By Sheldon Shealer and Mike Loveday

This week's high school football schedule will lead to region titles for 16 public schools and league titles for two private schools.

Saturday, Nov. 21

Class 4A

South Final
* No. 1 Wise 26, No. 2 Flowers 0: Deandre Smith rushed for a touchdown and passed for two more scores as Wise defeated Flowers, avenging a Week 10 loss and sending Wise to the state semifinals for the second straight year. Flowers ends as the region runner-up for the sixth time in seven seasons.

STATE SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS: No. 4 Thomas Johnson at No. 1 Wise; No. 3 Old Mill at No. 2 Sherwood.

Class 3A

STATE SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS: No. 4 Hereford at No. 1 Linganore; No. 3 River Hill at No. 2 Huntingtown.

Class 2A

South Final
* No. 3 Douglass-PG 8, No. 1 Gwynn Park 0: One score was enough to carry Douglass to a 2A South region title.

STATE SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS: No. 4 Middletown at No. 1 Queen Anne's; 3. Douglass-PG at No. 2 Eastern Tech

Class 1A

South Final
* No. 2 Dunbar 20, No. 1 Forest Park 0: Dunbar's victory allows the Poets a shot at a fourth straight state title.

STATE SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS: No. 4 Allegany at No. 1 Joppatowne; No. 3 Dunbar at No. 2 Catoctin.

WCAC Final
* No. 2 Good Counsel 14, No. 1 DeMatha 7: Louis Young hauled in a 20-yard scoring pass to break a 7-7 tie in the fourth quarter, then intercepted a pass inside the Good Counsel 10 to help the Falcons upset DeMatha and end years of WCAC championship game frustrations. Good Counsel (11-1) wins the WCAC title for the first time in school history following five straight WCAC final losses to DeMatha (11-1).

Mid-Atlantic Christian Conference Final
* No. 2 Central Virginia 21, No. 1 Maryland Christian 18: Maryland Christian rallied from a 14-0 deficit for an 18-14 lead before Chris Bullock's 18-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter gave Central Virginia an upset victory. Jed Yousefi had touchdown receptions of 70 and 12 yards to lead Maryland Christian's offense. Maryland Christian was undefeated in the Mid-Atlantic Christian Conference entering Saturday's final.

Friday, Nov. 20

Class 4A

West Final
* No. 1 Sherwood 11, No. 3 Paint Branch 7.

North Final
* No. 4 Thomas Johnson 44, No. 3 Patterson 26: Nick Forbes rushed for 283 yards and five touchdowns as Thomas Johnson handled Patterson for its second region title in three years.

East Final
* No. 3 Old Mill 58, No. 1 Arundel 55: Old Mill converted a 30-yard field goal in the second overtime as Old Mill stunned previously undefeated Arundel.

Class 3A

West Final
* No. 2 Linganore 19, No. 1 Quince Orchard 0: Zach Zwinak rushed for 265 yards and two touchdowns as the Lancers defeated Quince Orchard in a battle of undefeated teams.

North Final
* No. 1 Hereford 31, No. 2 Franklin 15. Willie Willams rushed for 110 yards, Nick DiPaola added 100 yards and a touchdown, and Zach Witkowski had two scores.

South Final
* No. 1 Huntingtown 46, No. 2 Westlake 0.

East Final
* No. 1 River Hill 30, No. 2 Atholton 3.

Class 2A

West Final
* No. 4 Middletown 21, No. 2 South Carroll 7. Sam Michels had 22 rushes for 115 yards and a touchdown and he threw a touchdown pass for the Knights..

North Final
* No. 2 Eastern Tech 20, No. 1 Chesapeake-BC 6. Eastern Tech scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away from Chesapeake-BC and avenge its only loss of the season. After Chesapeake went ahead 6-0 in the first quarter, Chuky Iweh gave Eastern Tech a 7-6 lead in the second quarter. Marquiese Bannister and Zach Burckhardt scored fourth-quarter touchdowns.

