If the Howard High football team is going to win its critical game against visiting Atholton on Friday night, it will have to do it without head coach Bruce Strunk.

Strunk had to have his gall bladder removed early Wednesday morning at Howard County General Hospital. He was released Thursday.

On Friday morning, Strunk said he was still very sore and had been told by doctors to avoid stressful situations for a week. So, no coaching until at least the middle of next week, he said.

"They're all good coaches and they'll be fine," said Strunk, now in his third year with the Lions. "If they don't have 100 percent of me, I'll just get in the way."

Strunk said he started experiencing pain Tuesday afternoon before practice. He had surgery early Wednesday.

Defensive coordinator Doug Kaplan has been running practices and will be in charge Friday night when the Lions meet the Raiders. Both teams are 2-1.

"I'm basically playing the administrative role," Kaplan said. "We have a very experienced staff. I'm the youngest guy on the staff and I'm almost 38."

Howard is coming off a 41-26 loss to Oakland Mills after posting easy victories against Marriotts Ridge and Mount Hebron. Howard junior running back Joey Bonavitacola had a breakout game last week against the Scorpions, rushing for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

"We should have come out harder in the first half," said Bonavitacola. "If we had done that, we would have won the football game."

Bonavitacola's brother, A.J.,  was a standout running back with the Lions before graduating last spring.

"They're very similar -- both tough and undersized," said Kaplan. "Joey is very quick, and he benefits from having that experienced front line."

BENNING BACK WITH EAGLES

Centennial running back Bray Benning, who has been nursing a fractured toe, is back in the lineup for Friday night's game against visiting Glenelg.

Head coach Ken Senisi said Benning, a team captain, still isn't 100 percent. Senisi said Nick Zahor will probably get the ball half the time.

Safety Edwin Heck is still out with a concussion but is expected to be cleared for next week's game at Marriotts Ridge, Senisi said.

Centennial is coming off a draining 29-22 loss to Atholton. The Eagles led 22-0 before a long field-goal attempt backfired just before the half, and they couldn't stop several big plays the rest of the way.

Senisi sent Matt Hugel in for a 49-yard field-goal attempt with about 90 seconds left before halftime. "The snap was good, but I think the holder didn't feel like he had the right grip and he audibled and ran it," Senisi said.

Atholton wound up getting a 13-yard touchdown pass from Brian McMahon to Dequan Ellison with two seconds left.

"I think them scoring before the half changed the momentum a little bit," Senisi said. "We kind of had them to the point where I think they were frustrated.

"It really came down to them making three or four plays. I think for the most part our game plan was pretty sound. The kids really executed it, except we just gave up some big plays in the second half and we really stopped moving the ball.

"I tell the kids, defensively, the error margin is a lot smaller for a defense because you can play 67 plays outstanding, but if you mess up three plays, it could cost you….Hopefully it'll be a good building block."

VIKINGS SEEK FIRST WIN

Things don't figure to get easier for Mount Hebron (0-3) Saturday at Wilde Lake.

The Vikings have been outscored 123-35 this season after last week's 38-15 loss at Reservoir. The 2 p.m. game is homecoming for Wilde Lake (2-1), which is expected to have standout linebacker/running back E.J. Gilman back in the lineup.

Gilman had only one carry in Wilde Lake's 14-6 loss to visiting Hammond and sat out the rest of the game with an injury.