Spring Mills entered the 2024 season with heightened expectations.
Through the first two games, the Cardinals have shown why.
Following a 9-3 season that ended with an appearance in a Class AAA state quarterfinal, the Cardinals have established themselves as one of the state’s top teams early into the current campaign.
A 50-0 home win over Jefferson in Week 1 was followed by an abbreviated 27-0 victory at Wheeling Park last Friday. The contest that was called due to weather with more than 3 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Ahead of welcoming South Hagerstown, Maryland for a Week 3 matchup, Spring Mills has yet to allow a point this season in nearly seven quarters.
“They absolutely do their thing,” Cardinals’ head coach Marcus Law said of his team’s defense. “Calling the plays, I feel like we don’t have to force stuff, and if we can move the ball, we’re going to be in a good situation.”
The Cardinals have a number of standouts playing both ways, and Law admitted his team was fresher throughout the opening half of the four-score win against the Patriots, when it amassed all of its point production.
But it was the defense that set the tone in a second straight runaway win, starting with consecutive sacks from junior defensive lineman Abelardo Meza on the first two plays from scrimmage. As a result, WPHS was faced with third-and-33, and ultimately punted two plays later, with the sacks leading to quality field position and a 42-yard touchdown drive in four plays.
“Abel is a dog. He made two big plays and that really set the tone,” said senior quarterback/outside linebacker Max Anderson.
That Meza’s production has come while replacing Anthony Williams, an all-state honorable mention pick last season as a senior, has been somewhat of a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals.
“With huge shoes to fill, he’s done phenomenal,” Law said. “I got a chance to watch him this offseason and what he does with his hands is tremendous.”
Anderson keys the offense as a signal caller, and through two games, he’s passed for 253 yards and three touchdowns. The dual threat also has four rushing scores early into his senior season.
A first-team all-state pick a year ago for his defensive prowess, Anderson is vital to the Cardinals’ success on both sides of the ball.
“We can be really special at moments,” he said.
Law, who played football at West Virginia University from 2003-06, served as Spring Mills’ interim head coach last season and has taken over the position on a full-time basis.
He’s guided the Cardinals to victories in 11 of his 14 games as head coach, and last season, led SMHS to its best season in the school’s 10-year history. The Cardinals won a first-round playoff game against Spring Valley in 2023, before being eliminated in a quarterfinal by Huntington.
Friday’s result against Park was another step in the right direction for Law’s team.
“Hopefully it’s something to set us up for the future,” Law said. “Our first two scrimmages were on the road, and we went to North Marion and faced Fairmont Senior and Lincoln two weeks before the season, and then to Brooke We’ve kind of had that mindset of treating these like business trips. Coming here on the road and playing a team like Wheeling Park that’s physical, to get this win is a blessing.”
Along the way, the Cardinals recognize there’s plenty of room for improvement despite the positive results to start the year against a pair of playoff teams from last season.
“There’s a lot of stuff we need to improve on,” Anderson said. “At times, we can play a little bit lazy, but we’ll keep working on the stuff we need to work on. We can be a really special team and it’s going to be fun to see what happens in the future.”