2022 Baltimore Metro High School Football Report: Week 7

MIAA A & B

After a bye week, Spalding looks to continue their dominance in MIAA A league play when the Cavaliers host McDonogh on Friday. Meanwhile, Malik Washington and Max Moss continue to rise among Spalding and MIAA single-season record books. Washington should break single-season program records in both passing yards and passing touchdowns over the next two weeks, and if the Cavs were to advance to the league championship game, giving them five games remaining, the sophomore could become just the second player in MIAA history to pass for 3,000 yards in a single season, and could very well become just the second different quarterback in MIAA history to throw for 30 touchdowns in the season. 

Through seven games, Washington has thrown for 1,827 yards and 19 touchdowns, leaving him 328 passing yards from Austin Tutas’ program record of 2,155, set in 2019, and just three passing touchdowns from the program record of 22, set by Evan Fochtman, in 2015. Both Tutas and Fochtman’s marks were achieved during their respective junior seasons. Fochtman threw for 20 touchdowns in his senior season, the only other 20 passing touchdown season in the Cavaliers program’s history, while Tutas’ transferred during the Covid-afflicted school year in the fall of 2020. 

Billy Atkins of Mt St Joe became the first MIAA passer in MIAA A history to throw for more than 3,000 yards when the junior threw for 3,089 for the Gaels in 2019. Atkins also became the first passer in league history to throw for 30 or more touchdowns in a season, when he threw for 35 in his sophomore season, before snapping that with 36 during his junior campaign. Atkins dreams of 35 or more touchdown passes in three different seasons were extinguished by the Covid pandemic. With five games to play, Washington could very well be the second to join both the ‘30 touchdown’ club and the ‘3,000 yard’ club. Moss has already set program records for receiving yards (852) and touchdown receptions (13), and will likely become the first Cavalier to register 1,000 receiving yards in the next two weeks, and very well could become the first player in MIAA history to grab 20 touchdown passes over the next 3-5 weeks.

Mt St Joe won their third straight on Saturday, with their 23-7 win over McDonogh. Bryce Cox rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while Greg Roman grabbed two of the Gaels three interceptions for the defensive unit. The 5-2 Gaels go to Calvert Hall on Friday, after the Cardinals pulled out a tenuous 35-28 victory over Gilman to rise to 3-4 on the season. The Cardinals saw two different 21 point leads dwindle to nothing, before Noah Brannock scored the game-winner on a quarterback sneak late in the third quarter. Loyola ended their fourth game skid with a 28-27 win over Pallotti, who dropped their third straight. 

St Mary’s topped Concordia Prep, 21-14, for the league lead in the MIAA B division, as Wyatt Cotton raced 41 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to break a 14-14 tie and keep the Saints unbeaten at 7-0. Cotton rushed for 88 yards on 13 carries, while quarterback Carson Petitbon rushed for 106 yards on 15 attempts. St Mary’s lost two one possession games to Prep in ‘21, including an 8-0 loss in the league semifinals. This could very well be the first of two meeting between these pair of Saints. Curley stayed within a game of St Mary’s, with the Friars 25-6 victory over Mt Carmel. The Friars host St Marys on Saturday. 

Baltimore City

The question isn’t when, because all good things must come to an end, but when? When will the Dunbar Poets football team ever lose again? 

The Poets received what seemingly will be their last test until the 2/1A state championship game when they withstood a pesky Poly Engineers team, 24-6, a week after the previously undefeated Engineers shocked the defending 4/3A state champion Mervo Mustangs. The Engineers put up a fight with the Poets, until the 11-time state champions scored twice down the stretch to put out the fire.

The Poets jumped out of the blocks with Savion Witherspoon connecting with Tony Hart for a 70 yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. From then on, for more than two quarters, both defensive units controlled the game. Like the Poets matchup with Mervo, and the Engineers meeting with the Mustangs, defense ruled over the first two-plus quarters of all three games. Dunbar held a vulnerable two point lead midway through their duel with the ‘Stangs, while the Poets held that same slim 8-6 lead over the Engineers as the third quarter was coming to a close in their contest. The Engineers got on the board with 2:29 remaining in the third quarter on a three yard touchdown pass from Jason Lindsey, but failed on the two point conversion. 

