MPSSAA Top 50 October 27th

1 Quince Orchard (8-0) 

2 Wise (7-0) 

3 Paint Branch (7-1) 

4 Flowers (7-1) 

5 Northwest (5-1) 

6 Linganore (8-0) 

7 Dundalk (8-0) 

8 Milford Mill (7-1) 

9 Broadneck (7-1) 

10 Fort Hill (7-0) 

11 Dunbar (8-0) 

12 Mervo (5-1) 

13 Franklin (6-2) 

14 Old Mill (6-2) 

15 Sherwood (6-2) 

16 Douglass PG (7-1)

17 Blair (6-2) 

18 Laurel (6-2) 

19 Frederick (6-2)

20 Potomac (5-2) 

21 Atholton (7-1) 

22 Glenelg (7-1) 

23 Bowie (6-2) 

24 E Roosevelt (6-2) 

25 Middletown (6-2) 

26 Huntingtown (7-1) 

27 Northern Cal. (7-1) 

28 Kent Island (8-0) 

29 Oakland Mills (7-1) 

30 Long Reach (7-1) 

31 South Carroll (8-0) 

32 Damascus (6-2) 

33 Mountain Ridge (7-1) 

34 Harford Tech (7-1F) 

35 Walkersville (6-2) 

36 Churchill (7-1) 

37 Oakdale (4-4) 

38 Owings Mills (7-1)

39 Largo (6-2) 

40 Severna Park (6-2) 

41 Wicomico (7-1) 

42 Chesapeake AA (6-2) 

43 Rockville (6-2) 

44 Lackey (7-1) 

45 Fallston (8-0) 

46 South River (5-3) 

47 Einstein (5-3) 

48 Fairmont Heights (5-3)

49 Seneca Valley (5-3) 

50 City College (5-2F) 

By midway through the fourth quarter of the annual Quince Orchard – Northwest regular season ‘battle royale’, the Cougars had put all questions about its 2021 edition to rest, for now. The Cougars had built a 24-0 lead over their arch rival, and quieted the home crowd at the ‘Black Hole’ in Germantown. The Cougars loyal contingent known as the ‘Red Army’ had, perhaps prematurely, redirected their attention across county lines, toward the Pumas of Wise, the Prince Georges power that has won four of the last five 4A state championships, and five of the last eight, and replaced chants of “Overrated, overrated”directed at the Jags, with chants of, “We want Wise, we want Wise.” 

Coming into the clash, the questions pertaining to Quince Orchard were legitimate, but fading. The questions had nothing to do with talent, but execution. In week two, the Cougars held off a very good Paint Branch squad by just one score, and a week later, held just a one score lead on a mediocre Walter Johnson team late in the third quarter, allowing 28 points in 30 minutes, before dominating the rest of the way, and coming away with a 63-28 win. Since that slim seven point margin inside of three minutes left in that third quarter of that week four game, the Cougars had outscored their opponents 191-15. 

The much hyped week eight clash between the Cougars and Jaguars had for the most part lived up to its billing for two and a half quarters, with the visiting Cougs holding a 10-0 margin, but the visitors quickly added two touchdowns, and all but assured them their 14th victory in their last 15 regular season meetings against their arch rival.  After a scoreless first quarter, the Cougars Donovan Brown took a snap from the ‘Wildcat’ formation and broke off a 41 yard run to the end zone to put the first points on the board with 10:02 to play in the first half. The Jaguars squandered a scoring opportunity on their fourth possession, missing a 29 yard field goal with just over three minutes remaining in the first half, and the Cougars capitalized on its next possession. Following a screen pass to Brown that gained 30 yards, the Cougars Sam Smith nailed a 47 yard field goal to give Quince Orchard a 10-0 lead at intermission.  

After a rare missed field goal by Smith on the Cougars first possession of the second half, and a three-and-out on their second, Jalen Husky set up the Cougars on the Jags 21 yard line for their third, with a huge punt return. Two plays later, Johnny Castro came in motion from the right side and scored on a 19 yard run to give the Cougars a 17-0 lead. Minutes later, a Jaguars punt snap went awry and Cougars linebacker Sekou Kamara fell on the ball in the end zone to give the visitors a commanding 24-0 lead with 50 seconds to play in the third quarter. The Cougars added another touchdown late, leading to a 31-0 shutout of their hosts, and their 14th victory in their last 15 regular season meetings over their rivals from Germantown. 

