Perryville opens season with romp over Rising Sun

       There was a time not that long ago when the phrase "Same Old Perryville" was not a compliment.
    But things have changed under third-year coach Chris Johnson and now that phrase can be used to describe another dominating performance.
    The latest came Friday night when the Panthers opened the season with a 33-6 romp over visiting Rising Sun.
    The Panthers have not lost a regular season game since 2010.
    Perryvillle's victory spoiled the debut of Rising Sun coach Rich Opp.
    Ethan Griffin and Tyrell Hollingsworth each scored two touchdowns and Cam Cunningham threw for a score and ran for another.
    After Rising Sun went three and out, Perryville came out with a wildcat offense with Griffin, a runningback, taking a shotgun snap from center. Griffin carried the ball five straight times for 33 yards to start the drive which culminated with a 12-yard TD pass from Cunningham to Hollingsworth.
    "I'm really proud of our line," said Johnson. "I'm not enamored with size but we've got some big kids that have worked really hard and they come off the ball. We felt like [the Tigers] weren't really prepared for that. And I think we did kind of catch them by surprise. And that was kind of the idea coming out. The kids love it. It's a smashmouth type of offense. It's something else that other teams have to prepare for. They have to prepare for the Wing-T, for that, and for the spread. We have a lot of offenses. I give these kids a lot of credit. We throw a lot at them. I think we teach it the right way, but they've got to remember a lot."
    Cunningham scored on a one-yard sneak midway through the second quarter and Perryville led 14-0.
    "It was 14-0 at half and then [Perryville] just turned on the electric, the juice," Rising Sun coach Rich Opp said. "That wasn't the same team we saw on the huddle film against Edgewood. They looked scattered. They really came together in a week."
    Griffin scurried in from six yards out to make it 20-0 midway through the third quarter.
    He added an 18-yard TD jaunt six minutes later.
    Kyle Savick scored on a four-yard run with 10:30 left in the game to make it 33-0.
    Rising Sun avoided the shutout when Alex Billings scored on a one-yard plunge with 4:54 remaining.
    "We moved the ball," said Opp. "We did not get manhandled I don't think. We had some drives that just fizzled out for a variety of reasons. Our kids did not quit. I told them I appreciate that very much. That's a positive."
    The only negative for Perryville was 10 penalties, including four personal fouls.
    "It's not characteristic of our team," Johnson said. "That kid who got an unsportsmanlike (penalty) retaliated. And I tell kids they always catch the second guy. As much as you want to retaliate you've got to be selfless and walk away and just play the next play. Because that ended up putting us in a hole. Fortunately the defense stepped up and we stopped them. It's something we need to take care of. I haven't had that many offsides penalties since I've been here."
    Cunningham completed 9 of 13 passes for 155 yards. Hollingsworth hauled in three passes for 94 yards. Griffin had three receptions for 41 yards and Elijah Johnson gained 20 yards on three receptions.
    Tony Smith, a transfer from Havre de Grace, rushed for 114 yards on eight carries. Griffin gained 95 yards on 13 carries. Savick ran four times for 52 yards.
    Smith led the defense with 13 tackles. Toby DiMauro and Jeff Pollard each made two tackles for losses.

   

---

Click the picture to enlarge