Dunbar and Mervo brought home two state championships to Baltimore City last season, with Lawrence Smith leading the Poets to his sixth, and the Poets 11th state championship, and Patrick Nixon leading the Mustangs to the first state championship in their program’s history. Dunbar routed South Carroll, 38-6, in the 2A state championship game, behind two dynamic stars on offense, and a defense that all but shut down the then undefeated Cavaliers offense. The Mustangs scored 22 unanswered points in their 22-13 victory over Dundalk in the inaugural 4/3A state title game. The Mustangs had dedicated their season to their teammate Elijah Gorham, who died October 11th, 29 days after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a game versus Dunbar.
Coach Smith has made a mark in his fourteen seasons with the Poets, producing a success rate that few coaches in MPSSAA history can compare to. Coach Smith is just one of four coaches in MPSSAA history to win seven state championships, along with three Montgomery County coaching legends – Bob Milloy, Al Thomas, and Terry Changuris. Smith has registered a 155-23 record at Dunbar, and his .871 win percentage is the best among active coaches (min. 120 games) in the MPSSAA, and ranks as the third best in MPSSAA history, behind only Fort Hill’s Todd Appel, whose 142-15 record from ‘08 to ‘19 produced a .904 win percentage, and the Sentinels William Hahn, who went 110-13 from 1946 to 1958, producing a .894 win percentage.
Smith’s 44 post-season victories rank as the most in MPSSAA history, nine ahead of Appel and Wise’s DaLawn Parrish, who is still adding to his win total. While Dunbar had a notable program before Smith arrived, winning four state titles in their first 14 seasons in the MPSSAA, they’ve won seven in the fourteen seasons since Smith arrived.
Nixon has turned around the Mervo program over their last five seasons, a program that hadn’t won a playoff game before he arrived. The Mustangs achieved that in 2016, then, two years later, advanced to the 4A state semifinals, and a year after that, in 2019, the 3A state semifinals. Last season, the Mustangs only loss was to undefeated Dunbar in week two, a wild 48-46 overtime affair that they had led by 16 points with just minutes to go. The ‘Stangs bounced back to win their next 11 games, including a 34-7 win over North Point in the state quarterfinal, then posting an impressive 34-7 win over Sherwood in the state semifinals, before their dominating second half performance in the title game.
Things lean to Smith winning his eighth state title this year, joining Milloy and Thomas for the most in MPSSAA history, and giving the Poets their twelfth state championship, matching Seneca Valley for the most in MPSSAA history. The Screamin’ Eagles won seven under Changuris, and five under Thomas. Smith and Changuris are the only coaches to win seven state titles with the same school.
The top two reasons the Poets seemed poised to repeat are quarterback Devin Roche and running back Tristen Kenan. The dynamic duo combined to rush for 3,554 yards and 45 touchdowns last season, averaging 17.3 yards per carry between them. Roche rushed for 2,053 yards and 24 touchdowns, at 18 yards per carry, and threw for 1,075 yards and 13 scores, adding 312 yards and three touchdowns on kick returns. Roche (5’9 177) scored on 21.1% of his carries. Roche accounted for 40 touchdowns, matching former Poet great Tavon Austin’s mark in 2007 as the most in a season in the program’s history. Kenan (5’11 180), for his part, rushed for 1,501 yards and 21 touchdowns, at 16.7 yards per carry. In the state title win over South Carroll, Kenan rushed for 212 yards, and grabbed an interception.
The Poets also offer two-way lineman Desmond Grant (5’9 225), who led the Poets in tackles, tackles for loss, and was second in sacks. Another weapon in the arsenal, in addition to Roche and Kenan, is Deshawn Parks (5’8 165), who rushed for 611 yards and scored nine touchdowns on just 31 carries last season, averaging 19.7 yards per carry, adding a forced fumble at safety. Senior Tony Hart (6’3 185) will be a top target, after snaring 11 receptions for 442 yards and five touchdowns last season. Senior center Eebubedike Nnabugwu (6’3 285) returns at center to anchor the offensive line. Senior inside linebacker DeTauwn Player Jr (5’10 195) and senior defensive end Zamonte Simms (6’1 210) will bolster Grant and the Poets defense. Player, a sure tackler, ranked fifth on the team in tackles, with 62, and recorded eight tackles for loss. Simms, at defensive end, ranked fourth in tackles, with 68, and registered 12 tackles for loss. Senior Joshua Fedd (6’4 242) adds to the Poets riches on their defensive line.
