Towson’s Armando Villanueva suffered through a winless season last year, but that is a distant memory now.
The senior quarterback orchestrated an exclusive running game in a 29-20 victory over Overlea at Catonsville High in the first round of the Class 3A regional playoffs.
The win advances to the Generals (8-2) to the second round against City. Second-seeded Towson could play the next home game at Catonsville High again because of construction for a new school at Towson.
“It’s amazing. I’m just so happy I can’t think right now,” said Villanueva, who also started in the defensive backfield and made several key plays.
On offense, the Generals didn’t attempt a downfield pass, but they rushed for 204 yards, including 144 in the first half.
“We knew they were bigger than us, they were faster, and we wanted to make them play in a phone booth,” Towson coach Will Thompson said. “And it’s a total team effort, from the line to the running backs to the tight ends, everybody, they just want to win.”
Towson established the run on its first possession, churning up 56 yards on a seven-play drive that ended with a 1-yard run by Da’Wann Adams on a quick pitch. Mohammad Butt’s extra point gave the Generals a 7-0 lead.
A sack by Towson’s Chase Simmons forced an Overlea punt that netted only 3 yards after the low kick rebounded off Towson returner Nick Nunn and was recovered by Nunn at the Overlea 30.
Back-to-back runs by Adams gained 20 yards, and three plays later, Villanueva snuck in for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter and the Generals led 13-0 after a failed conversion run.
Overlea (4-6) answered on its next series with a 24-yard touchdown run on a sweep by Jackson Boyd. The extra point was wide.
Towson’s seven-play, 62-yard drive that was keyed by a 15-yard run by Omari Rowell (13 carries for 89 yards) and a 28-yard scamper by Villanueva (18 carries for 88 yards) ended with another Villanueva sneak to give the Generals a 21-6 lead with 5:20 left in the half after Villanueva’s 2-point conversion run.
Towson’s offense was keyed by center Sam Martinez, guards Sherif Gad and Jaeshawn Henderson and tackles Brenton Engle and Antoine Sanford.
Craig Clary/Staff
Towson quarterback Armando Villanueva holds up the pigskin after scoring a touchdown in the Generals’ 29-20 victory. Craig Clary/Staff
“It’s a total team effort,” Thompson said. “When everybody locks in and does their job, on every single play, the kickoff, the kickoff return, the punt return, whatever you want, defense, offense, every single play matters just as much as if we are on the goal line and it’s fourth down and they play together.”
Trailing by 15 late in the first half, the Falcons refused to wilt thanks to quarterback Jacobi Brooks. He followed an 11-yard run with a 52-yard sprint that helped set up his 2-yard touchdown run. A pass from Brooks to Jerimiah Goode pulled the Falcons within 21-14 at halftime.
Brooks finished with 117 rushing yards on 14 attempts.
“My quarterback has a high football IQ,” Overlea coach Phil Williams said. “I give him the autonomy to make decisions after we call a play and then I give him an audible to check and if he doesn’t like it then he can make a decision from there. That only happens maybe once a series if that, but I trust him to do those things, once again his IQ is that of a young freshman in college.”
Brooks’ first pass completion of the game ended with the biggest defensive play of the game for Towson. Khalil Wright caught a 9-yard pass, but was stripped by Simmons and David Obi recovered the fumble at the Overlea 24.
Three plays later, Rowell scored from 19 yards out and he also ran in the 2-point conversion for a 29-14 lead with 2:53 left in the third quarter.
“It broke all of us. After that fumble recovery everybody was on,” Villanueva said. “We all swarmed to the ball, we just kept the same intensity. We tried to keep the same intensity all four quarters.”
Brooks did pull Overlea within nine on a 41-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, but Simmons and Mason Crawford combined to stop the 2-point attempt and preserve the two-score lead. The Falcons never threatened again.
Overlea’s Williams took pride in the way his defense responded in the second half when they held the Generals to 60 yards.
“Our coach had a couple of adjustments he made, some things that he told the kids, and he trusts the defense the way I trust the offense to make those adjustments and let them know nobody is going to give us anything and we’ve got to go out there and take what we want, unfortunately we just came up short,” he said.
Thompson, who was an offensive coordinator at Concordia Prep last year before taking over for the 0-10 Generals, couldn’t hide his emotions.
“I’m just super proud of the guys,” Thompson said. “I’ve been coaching 15 years and this is the most connected team that I’ve ever coached and it chokes me up thinking about it, but they care so much about each other.”
Villanueva echoed those sentiments.
“This feels great,” he said. “As a senior myself I don’t want this season to end. I want to keep going with my guys. I don’t want to leave them so I’m going to do everything I can so we keep on going and advance to the next round.”
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