Oakland Mills Looks Ahead after Big Week One Win

Coach Thomas Browne's last winning season at Oakland Mills came in 1998 when he was a player on the team that won the class 1A championship. Since 2011, he has been the head coach, netting one win in two seasons and losing 17 straight before the start of the 2013 season.

"Going back to the school where you went, everything is personal," said Browne. "When you lose all those games, you feel like you let the people down."


But 2013 is a new chance, a new season, and the team proved that in week one, beating Long Reach 44-6.

Could this be the first year since 2003 the Scorpions post a winning record?

After one week, Browne wasn't willing to make any predictions, but said, "We're going to take it one game at a time. The season is so young, you have no idea what's going to happen."

Last Friday, the Scorpions showed their potential. They scored five touchdowns in the first quarter and had a great game from junior quarterback David Pindell who threw two touchdowns and ran for another in the first. The defense held strong, giving up only six points.

"Getting that first win is very important," said Browne. "But it's one friggin game, you hope the kids are excited, but not too excited. You keep them looking at the big picture, which is the whole season."

Browne credited the win with his players' experience. He said they've bought into the program he initiated in 2011, and are comfortable playing in it at a high speed.

"I've had these players for three years now and they've kind of taken their lumps for quite some time," said Brown. "They're familiar with the offense and the defense. It makes a big difference to have guys that are experienced."

Next up on the schedule is Centennial, who Oakland Mills was scheduled to play Thursday night, but was postponed due to rain.

Centennial has also struggled, winning six games over the past three seasons, but like Oakland Mills they came away with a week one win, beating Reservoir 28-7.

In that game, Centennial running back Walter Fletcher stole the show, rushing for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

Browne acknowledged the accomplishment, "Centennial had a great game on Friday, they rushed for a lot of yards."

Centennial coach Todd Kriner also took notice of Oakland Mills, telling ExploreHoward.com, "They put a lot of points on the board... we've got to limit the scoring. Oakland Mills took advantage of some turnovers and we can't be doing that."

After two surprising wins by both teams, the matchup is already creating a buzz.

"It's an exciting time," said Oakland Mills athletic director Troy Stevenson. "We'll see what happens this week."

"I think the kids are excited in the school, the staff is excited," said Browne. "We've had a buzz for basketball for the past few years, and that's exciting, it's fun to have something for the kids to buzz about."