Mount St. Michael celebrates winning the CHSFL Class AA title and the 67th edition of the Mount-Hayes Turkey Bowl. (Damion Reid)
Gary Acquah looked into the opposing backfield and saw only Cardinal Hayes quarterback Kwamayne Davis. The Cardinals were on the Mount St. Michael 38-yard line with less than 1:30 to play in the game trailing by six points and trying to complete a comeback.
Acquah wasn’t ready to let that happen.
“Everything was go with me,” the linebacker said. … “I have no choice but to get there.”
He sacked Davis on both second and third down and Hayes’ final play was an incomplete pass. The stand sealed a 28-22 Mount St. Michael win over rival and visiting No. 6 Cardinal Hayes in the teams annual Thanksgiving game and the CHSFL Class AA final in front of an estimated crowd of 2,500. It is the first ‘AA’ crown for Mount, which has won three Class AAA titles.
“I went down on my knees and was like this is really happening,” said Acquah, who rushed for 61 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. “We really did it.”
The game had an extra special meaning for the No. 2 Mountaineers (5-5). They dedicated the playoffs to teammate Kyle Rembert, a junior who died on Nov.7 from carbon monoxide poisoning. His No. 45 jersey lay on the team bench with a football during the game.
“He is finally at peace now,” said junior running back Tarik Hawkins, who had a 45-yard touchdown run. “We have been through a lot these last few weeks.”
Mount, which started the season 1-5, led 21-15 at that half, but got a break when Hayes’ Gallo Henson had to run after bobbling the snap on a punt and was stopped. It set up an 18-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jaylen Amaker to make it 28-15 with 7:11 left in the third quarter.
“There were a lot of emotions,” Mount coach Mario Valentini said. “The kids really pulled together.”
The Mountaineers defense was superb outside of a few big plays. It picked off Davis three times, including two by Jahi Grannell. The first pick set up an eventual touchdown run by Acquah in the first quarter and the second came a play after Hayes recovered an onside kick.
“I knew they were going deep so I stayed back,” Grannell said.
Hayes (8-2) scored on three plays of 70-yards or more including a reverse and a 70-yard hook-and-ladder play run by Jeramiah Kobena that cut the Mount lead to 28-22 with 5:55 left in the game. The Cardinals looked like they had a sure touchdown when Davis had Bryant McAdoo open deep up the right sideline, but the ball went off the senior wide receivers hands early in the second quarter.
“They came up little short today,” Hayes coach C J O’Neil said.”One score away. Could we have gotten one more score? I’m sure someplace.”
Instead it is Mount taking home both the Turkey Bowl and the Class AA championship trophy a season after Hayes ended its 28-year winning streak in a game that is in its 67th installment.
“I wanted to do it for Kyle and the alumni,” Acquah said. “Got to keep them happy and continue what they started here.”