While the Pumas from Wise could very well be a future opponent somewhere down the road in the ‘Final Four’ for MoCo’s top 4A rep’, there’s no guarantee the Cougars will be that rep’, despite the dominating victory. In three of their last five post-season meetings, the loser of the regular season matchup between ‘QO’ and Northwest had the last laugh in the playoff rounds, including their last meeting, in 2019, when the Jags flipped the script, and put away the Cougars in the first state semifinal matchup of the two. Wise has won five of their last six post-season meetings with MoCo’s top 4A team, with the Pumas defeating the Cougars in the ‘12, ‘16, and ‘17 4A state final games, the Jags in the ‘15 state semifinal and ‘19 state final, and the Cougs topping the Pumas in the ‘18 state semifinal. The saga continues…

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In an Anne Arundel County battle with a county championship on the line, Broadneck engineered a domineering comeback for a second week in a row to all but sew up their third county championship in four seasons in a 41-25 victory over Old Mill, snapping the Patriots five game winning streak. In a shootout featuring the county’s top two passers, Broadneck’s Joshua Erllich put the Bruins on the board on their first possession following a pair of nice runs. Then, Patriots quarterback Myles Fulton engineered three scoring drives, giving the Millersville visitors a 17-7 lead, a margin that appeared to be taken into intermission, before Erlich provided heroics again. 

Last week, the Bruins were deadlocked with Severna Park at intermission in a 14-14 tie, before Erlich directed his troops to 34 second half points in the Bruins 48-14 win. This week, Erlich didn’t wait until the second half to engineer a comeback. Following a crucial interception by Jalen Carter late in the second quarter, Erlich found Nathan Livicki on a 19 yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first half, cutting the Bruins deficit to three, 17-14. On the first drive of the second half, Erlich ran it in from nine yards out to regain the lead for the Bruins, 21-17. After an Old Mill punt, Erlich found Levicki for a 17 yard score to give the hosts a 28–17 lead midway through the third quarter, and the Patriots never again came within a score of the Bruins. 

Erlich hit on 14 of 19 passes for 155 yards and three scores, and added a career-high 110 rushing yards and a pair of scores on 18 carries for the Bruins. Erlich pushed his MPSSAA all-time second-best career passing touchdowns total to 87, and passed former Arundel quarterback Nick Elko for fifth on the MPSSAA’s career completions list, with 464. Erlich is seven passing yards from passing former Northern quarterback Reese Crounse’s career mark of 6,350 for tenth on that list. In 33 career games for the Bruins, Erlich has accounted for 106 touchdowns and 7,785 yards through the air and on the ground. 

The Bruins Adrian Davis rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries for the well balanced Bruins. The Patriots Fulton completed 14 of 23 attempts for 183 yards and two touchdowns, maintaining his top spot in the county in passing yards (1,958) and completions (127) on the season, and trailing Erlich by one passing touchdown, with 19. 

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The HoCo county race has gone ‘loco’. Following Atholton’s 7-6 win over Long Reach, and Oakland Mills winning score with nine seconds to play to break a scoreless tie with River Hill, the county standings have a four-way tie for first place heading into the regular season’s finales. Never before has there ever been a four way tie atop the standings in the second half of the season, and only once before has their been four teams within a game of each other in the back half of the season. During Wilde Lake’s first (of six) state championship season in 1985, the Wildecats shared the county title with Glenelg at 6-1, with Atholton and Hammond finishing a game back at 5-2. 

This season, very little has separated the top quartet of teams in the county in the four games played between them. One was decided by one point, another by two, another by six, and the other saw the eventual loser driving down the field late in the fourth quarter on a potential game-leading drive, before fumbling. All four games between the four have come down to the final minutes, including Friday night’s edition, with Altholton holding on to a 7-6 win, handing Long Reach their first loss. A missed extra point by the Lightning proved to be decisive. 

