Small carries Clarksburg to 5-0

‘‘Mark is the total package,” Clarksburg coach Larry Hurd said. ‘‘He’s a strong kid, and he runs a 4.4[-second] 40[-yard dash]. When you try to come and hit him, he packs quite a punch.”

Part of Small’s effectiveness is built on his track-and-field background. As a middle schooler, Small starred for the Titans, a track club based in Germantown. Now at Clarksburg, he has the benefit of working with Scott Matthias. Poolesville’s former indoor and outdoor track and field coach has brought his expertise to the Coyotes, working with the players on speed development. Small’s ability to sprint away from pursuing defenders, as he did against Poolesville during a six-yard dart to the end zone for his only touchdown, provided evidence that it is working.

‘‘Track coincides with what Mark is doing out on the football field,” Hurd said. ‘‘He’s only going to get better.”

The hope for the Coyotes is that they will continue to follow suit. In just its second year as a varsity program, Clarksburg (5-0 overall) is undefeated, and has an inside track to the playoffs. Though this is rarefied air for the new program, for Hurd, who previous coaching position was at Poolesville, it is not so unfamiliar.

‘‘This was not something that was unexpected,” Hurd said. ‘‘When I was at Poolesville, two of the last three years there we were 5-0 at midseason. We always go into every season thinking that we are going to compete.”

What helped Clarksburg against the Falcons was the play of several of its regulars. Cody Martin completed 8 of 12 passes for 120 yards and touchdown, and senior Rob Osborne, who will play on the defensive line at Towson University next year but is playing fullback for the Coyotes, continued to cause opposing defenses problems. Against Poolesville, he scored three touchdowns, including a 19-yarder late in the game to seal the win. He finished with 64 yards on 11 carries.

‘‘Rob helps us at fullback immensely,” Hurd said. ‘‘He’s big and he knows how to block, and at 280 pounds, he can be a force running the ball.”

Though the win came against his former team, Hurd insisted that the preparation was business as usual. And, with a winless B-CC team coming in to play Clarksburg during its homecoming — and its first Friday home game under the lights — the chance to run its winning streak to six is something that cannot be frittered away.

‘‘It is not a big deal for us when we play Poolesville, but for them, it is their Super Bowl,” Hurd said. ‘‘Because of that, they played us extremely hard, and we were able to score six touchdowns, which is a great thing. It’s going to be absolutely insane here on Friday night, but the kids can’t get caught up in that.”