Five MPSSAA Football Games to Watch: Week 5
Walkersville (4-0) at Linganore (4-0)
The defending MPSSAA 2A state champions travel to undefeated Linganore in a big tilt out in Frederick County.
Walkersville is yet to be seriously tested in 2017, outscoring opponents 253-6. The defense has registered three shutouts, and seen standout play from Christian Policelli, who leads the Lions with 26 tackles. Tyler Gleason has 22 tackles and Aaron Jahnke had intercepted two passes. On offense, the Lions have five players with over 100 yards rushing. Jacob Wetzel has 242 yards and six touchdowns on a mere sixteen carries. Policelli has gone for 186 yards while scoring four times. Ty Littleton has also scored four times, and rushed for 168 yards. Gleason and Josiah Jones round out the group- Gleason has 148 yards and four touchdowns, while Jones has 114 yards and three scores. Quarterback Billy Gant has thrown for eight touchdowns and 368 yards. His favorite receiver is Josh Polce, who has five touchdowns and 230 receiving yards.
Linganore is looking to extend its streak of making the state playoffs to five straight seasons. Much like Walkersville, the Lancers have not been too heavily tested this season, winning every game by at least three touchdowns. The two headed attack of Davon Butler and Zamarre Snowden have been extremely effective so far this season. Butler has 342 yards on 69 carries with nine touchdowns, while Snowden has rushed 44 times for 382 yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Ryan Leyh has thrown for 565 yards and seven touchdowns, while only tossing one interception. Wide receiver Joey Felton has found the endzone three times, and has 259 yards for the whole season. Luke Freeman leads Linganore in tackles with 41, and Zach Willett has two interceptions.
This contest is scheduled for Thursday at 7 PM.
Oakdale (4-0) at Middletown (4-0)
This is the second game this week featuring a pair of of undefeated Frederick County powerhouses.
Oakdale has been able to move the ball at will in 2017. The Bears' top running back is Simeon Sabvute, who has 409 yards rushing on 55 attempts with 11 touchdowns. Sabvute has been especially difficult to tackle- he has 209 yards rushing after contact. George Stultz has been a nice compliment in the running game for Sabvute- he currently has 123 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Quarterback Collin Schlee has thrown for 311 yards and five touchdowns while only tossing one interception. His top target has been dynamic wide receiver Bryce DeMaille, who has 268 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
Middletown has played closer games than Oakdale, but have still won all but one game by double digits. The Knights employ a two man rushing attack opponents have struggled to contain- Matthew Evich has rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns on 34 attempts, while Isaiah Dowery has reached 255 yards and three scores on 52 attempts. Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger has thrown for 347 yards, and his go to receiver has been Mark Evich, who has made seven catches for 135 yards.
This contest is scheduled for Thursday at 7 PM.
Long Reach (3-0) at River Hill (3-0)
Howard County has a battle of undefeated squads as well when Long Reach makes the short trip to River Hill.
Long Reach has continued its breakout season in 2016, when the Lightning qualified for the state playoffs for only the fourth time in school history, and the first time since 2005. The Lightning survived a scare in Week 1 with Oakland Mills when their defense prevented the Scorpions from converting on a two point conversion late in the fourth quarter, giving Long Reach at 29-28 victory. Since then, Long Reach's defense hasn't allowed a point as the Lightning have beaten Hammond and Wilde Lake with ease. Running back KaDarrian Booker has been an electric performer- he rushed for 266 yards and four touchdowns against Oakland Mills. Against Wilde Lake, he picked up two touchdowns, including a 94 yard effort, and ran for 195 yards.
River Hill has had a season very similar to Long Reach's- in Week 2 the Hawks got past Oakland Mills 38-34, and in their other two games have shut out Atholton and Wilde Lake. The Hawks enter this game after having their best all-around game this season in a 42-0 win over Wilde Lake. In that game, River Hill scored once in the first two quarter, before pulling away after halftime with two touchdowns in each quarter.
This contest is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 PM.
Charles Herbert Flowers (4-0) at Gwynn Park (3-0)
This contest features another tussle between undefeated teams, this time in Prince George's County.