Oakland Mills handed Atholton its only loss, as the Scorpions held off the Raiders potential last-minute go ahead drive in their 26-20 win. Glenelg dealt Oakland Mills their only loss, after the Scorps squandered their own late, potential go ahead drive in the final minutes, fumbling the ball, before the Gladiators added an insurance score in their 20-8 win. Atholton gave Glenelg their only loss, in a two point, 26-24 affair. In addition, all four teams have had similar results with  the county’s fifth best team – River Hill, with Oakland Mills notching a one score 6-0 victory over the Hawks, the Lightning and Raiders posting identical 14-7 wins over the four-time state champs, and Glenelg going one score better in a 21-7 win. Even, Steven. 

Provided the Scorpions and Lightning’s game isn’t ‘even Steven’ next Friday, the winner will grab a share of the county title, at least. Oakland Mills hasn’t won a county title since 2000, and the Lightning won their only share of a county title in 2005. Atholton hosts Mt Hebron this week, and Glenelg hosts Reservoir, as both vie for their share of a county title. Atholton last won a county title in 2011, while the Gladiators were undefeated county champions in their 2018 state runner-up season. 

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‘The Granddaddy(s) of ‘em all’. The Baltimore City College – Baltimore Polytechnic Institute rivalry is one of the nation’s greatest, and one of the nation’s two longest high school football rivalries in the country. The first game played between the two was in 1889, and the annual battle has lasted 132 years ever since.  City College dominated early in the series, winning 13 straight years from 1889 through 1901, before the only seasonal break (outside of the pandemic causing cancellation of the Baltimore City 2020 season) in 131 years between the two occurring in 1902. City ran the winning streak to 17 games before the first tie in the series came in 1907. Poly turned around its fortunes in 1908, with their first win in the rivalry, and that success continued through the 1910s, where the Engineers lost just one game to the Black Knights during the decade. The rivalry was robust in 1926, when the Black Knights halfback Mickey Noonen’s eligibility was questioned. After a committee was formed to investigate Noonen’s eligibility, Noonen’s father struck a committee member and his son wasn’t only deemed ineligible, but was expelled. During the 20s, the game caused riots to erupt in the streets of Baltimore, when opposing parades would clash the day before the game. In 1928, the son of the mayor of Baltimore, and the son of the governor of Maryland, were both arrested in the riots. In ‘32, a peace pact was reached to quell the furor in the streets in the days leading up to the game, complete with a press conference at City Hall. 

In 1944, the game that was previously played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, was moved to ‘Turkey Day’, where it remained for 49 years, until the Knights and Engineers joined the MPSSAA. Poly won nine of ten games in the 50s under legendary coach Bob Lumsden, then, in 1962, the Engineers played in the unofficial prep national championship game in the Orange Bowl in Miami, before losing to the Miami Senior High Stingarees, 14-6. The rest of the 60s  belonged to George Young and Black Knights, who went on to win six straight games in the series, all while winning six straight MSA ‘A’ Conference titles. In 1965, both City and Poly came into the showdown with a record of 9-0, before a Kurt Schmoke-led Black Knights squad crushed the Engineers, 52-6, before 25,000 in Memorial Stadium. The Black Knights finished ranked #8 in the country by a national sports poll. 

Poly took control of the series in the 70s and most of the 80s, winning 17 straight games from 1970 through 1986. Poly held the series lead until 2018, when the Knights eventually evened it up, before the Engineers surrendered that lead the following year, when City topped its arch rival, 10-6, giving the Knights a 63-62-6 record in the legendary rivalry.  The win was the Knights eighth straight in the series. More than a dozen players between the two revered schools have played in the NFL, including the Knights’ Bryant Johnson (c/o ‘99) and Charles Tapper (c/o ‘12), and the Engineers Mike Pitts (c/o ‘78) and Antonio ‘Buttons’ Freeman (c/o ‘90). 

Johnson was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round (17th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft, and registered 314 receptions, 3,938 receiving yards, and 16 touchdown receptions, over nine years with the Cardinals, ‘Niners, Lions, and Texans. As a sophomore defensive end at the University of Oklahoma, Tapper was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, and as a senior was named to the All-Big 12 First Team for the Sooners, after recording 50 tackles, 10 for loss, 7 sacks, four forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Tapper was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, before a back condition (pars defect) prevented a lengthy NFL career. Young left City College following the 1967 season, and took an assistant coach position with the Baltimore Colts. After four years as Director of Player Personnel for the Miami Dolphins, Young was named the General Manager of the New York Giants in 1979, where he’d stay for 19 seasons, helping guide Super Bowl wins following the ‘86 and ‘90 seasons. 

