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In a battle for pride, the Glenelg High football team had it ego bruised up in a 28-14 homecoming loss to visiting Atholton on Saturday.

With both teams at 2-5 now, neither is bothering to think about playoffs or Howard County championships. Instead, it's more of a game-to-game focus.

For Atholton, running back Nick Aloi said that the team is still shooting for a .500 record. He helped them get started on that effort, scoring on a 9-yard touchdown burst in the first half. He also capped the Raiders scoring in the second half, running in an 8-yard score – a result of Aloi taking every carry on a 6-play, 54-yard march.

"Right now, we're not going to make the playoffs," Aloi said. "We're just playing for pride."

Glenelg did have the game tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, when Gage Trawick threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Brittain.

But by halftime, things were starting to misfire for the Gladiators. After that touchdown, they couldn't get the ball past the Raiders 35. Atholton's running game continued unchecked, setting up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jon Gardenhour to Matt Robinson. Jake Stull also rushed in a touchdown.

Down 28-7, Glenelg started more of a passing attack. While it had some big plays, the receiver corps was quickly thinning out. Brittain was forced into the role of spectator after an ankle injury, adding to the list of walking wounded for Glenelg's season.

In the final five minutes of the game, a charged-up Gladiators' team began to show signs of life. They forced two 4-and-outs on defense, while Shannon Maura found a seam for a 45-yard touchdown run to daylight.

"We have to find our heart," Maura said. "We have to come out and punch someone in the mouth."

With 1:34 left to play, the Gladiators started what would be their final drive with a beautiful hook-and-ladder, with Trawick passing to the hook of Casey Altiei, who then tossed a lateral to Maura for a total gain of 29 yards.

But two plays later, Atholton recovered a fumble and ran out the clock.

The Gladiators are now in seventh in the Class 1A South Region. Baltimore's Dunbar (6-1) and Reginald Lewis (6-1) have already clinched spots, while fellow city school W.E.B. Dubois (5-2) is moving in on a third. The only shot Glenelg has would be for a meltdown by Forestville (3-3), while winning out the rest of its schedule. Outside of these four teams, all other 1A South teams are below .500.

For Glenelg head coach Butch Schaffer, the playoff picture is not one worth looking at.

"Our goal is to play as good as we can play, and compete as much as we possibly can," Schaffer said. "We're missing some players, but we're just not playing well. It is what it is."