MPSSAA Baltimore Metro Football Report – Week 2

Weather wrecked havoc on the area’s week two matchups on the gridiron, forcing the majority of games on Friday night to be postponed to Saturday or Monday, with many having to pick up where they left off in their respective games, and some never starting at all.  

Baltimore County

Four of the six top teams in Baltimore County squared off in two matchups this weekend, with the defending 2A state champion Milford Mill Millers traveling to Parkton to take on the Hereford Bulls, and Dundalk visiting New Town to battle the Titans.  

The Millers and Bulls never kicked off on Friday night due to lightning from storms littering the area, and never finished what they started on Saturday due to excessive heat on the field that forced both a Bulls player and a referee to be treated for heat-related issues. After the second incident, the game was called.  

The Bulls supplied their own lightning once things kicked off Saturday afternoon when Bulls senior Chris Makowy took the opening kickoff 83 yards to ‘the house’ to give the hosts a 7-0 lead. The Millers were looking to bounce back from a 22-21 opening week loss to Oakdale, but were facing a potential two touchdown deficit to the Bulls midway through the first quarter when Millers sophomore Koby Sarkodie fell on a Bulls fumble at the Milford Mill one yard line.  

The Millers capitalized on the Bulls turnover and went 99 yards on 11 plays to cut their deficit to one, 7-6, after an unsuccessful extra point attempt. Millers senior quarterback Dashawn Purdie capped off the drive with a one yard score. The Millers would capitalize on another Bulls mistake early in the second quarter, when Millers junior Montae Royster scooped up a fumble by Bulls senior quarterback Bobby Burke and took it 29 yards to the Bulls 24 yard line. Royster would finish the five play drive with an eight yard score to put the Millers up, 12-7, after a failed two-point conversion. 

When it was called, the Bulls were facing a punt situation on fourth down in their own territory.  The Millers were awarded the win, though the contest never reached the midway point of the second quarter. The Millers host Kenwood in week three, while the Bulls play host to Parkville.  

Meanwhile, in New Town, Dundalk provided the thunder under grey skies on Saturday afternoon by coming back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to propel the Owls to a 27-26 victory over the Titans. The Owls, who struggled offensively through three quarters, capitalized on a Titans turnover and Titans penalties in the fourth quarter to pull out an improbable victory. The Owls pushed to 2-0 with their second win in as many weeks decided by three points or less, while the Titans had to settle for a split of one point games in weeks one and two.  

The Titans raced out to a 20-7 halftime lead behind the playmaking of senior quarterback Carlos Harrison, who finished the day with four touchdown passes, including two long strikes in the first half. Early in the first quarter, and the Owls turning it over on downs on their own 44 yard line, Harrison found Douglass Jett on a deep route to give the hosts a 6-0 lead. After exchanging four possessions, and the Owls failing to capitalize on a Titans turnover, Harrison connected with Darien Fowkes for a 84 yard touchdown reception to push the hosts lead to 14-0 following their successful two-point conversion.  

With just under two minutes remaining in the first half, Owls senior Joey Kasprzak took a handoff 45 yards to put the visitors on the board, and provide a needed spark. But, that wouldn’t last, as a 50 yard pass play from Harrison gave the Titans the ball inside the Owls 10 yard line, and Harrison connected with Fowkes again for an eight yard score just before the half to push their advantage to two possessions and take a 20-7 lead into intermission. After failing to muster any points on two possessions in the Owls territory in the third quarter, the Titans special teams unit would deliver their offense a gift for their third, blocking an Owls punt and giving them the ball on the ten yard line. After a penalty on the Owls, and two false start penalties on the Titans, Harrison took a dropped snap and threw his fourth touchdown of the game to give the home team a 26-7 lead, just inside the fourth quarter.  

That’s when the Owls offense woke up, and sophomore Micah Williams made the most of his opportunities in the final stanza. Williams threw his first touchdown pass on the next drive to cut the margin to 26-14, but the Owls would fail to capitalize on two Titans turnovers in the third quarter. Things looked dire for the visitors before they finally capitalized on the the Titans third turnover of the half, when Williams ran for a score to cut the margin to 26-21, with just two minutes remaining. The Owls defense held the Titans, and Williams put a punctuation mark on his fourth quarter with an 18 yard pass to Anthony Smith Jr that placed them at the eight yard line. Two plays later, Williams threw the game-winning touchdown to Smith Jr to give the Owls a 27-26 lead with 27 seconds to play. The Owls recovered the subsequent kickoff and sealed the win. Williams finished his day having completed 13 of 24 passes for 205 yards, adding 50 yards on the ground, and accounting for all three of the Owls touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Harrison, for his part, accounted for all four of the Titans scores, all through the air.  

Perry Hall was granted a forfeit win over Western Tech, and now host Franklin in week three. The Gators (2-0) have established themselves among the top half dozen teams among the twenty-three programs in the county, considering their 8-win season last year – highlighted by a playoff victory over Mervo, but will be looking for the first win over the Indians in six seasons when they host the Tribe on Friday. The Indians registered a 40-0 shutout victory over Overlea in week two. 

