Eastern Tech breaks through

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BALTIMORE, Md. -- They were close the first time and nowhere near the second, but the third time proved the charm for Eastern Tech and head coach Marc Mesaros.

Sheldon Shealer Emmanuel Gbor has been a varsity player for four seasons at Eastern Tech.

"It's a little overwhelming," Eastern Tech head coach Marc Mesaros said. "It's everybody's lifelong dream to be a champion at something and this is the first time I've been a champion at anything."

The win comes after two years of losing to River Hill in the title game.

Eastern Tech came close in 2007, leading the Hawks 7-0 at halftime, but watching as River Hill scored 14 unanswered points en route to its first of two championships.

Emmanuel Gbor was a sophomore in that game and remembers the feeling well.

"It's a big weight off my shoulders," Gbor said of winning a title. "Everything we've done has been for coach Mesaros. He's been here three times in a row and they have been tough losses for him. He's been like a father to us and he deserves this."

Last year, Gbor watched as River Hill dominated, 31-6, but it was flashbacks to the 2007 championship in which Eastern Tech led 7-0 at halftime that gave Gbor chills Saturday.

With Eastern Tech up 16-0, Queen Anne's running back Quinn Haley ran for a 19-yard touchdown and the ensuring two-point conversion brought the Lion's within 16-8.

River Hill's Malek Redd rushed for a game-winning six-yard run that put River Hill up for the first time with 4:02 left in the 2007 game.

"As soon as [Queen Anne's] scored I flashed back to that game," Gbor said. "All I wanted to do was put another touchdown up to widen the lead."

But unlike that 2007 game, Gbor and the Mavericks' defense held, not allowing another score for the remainder of the game.

"I've been waiting for this day for a while," Gbor added.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

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