East Final
* No. 1 Queen Anne's 41, No. 2 Kent Island 17: Queen Anne's rallied from a 17-14 halftime deficit to win a second straight region title. Tyler German passed for two touchdowns in the third quarter and Jake Haley added a long TD score for keep Queen Anne's undefeated.

Class 1A

West Final
* No. 2 Allegany 35, No. 1 Fort Hill 14: Allegany ran off 35 straight points to stun undefeated and top-seeded Fort Hill. Allegany senior J.D. Hook clinched the result with a 24-yard touchdown run in the final minute for a 28-14 lead. Fort Hill fumbled at its 1 with less than 30 seconds left and Allegany punched in another score with 18 seconds remaining. The outcome marks the first time these teams have split during the season.

East Final
* No. 1 Joppatowne 22, No. 3 Havre de Grace 14: Dominic Harper scooped up a fumbled snap and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Harper to snap a 14-14 tie in the third quarter and lead Joppatowne to a victory. Harper's score made it 20-14. The Mariners added a safety later in the game.

By Mike Loveday

The season is not over yet, but there are already a few coaching openings. We had a page for last year's changes and we're doing it again. The page will be updated as we are notified about openings and will live in the Recruiting module in the FRONT PAGE.

You can also find the job opening page HERE.

By Sheldon Shealer

And the big winners is ...

Tough to tell after the first round of the MPSSAA playoffs, but Anne Arundel County 4A is looking pretty good thanks to Old Mill's 24-0 victory over previously undefeated North Point, the SMAC co-champ. That result aloneis enough to justify four Anne Arundel County teams in this week's Class 4A Top 20.

Elsewhere, all the favorites won (pending Gwynn Park's Monday contest), leaving the only change in each classification ranking in the lower five.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (11-0), 2. Good Counsel (10-1), 3. Bishop McNamara (8-3#), 4. Gilman (7-3#), 5. McDonogh (8-2#), 6. Georgetown Prep (7-3#), 7. Loyola (7-3), 8. Archbishop Spalding (10-1#), 9. Boys Latin (10-1#), 10. Calvert Hall (6-4).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (11-0), 2. Flowers (10-1), 3. Wise (10-1), 4. Sherwood (9-2), 5. Suitland (9-2#), 6. Old Mill (9-2), 7. Annapolis (8-3#), 8. Broadneck (8-2#), 9. Paint Branch (9-2), 10. North Point (10-1#).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (11-0), 2. Quince Orchard (11-0), 3. River Hill (11-0), 4. Huntingtown (11-0), 5. Westlake (9-2), 6. Hereford (9-1), 7. Atholton (10-1), 8. Damascus (8-3#), 9. Franklin (9-2), 10. Clarksburg (7-3#).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (10-0), 2. Queen Anne's (11-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (10-1), 4. Eastern Tech (10-1), 5. Kent Island (10-1), 6. Douglass-PG (9-2), 7. McDonough (7-3), 8. Glenelg (8-3#), 9. South Carroll (9-2), 10. Middletown (7-4).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (11-0), 2. Joppatowne (11-0), 3. Dunbar (10-1), 4. Catoctin (11-0), 5. Allegany (8-3), 6. Forest Park (10-0), 7. Forestville (5-5#), 8. Pikesville (9-2), 9. Havre de Grace (6-4), 10. Snow Hill (8-3#).

#-season complete.

By Sheldon Shealer, editor

Although one first-round playoff game remains and another result is in question, the state association has set the details for this week's region finals.

OFFICIAL PAIRINGS

McDonough visits Gwynn Park on Monday in a contest that was held over due to poor field conditions from the weekend. Also, at this point, Westlake has advanced to the region final, but a hearing Monday could determine the team's fate. If the squad is forced to forfeit and the appeal is denied or not heard, Potomac -- a region semifinal loser to Westlake -- will advance.

Post by Mike Loveday

The 2nd annual Maryland Crab Bowl -- a statewide high school football all-star game -- has released its final rosters for the Baltimore and Washington D.C. teams.

The Baltimore roster is highlighed by Arundel's record-setting quarterback Billy Cosh and can be found here.