Capitalizing on good field position, and letting playmakers make plays, the Poets struck right back, with Witherspoon putting a punctuation on a 91 seconds, 91 yard drive, by taking a 22 yard run for a score. After another Tristan Kenan two-point conversion, the Poets led 16-6, with 58 seconds left in the third quarter. The Poets defense stopped a potential scoring drive from the Engineers at their own six yard line. Sophomore Antonio Lyde added a late insurance score for the Poets. Kenan rushed for 116 yards, while Lyde added 75 yards on the ground. The Engineers Tavon McGee earned 122 yards on 31 carries. Dunbar hosts Forest Park on Thursday, and Poly goes to Patterson on Friday. 

Mervo faced their third stiff challenge in as many weeks when the Mustangs ventured to Smyrna, Delaware, to take on their Eagles, a ‘First State’ staple on the gridiron, and came back carrying their first three game losing streak since 2013, with a 42-20 loss to the Eagles. The Eagles capitalized on four Mustangs turnovers. The Eagles were state champions in ‘15, ‘16, and ‘17, and runner-up to Middletown last season. In week one, the Eagles shut out Arundel, 14-0, and the Wildcats have gone unbeaten ever since. 

Between the two three game losing streaks, that dated back to week four of the 2013 season, the Mustangs registered a 78-14 (.848) record in between, and held the sixth best win percentage in the MPSSAA during that time, trailing only Fort Hill (103-6), Wise (94-9), Damascus (95-11), Quince Orchard (94-13), and Linganore (95-17). The big boys. The Mustangs have a pair of 1-5 teams remaining on their regular season slate – Digital Harbor and Reginald Lewis, before setting out to defend their first state title. 

Baltimore County

Milford Mill is fixated on getting back to the state championship game, a year after the Millers lost to Douglass in the title game, ending their 12 game winning streak. This year, the Millers have produced a seven game win streak to begin the season, and will be favorites to head into the 2A state championship game with a 13-0 record. 

The Millers have dominated Baltimore County competition, outscoring their first seven opponents, 333-49, and have won every game by 23 points or more. On Friday, it was Randallstown who fell victim, 63-6. Deshawn Purdie completed 13 of 16 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns, while Sean Williams rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns on just nine carries, boosting his season total to 21 scores on the ground. The Millers defense kept their foes to single-digits for the sixth time in seven games. The Millers are two victories away from finishing with their first undefeated regular season since 1999. The Millers host Kenwood this week, and Parkville in week nine. 

Dundalk earned a hard fought 7-0 win at Franklin on Friday, but not before having to hold off a potential game-tying or winning drive in the final minute. The Owls got on the board late in the second quarter with a 14 yard pass from Ja Bonner to Kamari Brathwaite in the back of the end zone. The Owls could move the ball, but couldn’t score beyond that. Jordan Fiorenza rushed for 130 yards on 25 carries, and junior Desmond Oxendine added 50 yards on five attempts. Brathwaite added an interception on defense, and then broke up a pass in the end zone on the Indians final offensive play.

The Owls were the first MPSSAA team to shut out the Tribe since their 2012 opener with Wise. The Owls recorded their seventh shutout in 20 games, and held their opponent to 15 points or less for the 18th time in 20 games, and seven or less for the 14th time in 20 games. Hereford pushed to 6-1 with a 9-0 shutout win over New Town, putting a touchdown on the board in the first quarter, then adding a safety to make it a two score game in the third stanza. For the Bulls, it was their fourth shutout in five victories on the field (not including forfeit win over Woodlawn) this season. 

