Landon Ready For Stretch Run
By Adam Chasen:
Bethesda, MD - As the Landon Bears looked at their schedules at the beginning of the season, there was clearly a three game run to end the season that stuck out like a sore thumb. Beginning with Bullis this Friday and ending with St. Albans, the IAC champion will be decided on the field over the next few weeks in what should make for a very exciting finish. Of course, sandwiched between the two conference battles will be the rivalry game of all rivalry games, against now MIAA opponent Georgetown Prep.
On Saturday, Landon hosted St. Stephens/St. Agnes in a homecoming matchup and rolled as planned. In their 22-0 victory Landon demonstrated their strong running and passing attack that at times this season has been inconsistent. Without debate, the most consistent unit on the Landon squad has been the defense. Led by a strong front four, tremendous linebacker play, and talented veterans in the defensive backfield, Landon is not a team many like to gameplan for.
Defensively, Landon dominates with pressure when they have a lead, and are equally capable of making plays in the backfield against the run or the pass. Senior trio, Luke Howard, Max Lehrman, and Terrance Fullum provide the upfront push, while linebacker Alex Selowsky is one of the more unheralded stars in the area.
Known more for his lacrosse prowess, Patrick Keena leads the defensive backfield. Defensive Coordinator Tom Mulholland told me before the game, "Keena is like a coach on the field for me. I start to tell him, hey look, and he already knows. He just says got you coach." Keena is one of six Bears already committed to colleges for either football or lacrosse, as he will be attending the Naval Academy next fall.
In the 22-0 victory over St. Stephens quarterback John Lynn got it going early with a play action pass deep down the sideline to All-Gameday tight end Luke Howard to setup the game's first score. The deep connection was a very positive sign for the Landon squad as they are a tough team to beat when they have their running game going and then they can take shots down the field to create the big play. Lynn set the tone with his running and of course his arm as well in his final homecoming at Landon.
After the homecoming win Gameday's Jeremy Moreland spoke with both first year Head Coach Paul Padalino and senior quarterback John Lynn:
