Catholic Review Loyola Blakefield rolls past Calvert Hall, 40-28, in 103rd Turkey Bowl as Kendrick Worthington leads way

Loyola Blakefield running back Kendrick Worthington was haunted by last year’s Turkey Bowl.

He was bottled up by a gang of Calvert Hall defenders for no gain with 11 seconds left to turn the ball over on downs as the Cardinals clinched the victory in 2022.

Loyola Blakefield players celebrate after defeating Calvert Hall, 40-28, in the 103rd Turkey Bowl at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium Thursday Nov. 23, 2023. (John Strohsacker/For The Catholic Review)

Worthington finally got his shot at redemption and he responded in dominant fashion for the Dons.

The junior running back rushed for 226 yards on 26 carries with three touchdowns, leading the Dons to a 40-28 victory on the 103rd Thanksgiving game on Thursday in front of a capacity crowd at Towson University.

“I am excited for my guys, my seniors,” Worthington said. “I appreciate all my linemen and the way they blocked for me, creating the holes for me to run the ball.”

Loyola (7-4) took the lead in the all-time series 51-44-8 and won for the second time in three years.

The Dons grabbed a 20-7 lead on an eight-yard run by Worthington with 6:40 left in the third quarter.

Calvert Hall got back in the game when Dane Grunder ran 17 yards on a fake punt that moved the ball close to midfield. Jae’Oyn Williams then broke a 51-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 that pulled the Cardinals to within 20-14 with 3:14 remaining in the third quarter.

However, Face-mask and pass-interference penalties by Calvert Hall on back-to-back plays gave Loyola the ball on the Cardinals’ 46. Another pass interference penalty on Calvert Hall gave the Dons the ball on the 4-yard line, and Worthington scored on the next snap, extending the lead to 27-14 with 53 seconds left in the third quarter.

Calvert Hall’s Nick Humpf passes during the 103rd Turkey Bowl. (John Strohsacker / For The Catholic Review)

The Cardinals didn’t go quietly, though, as Jackson Gister caught a 47-yard touchdown when he split the defense on a sharp pass from Williams to open the fourth quarter, pulling Calvert Hall within six points.

Worthington responded with two runs of more than 20 yards on the next drive, which wore down the Calvert Hall defense. Senior fullback Tommy Tucker earned his second touchdown of the game and Loyola led 33-21 with 9:49 left.

The Cardinals (4-7) continued to fight and pulled to within 33-28 on a 10-yard pass from Nick Humpf to Michael Bell with 4:16 left.

However, Worthington helped Loyola put the game away with his third score on the ensuing possession.

“Kendrick is a kid that works really hard,” Dons coach Anthony Zehyoue said. “There could not have been a better performance for him. I’m so happy for Kendrick. That kid is a Division I football player. No doubt.”

The Dons took control on their second drive of the game, taking a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard run by Tucker with 57 seconds left in the first quarter. That capped a nine-play, 45-yard drive. Loyola had 99 yards in the opening quarter, compared to 15 for Calvert Hall.

Loyola Blakefield senior fullback Tommy Tucker celebrates a touchdown. (John Strohsacker / For The Catholic Review)

The team scoring first has won each of the past eight meetings.

“It was a heck of a game, that’s what rivalry games are,” Cardinals coach Josh Ward said. “It was down to the wire. Obviously, they got a score late but it was a five-point game up until a couple of minutes left. There is a heck of a team, well coached by Anthony. We’re a young and inexperienced team that will be hungry to get back next year.”

The Cardinals offense got rolling on their first possession of the second quarter and tied the game, 7-7, on a 46-yard run by Chris Hewitt Jr., whose father is the Ravens’ secondary coach.

Loyola answered on the next possession and converted a third-and-16 on a 37-yard pass from junior quarterback Brad Seiss to Jayden Moore, who will play football at Duke next season. That set up a trick play that had Moore take a handoff from running back Worthington and throw a 5-yard pass to Seiss for a 13-7 lead with 4:17 left in the half. Seiss completed all four of his pass attempts for 61 yards on the drive.

Calvert Hall players celebrate during the 103rd Turkey Bowl. (John Strohsacker / For The Catholic Review)

Calvert Hall caught a break on the next drive after a roughing the kicker penalty. The Cardinals then converted a fake punt at midfield when Dane Grunder threw a 20-yard pass to Jackson Gister, who made a one-handed grab to get the first down. Calvert Hall got the ball down to Loyola’s 17 but Maurice Ghee intercepted Humpf as time expired in the second quarter,

Loyola outgunned Calvert Hall 184-149 in the opening half. The Dons were penalized seven times for 70 yards and the Cardinals were flagged four times for 45 yards.

“This is awesome,” Seiss said. “I haven’t won one since my freshman year and I didn’t play that year. We established that run that sets up the pass, leaving people wide open.”

Worthington was not the only one dealing with the festering disappointment of last year’s 17-14 loss to Calvert Hall.

Zehyoue felt he had let down the entire Loyola community with the setback.

“I thought about that game every single day for the entire year,” Zehyoue said. “I felt like I wasn’t my best as a coach last year. Every single day I vowed to not let the feeling hit me again. When I got tired or lazy, I thought about last year’s Turkey Bowl. … I’m really relieved and excited for our guys. They did such a great job.”

To view more photos from the 103rd Turkey Bowl, click through the slideshow below or visit https://catholicreview.smugmug.com: