Mother Nature tried to call the messy Arundel-Broadneck football game four minutes early, but the teams persevered.

It ended unceremoniously before an empty stadium — attendees left once the lightning alarm sounded — and a missed field goal attempt was the only play of note after the teams came back to the field and the Bruins collected their 28-7 win.

Despite two entirely different rosters since the teams last met in 2019, the chaotic nature of the renewed rivalry resembled that of 2018’s three-and-a-half hour marathon loaded with penalties. After the first quarter, and in especially in the second half, both teams often struggled to execute their playbook amid a rainstorm of penalty flags, fumbles and the absurd — a fan rushing the field dressed as a referee, stealing the football and delaying the game.

Broadneck walked off Arundel’s field with extremely long-awaited payback for their last meeting. The Wildcats downed Broadneck in the first round of the 2019 Class 4A East Region playoffs, the last time a county team beat the Bruins.

“I would’ve hoped for a few more things, but you know what? It was fun,” Bruins coach Rob Harris said. “[Arundel coach Jack Walsh is] a great coach, this is a great program with great stuff, and this is the game people want to see.”

There was good and bad for the Bruins (1-1), most of which could be worked on. Perhaps its worst hit came early, when Navy commit and first team All-County wide receiver Eli Harris exited with a knee injury, the exact seriousness of which is unknown.

“It was weird, a double moment there as [coach and father],” Rob Harris said. “It changes what we can do. He’s a big factor for us, so fingers crossed.”

Heat and a poor warmup diminished the Bruins defense’s early performance, Harris said, but he acknowledged the same happened with McDonogh in Week 1 and something has to change.

But a seasoned, veteran defense was not the problem for Broadneck. Ahmir Lowry, a transfer from St. Vincent Pallotti, directed Arundel (1-1) to its lone touchdown in the first quarter — a circumstance-defying one at that.

Lowry (7-for-18, 114 yards) hurled a speeding rocket toward junior wideout Shariff Glassgow for an 82-yard gain. One play later, Naseem Tention scrambled through the horde of Bruins to score for a 7-0 lead, which held through the first.

Flags canceled every significant play Broadneck made in the first half, from a 61-yard pass to a punt return to the 1-yard line by sophomore Aaron Foote. Only Bruins junior Mari Hayes’ 11-yard touchdown in the second quarter slipped through for a score without the scorn of penalty.

Misfortune could easily swing from one team to another on this Friday, as Arundel soon learned.

Foote’s punt return that was called back sparked the momentum change. First-half quarterback Nate Tapley (6-for-10, 70 yards) wrenched a towering pass well over the Arundel defense. On the other side of it charged sophomore Carson Pierce, skating around his defender, collecting the ball and storming into the end zone for a 41-yard score.

Shouldering on his crutches, Eli Harris said with pride: “I taught him that one.” Broadneck carried a 13-7 advantage to halftime.

The Bruins swapped to quarterback CJ Watkins at halftime, who could run the ball a little more. But the onus was still on Ian Mauldin who totaled 132 yards.

“We talked about coming out stronger,” Mauldin said, “because we came out soft this game.”

Other football scores

Catonsville 48, Chesapeake-BC 0: After going over 1,000 yards in the ninth game of his varsity career and rushing for a touchdown in Catonsville’s triumph over Chesapeake-BC, Comets junior running back Tyler Boyd was asked which achievement made him proudest.

“Winning the game,” Boyd said before praising his linemen, including Allen Kohel, Josh Perry, Brayden Godwin, Isaiah Briscoe, Taylor Caudill and Cole Lovell. “I was just following my blocks, my linemen. I love my linemen.”

Coach Jaren Maybin credited his linemen’s ability to adapt during a week full of obstacles.

“Those guys have been working hard for us and this week has been tough for us because of the heat and we had to come out and practice at 6 a.m. twice this week,” he said. “I can’t say enough about how these guys adapt to adversity.”

Boyd rushed for 52 yards on 11 carries and now has 1,011 career yards. Maybin, a 2006 Catonsville graduate who is the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,870 yards, has much higher expectations for Boyd.

“Tyler has big ambition of being a record holder here at Catonsville, so we talk about it a lot and it would make my day, it would make my year, it would make my part of my coaching career to be able to coach the guy that breaks my record,” Maybin said. “So I’m telling him every little tidbit that I could possibly do to get him into the end zone and to get him those rushing yards.”

— Craig Clary

C. Milton Wright 17, Edgewood 12, ppd.:A crosstown battle between C. Milton Wright and Edgewood was postponed at halftime because of an impending lightning storm Friday night.

The host Mustangs led, 17-12, when play was halted. The game will be resumed at 7 p.m. Oct. 9, according to C. Milton Wright athletic director Kaitlyn Larrimore.

For a game to be declared final, the teams must reach two minutes into the fourth quarter.

To say it has been a challenging week for both programs coming into a riveting matchup might be underselling it.

Both coaches were rightfully frustrated about having to postpone considering the competitiveness of the first half. Ashman pointed out the last time these teams squared off, the Rams stomped the Mustangs, 36-0, so he was seeking some revenge.

When Edgewood started hot, C. Milton Wright didn’t waver.

The Mustangs charged the field armed with an American flag in line with the student section’s USA theme. But when Edgewood senior quarterback Caesar Travers found Mekhi Georges on a post route for an 88-yard touchdown on the game’s second play from scrimmage, it was the Rams who appeared ready for action.

C. Milton Wright responded with 17 straight points by way of rushing touchdowns from quarterback Kyle Ashman and Quantae Salters. Braxton Marchand chipped in a field goal.

“We have a next play mentality,” Ashman said. “Someone scores big over the top, that was our big fear, but we go to the next play. We forgot it. We got back on the field and marched down and scored.”

Edgewood was able to respond with another score in the waning seconds of the first half, as Travers scrambled into the end zone and closed the gap.

“That was a big drive for us because it gave us momentum,” Rawlings said. “I wish we could play them right now because they’re tired. We knew that they have a bunch of two-way players. We just want to keep playing them right now.”

— Sam Cohn

Winters Mill 35, SEED School 12

Meade 48, Severn 14

Glen Burnie 22, Annapolis 20

Linganore 57, South Carroll 0

Field hockey

John Carroll 1, Bel Air 0

Winters Mill 10, Wilde Lake 0

St. Mary’s 5, St. Paul’s 0

Girls volleyball

Patterson Mill 3, Havre de Grace 0

St. Mary’s 3, John Carroll 1

Boys volleyball

Harford Tech 3, Havre de Grace 0

C. Milton Wright 3, Patterson Mill 0

North Harford 3, Joppatowne 0

Boys soccer

Bel Air 1, Perry Hall 0

Loyola Blakefield 4, Concordia Prep 1

Edgewood 1, Kenwood 1

Century 2, Sparrows Point 1

Archbishop Curley 4, Broadneck 0

Girls soccer

Hereford 1, North Harford 0

Bel Air 2, Sparrows Point 0

Concordia Prep 2, Fellowship of Christian Athletes 0

Baltimore Sun Media staff contributed to this article.