Pitts, who played under ‘Bear’ Bryant at Alabama, spent 12 seasons in the NFL as a defensive end, registering 814 tackles and 48.5 sacks in his career. Freeman was drafted in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, where he was selected as a First Team All-Pro in 1998, after leading the NFL in receiving yards that season. Freeman won a Super Bowl with the Packers following the 1996 season. In his nine year career, the former Virginia Tech Hokie totaled 477 receptions, 7,251 receiving yards, and 61 touchdown receptions. Lumsden, whom the Poly field is named after, spent 50 years at the school, and went 139-24-4 in 17 years as the head coach of the football team. Lumsden also went 379-21 and captured 15 MSA championships in 24 seasons as the Engineers baseball coach. 

Kickoff for the 132nd edition of the rivalry will be at 6 o’clock, Saturday, at Morgan State. There’s nothing like when the spirit of ‘City Forever’ and the spirit of ‘Poly Pride’ engage, before, during, and after the annual clash on the gridiron. Nothing. 

The ‘granddaddy(s)’ is what I said. Plural. Very few scholastic rivalries compare to the Fort Hill – Allegany rivalry in contempt, as the blue Campers and the ‘Big Red’ Sentinels have been flaming tensions with each other and battling for the ‘Iron Kettle’ since 1936. Saturday’s ‘Homecoming’ at Greenway Stadium will be the 99th edition of the rivalry, with the Sentinels carrying a 62-32-4 decisive edge in the series. The Sentinels have won 15 straight games over the Campers, dating back to 2010, including four post-season meetings, and have won 32 of the last 39 games in the rivalry, dating back to 1992. The Sentinels have held an advantage in the series since their 14-7 victory over the Campers in 1954, giving ‘Big Red’ a 10-9-3 margin over their heated rivals. 

Between the longtime football powerhouses, the Campers and Sentinels have combined for 15 MPSSAA state championships, 25 state title game appearances, and 17 other state semifinal appearances. Fort Hill has won 708 games in 86 seasons, and Allegany has won 670 games in 106 seasons. Allegany has posted 11 undefeated seasons, more than any other Maryland public school, while Fort Hill has registered 19 undefeated regular seasons, the most among all Maryland public schools, and can push that number to 20 with a win over the Campers on Saturday. [Allegany’s rivalry with Keyser WV actually dates back further, to 1916, and went uninterrupted from 1922 through 2019. Despite not having the opportunity to face the Campers in the post-season,  the Golden Tornado and the Campers have played five (four, after Saturday) more games than the Sentinels and Campers have, with 103 games played.]

In the state playoff era (1974-current), the Sentinels have entered the rivalry game undefeated 14 times, and left the game undefeated 13 times. This season, the Sentinels are 7-0, with three convincing wins over MPSSAA top 50 teams, including a 28-13 win over Anne Arundel County 4A power Old Mill, a 42-7 rout of 2018 state champion Oakdale, and a 37-7 blowout victory over 7-1 Mountain Ridge. The 7-1 Campers only loss this season was to Mountain Ridge, 31-0, in week three. Friday night, Allegany put away Northern of Garrett in the fourth quarter, pulling away in a 34-14 victory. In week one, the Sentinels held off Northern, 17-7. A third common opponent is Smithsburg, with the Sentinels posting a 28 point win over the Leopards, and the Campers registering a 25 point win over the Leopards. 

Though the Sentinels and Campers may not boast the number of former and current NFL players, the two Western Maryland juggernauts can offer former Camper Rod Breedlove, who played eight years at linebacker in the league, garnering a Pro Bowl honor with the Washington Redskins in 1962; the late great former Sentinel Steve Trimble, who like Breedlove played at Maryland, and played four years at safety in the NFL and was a two-rime Arena Bowl champion; and one of Fort Hill’s finest, Ty Johnson, the former Terrapin running back, now with the Jets. The Sentinels also once featured Mark Manges, the former University of Maryland quarterback who earned First Team All-ACC honors as a junior, and was considered a Heisman candidate his senior season, before breaking his hand in the third game of the season. Former Campers also include former Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce and six-time Emmy and Actors Guild winner William Macy. Former Sentinel Rebelka Arthur’s played seven seasons on the sitcom ‘Perfect Strangers’, which spun off the longtime running tv show  ‘Family Matters’. 