The D.C. roster boasts several players from Good Counsel, DeMatha and Quince Orchard and can be found here.

The Crab Bowl will be played at Johnny Unitas Stadium on the Towson University campus on December 19th at 1pm.

By Sheldon Shealer

After a five-year run as head coach at Thomas Wootton, Greg Malling resigned Thursday.

"It was just time for a change," Malling told MDVarsity.com. "I thought I was getting a little stale."

Malling took over the program in 2005 and following back-to-back 2-8 seasons, he guided the Patriots to 5-5 in 2007 and 7-4 in 2008. The 2008 season marked the first time that Wootton had qualified for the playoffs since 1991. This year's squad, which entered the season with reasonable expections, ended at 2-8.

In helping the program go from 2-8 to 5-5 and ultimately the playoffs, Malling instilled a Bigger, Faster, Stronger concept of B11, which basically meant to expect more from yourself. Malling went so far as to have a B11 tatooed on his leg.

"I will continue to believe that," he said. "I don't keep a scrap book, so I guess that [tatoo] will have to remind me [remind me of the good times]."

The Region Semifinal scoreboard is now located here.

By Sheldon Shealer

After weeks of rumors circulating regarding alleged rules violation by Westlake High School and its effect on the MPSSAA football state tournament, the MPSSAA issued the following statement today:

"On Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009, the MPSSAA was officially informed of an alleged eligibility violation on the Westlake High School football team. In accordance with Maryland State Board of Education Regulation 13A.06.03.05B(2), Charles County Public Schools must conduct a formal hearing within five school days of receipt of the complaint in order to address the allegations and make a determination. That hearing has been scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. As a result, the first round of the 3A South regional football playoffs will be conducted as scheduled."

Westlake will play host to Potomac on Friday, as scheduled. If Westlake wins and is later forced to forfeit, Potomac will advance to the region final by in accordance with Maryland State Board of Education Regulation 13A.06.03.07C(8), which states: "When a student is found ineligible during the progress of a tournament, the contest last played shall be forfeited and the team [that] was defeated shall take its place."

By Sheldon Shealer

One champion is crowned and six others yet to be decided as Maryland enters the stretch run of the 2009 season.

Gilman, a preseason Top 5 team that fell from that perch with a loss to Calvert Hall, finished with a 34-27 victory to snag the MIAA A Conference crown over McDonogh. Both teams went 4-1 in the league, but the head-to-head matchup decided broke the tie.

This week, the MIAA B Conference title will be determined as Boys' Latin meets Archbishop Spalding. In two weeks, the WCAC title will be determined, and two weeks beyond that the four public school title games will be played.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (10-0), 2. Good Counsel (9-1), 3. 4. Bishop McNamara (8-2), 4. Gilman (7-3#), 5. McDonogh (8-2#), 6. Boys' Latin (10-0), 7. Georgetown Prep (6-3), 8. Loyola (7-2), 9. Landon (7-2), 10. Calvert Hall (6-4).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (10-0), 2. Suitland (9-1), 3. Flowers (9-1), 4. Wise (9-1), 5. North Point (10-0), 6. Sherwood (8-2), 7. Walt Whitman (8-2), 8. Old Mill (8-2), 9. Annapolis (8-2), 10. Broadneck (8-2#).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (10-0), 2. Quince Orchard (10-0), 3. River Hill (10-0), 4. Huntingtown (10-0), 5. Westlake (8-2), 7. Hereford (8-1), 8. Poly (9-1), 9. Damascus (8-2), 10. Atholton (9-1).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (10-0), 2. Queen Anne's (10-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (9-1), 4. Eastern Tech (9-1), 5. Kent Island (9-1), 6. Glenelg (8-2), 7. Rockville (8-1), 8. Douglass-PG (8-2), 9. Century (7-3), 10. McDonough (7-3).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (10-0), 2. Joppatowne (10-0), 3. Dunbar (9-1), 4. Catoctin (10-0), 5. Allegany (7-3), 6. Forest Park (9-0), 7. Bohemia Manor (7-3), 8. Snow Hill (8-2), 9. Forestville (5-4), 10. Havre de Grace (5-4).