The 2021 Mustangs unit was a senior laden unit – including the quarterback, his top two targets, and the majority of the line on an offense that averaged nearly 38 points per game, as well as most of its stellar defense, including their eight top tacklers. The Mustangs look to junior transfer Raymond Moore III (6’4 170) at quarterback, who comes over from Avalon. Moore III has a nice arm, and can make plays with his feet. Moore III and the Mustangs will have the top two running backs returning from their championship team, Bobby Johnson (5’9 160) and Octavian Applewhite (5’9 189), with the former rushing for 835 yards and eight touchdowns, at 6.7 yards per carry, and the latter rushing for 453 yards and five touchdowns, also at 6.7 yards per carry.
The Mustangs playmaker will be junior Tye’Shawn Cox (5’9 150), who is a threat to score whenever he gets the ball in space. Cox mainly lined up in the slot position, but at times in the backfield. The then-sophomore ran for three scores and caught three touchdowns, playing alongside three veteran seniors as a sophomore. Senior guard Rodney Judkins (6’3 280) and senior center Julian Robinson (5’10 275) return on the offensive line. The defense will be anchored by 6’4 340 defensive tackle Daron Deniton, who devoured running backs at the line of scrimmage and behind it last season. Sterling Thomas (6’0 213), who picked off two passes last season, returns at linebacker, while senior Kibwa Wilkerson, who recorded four tackles and two for loss in the state title game victory, returns at defensive end. Rising junior Challenger Valentine (6’0 180), a transfer from Curley, has looked good in camp.
Nixon is 85-38 in his eleven seasons at Mervo, including a 10-5 post-season record. Through week seven in his fourth season at Mervo in 2013, Nixon held an 11-26 record. Since, his Mustangs have gone 74-12. The Mustangs meet Dunbar in week five, following last year’s 48-46 thriller in week two. Overall, Nixon is 4-7 against the Poets, but his Mustangs have won four of the last seven meetings with the Poets, and were a play away (several times) from pushing that to five of seven, before the Poets incredible comeback performance led by Roche.
City College (8-4) beat their arch rivals, Poly, twice last season, and advanced to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. The Black Knights graduated one of the best all-purpose players in the state, Quavel Thornton, who accounted for 2,480 yards and 26 touchdowns, including 1,278 rushing yards, with 13 touchdowns, 558 receiving yards, with seven touchdowns, returned five kick returns for scores, and returned one of his four interceptions for a score. The Black Knights will look to junior Jahmari Powell-Wonson (6’2 185) to be ‘the guy’, after the then sophomore amassed 1,100 all-purpose yards and scored 16 touchdowns. Powell-Wonson, who received an offer from Morgan State in February, ran a 4.48 in the 40 yard dash at the University of Maryland in June. Quarterback Kameron Williams (6’3 200) also returns, as does senior D’Lontae Johnson (5’11 216), who stood out at offensive guard and defensive end last season.
Poly (7-4) returns their star running back, senior Tavon McGee (6’0 200), a year after rushing for 1,063 yards and 11 touchdowns, while also catching a pass for a score, and throwing for another. McGee is a patient runner, reads holes well, and is also one of the more physical running backs in the MPSSAA. Jason Lindsay (5’10 175), a three-way player, returns after rushing for five touchdowns, grabbing five touchdown receptions, and returning a kickoff for a score. McGee and Lindsay are bonafide ‘football players’. Senior Tristan Haley (6’1 175) adds another weapon at receiver, and Malakai Chinn (6’4 330) creates a big presence on the offensive line. The Engineers defense will be headlined by junior middle linebacker Michael Robinson (5’10 180), who ranked third in the team in tackles last season, with 60, while adding six tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Appropriately, City and Poly are both coached by alumni, with ‘84 City grad’ Rodney Joyner guiding the Black Knights, and ‘95 Poly grad’ Marquise O’Neal guiding the Engineers. Last season was the first post-season matchup between the two in the rivalry’s 133 year history. The 134th ‘Homecoming’ between City and Poly will be October 29th, in its standard regular season finale slot. With the two wins last year, the Black Knights hold a 65-62-6 edge in the series.