The MPSSAA POY watch is in full effect. Let’s look at a bakers dozen of the top candidates.

Kelvin Mendez 5’9 194 SR RB (Harford Tech) – 162-1461-9.0-19/1; Mendez is averaging 243.5 rushing yards per game for the undefeated Cobras, and leads the MPSSAA in total rushing yards, despite playing in two less games than the vast majority of players. Mendez’s prorated total of 243.5 yards per game would equal 3,166 rushing yards. In the last three weeks, Mendez has rushed for 236, 258, and 324 yards. 

Jayden Saurey 6’0 205 SR QB (Wise) – 55-75-70.3%-1032-14-2 passing, 23-257-4 rushing; Saurey has been extremely efficient for the undefeated #2 Pumas, and despite having played three less games than the vast majority of players, will likely have enough numbers to grab the POY should the Pumas win the 4A title. The Maryland commit has hit on better than 70% of his throws, averaged just under 19 yards per completion, and averaged nearly a touchdown on every five attempts. In addition to his 14 touchdown passes this season, Saurey has rushed for six scores. 

Joshua Erlich 6’0 185 SR QB (Broadneck) – 108-166-65.1%-1474-20-2 passing, 86-564-6 rushing; Erlich will finish among the MPSSAA’s top five in career passing touchdowns, career passing yards, and career completions, and is having another outstanding season for the 7-1 Bruins. This season, Erlich ranks second in the MPSSAA in touchdown passes. Erlich has thrown for 1,474 yards and 20 touchdowns, and rushed for 564 yards and six scores. 

Bisi Owens 6’4 195 SR QB (Glenelg) – 143-1238-8.7-23 rushing, 41-66-635-8 passing; Three years ago, Owens brother Wande finished as the MPSSAA’s second all-time leading rusher, behind Dunbar’s Tavon Austin, but now Owens is putting his name on some all-time lists. After rushing for 338 yards and five touchdowns, and connecting on all three of his passes for 95 yards and a score in a win over Marriotts Ridge Friday night, Owens has accounted for 1,873 yards and 31 touchdowns for the 7-1 Gladiators. 

Octavian Smith Jr 6’1 170 SR QB (Paint Branch) – 43-74-58.1%-10-1 passing, 56-555-6 rushing; Smith is not only an outstanding athlete, he’s an outstanding student. After de-committing from Northwestern, Smith Jr has received offers from three service academies, Duke, Virginia, and Vanderbilt, among others. Friday night, Smith Jr led the #3 Panthers to a 33-0 victory over then #10 Sherwood, throwing for 162 yards and two scores, and running for 126 yards (on just 10 carries) and another score. 

Devin Roche 5’7 165 JR QB (Dunbar) – Roche has been described as the most electrifying and talented offensive player the Poets have had since Tavon Austin, by his coaches, and the numbers have bared that out. Though last week’s official numbers weren’t available at the time of this writing, Roche had accounted for 1,582 yards and 20 touchdowns through seven games. Roche had gained 1,124 yards on the ground, on just 66 carries, averaging an astonishing 17 yards per carry. Roche has also averaged an amazing 30.5 yards per completion for the undefeated Poets. 

Dillon Dunathan 6’2 225 JR RB, LB (Damascus) – What hasn’t this versatile junior done for Damascus? That list may be non-existent, as he leads the Swarmin’ Hornets in rushing, he leads their defense, and serves as their kicker. Dunathan has rushed for 775 yards, on more than 10 yards per carry, made 64 tackles, including 15.5 for loss, recorded 6 sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, recovered a fumble, and scored 14 touchdowns, including two on defense. 

