The Broadneck Bruins blew through Anne Arundel County competition in the 2021 season, behind the arm and skill of Joshua Erlich, who finished second all-time in MPSSAA history in career passing touchdowns, with 94, and eighth in career passing yards, with 6,804. The Bruins won all six league games, with no one coming within 15 points. The Bruins averaged 43.5 points in league play, outscoring their six opponents by an average of 31.5 points per game.
Erlich and the Bruins were one half of football away from a 4A state semifinal game, leading Flowers 28-12 at intermission in the quarterfinal, before the Jaguars pulled out an improbable 43-36 overtime comeback win.
Coach Rob Harris and the Bruins (8-2) begin life without Erlich, and having six league opponents out looking for revenge. Harris enters his twelfth season at Broadneck, boasting a 83-29 career record. Harris’ .741 win percentage ranks fourth among active MPSSAA coaches in the Baltimore region. The Bruins have had continuity like few programs have had over the last 33 years, having had just two head coaches over that span. Jeff Herrick, who spent 22 seasons with the Bruins, won 165 games at Broadneck, and is second all-time in Anne Arundel county history in wins, trailing only Chuck Markiewicz, who made his name at Meade, North County, and Arundel. Under the guidance of the two, the Bruins have won 248 games.
Harris has been blessed with a top notch quarterback over the last eight seasons, with Canaan Gebele throwing for 25 touchdowns and rushing for nine touchdowns in 2014, followed by Emmet Davis throwing for 15 touchdowns and rushing for 13 touchdowns in ‘15. The following year, Davis’ brother, Shane, a junior, took over at quarterback, and produced 52 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing touchdowns in his two seasons behind center. Then came Erlich, who produced more than 5,000 yards and 111 touchdowns in his Bruins career, which included a pandemic induced shortened junior season.
This season, senior transfer Camron Catterton (6’1 185) takes over the quarterback position. Catterton comes over from South River, where he threw for 968 yards and seven touchdowns in six games for the Seahawks. Junior Eli Harris (6’0 175) has led the Bruins in receptions and receiving yards the last two seasons, and has started every game since he was a freshman. As a sophomore, Harris registered 35 receptions for 522 yards and five touchdowns. Machi Evans (5’10 165) returns as a three-year starter, after catching 33 receptions for 435 yards and four touchdowns last season. Junior Hayden Raymond (6’2 265) is the only returnee on the Bruins starting offensive line, and will move from guard to center this season.
Bruins 6’3 175 senior safety Anthony Hawkins holds four offers, including one from Army West Point, and one from the Naval Academy. Junior defensive end Tyler Hicks (6’5 210) and senior cornerback Jalen Carter (6’1 165) were both named to the all-county second team last season. Hicks will also start at tackle, while Carter will move from ‘corner’ to safety. Junior Braden McCassie (6’2 195) will headline the Bruins linebacking corps. Senior Jake Wanner (5’9 200) is ranked as the 63rd best long-snapper in his class in the country.
Arundel (8-4) won seven of their last eight games, before getting upended by Dundalk in their 4/3A quarterfinal, 40-6. Jack Walsh’s Wildcats put up victories over Elkton, South River, and Seneca Valley, during their run. The Cats return their top running back, Ahmad Taylor (5’7 170), who rushed for 872 yards and eight touchdowns on 208 carries in 2021. The Cats return three top targets on the outside, including senior DeJuan Bowdry (5’9 155), who caught nine touchdowns last season, senior Miles Gilmore (5’11 175), who caught 26 receptions in seven games last season, including five receptions for 70 yards in the Cats 29-21 win over Seneca Valley in the state quarterfinals, and senior Chris Downs (5’11 165), who caught 24 passes last year.