CH Flowers topped Eleanor Roosevelt 25-19 in Week 3, but has otherwise won its games in convincing fashion. The Jaguars have gotten fantastic performances from their quarterback Julius Duvall. In the Jaguars' 40-10 victory over Bel Air, Duvall threw for 192 yards and five touchdowns to four different receivers, while tossing just one interception. Duvall was arguably better against Eleanor Roosevelt, throwing for 235 yards and two touchdowns as well as rushing for one score- all without throwing an interception.
In order to win this contest, Gwynn Park will have to run the ball effectively as the team did against Bladensburg last week. Four different Yellow Jackets registered rushing touchdowns. Ryan Clemons scored twice on seven carries, picking up 80 yards in the process. Kibwe Galloway led the team in yardage with 95, and also scored a touchdown. Terrell Lindsey ran for 31 yards and a touchdown, while Andrew Sye-Benson scored from close range. Tray Laster only needed four attempts to reach 35 yards.
This contest is scheduled for Friday at 3:30 PM.
Northwest (4-0) at Our Lady of Good Counsel (3-1)
Northwest puts its undefeated mark on the line when it takes on private school Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Northwest has not been seriously tested yet in 2017, with Week 4's 43-7 victory over Gaithersburg being the most recent lopsided result the team has registered. The Jaguars have leaned heavily on running back Juwon Farri thus far- against Walter Johnson he finished with 238 yards and four touchdowns, one of which was an 85-yard attempt, on 14 carries. It was a similar effort against Wootton when Farri carried the ball 15 times for 116 yards and two scores, while also catching a touchdown. Farri also picked up 178 yards and a touchdown against Seneca Valley.
Good Counsel is 3-1 this year and has won its last two games. The Falcons beat well-regarded Bishop Sullivan last week in a low-scoring affair, 3-0. Good Counsel has also beaten a pair of MIAA teams in Gilman and Archbishop Spalding. The team's lone defeat also came against an MIAA team- Mount St. Joseph.
This contest is scheduled for Thursday at 7 PM.
The defending MPSSAA 2A state champions travel to undefeated Linganore in a big tilt out in Frederick County.
Walkersville is yet to be seriously tested in 2017, outscoring opponents 253-6. The defense has registered three shutouts, and seen standout play from Christian Policelli, who leads the Lions with 26 tackles. Tyler Gleason has 22 tackles and Aaron Jahnke had intercepted two passes. On offense, the Lions have five players with over 100 yards rushing. Jacob Wetzel has 242 yards and six touchdowns on a mere sixteen carries. Policelli has gone for 186 yards while scoring four times. Ty Littleton has also scored four times, and rushed for 168 yards. Gleason and Josiah Jones round out the group- Gleason has 148 yards and four touchdowns, while Jones has 114 yards and three scores. Quarterback Billy Gant has thrown for eight touchdowns and 368 yards. His favorite receiver is Josh Polce, who has five touchdowns and 230 receiving yards.
Linganore is looking to extend its streak of making the state playoffs to five straight seasons. Much like Walkersville, the Lancers have not been too heavily tested this season, winning every game by at least three touchdowns. The two headed attack of Davon Butler and Zamarre Snowden have been extremely effective so far this season. Butler has 342 yards on 69 carries with nine touchdowns, while Snowden has rushed 44 times for 382 yards and six touchdowns. Quarterback Ryan Leyh has thrown for 565 yards and seven touchdowns, while only tossing one interception. Wide receiver Joey Felton has found the endzone three times, and has 259 yards for the whole season. Luke Freeman leads Linganore in tackles with 41, and Zach Willett has two interceptions.
This contest is scheduled for Thursday at 7 PM.
Oakdale (4-0) at Middletown (4-0)
This is the second game this week featuring a pair of of undefeated Frederick County powerhouses.