#-season complete. 

By Sheldon Shealer, editor

The points have been tabulated and the official pairings set. Click here for the updated and OFFICIAL MPSSAA pairings and look for extended playoff previews later this week. OFFICIAL PAIRINGS

By Sheldon Shealer

The following is the projected playoff pairings. The official MPSSAA pairings will be available tomorrow at noon at the MPSSAA Web site.

Class 4A

Class 3A

Class 2A

Class 1A

West: 1. Fort Hill (10-0), 2. Allegany (7-3), 3. Boonsboro (6-4), 4. Smithsburg (6-4).
North: 1. Catoctin (10-0), 2. Pikesville (7-2), 3. Sparrows Point (6-4), 4. New Town (5-5).
South: 1. Forest Park (9-0), 2. Dunbar (9-1), 3. Forestville (5-4), 4. Carver (6-4).
East: 1. Joppatowne (10-0), 2. Snow Hill (8-2), 3. Havre de Grace (6-4), 4. Bohemia Manor (7-3).

By Sheldon Shealer Twenty-four hours ago, Rising Sun was in control of its playoff destiny. Now, it is on the outside, needing help. MDVarsity.com confirmed Thursday that Cambridge-S.D. will forfeit its first three wins of the season. While the forfeits have little barring on the Class 1A East, other than eliminating Cambridge-S.D., it does impact 2A East. Wicomico was one of three teams to pick up a forfeit win from Cambridge-S.D., which vaults the team from No. 5 to No. 4 -- ahead of Rising Sun -- in the current points standings. Parkside and Kent County also picked up forfeit wins.

The Week 10 State Scoreboard is now located here.

By Sheldon Shealer

The University on New Mexico, no stranger to recruiting Maryland, recently made offers to a pair of Westlake players, while a third Wolverine picked up his first offer in the form of Hampton University.

Westlake seniors Josh Alexander and Julian Blair were offered by New Mexico. Marcus Anderson was offered by Hampton, according to Westlake coach Dom Zaccarelli.

Anderson, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker, had a standout performance in last year's state title win over Wilde Lake. Alexander is a 6-3, 210-pound defensive end and Blair is a 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back who has seen some action at running back. 

By Sheldon Shealer

Patuxent and Mervo officially forfeited two victories each Monday, leading to a change of the official MPSSAA points standings.

Patuxent forfeited its Week 2 (Leonardtown) and Week 3 (Calvert) wins to turn the squad into 2-7 on the season. Mervo forfeited its Week 6 (Northwestern-Balt.) and Week 8 (IBE) wins, leaving the program 0-9.

Patuxent and Mervo were no longer in the playoff race, yet the forfeits have the following affect:

4A North: Patterson loses apoint, yet remains No. 2 by a more narrow margin over Woodlawn.

4A East: North Point picks up two more points to close within 104-102 on Arundel for the No. 1 seed.

3A South: Huntingtown, Westlake and Lackey (current Nos. 1, 2 3) each lose a point while current No. 5 Northern Calvert earns a point to inch closer to No. 4 Potomac.  

2A South: No. 4 McDonough loses a point and now leads Southern-AA 59-58 for the final playoff spot, and Calvert moves from No. 8 to No. 6 in the region.

2A North: Lake Clifton moves a point further ahead of City College in the race for the No. 3 spot. 

1A South: WEB DuBois earnes an additional .9 points, moving it a little more ahead of No. 4 Forestville.

1A North: New Town loses two bonus points, yet remains No. 4 in the standings.

By Sheldon Shealer

Stepping In

The question of who really quit on whom may never be answered regarding the St. Frances football program, but one thing is certain – the fledgling program will continue beyond the 2009 season.

Last week it was reported that coach Mike Clay, who started the program last year, resigned with three games remaining in the season. Clay told MDVarsity.com that, "St. Frances was not the place for me.” That response came on the heels of St. Frances losing its quarterback to injury and its star player to transfer, and having only 11 players – nine of them freshmen – show up at practice last Monday.

