MPSSAA 4A State Championship Preview

At last. On their 20th anniversary, at that. The Broadneck Bruins went on the road to Montgomery County for a second week in a row and knocked off their lower-seeded hosts yet again, and in doing so, clinched their first state final berth since 2003, their first and only other state championship game appearance.  

A week after their thrilling 21-20 victory over Northwest in Germantown, the Bruins produced a convincing 31-7 win over Churchill in Potomac on Friday night, securing the first 4A title game berth by an Anne Arundel County team since Old Mill advanced in 2014, before falling to Northwest in a thriller, 34-31. That was the Patriots third trip to the 4A final in six-post-seasons, winning the 4A crown in both 2009 and 2011.  

But, that bit of supremacy that Old Mill might have held over that six year period was unique, as success for Anne Arundel County teams in the semifinal and state championship rounds have been few and far in between for county teams since the MPSSAA’s first five seasons. At any level, much less 4A.  

In the first five seasons of the MPSSAA, from ‘74 through ‘78, Anne Arundel boasted two state champions in AA (now 4A) – Arundel in ‘75 and Annapolis in ‘78, and another finalist – Severna Park in ‘74. But since, it’s been rough sledding in the ‘Final Four’. 

Prior to the Bruins game Friday night, Anne Arundel County teams had gone 7-25 in the 4A (or AA) semifinals since Nap Town’s title in ‘78, and that includes the Patriots 3-0 mark from ‘09-14. Broadneck had held a 1-7 record in the semis before last night’s game, including an 0-5 mark since its title game appearance in ‘03, when the Bruins lost to Damascus, 13-7, in the 4A title game. Last season, the Bruins suffered a 42-9 loss at Quince Orchard in the semifinals.  

Not only did the Bruins defy 43 post-seasons of history on Friday, but they went in to Montgomery County and beat two of their three best 4A teams to get to the title game. A week after Northwest shocked #1 Quince Orchard with a 29 point first half and eventual victory, Broadneck went toe-to-toe with the Jaguars in the quarterfinals, and clinched a huge road victory in the ‘Black Hole’ on Logan McGill’s game-winning ‘pick 6’ in the final stanza. Then came 11-1 Churchill, whose only loss came to Quince Orchard, and who themselves registered an impressive victory over Northwest, 19-7, in week seven. 

Friday night, the Bruins dominated the game in all three phases, opening up with a 17-0 halftime lead, and keeping the Bulldogs off of the scoreboard until the final minute. Bruins senior kicker Chris Coleman put the first points on the board in the opening quarter with a 44 yard field goal, while junior quarterback CJ Watkins added a ten yard scoring run and a seven yard passing touchdown to classmate Joey Smargissi to give the visitors a three score lead at intermission.  

The Bruins defense may have not stopped the Bulldogs star running back David Avit, the MPSSAA’s leading rusher, but they contained the 6’0 220 force, and kept him out of the end zone until the game’s final moments. With a three score lead, the Bruins used their ground game to move the chains and grind the clock. Watkins scored on a two yard run in the third quarter, followed by junior Ian Mauldin’s five yard scoring haul to take a 31-0 lead into the fourth quarter.  

Watkins fought through a three-way competition at the ‘QB1’ position for the Bruins, one that carried into the season, and not only earned the job, but flourished, completing 61.1% of his passes this season for 1,218 yards and 15 touchdowns, against just one interception. Watkins has also added six scores on the ground. Mauldin, a junior, leads the Bruins ground game for a second year in a row, rushing for 1059 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Senior wide receiver Eli Harris, Coach Rob Harris’ son and a Navy commit, has registered 53 receptions for 870 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, and ranks eighth in MPSSAA history with 2,664 career receiving yards, and ninth with 165 career receptions. Smargissi has supplied 40 receptions for 469 yards and seven touchdowns.  

Coach Harris has continued a winning tradition at Broadneck started by Jeff Herrick in 1989. Over the last 35 seasons, the Bruins have averaged eight wins per season. Harris, who spent six seasons as an assistant to Herrick, touts an 104-33 record in 13 seasons at the helm for the Bruins. Eli will play his last game for the Bruins in the title game, after leading the team in receiving yards in all four of his seasons with the Bruins, beginning with the Covid-abbreviated Spring season in ‘21. Harris needs 50 receiving yards to surpass former Arundel star Ronnie Harris (2,713) for seventh place on the MPSSAA’s career receiving yardage list.  