Catonsville, who is looking for their first winning season since 2015, pushed to 2-0 with their 48-0 rout of Chesapeake (BAL), scoring five touchdowns before intermission and igniting the running clock. The Comets travel to Northeast on Thursday to take on the 2-0 Eagles. Kenwood stayed unbeaten with a 26-7 win over Dulaney (0-2), with senior quarterback Jayvon Fahie throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. The Bluebirds visit Milford Mill on Thursday. Sparrows Point also moved to 2-0 after the Pointers 28-7 victory Eastern Tech.  

Baltimore City 

The Dunbar Poets (0-0) storied program was dealt a devastating blow when their coach, Lawrence Smith, was indicted by the federal government on wire fraud and tax evasion charges on Friday morning, just hours before their week two contest with Dunbar of DC was to begin. Smith came into the season carrying the best winning percentage in MPSSAA history, at .876, the most post-season victories in MPSSAA history with 48, and coming off of a season where he tied Maryland high school football legends Bob Milloy and Al Thomas for the most state championships won in MPSSAA history, with eight.  

Smith and the Poets felt turbulence in their opener with Loyola, falling behind 21-0 to the Dons, before gunshots rang out just outside the stadium putting an end to the game with a minute remaining in the first half. Assistant Michael Carter was named the interim coach Friday, hours before the Poets travelled to take on the Crimson Tide. The Poets and Tide played to a standstill 8-8 tie when lightning brought the game to a halt with 7:22 remaining in the first half. Because of travel and logistics, and after a wait, it was decided the game wouldn’t be resumed. Coach Carter and the Poets will be gunning for their first victory of the season on Thursday when the host winless Poly.  

Mervo (2-0) won their second game in as many weeks over a solid opponent with their 20-7 win over ‘22 2A state semifinalist Middletown, a week after a 26-20 victory over Bowie. DeShawn Thornton totaled 135 all-purpose yards and scored a touchdown, Tye’Shawn Cox supplied 104 all-purpose yards and a score, and quarterback Ray Moore III threw for 141 yards and a touchdown and added 51 yards on the ground. The Mustangs play host to Edmondson on Thursday. After a 27-12 loss to Edgewood in their opener, City College (0-2) travelled across the bridge to take on Kent Island, and fell just short of the Buccaneers, 31-30. The Black Knights host Patterson on Thursday.  

Forest Park looks to be among the city’s top four teams after the Foresters 24-6 week two victory over Poly to move them to 2-0, and slide the Engineers to 0-2. Foresters coach Sean Markley is excited about this group, and what the win does for the program, “We are limitless. We are more than our doubts. We exceed expectations. We are Foresters!” Tijuan Reid rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while linebacker Brandon Fauntleroy supplied six tackles and two sacks on defense. Elijah Evron also added two sacks for the Foresters.  

UCBAC 

Edgewood (1-0) and CM Wright (1-0) met Friday night and got in a half of football in before lightning put an end to it, with the Mustangs claiming a 17-12 lead. Due to scheduling issues, the game and entire second half will not be resumed until October 9. The Rams quieted the rambunctious home crowd on their second offensive play from scrimmage when Caesar Travers found Mekhi Georges for an 88 yard score to go up 6-0. The Mustangs responded by putting three scores on the board over the next four possessions, with two scores on the ground and a field goal. Travers and the Rams cut their deficit to 17-12 just before intermission, after the quarterback ran in a score, but failed on the two-point conversion. Edgewood hosts Elkton on Thursday, while the Mustangs welcome Chesapeake of Anne Arundel County. All four teams remain unbeaten.  

Harford Tech (2-0) held on to a 27-25 victory over Elkton (1-1) in the other UCBAC feature, after the Cobras opened with a 20-0 lead inside the second quarter, and after the Golden Elks cut the margin to two points with just over three minutes remaining, and an opportunity to tie the game with a two-point conversion. The Cobras defense held, and the offense melted the clock and clinched with a first down run by Jamaal Pearl Jr on a third-and-three with 1:23 to go. Pearl Jr finished with 136 yards and a touchdown of 25 carries. The Cobras host defending league champ Bel Air on Thursday, while the Golden Elks go to Edgewood. Bel Air (2-0) scored an 18-13 win over North Harford (1-1). 

Anne Arundel  

The big Anne Arundel County showdown between Broadneck and Arundel turned out be a rain-soaked Friday night marathon, with the Bruins defense producing a second half touchdown, and setting up another. After the Wildcats opened the scoring, the Bruins scored 28 unanswered points to claim a 28-7 win over the Cats. The Bruins (1-1) pushed their win streak versus league opponents to 19 victories, while the Wildcats (1-1) lost their first to a county opponent since week eight in ‘21. Neither lost to a league opponent last season, and the two county titans hadn’t faced each other since a 2019 regional playoff game.  

After an early Wildcats touchdown, the Bruins made it a one-way affair the rest of the way in a 28-7 victory. The game was one of a small percentage of games to be completed on Friday night in the MPSSAA, though there was a delay in the fourth quarter, before play resumed. The Bruins did suffer a loss early in the game when All-State receiver Eli Harris went out with a knee injury in the first quarter. After the Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead, the Bruins defense buckled down and kept the Cats scoreless the rest of the way. In the rain, and without Harris, the Bruins went to the ground game.  

