It’s another Thursday start as the area high school football campaign hits week seven.
The slate kicks off with a match of undefeated squads in Baltimore City. There are key matches in Baltimore and Carroll counties as well as the MIAA.
Nine teams enter the weekend undefeated.
No. 12 Poly (6-0) vs. No. 5 Dunbar (6-0)
When: Friday, 2:30 p.m.
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Where: Sugar Cain Field, Baltimore
The top spot in the Baltimore City League’s Division I will be at stake. Poly continued its surprising start with a 14-6 victory over then-No. 7 Mervo last Friday.
Josh Gordon’s fumble recovery and return for a touchdown with 63 seconds left in regulation helped continue the Engineers’ best start since 2011 when they won the city title. Tyrese Stanley’s blocked punt and recovery accounted for Poly’s other touchdown.
The Engineers (3-0 Division I) have allowed just one touchdown since the opening week (15-14 victory over Northeast). Dunbar continued its mastery in Baltimore City with a 62-14 rout of City last Friday.
Antonio Lyde scored three touchdowns and senior running back Tristen Kenan added two rushing scores for the defending Class 2A/1A state champ Poets, who have the area’s longest winning streak at 19.
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Dunbar (3-0 Division I) has won 23 straight city league decisions, including a 42-0 decision over Poly last season. The Engineers last defeated Dunbar in 2011 (18-14).
No. 13 South Carroll (6-0) at Liberty (4-2)
When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.
The Cavaliers look to take another step towards a second straight Carroll County Athletic League crown. South Carroll needed quarterback Carter Mazalewski’s 18-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left in regulation to turn away Winters Mill last weekend.
Jackson Strzelcyzk had a touchdown reception and A.J. Rodrigues added a rushing score for the Cavaliers (3-0 CCAL), who have won 16 straight regular season decisions, dating back to the 2019 season.
Liberty suffered a heartbreaking 21-17 road loss to Brunswick in a non-league match in Frederick County. The Lions reached Brunswick’s one-yard line late in regulation, only to turn the ball over on downs with 12 seconds to play.
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Liberty (3-0 CCAL), which has beaten Francis Scott Key, Manchester Valley and Winters Mill in CCAL play, has been led by senior quarterback Jack Pellicciotti and receiver Sam Evans. South Carroll defeated the Lions, 28-23, last season.
No. 7 Concordia Prep (6-1) vs. No. 8 St. Mary’s (6-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Pascal Field, Annapolis
The best two teams in the MIAA B Conference meet in this Top 10 special in the state capital. The Saints continued their best start since 2006 with a 41-14 victory over Mount Carmel at CCBC-Dundalk Saturday evening.
Senior running back Patrick Cary rushed for 108 yards, and quarterback Carson Petitbon added two rushing scores while completing 9-of-15 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. St. Mary’s (3-0 MIAA B), which started 5-0 in 2006, is averaging 33 points through its first six decisions.
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Concordia (3-0 MIAA B) rebounded from a 14-0 deficit to beat John Carroll, 30-14, on the road last Friday. Senior quarterback Jordan Brooks threw three touchdowns and Jaedon Alston added two rushing scores.
The Saints from Towson, the reigning MIAA B champs, have won six consecutive decisions after an overtime loss at Gilman in the season opener. Concordia defeated St. Mary’s, 23-17, last regular season, followed with a 8-0 decision in the playoff semifinals.
No. 15 Dundalk (5-1) at Franklin (4-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
The Owls look to clear their biggest hurdle towards a second straight Baltimore County Division I championship. Dundalk posted a season-best 53 points last Friday in a rout of Catonsville.
Senior running back Jordan Fiorenza rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Ja Bonner completed six-of-nine passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Desmond Oxendine added three carries for a gaudy 82 yards and a score.
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Franklin won its fourth straight outing with a 35-0 decision over Parkville last Friday. Sophomore Anthony Gibson scored two touchdowns, including a 56-yard punt return, and Devin McKnight returned a fumble 33 yards for a score.
Jamari Lewis and Tyler Richardson each scored for the Indians, who opened the season with losses to sixth-ranked Milford Mill and No. 3 Mount St. Joseph.
Dundalk, which reached the Class 4A/3A state final last fall, defeated Franklin, 27-13, last regular season.
No. 11 McDonogh (3-3) at No. 3 Mount St. Joseph (4-2)
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Two of the three unbeatens in the MIAA A Conference meet in Southwest Baltimore. The Gaels have been impressive in their first two starts, including a 35-14 drubbing of Gilman Sept. 30.
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Junior quarterback Winston Watkins completed 21-of-31 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns, and Mount St. Joseph’s defense forced six turnovers. The Gaels (2-0 MIAA A) have outscored their first two league opponents, 65-14.
McDonogh (2-0 MIAA A) got a defensive stand in the final seconds to defeat Pallotti, 7-6. Braeden Palazzo’s 32-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Jackson Exinor in the third quarter accounted for the Eagles’ offense.
Kamden Laudenslager sacked Pallotti quarterback Ahmir Lowery on the game’s final play with the Panthers at McDonogh’s 11-yard line. The Eagles have allowed 16 points in two league decisions.