At an emergency team meeting last week, Dave Owens, the school's girls' tennis coach, volunteered to finish out the season as head coach. Owens dressed 38 players Friday in the team's 40-0 loss to St. John's Catholic Prep, which oddly was the first private school that Owens had been associated as a coach in the 1980s.

"I don't know what happened, I guess the Holy Spirit came over me,” Owens said his impromptu decision to coach football. His most recent football coaching experience was more than 20 years ago in a Frederick County youth league. Owens said he was not going to let down the students who wanted to continue playing football.

St. Frances' tennis season ended with a loss in the IAAM semifinals on Oct. 21 and Owens was coaching football on Oct. 27. He will coach St. Frances' final two games, but does not plan to remain as head coach. He said the school hopes to have a new coach in place by late-December and that St. Frances will definitely keep its football program. Owens said he will recommend that school petition the MIAA to be placed in the C Conference for 2010. St. Frances (2-7 overall, 2-6 league) is playing in the B Conference this year after being an independent program in 2008.

New Kid on the Block

If Cap Poklemba has his way, the MIAA soon might be growing by one new school, but first he needs a few varsity teams.

Poklemba, a former all-state football and soccer player from McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.), is the athletic director at Gerstell Academy (Finksburg, Md.), a relatively new non-religious affiliated private school in Carroll County.

The school played host to this year's IAAM girls' soccer championships Sunday.

Gerstell Academy is in its eighth year of operation, growing from seven students in kindergarten in 1996 to 270 students in pre-K to 10^th grade this year. Poklemba said the school will field its first full varsity team programs next school year, and in the process the school will apply to be inducted in the MIAA for boys sports. Poklemba said he wants to apply to the IAAM for girls sports but the league is not accepting new applicants, he said. However, the recent closing of Towson Catholic (Towson, Md.) may create an opening in the IAAM.

Gerstell Academy plans to offer varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse for boys and girls next school year.

Sheldon Shealer is a senior editor with ESPNRISE.com and has covered high school sports in Maryland for more then 20 years. Sheldon can be reached at Sshlr@erols.com.

By Sheldon Shealer

It's considered tabu to talk about potential playoff matchups with the regular season still in action, but I cannot not help myself from thinking about a potential Arundel vs. Wise clash.

Arundel remains No. 1 in the MDVarsity.com Class 4A Top 10 with the most potent offense in the state. The Wildcats ran up 62 points on Meade this week to push its season total to 423 points [47.0 points per game average]. No. 2 Wise, on the other hand, recorded its eighth straight shutout, a new MPSSAA record, and has allowed only seven points all year.

Of course, 4A is not the only class with potential intereting state playoff match-ups. How about a Fort Hill-Dunbar 1A rematch? What if River Hill returns to the final with a chance at a 42nd stright win? Can Linganore close out an era with a title [remember, Oakdale -- carved from the Linganore district -- opens next year]. Oh, the possibilities!

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (9-0), 2. Good Counsel (8-1), 3. McDonogh (8-1), 4. Bishop McNamara (8-1), 5. Landon (8-1), 6. Gilman (6-3), 7. Georgetown Prep (5-3), 8. Calvert Hall (6-4), 9. Loyola (7-2), 10. Boys' Latin (9-0).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (9-0), 2. Wise (9-0), 3. Suitland (8-1), 4. Old Mill (8-1), 5. Sherwood (8-1), 6. Flowers (8-1), 7. North Point (9-0), 8. Paint Branch (8-1), 9. Urbana (8-1), 10. Annapolis (7-2).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (9-0), 2. Quince Orchard (9-0), 3. River Hill (9-0), 4. Huntingtown (9-0), 5. Westlake (7-2), 7. Hereford (7-1), 8. Poly (8-1), 9. Damascus (7-2), 10. Atholton (8-1).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (9-0), 2. Queen Anne's (9-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (8-1), 4. Eastern Tech (8-1), 5. Kent Island (9-0), 6. Glenelg (8-1), 7. Rockville (7-1), 8. Douglass-PG (7-2), 9. City College (7-2), 10. Century (6-3).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (9-0), 2. Joppatowne (9-0), 3. Dunbar (8-1), 4. Catoctin (9-0), 5. Allegany (7-2), 6. Forest Park (8-0), 7. Bohemia Manor (6-3), 8. Cambridge-S.D. (6-3), 9. Snow Hill (7-2), 10. Havre de Grace (5-4).

