araojo also credited his offensive line and running back Logan Shatzer who led the way on both touchdown runs.
“I was really ecstatic,” Araojo said of his fourth touchdown. “I got to see my teammates going crazy. That’s four games in a row [we won]. We faced a lot of adversity in the beginning of the season, but we came back and won. I’m very happy with this win and thank my teammates.”
In the first half, Reservoir carved up the Hawks’ secondary with explosive plays. Lindheimer threw the ball all over the field to his talented playmakers. He was 6-for-8 with 151 yards and three touchdowns at the half as each of Reservoir’s touchdowns were 20 yards or more. The Gators’ first half touchdowns came on fourth-and-21, third-and-9 and third-and-18, the highlight a 60-yard strike to Geordan Shelton on a seam route.
However, the Hawks’ defense quickly corrected in the second half with an interception on the first play. That foreshadowed what was to come as River Hill adjusted its coverage at halftime, locking down in the secondary and more effectively keeping contain on Lindheimer with the front seven.
River Hill took its first lead early in the fourth, set up at the Gators’ 4-yard-line after a blocked punt.
The Hawks’ defense and special teams continued to deliver in the game’s late stages.
River Hill punter Logan Aranda completely flipped the field in the fourth quarter. The senior, who was a key part of the Hawks’ state championship soccer team last season, continued his strong evening. He pinned Reservoir at its 1-yard-line for a second time, the first of which led to a safety in the first quarter.
River Hill’s defense fed off that as the sideline energy soared to new heights after Robertson’s interception and further intensified after Araojo’s fourth score. On Reservoir’s final drive, Lindheimer’s pass over the middle was picked off by Araojo as he slid down and sealed a dominant second half shutout by the defense with three takeaways.
“That was amazing,” Araojo said. “I got the interception off the post [route] and I look over, everybody’s saying, ‘Go down, go down.’ End the game, victory formation, game over.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
Show Caption
1 of 9
Reservoir’s Lorenzo Foster-Franklin and River Hill’s Jonathan Norwood both go up for a catch that went incomplete during the game between Reservoir and River Hill High Schools at Reservoir High School in Fulton, MD. (Haldan Kirsch/Freelance)
Expand