While Broadneck has had a reputation as having an efficient and productive passing game, to go with a very complimentary running game, it’s been the Bruins defense that delivered them to the 4A title game. After allowing Northwest a touchdown on the opening possession of their quarterfinal clash, the Bruins held the Jags to just two more scores, and provided the game-winner with McGill’s ‘pick 6’. Friday, the unit had a blank sheet for 46 minutes, versus the MPSSAA’s leading rusher, on the road.  

When asked about the mettle his Bruins have shown on the road over the last two weeks in the winningest football county in the state, Harris stressed the importance of scheduling top notch out-of-conference opponents in the openers of the last two years. “We set about four years ago and wanted to set our out-of-county game to be as tough as possible for moments like the last two games. We believe you need to face adversity to understand how to handle adversity in the times of high stress. Playing Spalding, McDonogh, etc, has helped a lot. The high stress ending to the Old Mill game this year helped. I kids believed in each other, their coaches and our game plan, and they executed it. We went up to both (Northwest and Churchill) expecting to compete well, and if we take care of the ball, win.” 

And, on the task of stopping such a force as Avit, Harris says his Bruins were prepared for a dogfight, “David lived up to the hype. Churchill is doing some good things, and it was a tough task. We faced them last year and they are much improved this year. They are as scrappy as any team we have faced. It was hard hitting and our kids knew they were going to be in brawl for four quarters on defense. We had to send as many bodies at him as possible, and change up the looks for the ‘OL’ and coaches to keep them guessing. I am so proud of all the boys, selling out and giving everything they had for their teammates.” 

Senior linebacker Braeden McCassie headlines a defensive unit that has allowed just 8.25 points per game in four post-season games, including each of the last three versus top 25 teams – Dundalk, Northwest, and Churchill. McCassie has totaled 77 tackles this season, including 54 solo tackles, and a team-best seven sacks. Junior safety Tyler Chinn-Thompson leads the team in both tackles and solo tackles, with 79 and 55 respectively. Senior Jed Pelicano, who joins McCassie and McGill among the linebacking corps, has produced 62 tackles – 44 solo, and captured a key fumble recovery in the Northwest win. Like McCassie, defensive end Tyler Hicks is a three-year starter, and like McCassie (Jacksonville commit), will play lacrosse (VMI commit) at the next level.  

The Bruins face the most successful 4A program in the 21st century, the Dr Henry A Wise Pumas, who made themselves a name shortly after the program’s inception in 2006. Coach DaLawn Parrish has been with the Pumas from their very beginning. And has since established himself as one of the most successful coaches in MPSSAA history. Parrish ranks second in MPSSAA history in playoff wins, boasting a 41-9 post-season record. Parrish holds a 182-53 record over 19 seasons as a head coach, including a 178-37 mark in 17 seasons at Wise. In the last 15 seasons, the Pumas have produced a 169-21 record (.889) versus MPSSAA competition.  

The Pumas five 4A state titles rank second in MPSSAA history in the classification, behind only Springbrook, who won six with coach Bob Milloy from ‘79 through ‘89. Coach Parrish joins Milloy, who won two more 4A state crowns at Sherwood, as the only two coaches in MPSSAA history to win more than three 4A state championships, with five. Since 2015, the Pumas have a 99-4 record versus MPSSAA competition, including a 26-3 post-season mark. Two losses came to Quince Orchard – in the ‘18 semis and the ‘21 final, and the other two came to Flowers in ‘22, the second coming in the semifinals.  

Still, despite the Pumas incredible success over the last 15 seasons, the Prince Georges County champions will be seeking their first state crown since 2019, after having their seasons come to an end with losses to the Cougars and Jaguars. Wise didn’t play in the abbreviated Spring season in ‘21, as Prince Georges County, Baltimore City, and Charles County, were the only jurisdictions in Maryland not to play any football that season.  

Wise suffered their only loss in their opener to nationally ranked Maury in Virginia, 31-10, and have since gone 11-0, despite losing their senior quarterback transfer Khalil Wilkins on game day in week two, as the West Virginia commit was deemed ineligible and out of district. The Pumas have pushed through nonplussed, and avenged their 2022 losses to Flowers with a 17-14 overtime over the Jaguars in week seven.  