By Sheldon Shealer

Although it was expected, it was not confirmed until Saturday morning that Crossland will forfeit its remaining two football games against Largo and Gwynn Park.

The games were not going to be played after a school decision to end the program earlier in the week.

However, the MPSSAA had the option to consider Crossland's remaining contests games as forfeits or non-games. Lynn Carr, the director of football, confirmed Saturday morning that the games will be considered forfeits, which impacts the MPSSAA points standings in a way different than had the contests been declared non-games.

As forfeits, Largo and Gwynn Park will receive the extra victory with the appropriate bonus points.

Had the games been called non-contests, Crossland, Largo and Gwynn Park's schedules would have been adjusted to nine-game schedules [even though Crossland played eight games] and the points would have been recalculated on that change.

Crossland is the first MPSSAA team to disband during the season since Sparrows Point ended its 1999 campaign following a Week 7 loss.

By Sheldon Shealer

By now, it's well-known that Crossland has opted to cancel the rest of its football season.

The Washington Post broke the story Wednesday within hours of the decision.

While Crossland's situation is rare, it's certainly not the first time that a Maryland public school has folded with games yet to be played.

In 1999, Sparrows Point, after spending most of the decade as Baltimore County's cellar dweller, called it quits after Week 7. The circumstances were certainly different than the current Crossland situation, but none-the-less, it did happen. Sparrows Point had dwindling numbers of players, the program was losing games by nearly a 40-point margin and the remaining schedule included two of the best programs in Baltimore County at that time.

When this occured, Sparrows Point officially forfeited its remaining games. At this moment, there is not a final decision if Crossland will forfeit or those games simply will be considered non-contests (thus causing a recalculation of the MPSSAA points based on nine-game schedules).

When Sparrows Point closed down in the 1999 season, it took years for the Pointers to recover. In fact, the school did not field a varsity team in 2000 [Sparrows Point had scrapped the varsity team in 1994, as well, on the heels of 1-39 run.]. The Pointers returned to varsity action in 2001 and went 0-10, followed by a 1-9 showing in 2002. It wasn't until 2004 when Sparrows Point, under then head coach Eric Webber, was able to post a winning record -- and the team even made the playoffs.

The most recent non-MPSSAA school to shut down during the football season was Mount Zion Baptist in 2005.

The Week 9 state scoreboard has been moved to here.

By Sheldon Shealer

How good is Class 3A this year?

Through eight weeks, six teams remain undefeated. Five of the six could go 10-0 in the regular season. If so, it would match the number of most 10-0 playoff teams in a single classification set last year in Class 2A.

Interesting side note, two of the current 8-0 3A teams -- Poly and River Hill -- where 2A schools last year.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (8-0), 2. Good Counsel (7-1), 3. McDonogh (7-1), 4. Bishop McNamara (7-1), 5. Landon (7-1), 6. Georgetown Prep (4-3), 7. Calvert Hall (6-3), 8. Gilman (6-3), 9. Loyola (6-2), 10. Boys' Latin (8-0).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (8-0), 2. Wise (8-0), 3. Suitland (7-1), 4. Old Mill (7-1), 5. Sherwood (7-1), 6. Flowers (7-1), 7. North Point (8-0), 8. Urbana (8-0), 9. Churchill (7-1), 10. Paint Branch (7-1).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (8-0), 2. Quince Orchard (8-0), 3. River Hill (8-0), 4. Huntingtown (8-0), 5. Poly (8-0), 6.Westlake (6-2), 7. Hereford (6-1), 8. Clarksburg (6-2), 9. Atholton (8-0), 10. Damascus (6-2).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (8-0), 2. Queen Anne's (8-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (8-0), 4. Eastern Tech (7-1), 5. Kent Island (8-0), 6. Glenelg (7-1), 7. Rockville (7-1), 8. Douglass-PG (6-2), 9. City College (6-2), 10. Southern-AA (6-2).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (8-0), 2. Joppatowne (8-0), 3. Dunbar (7-1), 4. Catoctin (8-0), 5. Allegany (6-2), 6. Forest Park (7-0), 7. Snow Hill (7-1), 8. Forestville (4-3), 9. Bohemia Manor (5-3), 10. Havre de Grace (5-2).

