2023 MPSSAA Baltimore Metro Football Report – Round 2 Playoff Review, Round 3 Playoff Preview

While fireworks went off across the DC area in the second round of playoffs, things were a bit more tame in the Baltimore region, and save for one or two instances, there was little surprise in week two of the post-season. 

On Friday, I broke the news on Twitter that Flowers season would be over, due to playing an ineligible player, who happened to play in the Jaguars 63-0 win over Bladensburg in the opening round. The player in question was said to have playing a fifth year. Hours later, the #1 team in the MPSSAA went down, when Northwest shocked Quince Orchard, building a 17 point first half lead, before holding on to a 29-26 win over their arch rival. Within twelve hours, two of the three highest ranked teams in the MPSSAA were out, before the quarterfinal re-seed round ever took place. As was 12-time state champion Damascus.  

However, outside of that excitement, all of the Baltimore major powers that were expected to win, won. Dunbar, Mervo, Perry Hall, and Milford Mill moved on, as did undefeated  Owings Mills. Still, there were some surprises, and a couple one and two seeds extinguished. 

Baltimore County 

Perry Hall continued to look impressive with their 55-0 win over Towson, which followed a 57-6 rout of Woodlawn in round one. With the win over the Generals, the Gators moved to 11-0 for just the second time in their program’s history. In 2005, the Gators posted an 11-0 record before losing 42-0 to Sherwood in the regional final.  

This week, the Gators will host an upset-minded Leonardtown team, who offers defensive units the ‘wing t’ grinding offense, and a stiff defensive unit. The Raiders visited Howard in the opening round and took a 42-12 victory home with them to St Mary’s County. Then, Friday, the-then 5-5 Raiders shut out the Howard County champion Reservoir Gators, 21-0, wrapping up two victories in Howard County in as many weeks.  

Owings Mills (10-0) stayed among the unbeaten ranks with their 34-16 win over Hereford (7-4) on Thursday night. The Eagles topped the Bulls, 20-15, in week nine, then were idle in the first round of the playoffs as the top seed in the 2A North. Eagles senior quarterback Malaki Dickens and junior two-way star Malachi Bryant were outstanding in the win over the Bulls.  

Dickens threw for four touchdowns – three to Bryant – and added a run for a score. Bryant added an interception, sack, and a tackle for a loss to his three touchdowns and 164 receiving yards. Hereford’s Nico Mosquera scored two touchdowns and rushed for 148 yards on 20 carries in his last game as a Bull. 

Now, like Perry Hall, the Eagles face a red-hot team that finished 4-5 in the regular season in one of the MPSSAA’s toughest leagues. The Eagles will play host to Walkersville in the quarterfinals, a week after the Lions spanked 12-time state champion Damascus, 42-0. The Lions have had an up-and-down year, but are catching fire at the ideal time, and their coaching staff already has a state title (‘16) under their belt. 

 

• Milford Mill (8-2) continued with the defense of their 2A state title with a 28-6 victory over county rival New Town (8-3), after staking a 21-6 halftime lead over the Titans. The Millers will be seeking their fourth ‘Final 4’ bid in six post-seasons when they welcome Potomac this week. Dundalk (8-3) saw their season come to an end with a 17-6 loss in their first year back in 4A. 

 

Franklin (6-5) shocked 3A North top seed Edgewood on the road on Friday night, 46-22, as Indians coach Anthony Burgos surpassed Bob Milloy for seventh place on the MPSSAA’s all-time post-season wins list, with 31. Indians senior Devin Rollins rushed for a season-high 245 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries, while junior Anthony Gibson added a touchdown reception and an interception. The Tribe visit Linganore on Friday to meet the Lancers, the overall two seed in 3A in the quarterfinal round.  

Baltimore City 

Dunbar (8-0) steamrolled Western Tech, 72-6, as the Poets pursue their third straight 2/1A state title. With the victory, the Poets won their 34th straight game, and now with Quince Orchard’s loss, own the longest current win streak in the MPSSAA. The Poets advance to the state quarterfinal round for the 20th time in 21 post-seasons. The Poets host Harford Tech this week.  

Mervo (10-1) blanked Kenwood, 56-0, registering the Mustangs seventh shutout of the season. The Mustangs will host Suitland in the 4 v 5 matchup in 4/3A, as the ‘Stangs look for their fourth state semifinal appearance in the last five post-seasons. While Dunbar’s pursuit for their state record 13th state championship gets the headlines, it should be noted that the Mustangs join the Poets as one of the MPSSAA’s winningest programs over the last ten seasons. 