Carroll

Liberty finally shook the monkey that had appeared on its back countless times in ‘crunch time’ over the last two seasons. The Lions celebrated a 35-34 win over previously undefeated South Carroll on Senior Night in Eldersburg, where momentum swung like a pendulum. 

Just after receiving the kickoff, the Cavaliers got in the board on a 61 yard halfback pass from AJ Rodrigues to Jackson Strzelczyk to go ahead, 8-0. The Lions quickly answered when Jack Pellicciotti connected with Phillip Sackett for a 66 yard touchdown. Rodrigues added two rushing touchdowns of 29 and 31 yards to put the defending county champions up 19-7, before the Lions Seth Jacobs got the ground game going for the hosts, and scored three unanswered touchdowns to give the home team a 28-19 lead midway through the third quarter. 

The Cavaliers cut their deficit to two, 28-26, on Nate Boog’s 31 yard touchdown score, and after getting a defensive stop, Rodrigues took a second down carry 51 yards to ‘the house’, to give the visitors a 34-28 lead with 3:55 remaining in regulation. That’s when seniors Pellicciotti and Sam Evans, along with the junior Jacobs, led the Lions on a game-winning scoring drive, punctuated by Jacobs fourth rushing touchdown of the night with 41 seconds remaining. Jacobs finished with 148 rushing yards on 24 carries for the Lions, while Rodrigues totaled 156 rushing yards and three scores on 20 attempts, to go with a 61 yard touchdown pass. The Lions road gets no easier, as they head to Ruby Field in Westminster to take on the 6-1 Owls on Friday. 

The Owls won their fourth straight with their 42-7 rout at Century, as Kyrece Walker accounted for five touchdowns, throwing for three scores, and running for a pair. Walker completed 15 of 21 passes for 310 yards. Mason Fisher caught one of the touchdown passes, giving him ten scores on the year. Walker, for his part, has accounted for more than 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns for the Owls. A win against Liberty on Friday will all but assure a three-way share of the county crown, with the Owls, Lions, and South Carroll, all finishing 5-1 in league play. Conversely, a Liberty win will all but assure the Lions their third CCAL title. 

The triangulation between South Carroll, Westminster, and Liberty, has been one of its kind since the Carroll County teams and Washington County teams disbanded from the Monocacy Valley Athletic League (MVAL) in 2015, which also included Frederick Country teams, to form their own respective leagues. In the six full seasons of the Carroll County Athletic League (CCAL), the Cavaliers, Owls, and Lions, each have won two county titles. All six finished undefeated in league play. In its first year, South Carroll went undefeated in league play, and did the same last season. Westminster was undefeated county champions in ‘17 and ‘19, while Liberty were unbeaten league champions in ‘16 and ‘18.  

Something will have to give this season, either the undefeated league champion streak comes to an end, or the three-way stranglehold for the top county seat gets untied, at least for a year. 

Howard

The Atholton Raiders are two wins away from completing the first undefeated regular season in their program’s history following their 42-0 rout of Marriotts Ridge on Friday. Miles Scott threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for a score, while Dillan Watkins took 13 carries for 141 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders shutout win. The Raiders rank tied for fifth in the MPSSAA in points allowed, at a paltry 3.9 points per game. After sharing the county championship last season with Oakland Mills and Glenelg, the Raiders can clinch their first outright county title since 2011 with two more wins. The Raiders go to Howard on Friday to meet the 5-2 Lions, then close at home with Reservoir in week nine.

River Hill moved to 6-1 with a 21-0 shutout victory over Glenelg, posting their third blank sheet of the season. The Hawks defense is led by seniors Dylan McCullough and Ethan Burnett, who also serves as their top running back. McCullough leads the county in tackles, while Burnett ranks fifth. The shutout win over the Gladiators was the 21st time in 23 games the Hawks have held their opponents to 14 points or less, and the 17th instance in 23 games the four-time state champions have limited their foe to seven points or less. The Hawks go on the road for both weeks eight and nine, traveling to Centennial this weekend, then going to Wilde Lake for the regular season finale. 

