Two Baltimore area teams brought home state titles in their respective MPSSAA state championship games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium last weekend, one winning their MPSSAA record-tying 12th state crown, and the other winning it’s second, but first in 35 years. Both gridiron titans finished with undefeated seasons. Dunbar pulled out a 22-13 victory over Patuxent in the 2/1A title game, while Milford Mill held off Kent Island, 25-16, in the 2A state championship game. Arundel fell short of North Point, 31-14, in the second 4/3A state championship game.
Dunbar captured the first back-to-back undefeated seasons in their program’s storied history, taking a 26 game win streak into next season. The Poets, who came into the title game averaging 48.5 points per game and outscoring opponents by an average of 41.1 points per game, had their hands full Saturday afternoon with the contenders from Lusby, and needed an 86 yard interception return for a score and the subsequent two point conversion in the final minutes to secure the victory.
The Panthers raced out to a 13-0 first quarter lead after scoring in their first two possessions, the second, a 36 yard drive after stopping the Poets for a two yard loss on a 4th-and-3 on their own 38 yard line. Patuxent sophomore quarterback Evan Blouir struck first with a 44 yard scoring run, then tossed a six yard touchdown pass to Evan Jones. With just under eight minutes remaining in the first half, and facing a 2nd-and-15 on their own 14 yard line, the Poets went to their passing game, with seniors Devin Roche and Tony Hart connecting on a 52 yard strike down the middle. After four runs by Roche, two for first downs, Hart scored from seven yards out to put the Poets on the board. The two-point conversion failed, and the Poets trailed, 13-6.
The Panthers followed with three first downs, before the Poets Joshua Fedd sacked Blouir on a third down for a 12 yard loss, forcing the Panthers to punt. Starting from their own 17 yard line, with 21 seconds remaining before intermission, Roche led the Poets to what would be their game-winning drive. After a personal foul call on the Panthers, pushing the Poets to their 35 yard line, Roche took a carry 12 yards, and had another 15 yards added on with another personal foul call on the Panthers. With that, and on the final play of the half, Roche found Anthony Lyde for a 38 yard touchdown, and with Lyde’s two-point conversion, the Poets took a 14-13 lead into halftime. Both defensive units solidified in the second half, each allowing only one first down in the third quarter. The Panthers began the fourth quarter on the Poets 44 yard line, after sacking Savion Witherspoon on a 4th-and-8.
After Blouir picked up a first down on 3rd-and-1 on the following possession, the Panthers picked up yet again another personal foul, pushing them back to their 49 yard line. Facing a 1st-and-27, Blouir went in the air and was picked off by Hart. The Poets picked up one first down, but Witherspoon was sacked again on fourth down, giving the Panthers a chance for a go-ahead drive. After picking up two first downs, the Panthers had 2nd-and-5 on the Poets 21, before Poets linebacker Anthony Campbell turned the game on its head by returning a Blouir interception 86 yards for a touchdown. Hart added to his heroics with a two-point toss to Lyde to push their lead to nine points with just more than three minutes remaining. Tristan Kenan sealed the victory with an interception on the ensuing possession, and the Poets matched Seneca Valley (later, Damascus did too) for the most state championships in MPSSAA history.
Dunbar coach Lawrence Smith won his eighth state championship with the Poets, tying him with Maryland high school coaching legends Bob Milloy and Al Thomas for the most in MPSSAA history. Smith has won 48 post-season games since 2007 with the Poets, more than all but two programs in MPSSAA history dating back to 1974. Smith holds a 169-23 record in 15 seasons with the Poets, an 88% win percentage, the second highest (Todd Appel, Fort Hill 142-16 89.9%) in MPSSAA history, among coaches with 120 games.
Roche and Kenan finish as one of the greatest backfield tandems in MPSSAA history, and the only backfield that produced the same two 1,500 yard rushers in back-to-back seasons in MPSSAA history. Roche, despite missing two games with an injury, and more than half of the Mervo game, still delivered eye-popping numbers, rushing for 1,591 yards and 16 touchdowns, and threw for 984 yards and nine touchdowns. Over two seasons, Roche accounted for 5,961 yards and 65 touchdowns for the Poets. Kenan led the Poets in rushing this season, with 1,928 yards and 22 touchdowns, and finished with 3,429 yards and 43 touchdowns in the Poets two championship seasons in ‘21 and ‘22. Kenan scored a MPSSAA-best 41 2-point conversions this season, and picked off three passes at safety, including one in the championship game for a second year in a row, and added 44 solo tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss.
Hart, another senior, contributed all over the field for the Poets this season, just as he had in the title game. Hart led the Poets in receiving yards, with 1,094, ranking second in the MPSSAA, and led the Poets in interceptions, grabbing his seventh in the championship game win. Senior defensive lineman Joshua Fedd led the Poets in solo tackles (71), total tackles (101), and produced a MPSSAA-best 19 sacks. While most of the MPSSAA had some kind of 2020 version of a season, however short, the Poets never played a game, and none of the seniors had sophomore seasons. Of the seniors, Smith says, “These seniors meant everything to this team. The locked in once Covid hit, and wanted to be thought of as one of the best ever.”
Despite losing that quartet next season, Coach Smith’s cupboard won’t be left bare, with sophomore quarterback Savion Witherspoon, junior Deshawn Parks, and Lyde and Campbell all returning, among others. Witherspoon threw for 1,498 yards, while splitting time with Roche when he was on the field. Parks and Lyde project to be the Poets top two playmakers in ‘23, with Parks finishing as the Poets third leading rusher, behind Kenan and Roche, and Lyde the Poets leading receiver, behind Hart and senior Devin Paige. Campbell’s 86 yard ‘pick 6’ in the title game punctuated an outstanding junior campaign for the linebacker, after finishing second on the Poets in solo tackles (63), total tackles (88), and sacks (7). “They’re ready to continue this run”, Smith says.