Oakdale has been able to move the ball at will in 2017. The Bears' top running back is Simeon Sabvute, who has 409 yards rushing on 55 attempts with 11 touchdowns. Sabvute has been especially difficult to tackle- he has 209 yards rushing after contact. George Stultz has been a nice compliment in the running game for Sabvute- he currently has 123 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Quarterback Collin Schlee has thrown for 311 yards and five touchdowns while only tossing one interception. His top target has been dynamic wide receiver Bryce DeMaille, who has 268 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
Middletown has played closer games than Oakdale, but have still won all but one game by double digits. The Knights employ a two man rushing attack opponents have struggled to contain- Matthew Evich has rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns on 34 attempts, while Isaiah Dowery has reached 255 yards and three scores on 52 attempts. Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger has thrown for 347 yards, and his go to receiver has been Mark Evich, who has made seven catches for 135 yards.
This contest is scheduled for Thursday at 7 PM.
Long Reach (3-0) at River Hill (3-0)
Howard County has a battle of undefeated squads as well when Long Reach makes the short trip to River Hill.
Long Reach has continued its breakout season in 2016, when the Lightning qualified for the state playoffs for only the fourth time in school history, and the first time since 2005. The Lightning survived a scare in Week 1 with Oakland Mills when their defense prevented the Scorpions from converting on a two point conversion late in the fourth quarter, giving Long Reach at 29-28 victory. Since then, Long Reach's defense hasn't allowed a point as the Lightning have beaten Hammond and Wilde Lake with ease. Running back KaDarrian Booker has been an electric performer- he rushed for 266 yards and four touchdowns against Oakland Mills. Against Wilde Lake, he picked up two touchdowns, including a 94 yard effort, and ran for 195 yards.
River Hill has had a season very similar to Long Reach's- in Week 2 the Hawks got past Oakland Mills 38-34, and in their other two games have shut out Atholton and Wilde Lake. The Hawks enter this game after having their best all-around game this season in a 42-0 win over Wilde Lake. In that game, River Hill scored once in the first two quarter, before pulling away after halftime with two touchdowns in each quarter.
This contest is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 PM.
Charles Herbert Flowers (4-0) at Gwynn Park (3-0)
This contest features another tussle between undefeated teams, this time in Prince George's County.
CH Flowers topped Eleanor Roosevelt 25-19 in Week 3, but has otherwise won its games in convincing fashion. The Jaguars have gotten fantastic performances from their quarterback Julius Duvall. In the Jaguars' 40-10 victory over Bel Air, Duvall threw for 192 yards and five touchdowns to four different receivers, while tossing just one interception. Duvall was arguably better against Eleanor Roosevelt, throwing for 235 yards and two touchdowns as well as rushing for one score- all without throwing an interception.
In order to win this contest, Gwynn Park will have to run the ball effectively as the team did against Bladensburg last week. Four different Yellow Jackets registered rushing touchdowns. Ryan Clemons scored twice on seven carries, picking up 80 yards in the process. Kibwe Galloway led the team in yardage with 95, and also scored a touchdown. Terrell Lindsey ran for 31 yards and a touchdown, while Andrew Sye-Benson scored from close range. Tray Laster only needed four attempts to reach 35 yards.
This contest is scheduled for Friday at 3:30 PM.
Northwest (4-0) at Our Lady of Good Counsel (3-1)
Northwest puts its undefeated mark on the line when it takes on private school Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Northwest has not been seriously tested yet in 2017, with Week 4's 43-7 victory over Gaithersburg being the most recent lopsided result the team has registered. The Jaguars have leaned heavily on running back Juwon Farri thus far- against Walter Johnson he finished with 238 yards and four touchdowns, one of which was an 85-yard attempt, on 14 carries. It was a similar effort against Wootton when Farri carried the ball 15 times for 116 yards and two scores, while also catching a touchdown. Farri also picked up 178 yards and a touchdown against Seneca Valley.
Good Counsel is 3-1 this year and has won its last two games. The Falcons beat well-regarded Bishop Sullivan last week in a low-scoring affair, 3-0. Good Counsel has also beaten a pair of MIAA teams in Gilman and Archbishop Spalding. The team's lone defeat also came against an MIAA team- Mount St. Joseph.
This contest is scheduled for Thursday at 7 PM.
| September 26th, 2017 | By: Wick Eisenberg |