Edmondson (7-5) advanced to the 1A state semifinals last season, before running into Fort Hill in Western Maryland. Before Mervo won their state title last season, Edmondson was the only other Baltimore City school not named Dunbar to win a state championship in football, when they did so as the Indians, under Dante Jones, in 2006. The Red Storm’s defense will be led by senior middle linebacker Willie Goodman (5’10 209). Coach Corey Johnson enters his ninth season at Edmondson, holding a 63-32 record in his eight years there, and a 104-56 record overall, including his six seasons at Patterson. Edmondson has won 24 playoff games, second only to Dunbar among Baltimore City school programs. Patterson (3-6) will feature Mekhi Dukes (5’10 165), a defensive back selected to the BTC Super 22 team, and quarterback Nicholas Carter (6’0 170). Reginald Lewis (4-6) features 6’5 300 junior defensive tackle Kelby Carter.
The Poets program has registered a 66-14 post-season record since joining the MPSSAA in 1993, boasting the most wins and best win percentage (min. 10 p/o games) among all MPSSAA schools. Despite the Poets dominant playoff production, their state-best post-season record doesn’t lift the Baltimore City school teams to an above .500 career playoff win percentage, collectively. Only Mervo and Edmondson have winning post-season records, other than Dunbar, among Baltimore City public school teams. Edmondson has a somewhat storied 24-16 post-season record since joining the MPSSAA, while Mervo rose over the .500 post-season mark last November, and now hold an 11-9 post-season record.
City and Poly had great teams from the 50s through the early 90s, some dominant, and some considered some of the best on the eastern seaboard, but that never translated to any real success in the MPSSAA post-season, though both made a number of playoff appearances in their first handful of years in the MPSSAA, when just eight teams advanced to the post-season in each classification. Poly secured a playoff berth in four of their first six seasons in the MPSSAA, with the Engineers advancing to the 3A title game in their very first season in the MPSSAA in 1993, before falling just short of Seneca Valley, 15-12.
That would be the only time either Poly or City College have played in a state title game. The Engineers have won just three playoff games since that first season in the state association, including their 48-6 win over 2-8 Digital Harbor in the opening round last year. Last season became just the second time that City College won two playoff games in the post-season, and first in 16 years. Outside of Dunbar, Edmondson, and Mervo, Baltimore City schools have a 33-96 post-season record versus non-Baltimore City opponents since joining the MPSSAA.
Dunbar’s quest for their 12th state championship could have history produce some symmetry with Seneca Valley, the most storied program in MPSSAA history. Seneca Valley has won more state championships in football than any other MPSSAA school ever since the Screamin’ Eagles won their seventh state title in 1993, a year after matching Allegany with a then state-best six, in ‘92. The Screamin’ Eagles won four more state titles in the 90s, and have been the MPSSAA standard bearer, as far as championships go, ever since. Seneca Valley won their tenth state championship in their 24th season in the MPSSAA (joined in ‘75), while the Poets won their tenth in their 25th season in the association in 2017. The Screamin’ Eagles won their 12th state crown, and last, in their 28th season in the MPSSAA, while the Poets go for their 12th in their 29th post-season in the MPSSAA. With the two most productive runners returning in the Baltimore region in Roche and Kenan, the 1A state title is the Poets to lose, with or without any outside disturbances.
HS Sports Analyst
Willie, a native of Chicago, and now a resident of Columbia for 40 years, is an educator at Homewood Center in Howard County, after spending 12 years as a real estate agent, following 10 years of running a small men’s retail company. Willie has contributed to Max Preps, Digital Sports, and Varsity Sports Network. Willie has produced MPSSAA top 25 rankings for both football and basketball for 15 years, across various platforms. From a large ‘sports family’, Willie’s brother Mike led Reservoir High to the 3A basketball state title game in 2018, while his nephew Anthony serves as the Indianapolis Colts College Scouting Coordinator.