The Bruins held a 13-7 lead at intermission with an 11 yard run by junior Mari Hayes and a 41 yard touchdown pass from junior Nate Tapley to sophomore Carson Pierce. In the second half, not only did the defense prohibit the Wildcats from scoring, they provided one touchdown, and put the offense in position for  another. Senior Patrick Doyle produced a ‘scoop 6’, and Logan McGill got the ball back on the ensuing kickoff, which was punctuated by a 12 yard scoring run from Ian Mauldin.  

Bruins coach Rob Harris, the father of Eli, had this to say of the Bruins win, “It was a hard fought win. We definitely have things we need to work on. We need to get our passing game back on track. I am proud of how we did what it takes to win a hard fought game. I am super excited about our defense, and our ability to play both the run and pass well. We got kids flying around on defense, and it’s awesome to see so many kids contribute on that side of the ball. Offensively, we got timely plays, but it wasn’t pretty. I did love how we finished our runs – Ian Mauldin, Mari Hayes, and Aaron Foote. Carson Pierce’s first varsity catch as a varsity player went for a touchdown, after he stepped into Eli’s spot.” The Bruins host Meade on Thursday.  

A week after a solid 34-12 victory over Annapolis (0-2) in week one, where Patriots running back Maximus Jones amassed 321 rushing yards, Old Mill ran into one of the hottest programs in the area – Concordia Prep, and were delivered a 46-0 shutout by the Saints. The Pats look to regroup Thursday when they host South River. Meade moved to 2-0 with their 43-14 win over Severn, the Mustangs second 40-point game in as many weeks, putting 24 on the board in the first quarter in week two. Zahire Mike rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries for the Stangs, and Kameryn Henry added 113 rushing yards and a score on 11 carries.  

Northeast pushed to 2-0 with a 34-14 victory over Crofton (0-2), with senior quarterback Shamar Johnson rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns, and throwing for another score. The Eagles host Catonsville on Thursday. Severna Park went on the road and picked up a 20-10 victory over South River (1-1), lifting the Falcons to 1-1 after a 21 point loss to Meade in week one.  

Carroll 

Westminster (1-1) hosted Frederick at Ruby Field in what was the best Monday night feature in the area, and despite the turnovers (seven), the game was as entertaining as any MPSSAA game in week two. In the end, five turnovers did them in. After scoring 20 points in the first half, the Owls managed just six points in the second half in a 34-26 loss to the Cadets. Owls senior quarterback Kyrece Walker threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half to give the Owls a 20-14 lead, but his third interception just before the half allowed the Cadets to knot it at 20 at halftime.  

The Owls also lost a fumble inside the Cadets ten yard line late that stunted another apparent scoring drive. Trailing 34-20, the Owls made the most of a Cadets fumble, and scored three plays later to cut the margin to 34-26. But, the Cadets used their star running back Tae Anderson to melt the clock and earn a solid road victory. The game featured big plays, including a pair of 40 yard ‘pick 6s’, one by each team, a 96 yard kickoff return by the Cadets, and four passing touchdowns of 20 yards or more., two by each team. The Owls visit county rival South Carroll (0-2) at 3 on Friday.  

Winters Mill pushed to 2-0 with the Falcons 35-12 win over SEED, and look to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2009 with a win over Francis Scott Key on Thursday. Liberty slid to 0-2 following a 42-28 loss to Boonsboro, after the Warriors gashed the Lions for 257 yards on the ground. The Lions look to avoid going 0-3 for the first time since 2006 when they host Manchester Valley on Friday. Manchester Valley moved to 1-1 with the Mavericks 24-21 win over North Hagerstown last weekend.  

Howard  

Reservoir (2-0) continued their scoring frenzy, notching 50 points for the first time in eight years in their 51-21 victory over Oakland Mills (0-2) on Monday night. The Gators host Hammond (0-2) in week three, as they look to start the season at 3-0 for the first time since 2010. A week after scoring 57 points in a win over Hammond in the opener, River Hill was limited to single-digits in a 12-8 loss to Howard on Monday, pushing the Lions to 2-0. Howard travels to Long Reach on Thursday in a clash of arch rivals, and a battle between a pair of 2-0 teams.  

Mt Hebron looked impressive for a second week in a row, registering a 41-16 win over Marriotts Ridge, a week after posting a 46-25 victory over Wilde Lake. This is the first time in the Vikings’ 56 seasons that they’ve began the season by scoring 40 points in each of their first two games. The Vikings look to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2012 when they travel to Glenelg on Thursday. The Gladiators pushed to 2-0 with a 48-0 rout of Hammond. Long Reach (2-0) handed defending county champ Atholton their second loss in as many weeks, 26-6, and limiting the Raiders to single-digits for a second week in a row. Wilde Lake (1-1) registered a 26-0 shutout over Centennial, after yielding 46 points to Mt Hebron in week one. The Wildcats host Atholton on Thursday.