Last season, Mount St. Joseph defeated McDonogh, 14-11, in Gaels’ coach Dom Damico’s first game as a head coach against his former team. Damico won at least a share of eight MIAA titles in 24 seasons at McDonogh before stepping down in 2018.
THURSDAY
Top 15
No. 12 Poly (6-0) vs. No. 5 Dunbar (6-0) at Sugar Cain Field, 6 p.m. (postponed til Friday afternoon)
FRIDAY
Top 15
No. 12 Poly (6-0) vs. No. 5 Dunbar (6-0) at Sugar Cain Field, 2:30 p.m.
No. 4 Calvert Hall (2-4) at Gilman (3-4), 4 p.m.
No. 6 Milford Mill (6-0) at Randallstown (0-6), 4 p.m.
Century (1-5) at No. 14 Westminster (5-1), 6 p.m.
No. 9 Broadneck (5-1) at Severna Park (4-2), 6 p.m.
No. 13 South Carroll (6-0) at Liberty (4-2), 6:30 p.m.
No. 7 Concordia Prep (6-1) vs. No. 8 St. Mary’s (6-0) at Pascal Field, 7 p.m.
No. 10 Atholton (6-0) at Marriotts Ridge (1-5), 7 p.m.
No. 15 Dundalk (5-1) at Franklin (4-2), 7 p.m.
Anne Arundel County
Annapolis (1-5) at Meade (2-4), 5 p.m.
Old Mill (4-2) at Glen Burnie (4-2), 5 p.m.
Arundel (5-1) at Crofton (4-2), 7 p.m.
North County (1-5) at South River (2-4), 7 p.m.
Southern (3-3) at Chesapeake-Anne Arundel (5-1), 7 p.m.
Baltimore City
Benjamin Franklin (1-4) at Forest Park (4-2), 3:45 p.m.
City (3-3) vs. Digital Harbor (1-5) at Latrobe Park, 3:45 p.m.
Patterson (2-3) at Carver Vo-Tech (1-4), 3:45 p.m.
Baltimore County
Catonsville (2-4) at Perry Hall (3-3), 6 p.m.
Eastern Tech (3-3) at Lansdowne (2-4), 6:15 p.m.
New Town (4-2) at Hereford (5-1), 6:30 p.m.
Overlea (1-5) at Kenwood (2-4), 6:30 p.m.
Owings Mills (4-2) at Woodlawn (2-4), 6:30 p.m.
Pikesville (1-5) at Loch Raven (2-4), 6:30 p.m.
Patapsco (5-1) vs. Western Tech (1-5) at Catonsville, 7 p.m.
Carroll County
Manchester Valley (2-4) at Francis Scott Key (1-5), 6:30 p.m.
Howard County
Centennial (1-5) at Reservoir (3-3), 7 p.m.
Glenelg (4-2) at River Hill (5-1), 7 p.m.
Howard (5-1) at Oakland Mills (4-2), 7 p.m.
Wilde Lake (3-3) at Long Reach (4-2), 7 p.m.
MIAA
Curley (3-2) vs. Mount Carmel (3-2) at CCBC-Dundalk, 6 p.m.
Boys’ Latin (2-3) at John Carroll (2-4), 7 p.m.
Loyola (1-4) vs. Pallotti (2-4) at Fairland Regional Park, 7 p.m.
UCBAC
C. Milton Wright (3-3) at Elkton (4-2), 7 p.m.
Harford Tech (3-3) at Bel Air (6-0), 7 p.m.
Havre de Grace (0-6) at North East (0-6), 7 p.m.
Joppatowne (5-1) at Fallston (3-3), 7 p.m.
North Harford (1-5) at Aberdeen (0-6), 7 p.m.
Patterson Mill (5-1) at Perryville (3-3), 7 p.m.
Rising Sun (4-2) at Bohemia Manor (5-1), 7 p.m.
Non-league
Severn (5-1) vs. Green Street Academy (3-3) at Babe Ruth Field at Cardinal Gibbons, 5 p.m.
Edgewood (6-0) at Friendship Collegiate-D.C. (3-3), 7 p.m.
Mervo (3-2) at Smyrna-DE (4-1), 7 p.m.
Springbrook (3-3) at Winters Mill (2-4), 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
Top 15
No. 11 McDonogh (3-3) at No. 3 Mount St. Joseph (4-2), 2 p.m.
Baltimore City
Douglass (3-1) at Lake Clifton (3-2), 1 p.m.
Baltimore County
Sparrows Point (4-2) at Chesapeake-Baltimore County (1-5), 12:30 p.m.
Towson (0-6) at Parkville (1-5), 1:30 p.m.
Howard County
Mount Hebron (1-5) at Hammond (0-6), 1 p.m.
MIAA
St. John’s Catholic Prep (3-2) at Annapolis Area Christian (0-6), 1 p.m.
Non-league
Northeast (2-4) at Dulaney (3-3), 1:30 p.m.
Edmondson (2-3) at Surrattsville (1-5), 2 p.m.
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