Carson Smith 6’2 202 JR RB (Middletown) – 160-1244-7.8-19/1; Smith has been a force on the ground for the top 25 Knights, and ranks fourth in the MPSSAA in rushing yards, and is tied with Harford Tech’s Kelvin Mendez for the MPSSAA lead in rushing touchdowns, with 19. Smith has saved his best for the best opponents. Against his four toughest opponents – Linganore, Frederick, Oakdale, and Urbana, he’s rushed for more than 150 yards versus each one, 194 or more versus three of the four, and averaged 202.5 rushing yards over those four games, and scored 10 touchdowns. 

Dylan Wheeler 6’2 185 SR WR, CB, KR (Fallston) – 38-1045-27.5-9, 3 returns for TDs; Wheeler is the primary reason the Cougars are 8-0, and one of the two primary reasons the Cougars lead the MPSSAA in scoring, at 49.9 points per game, along with his quarterback, Aiden Dixon. Wheeler leads the MPSSAA in receiving yards, with 1,045, and second in touchdown receptions, with nine. Wheeler is averaging 27.5 yards on 38 receptions, and has returned two kickoffs and a punt for scores. Overall, Wheeler has more than 1,500 all-purpose yards, and has scored 12 touchdowns. 

Tahseen Howard 6’0 170 SR QB, FS (Milford Mill) – Howard is the best player on the field for the #8 Millers, contributing on offense as the Millers leading passer and leading rusher, while also leading the team with five interceptions at free safety.  On offense, Howard has accounted for 1,741 yards and 19 touchdowns, leading the Millers with 709 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, and passing for 1,032 yards and seven more scores. Howard has also picked off five passes at safety. 

Myles Fulton 6’4 200 SR QB (Old Mill) – 127-217-58.5%-1958-19-4; Fulton leads the offense for the 6-2 Patriots, an offense that averages 42.0 points per game, good enough for the 5th best in the MPSSAA. Fulton leads Anne Arundel County in completions and passing yards, and is second to Broadneck’s Joshua Erlich in touchdown passes, with 19. 

Ethan Arneson 5’7 160 SO RB (Linganore) – 165-1280-7.8-13; Arneson has been a jolt for the Lancers offense, and is on his way to add his name to the Lancers robust all-time running backs list. Arneson ranks third in the MPSSAA in rushing yards, with 1,280. Arneson has rushed for 13 touchdowns, and passed for another. 

Aiden Dixon 5’10 175 JR QB – (Fallston) – One of two Cougars on this list, Dixon leads the MPSSAA in passing yards, with 2,043, and touchdown passes, with 22. The combination of he and Cougars receiver Dylan Wheeler has been the best ‘1-2’ combo in the MPSSAA this season, as the Cougs lead the MPSSAA in scoring at 49.9 points per game. 

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Let’s go around the horn.

Montgomery County

While the Quince Orchard – Northwest game garnered most of the hype last weekend, savvy fans were looking at another top 10 MoCo showdown as well, namely #10 Sherwood hosting then #4 Paint Branch.  Like the Cougars and Jaguars meeting, the game came nowhere near the expectations or hype, as the Panthers produced a convincing 33-0 victory over the Warriors. The Panthers talented quarterback Octavian Smith Jr threw 9-13 for 162 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 126 yards and another score on 10 carries on the ground.  On the season, Smith has thrown for 10 touchdowns, and ran for six scores. 

Prince Georges County

Wise has won 73 of its last 75 games, dating back to the Pumas 2015 opener, and have won 63 straight games versus Prince Georges County. This season, the Pumas, at best, will enter the playoffs having played just six games on the field. With two forfeit wins, and a eight game schedule, the Pumas tilt at Eleanor Roosevelt on Saturday will be just the sixth game they’ve played since winning the 2019 4A state championship. 

Jayden Saurey, the Pumas talented quarterback, has been extremely efficient this season, as he was as a sophomore in 2019. In five games this season, Saurey has connected on 55 of 75 passes, for 1032 yards and 14 touchdowns. Prorated out to 14 games, his stats would come out to 154-210 for 2,890 yards and 39 touchdowns passing, and 720 yards rushing, and another 11 touchdowns on the ground. The would account for 3710 yards and 50 touchdowns. 

Laurel is 6-2, and with a win next Saturday versus DuVal, will post their best regular season win percentage in the 21st century.  The Spartans entered the season with a 39-160 (.196) record in this century, with just one winning season. While the Spartans took a 51-7 loss to Wise, the Spartans beat two top 25 teams – Bowie (24-14) and Potomac (19-18 OT), and came within a score of #4 Flowers (14-7).

