Broadneck and Arundel both went undefeated in league play last season, and both met or exceeded expectations in the post-season. The Bruins went unbeaten in league play for the fourth time in five full seasons, with a 4-0 ‘21 Spring season tucked in between. The Wildcats lost two of their three tough out-of-conference games, to eventual Delaware state champion Smyrna, and nationally ranked St Frances, but used those experiences to propel them to the 4/3A state championship game, earning their first title game berth in 15 years, and the fourth in the program’s history.
Coach Rob Harris has guided the ship at Broadneck since 2011, and has kept it steady after taking the reigns from Jeff Herrick, who finished with a 165-78 record in 22 seasons at Broadneck. Harris, in twelve seasons, boasts a 93-31 record, and his .750 career win percentage ranks seventh among MPSSAA active coaches. Since 2014, Harris’ Bruins’ have gone 72-20, including a 61-9 mark versus county competition in league play. The Bruins carry an 18 game win streak versus county foes, and haven’t lost a league game since pre-pandemic.
After learning a lesson from Spalding in their season opener last season, the Bruins ripped off ten straight wins before running into Quince Orchard in the 4A state semifinals. The Bruins didn’t see Arundel in 2022, but did post a 49-0 win over Old Mill, and a 35-0 shutout win over South River. In the post-season, the Bruins crushed Churchill, 39-7, before meeting their match with the Cougars, losing 42-9.
Throughout Harris’ tenure, the Bruins offensive success has relied on great line play, and a balanced offense engineered by a talented quarterback. This season, the line is there again, the running game and passing targets are there, but for maybe the first time in Harris’ tenure, the Bruins may begin the season looking at two quarterbacks. Juniors CJ Watkins (5’11 155) and Nate Tapley (6’2 200) will vie for the starting position, with Tapley transferring from Queen Anne’s County. Junior Ian Mauldin (6’0 200) returns as ‘RB1’, after rushing for 1,045 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns in ‘22, averaging seven yards per carry.
Whether it’s Watkins or Tapley, they’ll have one of the top receivers in the MPSSAA to throw to. Senior Eli Harris was a MPSSAA All-State second team selection last season, after leading the MPSSAA in receptions, with 62, ranking fourth in receiving yards, with 1,068, and scoring 11 touchdowns. Harris, a Navy commit, should finish on the MPSSAA top ten career lists in both receptions and receiving yards. Senior Hayden Raymond (6’2 275) moves to tackle after earning All-AACo first team honors at center in ‘22. The Bruins also offer the best kicker in the MPSSAA, ‘22 MPSSAA All-State first team kicker Chris Coleman, who set a MPSSAA record last year in field goals in a single-season, when he converted 14 of 17 field goal attempts, two from further than 40 yards. Coleman also converted 46 of 48 extra point attempts.
The Bruins defense will be led by senior linebacker Braden McCassie (6’3 210), who earned All-AACo first team honors last season after registering 87 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. Fellow All-AACo first team selection Tyler Hicks (6’5 210) returns at defensive end, after recording six sacks in ‘22. Senior Logan McGill (5’10 195) joins McCassie on the linebacking corps, and Coach Harris and his staff expect junior safety Tyrin Chinn-Thompson to have a breakout season.
A year after opening up with eventual MIAA A champion Spalding, Coach Harris spares his Bruins nothing in this season’s opener, as they travel to McDonogh, a team expected to battle Spalding for this year’s MIAA A crown. The following week, in week two, the Bruins go to Arundel, to take on the 4/3A defending state finalists. From there, it appears the Bruins will be favorites in their remaining seven regular season games.
Arundel reached the state championship game for just the second time in 42 years last season, and survived a state semifinal despite losing their starting quarterback in the quarterfinal. Like the Bruins, the Wildcats used their experiences from losses versus tough out-of-conference foes. The Cats opened up with a 21-19 win in the ‘First State’ over Delaware’s eventual 3A state runner-up Dover, 21-19, before falling to Delaware’s eventual 3A state champion Smyrna, 14-0. After winning six straight, the Cats closed the regular season getting humbled by St Frances.
Then, after a 29-3 regional final win over Leonardtown, the Cats posted an impressive 21-7 win over Seneca Valley in the quarterfinal, but lost their starting quarterback in the process. Junior Gavin Kamachi. Kamachi commandeered the Wildcats passing attack, throwing for 1,907 yards and 17 touchdowns before his injury, averaging 159.8 passing yards per game. More importantly, Kamachi excelled in the Cats ‘quick hit’ scheme, finishing third in the MPSSAA in completions, with 154, and second in completions per game, at 12.8. Still, the Wildcats defense stepped up for a second week in a row in the state semifinal, when they blanked Dundalk, 7-0. The Wildcats run came to an end in the state final, losing to North Point, 31-14.
