2023 MPSSAA Baltimore Metro Football Report – Week 5

Baltimore County

Milford Mill put together their best all-around game of the season in week five, shutting out a strong Dundalk program, 33-0, and leaving little doubt as to who the kings of the county were. The Millers won their 25th straight game versus county foes, and for the 23rd time in 24 full games versus county rivals, the Millers won by 23 points or more. 

Since their opening week 22-21 loss to #5 Oakdale, the Millers defense has been relentless, allowing just seven points in the last four games, and producing three blank sheets in a row. While the Millers have always had an abundance of playmakers and skill players on offense, it’s been their defense that’s ultimately led them to win 30 of their last 32 games.  

The Millers broke open a scoreless tie game late in the second quarter by scoring three touchdowns in the final four minutes of the half, the first two supplied by the defense. 

With just under four minutes before intermission, Nazier James forced and recovered a fumble and took it 29 yards for the first score. On the next possession, Coby Jones forced a fumble and Cam Jefferson took it 69 yards to ‘the house’ to put the defending 2A state champions up by two scores. After an Owls three-and-out, the offense got into the act, when senior Deshawn Purdie found Owen Newborn in the middle of the field for a 27 yard touchdown. 

Purdie completed 12 of 22 passes for 172 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception, and added a touchdown on the ground. Jones finished with 13 solo tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. James finished with three tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble,  and a ‘scoop for 6’.

In their 25 game Baltimore County win streak, the Millers have produced 11 shutouts, allowed only single digits in ten other games, and have allowed only 4.9 points per game over the entire run. In all, the Millers collected five Owls turnovers. The Millers (4-1) visit Catonsville (3-2) on Friday. The Owls (3-2) host Kenwood (3-2) on Friday. 

Perry Hall continues to roll, following their 47-0 shutout victory over then 3-1 Catonsville. The Gators raced out to a 28-0 first quarter lead and coasted. Coming off of an impressive 14-7 slugfest win over Dundalk, the Gators offense was invigorated versus the Comets, producing more than 300 yards and six touchdowns.

The Gators’ twins duo of Da’Shaun Conway and Dallas Conway proved to be too much for the Comets. Da’Shaun, the quarterback, completed 11 of 18 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns. Dallas, a two-way star, caught four passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns, and returned a 97 yard ‘pick 6’. The Gators are 5-0 for the first time since 2008, and just the third time in the last 25 seasons. The Gators could push to 6-0 for just the second time in 40 seasons should they bring home the expected victory over Woodlawn (1-4) next Friday.

After opening the season with three top 25 opponents in the first four weeks, Franklin (2-3) made quick work of then 3-1 Kenwood, staking a 19-0 first quarter lead over the Bluebirds, before finishing with a 36-12 victory. While the Bluebirds may have been a bit of a reprieve for the Tribe, the Indians face nothing of the sorts this week, as they host Mt St Joseph’s on Friday. 

Owings Mills stayed unbeaten with a 36-0 shutout win over then 4-0 Towson, their fourth victory in a row by a margin of 25 points or better. The Eagles are now 5-0 for the first time in their program’s history. Eagles senior quarterback Malakai Dickens completed 12 of 17 passes for a season-high 274 yards and three touchdowns, and added 51 yards on the ground. 

The rise of the Eagles program is notable, after suffering through a MPSSAA-record 53 game losing streak that stretched from 2004 to 2009, and going winless as recent as 2017. Since, the Eagles have gone 34-15, including matching a single-season program wins record with a 10-2 mark in 2021. The Eagles travel to Parkville (2-2) on Friday.

Hereford moved to 4-1 following their 50-0 rout of winless Eastern Tech, after racing out to a 36-0 halftime lead over the Mavericks. The Bulls will seek their fourth straight victory when they host Towson (4-1) on Friday. New Town (2-3) snapped a three game losing streak with a 47-0 blank sheet victory over Dulaney (1-4).

After forfeiting their opener, Sparrows Point (4-1) won its fourth straight game on the gridiron, pulling out a 13-6 win over winless Pikesville (0-5). The Pointers, who have won their last three matchups by eight points or less, host Randallstown (3-2), who has now won three in a row following the Rams 20-6 win over Western Tech (2-3). 

Baltimore City

Mervo (5-0) stayed undefeated with a 42-0 win over Poly (1-4), registering their third straight shutout victory. The Mustangs avenged a 14-6 loss to the Engineers in 2022. Mustangs senior Ray Moore III threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 58 yards and two scores. Senior Tye’Shawn Cox supplied 156 all-purpose yards, including 111 receiving yards, while senior Bobby Johnson added 109 rushing yards. The Mustangs travel to Forest Park on Friday to take on the undefeated Foresters. 

The Foresters (5-0) posted a 26-0 win over Lewis in week five, and have now outscored their five opponents, 186-6, registering their third straight shutout. Junior TiJuan Reed rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries for the Foresters, while senior Jayon Knox took ten carries for 72 yards. Reed also added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The Foresters face their first real test of the season when they host undefeated Mervo on Friday. 

Dunbar has seemed to found their groove, following the less than auspicious start to their season. The Poets began their season with two games that never reached halftime, deeming both no decisions. Since, the Poets have been all but flawless, outscoring Poly, City, and Edmondson, 160-6, collectively, following their 48-0 rout over the latter on Friday. City College pushed to 2-3 following the Black Knights 38-0 shutout win over then 3-1 Lake Clifton. 

Anne Arundel

Broadneck (4-1) steamrolled Severna Park in week five, producing a 56-0 victory over the Falcons, after taking a 42-0 advantage into intermission. Senior running back Ian Mauldin amassed 227 yards from scrimmage and scored four touchdowns on only eight touches, rushing for 140 yards and two scores on six carries, and hauling in two passes for 87 yards and two more scores. Senior quarterback Patrick Doyle completed 9 of 10 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. 