Howard County

Friday night, Bisi Owens of Glenelg became the ninth different player in county history to rush for 300 yards in a game, as he amassed 338 yards and five touchdowns on 19 carries in the Gladiators 56-24 win over Marriotts Ridge. Owens’ total ranks as the third highest total in county history, and the highest of the four Gladiators on the ‘300’ list. In addition, Owens hit on all three of his pass attempts for 95 yards and another score. In all, Owens accounted for 433 yards and six touchdowns. Bisi’s brother Wande, now at Yale, is the county’s all-time leading rusher, and second all-time leading rusher in MPSSAA history, trailing former Dunbar Poet and current NFL receiver, Tavon Austin. On the year, the younger Owens has rushed for 1238 yards and 23 touchdowns, and passed for 635 yards and eight touchdowns, accounting 1,873 yards and 31 touchdowns through eight games.

Here are the ten 300 yard rushing performances in county history. Korey Singleton of Oakland Mills is the only runner in county history to achieve the honor twice. 

Vinnie Rubbo OM ‘97

47-354-4 v MTH

Matt Winger ATH ‘05

16-341-5 v RES

Bisi Owens GLE ‘21

19-338-5 v MR

Trey Davis GLE ‘15

24-330-6 v CEN

Gig Miles GLE ‘77

36-315-4 v Calvert

Mario Merrills WL ‘00

NA-313-4 v LR

Korey Singleton OM ‘90

NA-313-3 v NA

Wande Owens GLE ‘18

31-303-3 v MR

Walter Fletcher CEN ‘13

31-306-5 v MR

Korey Singleton OM ‘90

27-303-4 v CEN — with Ghs Hoops.

For just the second time in 20 seasons, the River Hill Hawks are enduring a three game losing streak, after Oakland Mills scored a touchdown with nine seconds to play on Friday night, breaking a scoreless tie. In 2014, the Hawks closed the regular season with three straight losses, before securing a win in the regional semifinal. Two weeks ago, Atholton broke a 7-7 tie with the Hawks on a game-winning score with two minutes remaining, and last week, Glenelg took a hard fought victory over the Hawks, who were missing four of their five captains due to injury. All three of those opponents are in a four-way tie for first place in the county standings, and the Hawks came within a possession of the fourth, Long Reach, losing 14-7 in week one. While the Hawks defense has been stout (8.5 PA per game), their offense has been all but invisible, not scoring more than seven points against any of the four league leaders, and averaging scoring 13.5 points per game on the season, their lowest average since the turn of the century. Coach Brian Van Deusen has a better than not shot to notch his 201st victory this Friday night, as the Hawks host the 1-6 Hammond Golden Bears. 

Marriotts Ridge found something to cheer about on Friday, although it wasn’t their first victory of the season. Mustangs senior receiver Stevie Jackson registered an all-time county best with 15 receptions in the ‘Stangs 56-24 loss to Glenelg, snapping Oakland Mills’ Tre Hopkins single game mark of 13 receptions, set in the Scorpions 2014 playoff loss to Patuxent. Jackson totaled 253 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns – two touchdown receptions, and a kickoff returned to ‘the house’. On the season, Jackson has 58 receptions for 569 yards and five touchdown receptions. Jackson is just eight catches away from recording the second most amount of receptions in a season in county history, which would snap Hopkins second best mark of 65 set in 2014. 

UBAC

Harford Tech (7-0) appears to be heading to a UCBAC league title for just the second time in their program’s history. Friday night, Kelvin Mendez pulled several furlongs ahead of all leading runners in the MPSSAA rushing yards race, amassing 324 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in the Cobras 48-8 thrashing of North Harford. He and his brother Kevin accounted for all seven of the Cobras touchdowns. In just six games played, which is two games less than just about everyone else, leads the MPSSAA in rushing yards, with 1,462, and leads the MPSSAA in rushing yards per game by a far greater margin, at 243.7 per game. 