The five-time state champion coach has learned to be prepared for the worst situation, “At Wise we have always preached the next man up. Coming back from Covid made me rethink and reconstruct the way we practiced, as you could lose a player at any given moment without notice during that time. With that approach and a new commitment to a different practice schedule, we were able to make better adjustments. This team and our coaches have had to deal with some of our players transferring out, residence issues and appeals for the first five weeks of the season, the loss of ‘D1’ quarterback, the transfer of our previous backup quarterback, fan limitations, injuries, and more.” 

Parrish went on, “Khalil was an outstanding leader and player, but his leadership also helped prepare Eric Wedge, who is only a sophomore, gain more confidence. ‘EJ’ was put in a bad situation an hour before the second game of the year, but he has responded well. At Wise, we believe it us versus eveyone, and we deal with adversity every year.  This year has been another way to help young people learn to seize the moment and to never give up no matter the circumstances.” 

Without Wilkins, and with sophomore Eric Wedge at quarterback, the Pumas have primarily relied on a punishing running game, and that was no different in their 62-21 win over league rival Eleanor Roosevelt in the semifinals. Friday night, it was ‘him’ that led the way for the Pumas, in the ground game and everywhere else. Junior DeCarlos Young – 6’1 220 – rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries on offense, added five tackles, including one for loss on defense, and added an 83 kickoff return for a score, to add to his 84 yard rushing touchdown. As a team, the Pumas rushed for 433 yards and seven touchdowns on 38 Carrie’s in the win over the Raiders. The Pumas also produced a total of 231 return yards on three kickoff and four punt returns, netting more than 30 yards on each kickoff return, and averaging 20 yards per return on four punts.  

Young has had a monster junior campaign, after making a huge impact as a sophomore, when he first became the Pumas best all-around player. Last season, Young was the Pumas second leading rusher and third leading scorer, while also serving as their second leading tackler. This season, Young leads the Pumas in rushing yards, touchdowns, tackles, and kick return yards. After averaging 11.6 yards per carry last season, Young is averaging 11.7 yards per carry this campaign, rushing for 1,249 yards and 23 touchdowns on only 107 carries. Only once in twelve games has Young totaled more than 13 carries. In all, including his pair of kickoff return touchdowns versus Flowers and Roosevelt, Young has scored 25 touchdowns on 113 touches. On defense, Young has amassed 84 tackles, including 45 solo, and 14.5 for loss.  

Parrish said of his talented junior, “It is a blessing to have a player like DeCarlos, who always shows up when the lights are the brightest. His willingness to sacrifice personal success for team success is what makes a coach want to keep coaching. He is a three-way player and I do not know where we would be without him. Sometimes he has put us on his back like my players of old, and willed us to victory with effort, intensity, and his refusal to allow us to lose.” 

But, by no means is Young a ‘one-man show’, as the Pumas feature a deep, relatively young cast of talents. Compounding the quandaries defensive opponents face with Young and his running prowess, is junior Peyton Nelson and senior Greg Pruitt III. Nelson has produced 1,016 yards from scrimmage and scored 14 touchdowns, while Pruitt has supplied 804 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns on only 84 carries. Wedge, like Watkins at Broadneck, has taken care of the ball at the quarterback position for the Pumas, and taken advantage of opportunities when they present themselves, completing 57.4% of his passes, with 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions.  

The Pumas defensive unit, who has produced seven shutouts in twelve games this season, consists of seven freshman, sophomore, and juniors, among the 14 members with 20 tackles or more. However, a handful of senior members on the unit are intent on not becoming the first class since the 2011 class not to win a 4A title anywhere in their four years. Senior defensive tackle Ronald Hull – 6’1 320 – has registered 19.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, and five forced fumbles. Senior defensive ends Marquis Thomas – 6’1 225 – and Demi Olanlokun – 6’2 239 – line outside of Hull, and have combined for 21.5 tackles for loss, while senior safeties Teon Lavender and Jamal Drummond have totaled 144 tackles, 88 solo tackles, five fumble recoveries, and three interceptions.  