Arundel pulled out a 27-14 victory over previously unbeaten Chesapeake, in a much tighter game than the score indicates. Trailing by seven points in the final minute, a Cougars ‘Hail Mary’ was intercepted and turned into a ‘pick 6’. The Cougars matched the Wildcats touchdowns in the first and third quarters, to square it a 7 and 14, but Ahmir Lowery’s 30 yard touchdown pass to Naseem Trenton put the Cats up 21-14 midway through the fourth quarter stood as the game-winner. 

Lowery completed 17 of 24 passes and 190 yards and a score, while senior running back TJ Mordecai produced 123 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Arundel travels to Meade on Friday to meet their fellow 4-1 Mustangs, while the Cougars go to South River (1-4). 

Old Mill won their third in a row to move to 4-1, with their 48-6 rout of Crofton (0-5). The Patriots host the league’s defending co-champion Broadneck Bruins on Friday, who have a 23 game streak versus league foes. 

Meade is 4-1 for the first time since 2017, following the Mustangs 48-8 blowout win over North County. The Mustangs host Arundel on Friday. Annapolis (3-2) won their third game in a row, with a 28-9 win over Southern. Glen Burnie (3-2) bounced back from a tight 21-14 loss to Broadneck with a 53-0 demolition of Woodlawn. 

Howard

Mt Hebron continued its dominance in league play, blanking Hammond, 49-0, and winning their fifth game in as many weeks by 16 points or more. The Vikings are tied for ninth in the MPSSAA in scoring, averaging 38.8 points per game. 

The Vikings offense needed just 22 plays to score seven touchdowns, including their ground game that produced 347 rushing yards and all seven of those scores on only 19 carries. Senior Coleman Hallums took six carries for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and fellow senior Aidan Hauf rushed eight times for 101 yards and two scores. 

The Vikings pair were the only teammates in the MPSSAA to each rush for more than 500 yards through four games, and now are the only teammates to both rush for 600 yards through five games. 

The Vikings will put their unbeaten record on the line when they visit River Hill (3-2) on Friday. The Vikings have lost 16 straight games versus River Hill, and their last win versus the Hawks was in 2003, in a 23-20 ‘walk-off’ victory. The Hawks slipped to 3-2 with a 24-14 loss to Wilde Lake (2-3).

While the Vikings cruised to stay undefeated, Reservoir pulled out a most improbable 24-21 victory over Marriotts Ridge to stay unbeaten. Trailing 21-13, the Gators defense forced two Mustangs turnovers in the final four minutes to set up both the game-tying touchdown and game-winning field goal. With the Mustangs inside the Gators ten yard line, Gators senior linebacker Muhammad Oloso forced a fumble and senior Moises Bailey took the scoop 61 yards into Mustangs territory. 

The Gators, playing without senior quarterback Jordan Tate, saw junior backup Elijah Green make a crucial fourth down completion to Adrian Alvarado to get to the Mustangs two yard line, before the star running back took it in on the following play, and added the two point conversion to tie the score at 21. 

On the following possession, with less than two minutes to play and the Mustangs with the ball deep in their own territory, the Gators jarred another fumble at the eight yard line. Three plays later, and with time expiring, senior Will Snoots drilled the game-winning 19 yard field goal for the Gators. 

Senior Adrian Alvarado rushed for 121 yards and two scores on 24 carries. The Gators (5-0) host a red-hot Atholton (3-2) team on Friday, a Raiders team that has won three straight games, including their 20-16 victory over previously unbeaten Howard on Friday. Marriotts Ridge (2-3) heads to Howard (4-1) on Friday. 

Atholton knocked Howard from the ranks of the unbeaten, with a 20-16 victory over the Lions, moving the Raiders to 3-2 after their third straight victory. Wilde Lake (2-3) upset River Hill, 24-14, as the Cats won just their second game in 11 contests with the Hawks. The Wildecats will be looking to push to .500 when they travel to Hammond on Friday to take on the 0-5 Bears. Glenelg (3-2) settled for a 10-0 edge over winless Oakland Mills, and will host Centennial this week, who are looking for their first win of the 2023 season. 

UCBAC

Edgewood (4-0) stayed unbeaten with a convincing 32-12 win over Joppatowne (1-3), a week after the Mariners upended previously undefeated Harford Tech. Rams senior quarterback Caesar Travers threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and fellow senior Jahmir Torres added two touchdowns. The Rams visit Havre de Grace (2-3) on Friday. Patterson Mill (5-0) stayed undefeated with a 28-3 win over Rising Sun (1-4). The Huskies will face a test when they head to Bel Air on Friday. 

C Milton Wright (2-2) pulled out a 19-12 win over Bel Air (2-3), to end a two game losing streak, and dealt the Bobcats their third straight single-digit loss. The Mustangs will travel to Chesapeake City to take on 4-1 Bohemia Manor on Friday. Bo Manor rebounded from their only loss of the season with a tight 28-26 victory over Aberdeen (0-5). 

Fallston (4-1) won their fourth straight game with a 37-0 shutout win over North East (0-5). The Cougars travel to North Harford (3-2) on Friday, a week after the Hawks pulled out a 21-14 victory over Harford Tech (3-2), handing the Cobras their second straight loss. 

Carroll

Winters Mill is boasting a 5-0 record for the first time in their program’s history, following the Falcons 21-7 victory over Liberty, their first win over the Lions in ten seasons. Senior quarterback Caleb Crouch rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. The Falcons host South Carroll (0-5) on Friday. 

Westminster (4-1) stayed unbeaten in league play with a 19-7 victory over Manchester Valley. The Owls head to Union Bridge on Friday to take on Francis Scott Key (1-4).