Since 2014, Mervo has won 82.7% of their games, posting an 85-18 record, including a 4-5 record against the 12-time champion Poets. The Mustangs went 11-2 in ‘18, 12-1 in ‘19, 12-1 in their state championship season in ‘21, before an unfortunate 6-4 season in ‘22, which saw a teammate murdered on game day in week one, then losing their quarterback Ray Moore III in week five. This year, Moore III has the Mustangs offense jelling, while their notorious defense has handled business on their side of the ball.  

City College (7-4) moved on in the 3A playoffs, gaining a quarterfinal bid with a 38-26 win at Bel Air. Black Knights junior Nick Cyrus ran for two touchdowns and threw for a score, his 41st passing touchdown in 11 games this season, moving into fifth place on the MPSSAA all-time single-season records list. Cyrus currently ranks third on the MPSSAA all-time single-season board, and could surpass former Arundel gunslinger Billy Cosh’s MPSSAA single-season mark of 3,913 passing yards in ‘08 this week at Mt Hebron. 

The Black Knights will be seeking their first state semifinal berth since 2005 when they face the Vikings, and their fourth overall (‘96, ‘01, ‘05). The Black Knights program was a powerhouse for most of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, and ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams by USA Today in ‘87 and ‘92, just prior to the Baltimore City schools joining the MPSSAA. Since, though, the Black Knights biggest successes have been all but limited to Homecoming wins over the Engineers. The win over the Bobcats on Friday notched just their third 7-win season since 2010.  

Forest Park (10-1) survived and advanced after slipping by a game Randallstown team, 22-14, scoring 14 unanswered points after intermission. With just more than three minutes remaining in a tie game, Foresters senior Shannon Clifton found senior Keyon Jackson in the corner of the end zone from six yards out for the eventual game-winner. The Rams had 1st-and-goal at the Foresters six yard line in the final minute, but Park stopped them on four downs.  

The Foresters host Winters Mill in the 4 v 5 matchup in 2/1A, with both teams seeking their first state semifinal berth in their respective program’s histories. The Foresters have played in six state quarterfinal contests, but have fell short in all six, including ‘21 and ‘22, when they lost to Mountain Ridge, 55-20, then 17-8 to Brunswick last season.  

This season is one of the three best in the 21st century for the Foresters program, joining the ‘09 and ‘10 Foresters teams. In ‘09, the Foresters finished with an undefeated regular season, winning the Baltimore City Division II title, before losing to Dunbar, 20-0, in the first round of the post-season. The following year, the Foresters raced to an 11-0 record, before getting turned back by the Poets, 32-12, in the second round. 

The fifth and sixth Baltimore City teams alive are SEED and Lake Clifton, both competing in the 1A quarterfinals. SEED (5-4) travels to the shore to see Cambridge South Dorchester in the 4 v 5 matchup, and Lake Clifton (7-4) visits Perryville in the 3 v 6 tilt.  

The pair both avoided a trip to Western Maryland to face either of the top two seeds – Fort Hill and Mountain Ridge, last season’s 1A finalists. SEED has never advanced to the state semifinals, and it’s been 27 years since Lake’s only state semifinal appearance, when they were once a 4A power. The Lakers lost to Joppatowne, 38-30, in last season’s 1A quarterfinals.  

Anne Arundel  

Old Mill (10-1) moved on to the 4A quarterfinals after capitalizing on four Glen Burnie turnovers and running away with a 27-6 win over the Gophers, three weeks after escaping with a 27-26 win over their county foes. Patriots senior Torian Jones scored the game’s first points on a ‘strip 6’ 35 yard score. After the Gophers evened the game at six later in the first quarter, the Patriots scored 21 unanswered points, which included another fumble recovery by Jones for six points, this from 25 yards out, after delivering the critical hit. Junior Maximus Jones rushed for 100 yards and two scores on 24 carries. The Gophers were without their senior starting quarterback Romeo Edmonds, due to an injury.  

With Quince Orchard’s loss, the Patriots nab the overall two seed in 4A and will host Eleanor Roosevelt in the quarterfinal round. The Raiders were awarded a forfeit victory over Flowers on Friday, the day the Jaguars received their death blow, in what was just the start of a turbulent day in the 4A classification, bookended by the Cougars loss to Northwest later that night.  

Broadneck (9-2) is in the 4A quarterfinals for the third straight season following their 17-6 win over Dundalk. The Bruins drove inside the Owls ten yard line twice in the first quarter, but were stopped on downs on the first possession, and settled for three points in the second. Dundalk, who were finding a hard way to go against a stout Bruins defense, got a boost with a 50 yard scoring run by Joey Kasprzak, giving the Owls a 6-3 lead. But, just before halftime, CJ Watkins found Eli Harris from five yards out to give the Bruins a 10-6 halftime lead. The Bruins Ian Mauldin added a three yard touchdown early in the third quarter, and the Bruins defense did the rest.  

After all of the shakeout in 4A, the Bruins grabbed the five seed and will travel to the ‘Black Hole’ in Germantown to take on Northwest, a 29-26 upset winner over #1 Quince Orchard, their arch rival. The Bruins fell to Flowers, 43-37, in the ‘21 quarterfinals, then pounded Churchill, 39-7, last season in the quarterfinals, before suffering a 42-9 loss to the eventual back-to-back champion Cougars in the semis.  

Arundel’s (7-3) season came to an end with the Wildcats 42-21 loss to Northern of Calvert County in the second round of the 3A East bracket. Six of the seven touchdowns in this game came after intermission. Chesapeake pushed on to the 3A quarterfinals after pulling out a 14-10 win over league foe Northeast. This after the Cougars held on to a 21-14 victory over the Eagles in their week seven meeting. The Eagles finish the season with a 7-4 mark. The 9-2 Cougars are the three seed in 3A, and will play host to the 2021 3A state champion Northern Patriots, who will be returning to Anne Arundel County a week after topping Arundel at home.  

UCBAC 

Edgewood (9-2), the top seed in the 3A North, was dispatched by Franklin, 46-22, after allowing the Indians 35 points after intermission. The Rams finish the season at 9-2, their third 9-win season in the last five full seasons. Harford Tech (7-3) pulled out a 35-26 win over Elkton (4-7) to stay alive in the 2/1A bracket, but now things get real, as the six seed Cobras will visit Dunbar in the quarterfinals, and attempt to snap the Poets 34 game win streak.  

Perryville (8-2) grabbed the three seed in 1A, behind Fort Hill and Mountain Ridge, and will host Lake Clifton in the quarterfinals. The Panthers advanced with a 38-0 shutout win over Bohemia Manor (6-5), as senior Ethan Gunter rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, and fellow senior Ty Patchell completed 10 of 15 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. The two other UCBAC teams alive are both eight seeds – Fallston (7-4) in 2A, and Havre de Grace (5-6) in 2/1A. The Cougars visit top seed Calvert in 2A, and the Cougars travel to Cumberland to take on the top seed Fort Hill Sentinels. The nine-time state champion Sentinels.  

Howard  

Mt Hebron got past Oxon Hill, 49-37, after holding a 42-14 margin through three quarters, and before allowing the Clippers 23 points in the fourth quarter. The Vikes haven’t been this far into the post-season in 41 years, when they lost in the Class C (now 1A) state final. The Vikings finished 10-2 that season in ‘82. Two years prior, in 1980, the Vikings won the region and advanced to the state semis, and finished 8-3. This is the best season for the Vikings program since those two years in the early 80s.  

This week, the Vikings (8-2) will play host to the most prolific passing game in the MPSSAA – City College (6-5), in a game that will feature the Black Knights aerial attack, and the Vikings explosive ground game.  

Reservoir (8-3), the Howard County champions, were the latest county team to fall victim to a visiting SMAC team in the post-season. Last season, St Charles came into town and upset the undefeated county champion Atholton Raiders, 22-6. In the opening round this season, Leonardtown spanked Howard at home, 42-12, and Great Mills traveled to Old Dobbin Road and extinguished Long Reach, 26-13. 

Oakland Mills (5-6) extended their improbable post-season run after pulling out a 12-8 victory over Atholton (7-4), with the defense producing the game-winning points for the second time in two victories over the Raiders this season. In week seven, Scorpions sophomore Taamir Oliver scored twice, once on a ‘strip 6’, and another on a ‘pick 6’. Friday, trailing 8-6 in the fourth quarter, it was junior Isaac Ramsey taking a ‘pick 6’ 86 yards for the game-winner, bailing out an offense that mustered just 72 yards. The eight seed Scorpions now travel to Oakdale, to take on the undefeated Bears.  

Wilde Lake (6-5) advanced to the quarterfinal round with their 28-20 win over Glenelg (7-4) on Friday, producing the second most points in a game in their 11 games this season. The Cats are in the final eight for just the second time since winning their sixth and last state title in 2010. In 2019, the Cats made a Cinderella run after finishing 2-7 in the regular season, and entering the playoffs with a five game losing streak. The Cats run was ended by Huntingtown in the quarterfinal, losing, 35-0. Friday, the Cats head to Decatur to take on the undefeated, #13 ranked Seahawks.  

Carroll 

Winters Mill rolled to a 9-1 record for the first time in their program’s history with the Falcons 33-12 victory over Williamsport on Friday. The Falcons earned a state quarterfinal berth in their program’s history. The Falcons lost their starting quarterback Caleb Crouch for the season in week eight with a knee injury. The Falcons will visit Forest Park in the quarterfinal, in the 4 v 5 matchup. A week after upsetting Westminster, Manchester Valley (6-5) ran into Linganore in the second round, and the Lancers handed the Mavericks a 49-7 loss to end their season.