Baltimore City
With the regular season wrapped up, the two ‘Charm City’ superpowers, Dunbar and Mervo, set their sights on winning their respective state titles in the 2/1A and 4/3A classifications, just as they did in 2021. The Poets will be the favorites to win their third straight 2/1A state championship, though not prohibitive favorites. The Mustangs look to be one of the four best in the top-heavy 4/3A division, and may have to go through another local power to get to the championship game.
The Poets wrapped up their unusual season by pasting Carver Vo-Tech (6-3), 62-6, to win their 33rd consecutive game overall, and 34th straight over a Baltimore City opponent. The Poets last loss came pre-pandemic in the 2019 1A state championship game, losing to Catoctin, a week after the Cougars shocked Fort Hill in the semifinals.
While the Poets carried a 26 game win streak into the season, and momentum as two-time defending champions, the beginning to the 2023 season for the 12-time champions looked a little less promising. In week one, the Poets trailed Loyola 21-0 before a shooting just outside the stadium ended the game just before halftime, and finishing as a no contest. While the deficit to the Dons may be a bit deceiving, it was clear the Poets faced a steep climb to come back in the opener. Week two brought a bit more chaos to the team, when coach Lawrence Smith was indicted by federal prosecutors for fraudulent time sheets and pay improprieties as a Baltimore City policeman.
Coach Smith, whose 48-7 post-season record represents not only the most post-season victories in MPSSAA history, but the best post-season win percentage, as well. Last season, Smith matched former Montgomery County coaching legends Bob Milloy and Al Thomas for the most state championships won by a coach in MPSSAA history, with eight. Coming into the season, Smith’s career win percentage of 87.5% was the best in MPSSAA history.
Since that game day in week two when Smith had to step aside, the Poets have been steamrolling opponents, save for a 20-18 win over their top rival, Mervo. In the victory over the Mustangs, the Poets stopped a two-point conversion that would have tied the game with 2:11 remaining. Outside of that contest, the Poets have outscored their other six opponents by a total of 332 to 12.
The Poets offense is spearheaded by junior quarterback Savion Witherspoon, junior running back Cole Floyd, and senior running back Deshawn Parks, who both average better than ten yards per carry. The defense is led by senior middle linebacker Anthony Campbell, their vocal leader and leading tackler. The Poets (7-0) will face a winless Edmondson (0-9) team in the opening round of the 2/1A East playoffs, seven weeks after posting a 62-0 shutout victory over the Tribe in their regular season meeting.
Mervo (8-1) will be one of the top four contenders for the 4/3A title, along with defending champ North Point, undefeated Blake, and unbeaten Perry Hall, who eliminated the Mustangs last season in the regional playoffs as the Mustangs looked to defend their 2021 4/3A championship. This season, if the two are to meet, it will be in the later rounds, likely in the state semifinals, with the Gators and Mustangs the 1 and 2 seeds in the 4/3A North region.
The Mustangs have played lights out aside from the two point loss Poets, seemingly picking up from the ‘21 state championship season, rather than last season, when they lost a teammate to a shooting on the day of their first game, then lost their starting quarterback Ray Moore III midway through a forgettable season.
Last season appears to be anomaly, as the Mustangs have outscored their opponents not named Dunbar by a margin 299 to 39, including their 69-0 pounding of Patterson on Friday. The Mustangs play host to Digital Harbor (4-4) on Friday. The Stangs shut out the Rams, 40-0, in week four.
Forest Park (8-1) will look to be a contender for a ‘Final Four’ spot in the 2/1A class, as the fifth highest ranked team among the group, behind only the defending champion Poets, 2A defending state finalist Patuxent, 2021 2A state champ Douglass, and Calvert, who just topped Patuxent in week nine. Luckily, for the Foresters sake, and top seed Calvert’s sake, for that matter, either Patuxent or Douglass will eliminate the other in the second round, before the quarterfinal re-seed.
The Foresters finished their outstanding regular season with a 24-0 shutout win over Douglass (1-8), delivering their seventh blank sheet of the season. Outside of a 20-0 loss to Mervo, the Foresters have outscored their other eight opponents by a total of 320 to 12. Or, 40 to 1.5 per game. Even the 20-0 loss margin to the Mustangs can be deceiving, as it was a one possession game minutes into the fourth quarter.
City College (5-4) blew out their arch rival Poly (3-6) in their annual ‘Homecoming’ celebration, winning their 12th straight game over the Engineers in the series. Junior quarterback Nicholas Cyrus threw for an MPSSAA single-game record 667 yards and six touchdowns in the win, with two scores apiece going to senior Jahmari Powell-Wonson and junior Romero Ison.