The Week 8 state scoreboard is located here.

The Week 7 state scoreboard has been moved to here.

By Sheldon Shealer

OK, the MIAA A Conference has become a mess -- beyond McDonogh. Every team has taken a league loss other than the Eagles at this point, and the results do not offer a clear pecking order of the teams. Therefore, we default to the most recent results of note.

In Class 2A this week, Gwynn Park posted a 21-point win over Douglass-PG to secure the current No. 1 ranking in a Top 10 that features teams from seven leagues.

Looking ahead, Sherwood faces Churchill in a 4A game that likely could settle the No. 1 seed in the West Region, and Fort Hill takes on Thomas Johnson in a rare 1A vs. 4A contest. Another game to watch this week is Archbishop Spalding and Boys' Latin squaring off in a battle of MIAA B conference undefeated teams.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (7-0), 2. Good Counsel (6-1), 3. McDonogh (6-1), 4. Bishop McNamara (6-1), 5. Landon (5-1), 6. Georgetown Prep (4-2), 7. Archbishop Spalding (7-0), 8. Calvert Hall (5-3), 9. Gilman (5-3), 10. Loyola (5-2).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (7-0), 2. Wise (7-0), 3. Suitland (6-1), 4. Old Mill (6-1), 5. Sherwood (6-1), 6. Flowers (6-1), 7. North Point (7-0), 8. Urbana (7-0), 9. Churchill (7-0), 10. Walt Whitman (6-1).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (7-0), 2. Quince Orchard (7-0), 3. River Hill (7-0), 4. Huntingtown (7-0), 5. Poly (7-0), 6. Clarksburg (6-1), 7. Westlake (5-2), 8. Hereford (5-1), 9. Atholton (7-0), 10. Damascus (5-2).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (7-0), 2. Queen Anne's (7-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (7-0), 4. Eastern Tech (6-1), 5. Kent Island (7-0), 6. Douglass-PG (6-1), 7. McDonough (5-2), 8. Rockville (6-1), 9. City College (5-2), 10. Glenelg (6-1).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (7-0), 2. Joppatowne (7-0), 3. Dunbar (6-1), 4. Catoctin (7-0), 5. Allegany (5-2), 6. Forest Park (6-0), 7. Havre de Grace (5-2), 8. Snow Hill (5-1#), 9. Bohemia Manor (4-3), 10. Cambridge-S.D. (4-3).

By Mike Loveday

A pair of area athletes picked up more college offers this week.

Riverdale Baptist senior offensive tackle, William Ray Robinson, picked up an offer from North Carolina A&T University on Friday -- his second offer. Robinson also has an offer from Morgan State University. 

St. John's (D.C.) defensive tackle Kevin McReynolds picked up two offers last week -- University of North Carolina and Kansas State. Reynolds is up to five offers now.

By Sheldon Shealer

In a week that offered five State Poll Top 25 matchups, the net result was very little change for this week's classification rankings.

DeMatha remained No. 1 in the private schools with a dazzling fourth-quarter rally; Arundel had no problem maintaining No. 1 in 4A during Billy Cosh's record-setting performance; and Linganore helped secure its place in 3A -- and in the state -- with a convincing win over a D.C. team that had played DeMatha.

