HS Football: Cuthberton coach Duke Howell wins first game on day son named NFL starter

As game days go, this one was a keeper in the Howell household.

Around 9 a.m. Friday, Duke and Amy Howell learned that their son, Sam, had been named starting quarterback of the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

And about 12 hours later, Duke Howell walked off the field at Parkwood High after a successful debut in his head coaching career.

“Quite a day,” said Howell, whose Cuthbertson Cavaliers blanked Parkwood 24-0 in a nonconference meeting of southern Union County schools.

The Cavaliers finished 3-7 a year ago but showed Friday night that under Howell, they’ll be a real headache for opponents this year.

“That was the best defensive game I’ve seen in a long, long time,” Howell told his players afterward. “You guys played absolutely great football.”

Howell has served as an assistant coach for several years in Union County, usually working with offenses. He was on the staff at Sun Valley when Sam was quarterback there.

The offense looked a bit ragged Friday night, but Howell’s team showed that it will make its mark defensively this fall.

“We’ll hang our hat on defense,” he said. “We have a lot of experience there, and they showed tonight that they can dominate.”

The Cavaliers held Parkwood to 57 yards’ total offense, with only 19 yards in the first half.

Cuthbertson held the Wolf Pack to 7 yards rushing and picked off a pair of Parkwood passes.

The game was less than a minute old when Greyston Tolchin picked off a Wolf Pack pass and dashed 23 yards for a touchdown.

“We have some work to do on offense,” Howell said. “We played two young quarterbacks, and we’ll have to go back and watch the film to see how each of them did.”

In the end, though, Howell said he was very happy with his debut as head coach.

“Any win against a Union County opponent is a big win,” he said.

Three who made a difference

Malik Lamar, Cuthbertson: Lamar’s running gave the Cavaliers something to rely on, while their young quarterbacks, Davian Hall and Aaron Constantino, tried to get adjusted to game conditions. Lamar carried the ball 12 times for 62 yards.

Spencer Crum, Cuthbertson: Crum, a junior, is the Cavaliers’ kicker, and he had a big night. All five of his kickoffs went through the end zone for touchbacks, and he added a field goal and three extra points.

Quinn Mushington, Parkwood: A senior defensive back and wide receiver, Mushington made several pass break-ups and returned punts for the Wolf Pack.

Worth mentioning

▪ Cuthbertson is now 9-2 alltime against Parkwood. The Cavaliers have won the last four meetings.

▪ This was the debut for both head coaches – Howell and Parkwood’s Sam Mobley. Both were assistant coaches at their current schools last season.

▪ As you might expect on opening night, play was ragged. Cuthbertson was whistled for 12 penalties and Parkwood for six. Most were delay of game or illegal procedure calls.

▪ Howell said the coaching staff will look at video to see how the two young quarterbacks fared, but they were statistically pretty even. Davian Hall played the first half and threw for 88 yards. Aaron Constantino threw for 85 yards in the second half.

What’s next?

Cuthbertson is home next Friday against Central Davidson, while Parkwood entertains Central Pageland (SC).

Scoring Summary

Cuthbertson 7 7 3 7 – 24

Parkwood 0 0 0 0 – 0

C – Greyston Tolchin 23 interception return (Spencer Crum kick)

C – Logan Vail 1 run (Crum kick)

C – FG Crum 27

C – Cohen Kilgannon 3 run (Crum kick)

Note: The Union County game of the week is sponsored by Deer Park Water