Both Broadneck and Wise feature outstanding kicking games. Broadneck senior Chris Coleman earned MPSSAA All-State first team honors after setting a MPSSAA single-season record 14 field goals in ‘22. This year, Coleman hasn’t been quite as busy, or successful, converting three of six field goals, but has converted 50 of 51 extra points, with the one miss being blocked. Coleman drilled in a crucial 35 yard extra point (after a 15 yard penalty for excessive celebration following a touchdown) in the Bruins one point win over Northwest in the quarterfinals. Coleman also averages 35 yards per punt, including placing 12 inside the opponents 20 yard line. Wise senior Geovanie Deguenon has made 73 of 76 extra point attempts (96.1%), and has made all five of his field goal attempts, including the game-winning 27 yard field goal in the Pumas 17-14 overtime win over Flowers.  

The Bruins and Pumas showdown premieres in prime-time on Friday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, with both having a ‘Homecoming’ of sorts. While the Bruins are making their second state final appearance, it’ll be the first they played on the big stage in their hometown, less than seven miles from their stadium. For Coach Parrish and the Wise faithful, it’ll be their fifth trip to Nap Town in the seven post-seasons since the title games were moved from M&T Stadium in Baltimore.  

The Pumas coach takes nothing for granted. “It’s always good to have a chance to play for a state title. And this team has battled and gotten better every week since losing to Maury. Getting to the title game is not promised, nor is it normal to have gone to the championship nine times in 17 years. I never take it for granted, and I try to relay that to our players, school, and parents. The 2021 loss to QO hurt, as I felt we had a great team returning for 2020, and were robbed of that chance to repeat and defend our title, or even practice that whole year. This week my team will not take this opportunity for granted, and we will prepare them to give their all. We are excited to represent our true fans and we’ll try to bring back title number six to Henry A. Wise HS. We face a great opponent, and we have tremendous respect for the Bruins.” 

Coach Harris is looking forward to his first state title game, “I’m not gonna lie, this is a moment we have all worked so hard to get to. The core of my staff has been together since I was named the head coach, and to get here with them is very rewarding. But, we are not happy just being here, we have bigger goals.  We have faced Wise before (2010 in semis) and lost, 13-7, in a dog fight, and we limited them to less than 150 yards of offense. We almost had this matchup in 2015. Truthfully, we thought we were going to beat Howard and face them at M&T.  You want to be the best, you got to beat the best, and there is no doubt that Wise has been one of the two best teams in the 4A for the last decade. DaLawn does an amazing job and we are going to need to have a heck of a game to win, but we can do it.” 

#1 Wise (11-1) v #11 Broadneck (11-2) Friday 7:30 

@ Navy-Marines Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis 

Playoff history: B – 23-19, 0-1 in the championship game; W – 41-9, 5-3 in the championship game 

Scoring: B – P 31.5 PA 12.3 PD +19.2; W – P 47.7 PA 8.3 PD +39.4 

Coaches: B – Rob Harris 13th season 104-33, 11-10 p/o; W – DaLawn Parrish 19th season, 17th with Wise 182-53, 41-9 p/o 

Offense:  

B – Passing #4 Watkins 93-152-1218-15-1, #9 Doyle 55-82-7-1; Rushing #2 Mauldin 179-1059-15; Receiving #5 Harris 53-870-13, #6 Smargissi 40-469-7 

W – Passing #10 Wedge III 58-101-924-11-0; Rushing #1 Young 107-1249-23, #2 Nelson 91-819-11, #6 Pruitt Jr 84-804-11; Receiving #7 Butler 23-493-4 

Defense: 

B – #3 McCassie 77t, 54 solo, 7 sacks, #1 Chinn-Thompson 79t, 55 solo, #7 Pelicano 62t, 44 solo, #52 Hicks 30t, 4 sacks, #12 McGill 41t, 2 int, #17 Levicki 4 int 

W – #1 Young 80t, 45 solo, 14.5 tfl, #55 Hull 38t, 19.5 tfl, 6 sk, 5 ff, #5 Lavender 70t, 45 solo, 5 tfl, 4 fr, #9 Drummond 74t, 43 solo, 8 pd, 2 int, #8 Thomas 42t, 12 tfl, 4.5 sk, #12 Olanlokun 37t, 9.5 tfl, 1 ff