Led by senior quarterback Kenny Faulcon’s five touchdowns, Aberdeen took a lead in the first quarter and never looked back, blowing out visiting Edgewood, 51-20, in the season opener Friday.
A win in the first game of the 2011 season marks the beginning of the Era at Aberdeen. In his coaching debut with the Eagles, Brooks dialed up a lot of effective passing plays that kept the crowd in the game, especially when Faulcon connected on a couple of long throws to his receivers.
“We’re just trying to get a new flavor over here,” said Brooks after the game.
For a team that was tied for the worst record (1-9) in Harford County last year, Brooks found a way to utilize his upperclassmen. After the game, he said the coaching staff did a great job and his players executed well enough to win against Edgewood, but he still wants to see more.
“I’m a perfectionist. I know we scored 51, but we played average,” said Brooks. “It’s day one, game one—plenty of time to improve.”
Brooks brings his leadership and a winning culture to this team after coaching Havre de Grace for 13 years, including in 2010.
There were signs of early season unease for the Eagles with a fumble in the red zone in the second quarter, poor tackling on defense, and players cramping during the second half.
Edgewood’s rushing attack ran off some big plays and caught the Aberdeen defense off guard at times. The Rams converted on a fourth-and-1 in the first quarter, which led to a touchdown on the same drive. Edgewood scored rushing touchdowns in the second and third quarters.
Brooks said the defense will be working to improve on tackling at practice next week.
Faulcon threw for 190 yards and four passing touchdowns, and rushed for 62 yards and a score. He operated a well-played two-minute drill to end the first half, with a corner route touchdown pass to wide receiver Christian Carpenter.
Aberdeen’s next contest is a home game on Sept. 9 against Bo Manor (0-1), which , 35-0, in their home opener.
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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story included the misspelling of Kenny Faulcon's name. Patch regrets the error.
