Joppatowne averaged nearly 33 points on offense while winning its first six games, but special teams and defense saved the Mariners on Monday night against North Harford.
Epe Henriques and Joel Scott returned kickoffs for touchdowns, Dominic Harper intercepted two passes and made a key tackle, and No. 6 Joppatowne hung on for a 12-7 victory over visiting North Harford in an Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference game.
Joppatowne has scored 208 points this year while allowing just 24. But the defense was tested in the second half as the Mariners couldn't make a first down and ran just 11 plays, none in the third quarter, mainly because of the kickoff returns.
"We told our kids we've got to find a way to win," Mariners coach Bill Waibel said.
The game was scoreless at the break as Joppatowne (7-0, 4-0 Chesapeake) lost one touchdown to a penalty and fumbled the ball into the end zone another time.
Henriques started the second half with a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give the Mariners a 6-0 lead. North Harford (5-2, 3-1) answered with a 1-yard touchdown run from Brandon Bayer (110 yards). Tyler Ruark's extra point gave the Hawks a 7-6 lead.
It was just the second time Joppatowne has trailed all season. The Mariners weren't down for long as Scott returned the short kickoff for a 66-yard touchdown and a 12-7 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Harper intercepted a pass to end one drive and then made a shoestring tackle on Bayer's fourth-down run at the 11-yard line to leave him a yard short. North Harford again drove to the Joppatowne 11 with 26 seconds left before Cody Turner's fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
N 0 0 7 0 - 7
J 0 0 12 0 - 12
J-Henriques 78 kickoff return (run failed)
N-Bayer 1 run (Ruark kick)
J-Scott 66 kickoff return (run failed)