Fallston’s aerial assault features the MPSSAA’s passing leader in yards and touchdowns – junior Aiden Nixon, and the MPSSAA’s receiving yards and touchdown receptions leader – senior Dylan Wheeler. The Cougars are 8-0 and scoring a MPSSAA best 49.9 points per game. 

Frederick County

Linganore (8-0) has a legitimate shot of posting at least 12 victories for the fourth straight time in four full seasons, after going 12-2 in each of the ‘17, ‘18, and ‘19 seasons. In ‘17, the Lancers topped Milford Mill, 28-27, for the 3A state title. In ‘18, the Lancers fell to Franklin, 17-14, in the 3A state title game. And in ‘19, the Lancers advanced to the 3A state title game, before suffering a shutout loss to Damascus. 

The only other team in the MPSSAA to win at least 12 games over the last three full season is Quince Orchard, who has accomplished the feat in four straight full seasons, going 12-2 in ‘16, 12-2 in ‘17, 13-1 in ‘18, and 12-1 in ‘19. 

Chase Schultz registered four sacks in the Lancers 70-7 blowout win over Tuscarora on Friday night. 

Carroll County

South Carroll is 8-0 and poised to capture their first league title since 2015, when the Cavaliers grabbed the MVAL Chesapeake Division. 

Westminster has won four straight games, after losing their first four games. The Owls opened the season with games versus four straight MPSSAA Top 50 opponents – South River, Linganore, South Carroll, and Dundalk. Aside from a blowout loss to Linganore, the Owls lost a one point decision to South River in the opener, lost by nine to South Carroll, and lost by a point to #7 Dundalk. Granted, the Owls aren’t blowing teams away, with three victories in the four game streak decided by one possession – a one point in overtime at Francis Scott Key, a three point win over Manchester Valley, and Friday night’s six point win over Liberty. But, they’re winning one possession games, after losing one possession games. 

Baltimore City

Mervo (5-1) is quietly putting together another successful season, despite the death of one of their players, and despite having played just six games. The Mustangs are 5-1, with their only loss coming to Dunbar, 48-46, in overtime, after blowing a 16 point lead in the final three minutes of regulation. That loss can be forgiven, as the ‘Stangs lost receiver Elijah Gorham to a serious head injury during the game, and he was taken by ambulance from the field. Twenty-four days later, Gorham passed away in the hospital. The Mustangs are honoring Gorham as they begin their pursuit of their first state championship in their program’s history. The Mustangs have outscored their five opponents not named Dunbar, 197-6. 

Baltimore County

Dundalk is one win away from finishing with their first undefeated regular season in its school history. Twice before the Owls were 8-0, before suffering their first loss in one of the last two weeks of the season. In 1990, the Owls were 8-0 before losing in week nine, and were 9-0 in 2015 before losing to Franklin, 37-18, in the regular season finale. Two weeks later, the Owls got ‘get back’, and bounced the Indians from the playoffs in the regional final. 

This year’s Owls is led by its defense, which is allowing just 5.8 points per game. Linebackers Kamar Watson and Abdullah Sargaent headline the unit, with Watson registering 48 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles, and Sargaent recording 44 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, and three interceptions. Offensively, running back Jordan Fiorenza is averaging 109. 8 rushing yards per game, and has scored 13 touchdowns. 

Milford Mill has won seven straight games since their 19-14 opening week loss to rival Franklin. Since, the Millers have outscored their seven opponents, 279-42. 

SMAC

After losing their opener to Chopticon, Lackey has won 7 straight games, outscoring  their opponents 194-46 over that span. The Chargers topped Leonardtown, 27-7, Friday night, the fifth time in seven games they held their opponent to one score or less. Jamari Somerville rushed for 126 yards and a pair of scores for the Chargers, and added a sack and two tackles for loss. This Friday, the Chargers travel to Northern, where they’ll be significant underdogs to the 7-1 Patriots. 

Bayside Conference

Kent Island is a win away from finishing with its second undefeated regular season in their program’s history. The 8-0 Buccaneers travel to play 5-2 Queen Anne’s in the regular season finale. In 2012, the Bucs went 10-0 in the regular season (winning the finale v Queen Anne’s), and pushed to 11-0, before losing to Elkton in the regional final. The Bucs advanced to the 2A state semifinals in ‘11, ‘13, and ‘14.