Thirty five years ago, Milford Mill came into their Class C championship game with an unblemished 12-0 record, but found themselves down four points in the third quarter, before scoring two unanswered touchdowns to top Havre de Grace, 28-18, and win the first state championship their program’s history. Friday afternoon, the Millers entered their championship game with Kent Island with an unblemished 13-0 record, and found themselves down three points as they took the opening possession of the second half. Like ‘87, the Millers used big plays to find separation in the second half, and take a 25-16 victory over the Buccaneers.
The Millers sailed through the first eleven weeks of the season, averaging 50 points per game, and outscoring their opponents by 45 points per game. There would be no more sailing from then on, but more of a grind, pulling out three hard fought victories in each of their quarterfinal, semifinal, and state title games.
In the quarterfinal, the Millers hosted Walkersville, a Frederick County program with a championship pedigree, but one that finished fifth in league play. The Millers trailed the Lions, 7-6, before scraping out a 20-7 victory. The Millers, trailing by one, stopped the Lions on a 4th-and-1 at midfield in the third quarter, and twice stymied potential game-tying or go-ahead drives by stopping the Lions inches from the goal line on one drive, and ending the other with an interception, which led to an insurance score. In their semifinal matchup with Decatur, the Millers survived a game that saw five lead changes and one tie, winning a shootout with the Seahawks, 40-33. Senior Sean Williams rushed for 310 yards and four touchdowns.
Friday, in the final, and trailing 10-7 at half, the Millers earned every bit of their 63 yard, nearly six minute scoring drive, one that would put them in the lead for good, but not without a fight from the Bucs. Williams picked up twenty yards on the ground on a 3rd-and-5, and then, facing a 3rd-and-11, junior quarterback Deshawn Purdie connected with David Diggs on a 30 yard pass to put the Millers at the Bucs 23 yard line. After a holding penalty put the Millers behind the chains and facing 4th-and-5, Purdie hit Derrell Pierson for a 16 yard reception. putting the Millers at the Bucs two yard line. On second down, Purdie took it into the end zone, and after having their extra point attempt blocked, the Millers held a slim 13-10 edge, midway through the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, after stopping the Bucs on downs, the Millers faced their own 4th-and-6 on the Bucs 23 yard line, when Purdie hit Josh Pearson for a 23 yard touchdown to provide some cushion, at 19-10. Coby Jones would take a ‘pick 6’ in from twenty yards on the ensuing drive, giving the Millers a 25-10 margin, with just under five minutes to play. Williams finished with 124 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, while Purdie completed 13 of 20 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Daysen Shell added six carries for 52 yards. Senior Emmanuel Gee was a force for the Millers on defense, as the 6’3 275 defensive tackle produced seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for loss. Malachi Barnes, the Millers second leading tackler this season, provided ten tackles, including five solo tackles, and 1.5 for loss. Senior linebacker Cameron Jefferson also contributed to a unit that limited the MPSSAA’s leading rusher, Kasey Heath, to 57 rushing yards.
Millers coach Reggie White was a major part of the undefeated ‘87 Millers, an All-Met first team selection on the offensive line, providing holes for Sean Nelson and Robert Thomas, the two Millers’ backs that combined for 2,960 rushing yards and 41 rushing touchdowns. White had led the Millers as a coach to the championship game twice before, losing a heartbreaker in the ‘17 3A title game to Linganore, 28-27, and losing last year’s 2A state championship game to Douglass, 29-14. White is 162-62 in twenty seasons at Milford Mill, including a 21-11 post-season record. White ranks seventh among active MPSSAA coaches in both wins and post-season wins. Coach White has led the Millers to a 72-10 record over the last seven seasons, including five 10+ win seasons in six full seasons (9 wins, the other), and a 5-0 mark in the abbreviated spring of ‘21 season.
Both Williams and Purdie had record-breaking seasons for the Millers, with Williams smashing all of the rushing and scoring records, and Purdie setting all of the passing records. The Millers finished the season averaging 45.3 points per game, with Johnson and Purdie leading an offense that averaged 413.9 yards per game. Williams rushed for 2,052 yards, becoming the first Millers rusher to eclipse 2,000 yards in a season, and scored a Baltimore County record 38 touchdowns, including 37 rushing touchdowns. Williams’ 38 touchdowns is tied for the 13th most in a single-season in MPSSAA history. Purdie threw for 2,759 yards, smashing program records, and the third most in county history, 71 yards short of Franklin’s Jacquez Adams’ county mark of 2,836, set in 2013. Purdie threw for 28 touchdowns, against just five interceptions, the fourth most touchdown passes in a single season in county history.
Shell has been a playmaker on all three units for the Millers over the last two seasons, and provided the punting. Shell caught 44 passes for 977 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaged 29.2 yards per kick return, 14.8 yards per punt return, and produced 21 tackles, seven passes defended, and an interception. In two years, Shell produced 2,657 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. Gee was dominant on the defensive line for the Millers this season, registering 62 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks. While the Millers will lose Williams, Shell, Gee, and Corey Jones, who tabbed 682 receiving yards, the ‘23 Millers project to have Purdie at quarterback, and will return a half dozen starters on defense, including their leading tackler, junior linebacker Coby Jones, and fellow junior linebacker Jefferson. Jones registered 131 tackles this season, 21 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. Jefferson recorded seven interceptions, nine tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
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.