Talented junior Ahmir Lowery (6’0 185) steps in behind center for the Cats this season, with the dual threat signal caller transferring from Pallotti. The Cats lost their top two targets to graduation, with Chris Downs and Miles Gilmore taking their 105 receptions and 1,402 receiving yards in ‘22 with them. In addition to a new quarterback and two new top targets, the Cats will have a new starting running back, after Ahmad Taylor led the ground attack over the last two seasons. Junior TJ Mordecai (5’6 160) will take over the role, after getting touches in both his freshman and sophomore campaigns.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cats lost All-Met defensive lineman Abraham Olugbemi, but return senior linebacker Ray Chapman (5’9 192), who earned All-AACo first team honors. No St Frances for the Cats this season, but they do get Broadneck at home in week two.
Old Mill finished 8-4 last season, with all four losses coming to top 25 teams – #1 Quince Orchard, #7 Broadneck, #8 Fort Hill, and #13 Arundel. The Patriots advanced to the 4A state quarterfinals, before getting turned back by Quince Orchard, 21-6. The Pats posted the second closest margin to the 4A state champions last season. The Patriots have lost five of their last six meetings with league rival Broadneck, after winning six of seven games with the Bruins.
On offense, the Patriots return their MPSSAA All-State, 1,500 yard rusher and their young starting quarterback. Senior Maximus Jones (5’8 185) returns at running back after rushing for 1,538 yards and scoring 22 touchdowns last season. Jones ranked third in the MPSSAA among underclassmen in rushing yards, and tied for second in touchdowns scored. Jones was a workhorse, with 246 carries, and his 20.5 carries per game ranked sixth in the MPSSAA last season. Sophomore Dennis Martini (5’10 165) returns at quarterback, after starting in his freshman campaign. Martini completed 66 of his 121 pass attempts (54.6%) last season for 822 yards, with the freshman throwing eight touchdowns and ten interceptions.
The Patriots will have a pair of talented two-way lineman in seniors Warrington Coates (6’3 222) and RJ Duncan (6’2 295). Senior Tre King-Rankin, an All-County second team selection, will return on the defensive line, as does senior outside linebacker Diontae Colbert (5’10 160), who finished second on the ‘22 Patriots in tackles, with 79. Colbert registered seven tackles for loss, two interceptions – one returned for a score, and a sack. Rankin produced four tackles for loss, including a safety.
The Patriots find a a tall task in week two in Concordia Prep, who is coming off of a 28-0 drubbing of Gilman. The Pats host both Broadneck and Arundel, in weeks six and seven, respectively.
A year after finishing 10-3 and advancing to the 3A state semifinals, Chesapeake finished with an admirable 8-3 mark. The Cougars were a score away from the 3A title game in ‘21 when they lost to the eventual state champion Northern, 16-13, and a point short of Long Reach last season when they lost in the regional final with the Lightning, 14-13. The Cougars also advanced to the 3A state semifinals in 2018, before getting trounced by the eventual state champion Linganore.
Cougars coach Rob Elliott has posted a 67-52 record in his eleven seasons at Chesapeake, including those two state semifinal appearances, the first two of their kind in the Cougs history. The Cougars didn’t play either Broadneck or Old Mill last season, but did drop a hard fought contest with Arundel in week eight, 27-17. The Cougars won’t play either the Bruins or Patriots this season, but will host the Wildcats in week five. The Cougars open the season with 2021 MPSSAA 2/1A runner-up South Carroll at home.
The Cougars top player returning will be two-way star tackle Wyatt Ferguson (6’4 270), who produced 44 tackles, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble. Senior quarterback Aaron Rhodes (5’11 175) returns after a season that saw him throw 11 touchdown passes in only 73 attempts, versus just two interceptions. The Cougars lost their two top rushers, Logan Clark and Larry Hurst, so it’ll likely be seniors Collin Lewis (5’11 185) and Charlie Hall (5’8 155) sharing the load in the backfield.
The Cougars lost 91% of their receptions, 95% of their receiving yards, and 100% of their touchdown receptions with the Cougars class of 2023. The biggest loss will be two-way star Rushaun Tounge, who caught nine of Rhodes’ 11 touchdown passes, and is now at Wake Forest. Tongue also served as a defensive back, where he received MPSSAA All-State honors. All is not lost on the Cougars defense, as they return their leading tackler in Dakota Baublitz (5’10 210) at linebacker.
South River finished 4-6 last season, and Seahawks coach Steve Erxleben returns just two starters on offense, and just four on defense. One of their two starters on offense that’s returning is junior quarterback Finnegan Mulvihill (6’3 180), who started eight games as a sophomore. Senior Jackson Ritter (6’4 210) will be the Seahawks top player, and return to tight end on offense, and defensive end on defense. Junior Landen Lilly (6’3 205) will be another tight end Mulvihill can go to. Senior Aidan Healy (6’11 200) headlines the offensive line. Lilly will double at linebacker. The Seahawks, a longtime 4A school, and 4/3A the last two seasons, drop to 3A this season.
Severna Park finished 5-5 last season, including a 7-6 win over South River. Northeast went 6-5 last season, and earned their program’s first post-season victory with a 37-15 win over Thomas Stone, before losing to Potomac in the second round, 36-0. Glen Burnie too won their first ever MPSSAA playoff game, taking out Parkville, 39-7. The Gophers lost to Old Mill in the second round, 32-0.
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.