Cyrus leads the MPSSAA in both passing yards and touchdown passes through nine weeks, with 3,114 yards and 34 touchdowns. Cyrus’ third touchdown pass set the single-season record by a Baltimore City quarterback, snapping the marks of Dunbar’s Jared Lewis, who threw 30 in 2017, and Mervo’s Derek Dunn, who threw 30 in the Mustangs state championship season in 2021. Cyrus bypassed former Edmondson great Eddie Colbert (2,631) for second on the single-season list in passing yards, and sits only 171 yards behind Lewis’ total of 3,285 in 2017.
Cyrus has three ‘D1’ targets to throw to in the Maryland commit Powell-Wonson, and juniors Vernon Allen and Romero Ison. Ison leads the MPSSAA in receiving yards, with 1,177, and is tied for second in touchdown receptions, with 12. As explosive as the Black Knights passing game has been, it hasn’t translated to wins against the better teams.
The Black Knights have averaged 44 points in their five wins over Patterson, Lake Clifton, Digital Harbor, Edmondson, and Poly, and just 13.5 in losses to Edgewood, Kent Island, Dunbar and Mervo, including a total of two touchdowns versus the Poets and Mustangs. The Knights have a path to the quarterfinal round, but would likely travel to Oakdale to take on the Bears in the ‘Elite 8’. The Knights host Patterson (3-6) on Friday.
Baltimore County
Milford Mill looks to defend their 2A state title, but will have to go on the road and get a win over a county rival in the second round to advance to the quarterfinal round. Senior linebackers Coby Jones and Malachi Bryant lead a unit that has held six of their eight opponents to seven points or less. Because of their one point loss to Oakdale in the opener, and four point loss to Perry Hall, the Millers settle for the three seed in the 2A North. The Millers (6-2), who were idle in week nine, host C Milton Wright on Friday.
While the Millers may be the favorites in the 2A North, it’s Owings Mills (9-0) that takes the top seed in the region. The Eagles finished with the first undefeated regular season in their program’s history following their 20-15 win over Hereford 6-3), clinching their first division title since 2012, and notching nine wins in a season for just the fourth time in their program’s history.
Friday, senior Malakai Dickens threw the game-winning 22 yard touchdown pass to Edwin Moore with 1:31 remaining. Dickens completed 10 of 14 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Bulls, adding 69 yards on seven carries. Junior Malachi Bryant caught four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles can tie a program record with their tenth win next week when they host winless Eastern Tech (0-9). The Eagles ran away with a 45-0 victory over the Mavericks in week eight.
Dundalk (7-2) won its fourth straight game, with the Owls 47-7 win over Catonsville (3-6) in week nine, their fourth consecutive game keeping their opponent to seven points or less. The Owls amassed 437 yards of offense in the win. Now, the Owls will attempt to do what no other Baltimore County team has done in 33 years – win a 4A state championship. Randallstown has been the only Baltimore County to win the 4A state championship, doing it twice, in 1984 and 1990. The Owls will host Annapolis (4-5) in the opening round on Friday.
Joining Milford Mill and Owings Mills in the 2A North will be New Town (7-2) and Hereford, with the Titans taking the two seed, and the Bulls the three seed. The Titans have won six straight games, including an 8-2 slugfest over Hereford. Should the Titans get past Patapsco (4-5) on Friday, and the Bulls get by C Milton Wright (5-4), the two will meet for the fourth time in two seasons in the second round. Randallstown (7-2) won the Baltimore County III division with their 41-6 rout of Loch Raven (6-3). The Rams host Fairmont Heights on Friday, and will likely visit Forest Park in the second round.
Anne Arundel
Old Mill (8-1) clinched their first outright county title since 2016 with their 28-27 squeaker over Meade (5-4). The Patriots went undefeated in league play in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and ‘16, and did it again this season while surviving one score games Broadneck, Arundel, Glen Burnie, and the Mustangs.
The duel between the Patriots and Mustangs saw the margin get tied up three times before the Stangs missed an extra point that would have tied the game at 28 in the fourth quarter. Patriots junior Max Jones rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and Jordan Penn added 141 yards from scrimmage and two scores. Brian Jamison completed 17 of 26 passes for 187 yards for the Mustangs, with three touchdowns and one interception.
Old Mill will host North County (4-5) in the first round of the 4A East playoffs, and the Mustangs will travel to Glen Burnie (6-3) on Friday in the 4 v 5 matchup in the same bracket. The Patriots routed North County, 48-7, in week four, while the Mustangs lost to Glen Burnie, 27-7, in week seven. Glen Burnie closed their season with a 47-18 win over Severna Park. Broadneck (7-2) shut out Crofton (2-8), 35-0, to sew up the two seed in the 4A East, and will host Parkville (4-5) in the opening round. Annapolis (4-5) will visit Dundalk in the 3 v 6 matchup in the 4A North.