Senior outside linebacker Camden Neisweinder (5’11 185), who registered 51 tackles last season, including 8.5 in the loss to Dundalk, the 4/3A state finalist, will lead the defense. Senior Abraham Olugbemi (6’0 285) returns to penetrate the interior at defensive tackle for the ‘Cats. Walsh, a Markiewicz disciple, who played for the Hall of Fame Coach at North County, and spent 14 years under him at Arundel, is 27-12 in his four seasons with the Wildcats.
In his first season at Old Mill (8-3), Coach Michael Pfisterer molded the Patriots like that of his playing days at North County under Coach Markiewicz. The Patriots boasted the fourth best passing offense in the MPSSAA last season, averaging 212.4 yards per game through the air. But, gone is Myles Fulton, who threw 30 touchdowns, and his top two targets, Donte Cragette-Drake and Will Ennis. In all, the Patriots put ten players on the all-county team, and all ten were seniors. The Patriots do return 6’3 200 outside linebacker DJ James, who made six tackles for loss last season, and forced a fumble. Senior Christian Gulley (6’2 230) and junior Tre Rankin (6’3 230) will play key on both sides of the ball for the Patriots.
Senior Aiden Day (5’11 155) steps in as the starting quarterback for the Patriots. Senior defensive KJ Henson (6’2 250) will help fortify the defensive line, while junior Aswin Johnson (5’11 260) will bolster the offensive line. Senior Jacob Nesbit (6’0 225) should be a factor at both tight end and linebacker, while junior Max Jones will play a key role at both running back and linebacker.
Chesapeake (10-3) posted the best season in their program’s history, as Rob Elliott’s Cougars advanced to the 3A state semifinals for the first time, and won ten games in a season for the very first time. The Cougs’ were led by Victor Listorti, who took with him his 1,872 yards and 19 touchdowns at graduation. Still, the Cougars return the most highly heralded player in the county, cornerback Rushaun Tongue (6’1 175), who held more than twenty college offers before committing to Wake Forest in late June, including those from Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Duke, among others.
Junior middle linebacker Dakota Baublitz (5’9 195) bolsters the Cougars defense, while senior slot Nick Shade (5’10 160) will be a playmaker for the Cougs, after grabbing ten receptions for 278 yards and five touchdowns last season, adding 14 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and returning a punt for a score. Coach Elliott is the Cougars all-time winningest coach, and has a 62-49 record in 11 seasons with the Cougs. Elliott was selected as the Baltimore Touchdown Club’s Anne Arundel County Coach of the Year last season. The Cougars carry a 38-17 record since their opener in 2017.
Though South River (4-7) had to forfeit three games last season for use of an ineligible player, the Seahawks have won 19 of their last 25 games on the field. The Seahawks return all-county athlete Trashaun Timmons (6’0 170), who scored five different ways last season, including 11 rushing touchdowns, and accounted for 18 touchdowns in all. Timmons, primarily a wide receiver, took 74 carries for 422 yards on ‘jet sweeps’ and from the ‘Wildcat’ and quarterback positions, caught 33 passes for 486 yards and four touchdowns, and completed 30 of 44 passes for 413 yards and three scores.
In front of Timmons on the offensive line will be 6’4 285 tackle Caleb Herb, an all-county selection last season. Senior LJ Courson (6’1 165), made 15 receptions and scored twice at receiver, and picked off three passes and recovered a fumble at cornerback. Coach Steve Erxleben returns for his second season in his second stint with the Seahawks, after serving as head coach from ‘06 through ‘09.
Annapolis coach Dewayne Hunt begins his second season as head coach at his alma mater. The Panthers (5-5) return senior safety Shawn Cooper (6’0 175) and senior cornerback Ian Brown (6’0 155) at cornerback. Michael Wright begins his fourth season at Severna Park (6-3), a year after the Falcons held seven of nine opponents to 17 points or less. The Falcons return strong-armed Seamus Patenaude (5’11 190) at quarterback, and LJ Cooper (5’9 230) at running back. Northeast (4-6) features a pair of two-way playmakers in Dominick Hunt (6’0 155), who makes plays at both the receiver and safety positions, and Ty Johnson (5’10 155), who, like Hunt, was also selected to the BTC Super 22 team. Johnson will start at quarterback for the Eagles.
