In what has become quite common as of late, the Linganore Lancers totally dismantled their opponent on Friday night. This time Friendship Collegiate Academy (DC) was the sacrificial lamb. They took a 48-8 drubbing at Linganore's Oakdale stadium. The victory moves Linganore to 6-0 and keeps them as the No. 1 ranked public school.

"We had the best week of preparation all year," said Linganore coach Rick Conner. "I am real proud of my kids. We believe in one team, one goal."

Penn State-bound fullback Zach Zwinak put on a first-half show, rushing for 132 yards on seven carries for a whopping 18.8 yards-per-carry average. The first time he touched the ball, Zwinak took a handoff off-tackle and out-ran the Friendship secondary for a 37-yard score.

Then, as time expired in the first quarter, Zwinak busted up the middle and ran over several Friendship defenders for a 36-yard touchdown run.

Zwinak's last touchdown came with 9:18 left in the second quarter when he ran off-tackle for 51 yards. He showed amazing speed and agility before using his patented stiff-arm on the last remaining defender to take it the distance.

"I owe it all to my offensive line," Zwinak said. "Robby Havenstein, Kyle Tucker and company open up huge holes and I just run through them."

Zwinak credits his running style -- he explodes through holes and finishes with speed -- to coaching. Conner certainly appreciates the compliments.

"Zach is a great athlete and a fun kid to coach," Conner said.

Linganore's passing game was also sharp; quarterback Nick Marth went 3-for-3 with two touchdown passes. Marth's favorite target, James Madison-bound receiver Ryan Dixon, was nursing an injury. That allowed receiver Brandon Beisser to get into the act, and he responded with two over-the-shoulder touchdown catches.

The first was a 24 yarder with 2:55 left in the first quarter. The second was from 25 yards out. Beisser put a double move on the defensive back, then took him deep, giving the Lancers a 42-2 third-quarter lead.

"We always knew this kid could play," Conner said. "Now he is getting his chance to show what he can do."

Linganore's defense was overwhelming, holding Friendship to 200 total yards (112 rushing and 88 passing). Most of those yards, however, came in the fourth quarter

against Lancer reserves. Junior linebacker Thomas Kolick dominated on Friday, leading the Lancers in tackles.

"Kolick is the most underrated linebacker in the state," Conner said. "He made plays all over the field for us tonight."

The Lancers even scored a few points on defense when outside linebacker Austin Scates sacked quarterback Chris Griggs and forced a fumble. Fellow outside linebacker Colby Weierbach scooped up the loose ball and ran it back 41 yards for a touchdown.

Friendship's lone touchdown came with 6:02 left in the fourth quarter as running back Albert Reid ran it in from 5 yards out. Friendship quarterback Chris Griggs finished the night 11-for-20 for 88 yards. Friendship junior receiver Larenzo Fisher hauled in eight passes for 58 yards.

"We just ran into a well-oiled machine," said Friendship head coach Aazaar A. Rahim, who started the school's football program and has been the head coach for five years. "Our school resides off Minnesota Ave. in North East D.C., so we are constantly teaching these kids how to deal with adverse situations. So we will rebound from this loss and get ready for next week against River Baptist."

After taking a commanding 35-2 lead into halftime, Linganore basically rested their starters. Their only second-half scores came on Weierbach's fumble return and a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter by reserve fullback Dwayne Randall.

"The coaching staff prepared us well for this game," said standout lineman Robby Havenstein. "They told us that Friendship had a lot of talent up front. We were ready for them."

Havenstein was referring to Division 1 recruit Earl Johnson, who Havenstein and Co. made a non-factor.

"Friendship has a lot of kids that will be playing for free on Saturdays," Conner said.

Linganore wasn't perfect in the effort, although the score suggests otherwise. Conner, for his part, wants the team to be turnover free, and the Lancers did turn the ball over once on Friday. But for the most part, it was another complete effort from the Lancers.

Next week Linganore faces Frederick.