Oakland Mills celebrated their Homecoming with a 16-13 win over then 5-1 Howard, as Cyrus Thomas Ray threw a 13 yard touchdown pass to Bliden Elung late in the third quarter for the go-ahead score, his only completion of the game. Xavier Patterson rushed for 201 yards on 25 carries, and opened the scoring with a 60 yard run on the Scorpions first possession. Patterson also added a 48 yard kick return. The 4-3 Scorpions host Reservoir this Friday, then go to Mt Hebron in week nine. Long Reach pushed to 5-2 with their 25-22 victory over Wilde Lake. The Lightning travel to Glenelg on Friday, to take on the 4-3 Gladiators, who have lost back-to-back league games for the first time since 2015. 

Anne Arundel 

While Liberty controls its destiny in Carroll County, and Atholton controls its fate in Howard County, both Broadneck and Arundel can finish as undefeated league co-champions in Anne Arundel County, as the Bruins and Wildcats don’t play this season. The two longtime county powers have proven themselves to be the two best in the county through seven weeks, with both 6-1, and both receiving their one loss to football juggernauts outside of the MPSSAA – MIAA’s Spalding, and one of Delaware’s finest, Smyrna.

Friday, Broadneck’s explosive offense stalled in the ‘red zone’ versus Severna Park, but junior kicker Chris Coleman picked up the defending county champions with three field goals in the first half to give the Bruins a 9-0 halftime lead, then added the final point in a 16-0 shutout victory over the Falcons. Ian Mauldin rushed for 139 yards on 22 carries for the Bruins, who won their sixth straight game. The Falcons fell to 4-3. The Bruins travels to Millersville to take on Old Mill on Friday, a week after the Patriots moved to 4-3 after their 34-13 win over Glen Burnie.  

The Bruins had scored 35 or more points in four straight games before the slobberknocker with the Falcons. While many high school teams, including the great ones, struggle to find consistent kicking, Coleman has been outstanding for the Bruins this season. Coleman has converted on all eleven of his field goal attempts, and 26 of his 27 extra point attempts. Coleman has four multi-field goal games this season, including three versus both Bullis and the Falcons. 

Arundel won their fifth straight game with their 44-6 crushing win over then 4-2 Crofton. The Wildcats have scored 32 or more points in five straight games. Gavin Kamachi completed 21 of 34 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns, as the Cats amassed 497 yards of offense. TJ Mordecai rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries for the Cats. The Wildcats host 6-1 Chesaoeake this week, before hosting nationally ranked #2 St Frances in the regular season finale. Chesapeake’s only loss came to the DCIAA’s best, Theodore Roosevelt in week three. 

UCBAC

Bel Air is just one of four MPSSAA teams in the area to remain unbeaten, joining Dunbar, Milford Mill, and Atholton, following the Bobcats 27-7 win over Harford Tech. Tre Dennis caught two of Jay Perez’s three touchdown passes, and Nate Furrow supplied 128 yards on the ground for the Bobcats. The loss was the fourth straight for the Cobras, after starting 3-0. The Bobcats are 7-0 for the first time since 2004. The ‘22 Bobcats are bidding against their ‘04 edition for the best season in the program’s history. The ‘04 Bobcats finished 11-2, and advanced to the 3A state semifinals. 

Edgewood fell from the unbeaten ranks with the Rams 26-20 loss to Friendship Collegiate of DC. Still, the Rams can claim a league championship in week nine with a win at Bel Air. Joppatowne pushed to 6-1 with the Mariners 36-28 win over Fallston, as Steven Robinson powered his way to 220 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, and AJ Wilson added 239 yards and three scores through the air. Zachariah Horton caught five passes for 106 yards and two scores for the Mariners. The Mariners, who are having their best season since 2009, close the season by hosting Rising Sun this week, then traveling to Patterson Mill in week nine. The showdown between the Mariners and 6-1 Huskies in the season finale will likely be for the league championship in the UCBAC Susquehanna division.