Crofton (1-8) features 6’0 230 inside linebacker Abraham Sahi, who registered 45 tackles last season, and Shaun Smith (6’1 175), a standout in the defensive backfield. North County (2-7) returns a top prospect at receiver in 6’6 200 senior Ibrahim Barry, who racked up more than 700 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Barry has offers from Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and James Madison, among others. The Knights added senior transfer Elijah McKenzie (5’10 155) from Mt Hebron, who was selected to the BTC Super 22 team.
The Anne Arundel County 4A powers have had a rough going in the late rounds of the post-season ever since Old Mill won their second 4A state title in three years when they finished 14-0 in 2013. Since, the county’s 4A teams have gone 1-11 versus out-of-county opponents in the final three rounds of the playoffs – quarterfinals, semifinals, final. The county’s rep’s have allowed 35 points or more in all eleven losses, and carry a -26.6 point margin average in the eleven losses. Broadneck lost in a shootout with Flowers last season in the state quarterfinals, 43-36, after leading 28-12 at halftime. That was the first time in nine seasons that an AACo 4A team came within single-digits of an out-of-county opponent in the final three rounds of the playoffs, outside of Old Mill’s win over Howard in the 2014 4A state semifinals.
Last season was the first in nine seasons where the undefeated league champion escaped the regional rounds. For eight straight years, the county produced an undefeated regular season league champion, and in those eight post-seasons, from 2012 through the 2019 post-season, the league’s undefeated regular season champion never made it out of the two regional rounds. They ate their own.
In 2012, Meade, who finished two games behind 10-0 Arundel, topped the Cats, 38-22, in the first round, after dropping the regular season matchup, 40-8. A year later, Arundel, who finished two games back of undefeated Old Mill, put away the undefeated Pats, 25-22, in the opening round. In 2014, Broadneck became the third different county team to finish with an undefeated regular season record in three years, before getting blanked by Old Mill, 26-0, in the opening round. The Bruins found ‘get-back’ the next year, when they shut out the undefeated Pats in the regional final, 7-0, after dropping their regular season matchup by 16 points.
In 2017, Broadneck knocked off 10-0 Old Mill in the first round, three weeks after losing by 24 points to the Patriots. In 2018, South River, who finished with four league losses, eliminated undefeated Broadneck in the first round, after losing by 18 points to the Bruins a month earlier. In ‘19, Arundel knocked off undefeated South River in the second round, 47-34. Finally, in ‘21, Broadneck became the first regular season county champion – all undefeated, in nine years, to escape the regional rounds.
The county teams that upset the ‘top dawg’ that year couldn’t keep up hat momentum going in the later rounds. In 2012, when Meade put away Arundel and Old Mill, they lost to Wise, 40-0, in the state semifinals. The next year, after the Mustangs beat Arundel, who beat Old Mill, before losing to Suitland, 46-25, in the state semifinals. In ‘14, Old Mill, after beating Howard in the semifinals, lost to Northwest, 33-16, in the 4A state final. In 2016, Annapolis lost to Quince Orchard, 42-14, in the state semifinals. The next year, North Point put away Broadneck in the regional final, 38-22. In ‘18, those same Eagles crushed South River, 46-7, in the regional final.
In ‘2019, a week after upsetting South River, Arundel lost 69-32 to Quince Orchard in the state semifinal, while that same night, Old Mill lost to Wise, 44-0. The next post-season, in ‘21, the Patriots took a 41-6 loss to Quince Orchard in the quarterfinals. Together, with Broadneck’s 43-36 loss to Flowers, that made the tenth and 11th straight losses in the final three rounds where the county team allowed 35 points or more. The Bruins made a run, in Erlich’s last ride, but it slipped away. Good thing for them, probably, the then undefeated Bruins didn’t face a county opponent in the regionals. We know the history there.
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.