MIAA B
It could be argued that no high school football program in Maryland is seeing the meteoric rise that Concordia Prep is. Not too long ago, the Saints program was the doormat in the MIAA C division, going winless in 2015, and forfeiting their last two games of the season because of a lack of healthy players. In 2016, the Saints didn’t even field a team. In came Josh Ward, a 2004 Calvert Hall graduate who had spent a number of years in the college ranks, and the 2016 season with St Frances, to revive the program and put it on a path for success. Ward stayed three years with the Saints, and did just that, going 4-6 in his first season, then a 9-3 season in his second, and a jump to the ‘B’ division in his third. Ward was hired as the head coach at his alma mater, and Joe Battaglia was nabbed to be the successor.
Battaglia played at Gilman and Guilford College, before starting his coaching journey, which included five stops at DII and DIII programs, before landing the defensive quality control analyst position at the Naval Academy, where he stayed for four years, just prior to taking over the Saints program in June of 2020.
After splitting two games in a very abbreviated spring season in ‘21, Battaglia led the Saints to the ‘B’ title in the fall, finishing 10-2, and setting a single-season program record for wins. That Saints team finished the regular season with a 41-9 loss to Loyola, who was headed back to the ‘A’ division the following season, but not before the Saints would shock the Dons two weeks later in the league title game, 14-5. In five years, the Saints went from no team, to an elevation to the ‘B’ division, to league champions. Last season, the Saints fell short of defending their title, losing to undefeated St Mary’s in the title game and finishing 9-3.
The Saints carried the momentum of their last two seasons into their 2023 opener (week zero) with their 28-0 shutout of Gilman, of the ‘A’ division. Then, in week one, the Saints produced their most impressive performance in their program’s history, despite suffering a heartbreaking loss. The Saints had the MIAA A defending champion, nationally ranked Spalding Cavaliers on the ropes in the final minute, before the Cavs pulled out a miraculous 31-30 victory. The Saints were sending notice, they could play with anybody in the area.
Friday night, the Saints (2-1) steamrolled Old Mill, 46-0, in one of the minority of games that were competed that night. The Saints dominated the Anne Arundel County power in all three phases, headlined by senior quarterback Keshawn Mister running for two scores and throwing for another, and senior linebacker Camerin Gross producing 12 tackles and four tackles for loss. Battaglia was pleased with his team’s performance, “It was a great team effort versus a tremendous program. Old Mill is talented and well coached, which is why it’s great to see our kids play so well against them. Especially, after an emotional loss to Spalding, in a game we had a great opportunity to win. There are still a lot of things we can do better, but I am happy with our effort and how we played together as a team.”
Battaglia gives credit to many regarding the program’s rise, but isn’t content sitting on the laurels of a one point loss to Spalding, or a 46 point win over Old Mill, “It’s due to the efforts of so many in our community, the administration, the staff, and the players. This 2023 team has a chance to be special, but we have a long way to go. It’s still very early. We’ve done some things well, but we have many areas where we can improve. We have not accomplished any of our goals yet. We will continue to work every day to accomplish those goals.” The Saints host St. Paul’s on Saturday.
No other ‘B’ members were victorious last weekend, but both Archbishop Curley (0-2) and John Carroll (1-1) came within single-digits of ‘A’ division foes in losses to Calvert Hall and Pallotti, respectively. Curley senior running back Caron Madison rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries for the Friars in their 30-21 loss to Calvert Hall. Pallotti held off John Carroll, 14-7. St. Paul’s (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season to Landon, 24-0. St. Mary’s (0-1), the defending league champion, was idle last weekend.
MIAA A
After a masterful if not improbable last minute comeback victory over Concordia Prep last weekend, Spalding suffered their first loss since their ‘22 opener after traveling to Philadelphia to face a talented Imhotep Charter team, and falling short of the Panthers, 21-17. Unlike a week ago, when the Cavaliers offense executed brilliantly late in the game, their final two potential game-winning drives versus the Panthers ended with an interception, including the last in the end zone.
The Cavs led 7-0 at halftime, after a two yard score from Jameson Coffman midway through the second quarter. Then, the Panthers star running back and Georgia commit Javree Wallace-Coleman did damage, evening the score with his first touchdown, tying it again at 14 with his 48 yard score, and punctuating his performance with the game-winner with 6:00 to play. The Panthers also feature a pair of Penn State commits, and a quarterback committed to Army. The Panthers have been talented and skilled enough to reach each of the last two PIAA state final games, but this team may be their best ever. Coffman also added the Cavs only other touchdown, and Cooper Welsh put the Cavaliers a third time, 17-14, with a 29 yard field goal with 10:21 remaining.
This week – Thursday, the Cavaliers (2-1) face a stiff league test when they travel to McDonogh to meet the 2-0. Eagles. The Eagles (2-0) were idle last weekend. The two met four times in ‘21 and ‘22, including their regular season meetings and in the semifinal round of the post-season in each of the last two seasons. The Eagles entered the ‘21 MIAA A playoffs with a 4-6 record, but shocked the league’s regular season champion Cavs, 7-0. Last season, the Cavaliers dominated both matchups, including a Cavs 45-12 rout in the first meeting, and 41-6 in the semifinal rematch.
Calvert Hall (2-1) got by Archbishop Curley, 30-21, spearheaded by their pair of quarterbacks, sophomore Jae’oyn Williams and junior Mekhi Brown, who combined to complete 9 of 12 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns. The Cardinals travel to Riverdale Baptist on Friday. Like McDonogh, Mt St Joe (1-1) was idle last weekend. Loyola (0-1), who looked sound in their opener versus Dunbar, took a 23-7 loss to Georgetown Prep last weekend. The Dons led the Poets 21-0 in their opener just before gunshots rang outside the stadium with a minute remaining in the first half and the game couldn’t be resumed, resulting in a no contest. The Dons host WCAC power Gonzaga on Friday. Pallotti (1-2) won their first game of the season in a 14-7 victory over John Carroll. Gilman (1-2) fell short of Lawrenceville NJ, 21-10.
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.