The only real shake-ups this week were in the private school rankings and in Class 2A. Although the same 10 private schools are ranked this week, the order changed significantly following Calvert Hall's win over Gilman and McDonoh's victory over a shorthanded Loyola team. The results allow McDonogh to move to No. 3, with Loyola settling in at No. 4, followed by Bishop McNamara at No. 5. Gilman, the former No. 3, slips to No. 10 this week. Spalding comes out of this week looking even better considering it handed Calvert Hall a loss to start the season.

In Class 2A, losses by Edmondson and City College allows Queen Anne's and Rockville to move higher. Some Bayside observers indicate this Queen Anne's team might be the best team to come from the Shore since the Cambridge-South Dorchester squad of 1996.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (6-0), 2. Good Counsel (5-1), 3. McDonogh (5-1), 4. Loyola (5-1), 5. Bishop McNamara (5-1), 6. Landon (4-1), 7. Georgetown Prep (3-2), 8. Archbishop Spalding (6-0), 9. Calvert Hall (5-2), 10. Gilman (4-3).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (6-0), 2. Wise (6-0), 3. Sherwood (6-0), 4. Suitland (5-1), 5. Eleanor Roosevelt (5-1), 6. Old Mill (5-1), 7. Flowers (5-1), 8. North Point (6-0), 9. Urbana (6-0), 10. Churchill (6-0).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (6-0), 2. Quince Orchard (6-0), 3. River Hill (6-0), 4. Huntingtown (6-0), 5. Westlake (5-1), 6. Poly (6-0), 7. Clarksburg (5-1), 8. Hereford (4-1), 9. Atholton (6-0), 10. Tuscarora (5-1).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (6-0), 2. Douglass-PG (6-0), 3. Queen Anne's (6-0), 4. Rockville (6-0), 5. Chesapeake-BC (6-0), 6. Eastern Tech (5-1), 7. Southern-AA (5-1), 8. Kent Island (6-0), 9. McDonough (4-2), 10. City College (4-2).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (6-0), 2. Joppatowne (6-0), 3. Dunbar (5-1), 4. Catoctin (6-0), 5. Allegany (4-2), 6. Cambridge-S.D. (4-2), 7. Forest Park (5-0), 8. Snow Hill (5-1), 9. Havre de Grace (4-2), 10. Bohemia Manor (3-3).

The Week 6 State Scoreboard has been moved here.

By Sheldon Shealer

Consider it the calm before the storm.

There was almost no movement in this week's classification rankings as nearly every team won.

However, don't expect a similar fate in the upcoming weeks. This week's schedule includes the colossal DeMatha vs. Good Counsel contest, which could have national ranking implications, and the Flowers vs. Suitland showdown in 4A. The ensuing two weeks will offer no fewer than eight matchups between ranked teams, which ultimately will sort how these teams should be positioned for the stretch run.

But for now, this week's ranking will look very similar to last week's. The combined record of last week's 50 teams was 42-8 this past weekend with four of those losses coming to other ranked teams and two to out-of-state opponents. The two other ranked teams that lost both were No. 10 teams in their respective classification.

Newcomers to this week's classification rankings are Tuscarora at No. 10 in 3A, Havre de Grace at No. 9 in 1A and Smithsburg at No. 10 in 1A.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (5-0), 2. Good Counsel (5-0), 3. Loyola (5-0), 4. Gilman (4-2), 5. McDonogh (4-1), 6. Bishop McNamara (4-1), 7. Landon (3-1), 8. Georgetown Prep (2-2), 9. Archbishop Spalding (5-0), 10. Calvert Hall (4-2).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (5-0), 2. Wise (5-0), 3. Sherwood (5-0), 4. Suitland (4-1), 5. Eleanor Roosevelt (4-1), 6. Old Mill (4-1), 7. Flowers (5-0), 8. North Point (5-0), 9. Thomas Johnson (4-1), 10. Urbana (5-0).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (5-0), 2. Quince Orchard (5-0), 3. River Hill (5-0), 4. Huntingtown (5-0), 5. Westlake (4-1), 6. Poly (5-0), 7. Clarksburg (5-0), 8. Hereford (3-1), 9. