2023 MPSSAA Baltimore Metro Football Report – Week 6

Baltimore County 

Milford Mill is on a roll, winning their fifth straight game after routing Catonsville, 47-3, in week six. The Millers haven’t allowed a touchdown in any one of their last four games, after shutting out Kenwood, Franklin, and Dundalk, coming in. The win over the Comets was the Millers 26th consecutive win over Baltimore County opponents.  

The Millers raced out to a 41-0 halftime lead, and cruised with a running clock over the then 3-2 Comets. Senior quarterback Deshawn Purdie had his best game of the season, completing 12 of 16 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns, without an interception.  

Senior Josh Pearson made the most of his two receptions, scoring on both, from 35 and 40 yards out. Junior Darrell Pierson caught four passes for 115 yards and a score. Millers senior linebacker Coby Jones produced 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack in the victory.  

The Millers host Woodlawn (1-5) on Friday, before their week eight showdown on the road with Perry Hall, who now stands at 6-0. 

Perry Hall came away with a 60-28 win over Woodlawn on Friday to stay unbeaten. Gators senior Jacob Wagner rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, and senior Dallas Conway added two scores. The Gators host Harford Tech on Friday night. Dundalk moved to 4-2 with an impressive 35-0 win over Kenwood (3-3), bouncing back from a 33-0 loss to the Millers in week five. Junior linebacker Jocquan Jenkins totaled six tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, and forced a fumble in the win.  

The Owls travel to Franklin on Friday, a year after coming away with a 7-0 victory in Reisterstown. The Indians, who suffered three losses to three MPSSAA top 25 teams in the first four weeks, slid to 2-4 on Friday after falling short of Mt St Joe, 17-10. 

Owings Mills stayed among the ranks of unbeaten, edging Parkville (2-4), 28-26. Senior quarterback Malakai Dickens was the catalyst in the victory, rushing for 148 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, and completing 8 of 13 passes for 117 yards and two scores. Junior Malachi Bryant caught six balls for 84 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles host Dulaney (2-4) on Friday.  

Hereford pushed to 5-1 after pummeling then 4-1 Towson, 57-0, scoring 49 points or more for the third straight game. Bulls junior quarterback Bobby Burke was perfect through the air, completing 12 of 12 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns. The Bulls led the Generals 43-0 at halftime, and 57-0 through three quarters.  

The Bulls head to New Town (4-2) on Saturday for the Titans Homecoming. The Titans posted their third straight shutout with their 54-0 win over Eastern Tech (0-6), which followed a 25-0 win over Parkville and a 47-0 win over Dulaney. The Bulls took two from the Titans last season, winning 9-0 in the regular season tilt, and a 10-7 victory in the second round of the regional playoffs.  

Baltimore City 

It could have been a ‘trap game’. Other teams in Mervo’s shoes could have overlooked a Baltimore Division II power and turned their eyes to their week seven showdown versus Dunbar, but the Mustangs focused on a 5-0 Forest Park team and came away with a 20-0 shutout win over the Foresters. Unfortunately, what was a very competitive game for three quarters, ended with just under eight minutes remaining when scuffles occurred inside and outside of the stadium. 

The Mustangs took a 7-0 lead into halftime on a scoring pass from senior Ray Moore III. After a scoreless third quarter, the Mustangs struck twice in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, first with another touchdown pass from Moore, followed by a ‘pick 6’ by Kamari Williams to push the score to 20-0. On the ensuing kickoff, a fracas occurred on the field, which led to a fracas outside, and after a delay, the coaches and referees agreed to end the contest. The Mustangs move to 6-0, while the Foresters now stand at 5-1.  

Dunbar continues to steamroll Baltimore City opponents, following the Poets 54-0 drubbing of Patterson. The Poets have now beaten Poly, City College, Edmondson, and Patterson, by a combined total of 212-6. Those are the Poets four official games this season, after their week one matchup with Loyola never reached halftime, nor did their week two matchup with Dunbar of DC.  

The Poets have won 31 straight games versus Baltimore City opponents, with their last loss coming to Mervo in the 2019 opener. The Poets have won 51 of their last 52 games versus Baltimore City foes, dating back to midway through the 2016 season.  

While the City-Poly rivalry in is in a league of its own when it comes to tradition and participation, the Poets and Mustangs rivalry has been the best competitive rivalry in the Baltimore area over the last decade. While the Poets have had a stronghold on their series with the Mustangs, the Stangs have had as much success as anyone else in the state in recent memory. The two teams have split their last eight meetings, and seven of the eight have been decided by six points or less.  

Mervo coach Patrick Nixon’s four victories over the Poets are more than any other active coach in the MPSSAA, and while the Mustangs suffered losses to the Poets in each of the last two seasons, they provided the closest margin anyone has gotten to the Poets in the last two-plus seasons. In ‘21, the Poets produced a comeback miracle in a 48-46 win over the Mustangs, before both went on to win state championships. Last season, the Poets held on to a 24-20 win over the Mustangs at Morgan State University.  

Forest Park has another undefeated team ahead of them this week, Carver Vo-Tech, in a game that is all but for the Baltimore City Division II title. The Bears have seen a rise in success of both of their basketball and football programs, with the Bears boasting a 6-0 record on the gridiron, and outscoring their opponents, 122-28, collectively.  

But, the Bears haven’t played anyone of the Foresters caliber, and haven’t scored more than 22 points in any of their six games, scoring 22 three times, and 20 once. Senior quarterback  Kwame Carpenter leads the Bears attack, throwing for 768 yards and four touchdowns, and rushing for 564 yards and three scores. Freshman Darnell Burrus has produced 44 tackles, ten tackles for loss, five sacks, and a forced fumble for the Bears.  

Anne Arundel 

Old Mill produced three huge plays that proved to be enough to knock off Broadneck, 31-28, to snap the Bruins 23 game win streak versus county competition. The Patriots hit on their first big play when sophomore quarterback Trey Martini connected with senior Jordan Penn for a 63 yard touchdown to put the first points on the scoreboard in the opening stanza. The Patriots and Bruins then exchanged two scores apiece before intermission, with the Pats missing on both conversions, and taking a 19-14 lead into halftime.  

The Bruins took a 21-19 lead early in the third quarter on a two yard run from Bruins quarterback CJ Watkins, and looked to take a two score lead when Patriots senior Diontae Colbert took a ‘pick 6’ 76 yards to give the Pats a 25-21 advantage – after another failed conversion. On the ensuing possession, with the Bruins at midfield, the Patriots defense came up big again, when junior Noel Norman-Williams took a ‘scoop 6’ 49 yards to ‘the house’ that put the home crowd in a frenzy and gave the Pats a 31-21 lead. The Patriots push to 5-1, while the Bruins drop to 4-2.  

Both defensive units contained the respective All-County running backs they were facing, Old Mill’s Max Jones and Broadneck’s Ian Mauldin, but the Patriots capitalized on two Bruins turnovers in the third quarter and turned them into 12 points immediately, and turned the game on its head. Jones, who came into the game as the MPSSAA’s second leading rusher this season, averaging 192.4 rushing yards per game, was limited to 86 yards and two scores on 22 carries.  

Bruins star running back Ian Mauldin scored twice, but he too was held below his per game average, rushing for 57 yards on 14 carries. The Bruins did find success through the air, save for the ‘pick 6’, as Watkins completed 26 of 34 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown. Bruins All-State senior receiver Eli Harris caught nine passes for 157 yards. Ultimately, the two turnovers and 13 penalties did enough damage to end the Bruins 23 game win streak versus county foes.  

The Bruins host a red-hot Annapolis (4-2) team on Friday, a Panthers team that has countered their first two losses with four straight victories by double-digit margins. Old Mill faces another huge test this week, with the Patriots hosting defending 4/3A state finalist Arundel (5-1) on Friday.  

Arundel outlasted Meade (4-2), 25-28, on Friday, as Wildcats junior quarterback Ahmir Lowery produced his best game of the season, completing 22 of 34 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns, without an interception. Junior Shariff Glassgow caught two touchdowns, and junior Jacob Dy caught five passes for 124 yards and a score. For the Mustangs, senior Brian Jamison threw for three touchdowns, and senior Tyrique Jones caught six passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns.  

While Arundel heads to Old Mill on Friday, Meade hosts Glen Burnie (4-2). The Gophers, who are coming off a 36-0 shutout of Crofton, have given stiff challenges to both Arundel and Broadneck this season – falling to the Cats, 27-26, and losing to the Bruins, 21-14. South River (2-4) upset Chesapeake (4-2), 21-14, as the Seahawks won their second game of the season, and the Cougars lost their second, in successive weeks, with a 27-14 loss to Arundel in week five. Chesapeake hosts 5-1 Northeast this week, following the Eagles 28-14 win over Severna Park (1-5). The Eagles only defeat was to Arundel, in a blowout loss, 42-0.  

Howard 

Mt Hebron (6-0) continued its ground assault on Howard County opponents, running away with a 35-0 shutout victory over River Hill in Clarksville on Friday night. The Vikings rushed for 381 yards and five touchdowns on 35 carries, averaging 10.9 yards per carry. Senior Coleman Hallums rushed for 266 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. Senior Aidan Hauf added two touchdowns for the Vikes, who produced 425 offensive yards. 

Hallums is averaging an astounding, MPSSAA-best 13 yards per carry through six games, with 933 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on just 72 attempts. Hauf has totaled 659 yards, and matches Hallums in touchdowns, with 12. The Vikings rank ninth in the MPSSAA in scoring, averaging 38.2 points per game, and tenth in point differential, at +28.9 per game. The Vikings travel to see winless Centennial on Saturday for the Eagles Homecoming game. River Hill (3-3) will look to end their two game skid when they visit Marriotts Ridge (3-3) on Friday. 

Atholton stunned previously unbeaten Reservoir, shutting out a Gators team that was averaging 36.6 points per game in a 13-0 win. After a scoreless three quarters, the Raiders capitalized on two ‘short fields’ in the fourth quarter to produce both of their touchdowns and win their fourth straight game.  

Raiders senior Cameron Lee scored from 11 yards out to put the first points on the board on a seven play, 36 yard drive early in the fourth quarter. Then, with the Gators in their own territory, Raiders Joshua Humphries came up with an interception to set them up at the Gators 24 yard line. Seven plays later, Gerson Mardi went through the middle for a seven yard touchdown and a 13-0 Raiders lead. Atholton visits winless Oakland Mills on Saturday for the Scorpions Homecoming game. Reservoir looks to right the ship when they host Wilde Lake (3-3) on Friday, as the Cats come in with a two game winning streak.  

Marriotts Ridge moved to .500 with a 36-28 win over Howard, handing the Lions their second loss in a row, after starting 4-0. Mustangs senior Roland Brooks rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and junior Richard Mills completed 10 of 18 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. While the Lions are in a bit of a rut, the Mustangs have won three of their last four games heading into their matchup with River Hill on Friday. Wilde Lake pummeled Hammond, 45-7, and Glenelg (4-2) put away Centennial, 24-0. Long Reach moved to 4-2 with a 10-0 win over Oakland Mills.  

UCBAC 

Edgewood (5-0) stayed unbeaten with a 39-0 rout of Havre de Grace (2-4). The Rams travel to North Harford on Friday to take on the 4-2 Hawks. Harford Tech rose to 4-2 with a 64-12 rout of Rising Sun (1-5), as sophomore Stephen Kelley II completed five of seven passes for 154 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Jamaal Pearl Jr added 15 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns for the Cobras. The Cobras get a tough out-of-conference test on Friday when they head to Perry Hall.  

North Harford also moved to 4-2 with a 28-20 win over Fallston (4-2). The Hawks ground game was vital, with senior Kent Holcombe rushing for 143 yards and two touchdowns on ten carries, and senior Harold Davis III rushing for 133 yards and two scores on 18 attempts.  

Bel Air (3-3) handed Patterson Mill their first loss with a 22-20 win. Bobcats junior Julien Horton produced 164 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns – one rushing and one receiving. The Bobcats host Elkton (2-4) on Friday. C Milton Wright posted a 27-7 win over Bohemia Manor (4-2) to move to 3-2. Despite both Fallston and Patterson Mill losing, the Cougars and Huskies are unbeaten in the Susquehanna Division. The Cougars and Huskies meet in week eight.  

Carroll 

Westminster’s Kyrece Walker continues to impress, as the Owls senior quarterback threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in their 33-8 win over Francis Scott Key. Walker completed 14 of 17 passes for 265 yards, and rushed for 37 yards on seven attempts. Through six games, Walker has accounted for 1,599 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Owls travel to Century on Friday, to face the winless Knights.  

Winters Mill survived a scare to stay unbeaten in their 24-17 overtime victory over South Carroll (0-6). The Falcons held on after seeing a 17-0 third quarter lead evaporate, and the Cavaliers score 17 unanswered points in regulation time, punctuated by a game-tying 40 yard field goal by Connor Hunter. The Falcons host Springbrook of Montgomery County on Friday. The Blue Devils, a 4A power in the 70s and 80s, are 1-5 this season. Manchester Valley evened their record to 3-3 with a 31-6 victory over Century, as did Liberty, after the Lions 28-12 win over Hedgesville of West Virginia.