Arundel (7-2) has dropped from the 4/3A classification to the 3A classification, a season after the Cats advanced to the state final in the former. The Wildcats finished the season with a 33-14 win over Annapolis, after leading the Panthers 26-0 after three quarters. The Wildcats will receive a bye in the first round, and play the winner of Northern of Calvert and St Charles. Chesapeake (7-2) closed the season with a 45-7 win over Southern (1-7).
Howard
Reservoir (7-2) won their first Howard County championship in their program’s 21 year history with a dramatic 28-24 victory on the road at Mt Hebron (7-2), capturing the title with the tie-breaking head-to-head win. Gators senior Jordan Tate found fellow senior Destin Hill in the corner of the end zone with :40.8 remaking for the game-winning score in Valhalla.
Tate was outstanding, taking a 60 yard run to set up their first score, then scoring on a 72 yard run on the first play of the second half, followed by his game-winning toss. Tate finished with 162 yards on 11 carries. Mt Hebron’s Coleman Hallums, the county’s leading rusher, took 18 carries for 155 yards, including a 68 yard touchdown to open the scoring. Hallums also returned a kickoff 43 yards following the Gators late score, but the Vikes couldn’t capitalize.
The Vikings were without the ‘2’ in their ‘1-2’ backfield punch that propelled them to a 7-0 record. Senior Aidan Hauf, who led the county in touchdowns scored, was hurt late in the first half of the Howard game, and didn’t play against the Gators. Hauf was averaging 109 rushing yards per game, and had scored 14 touchdowns in seven games. Hauf scored on a 46 yard run in the first half versus Howard, and gained 79 yards on eight carries, but never returned after intermission. Mt Hebron receives a bye in the 3A East as the top seed, while Reservoir hosts Severna Park in the 4/3A East as the two seed.
Glenelg (6-3) recorded their fifth shutout of the season in their 14-0 win over Marriotts Ridge (4-5). The Gladiators host winless Hammond (0-9) in the opening round in the 2A West. Long Reach (6-3) won its fourth contest in five games with their 27-14 victory over Wilde Lake (4-5). Lightning junior Robert Hicks completed 10 of 15 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. The Lightning host Great Mills in the 4 v 5 matchup in the 4/3A East.
Atholton (6-3) closed the season with their sixth win in seven games with their 33-20 win over River Hill (5-4). Raiders senior Cameron Lee rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries in the win. The Raiders are at home versus Landsdowne in the first round of the 3A East as the two seed. The Hawks are the three seed in the 3A East, and will host an Oakland Mills (3-6) team that has won three straight games, after losing their first six.
UCBAC
Edgewood (8-1) closed their season with a 28-7 win over Northeast, holding the Eagles two 1,000 yard running backs to 109 yards, collectively. The Rams hold the top seed in the 3A North and will host Aberdeen (1-8) in the first round. Harford Tech (6-3) followed their 17-16 victory over Edgewood with a 17-14 win over C Milton Wright (5-4) in their regular season finale. Cobras senior Junior Aderomilehin caught nine passes for 132 yards in the win. The Cobras receive a bye as the top seed in the 2/1A North.
Bel Air (5-4) rebounded from their loss to Dundalk with a 32-12 win over Joppatowne, as junior JT Ouandji Nana totaled 145 yards from scrimmage on nine touches. The Bobcats host Overlea in round one of the 3A North. C Milton Wright travels to Hereford on Friday in the 2A North, while North Harford (5-4) visits defending 2A champ Milford Mill. Patterson Mill (8-1), the UCBAC Susquehanna champions, is the top seed in the 1A North and will host Pikesville on Friday. Perryville (7-2) is the top seed in the 1A East and receives a bye.
Carroll
Westminster (8-1) and Kyrece Walker proved to be too much for Winters Mill (8-1) in the Carroll County championship game, taking a 34-10 victory, with Walker completing all nine of his passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and adding a score on the ground. For the second season in a row, Walker has thrown for 1,000 yards (1,115) and rushed for 1,000 yards (1,085), while accounting for 29 touchdowns.
The Owls are grouped with Oakdale and Linganore in the 3A West, and are the three seed and will host Manchester Valley (5-4) in the opening round. The Owls topped the Mavericks 19-7 in week five. Despite the loss, the Falcons are having the best season in their program’s history, and receive the top seed and a bye in the first round of the 2/1A West.
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.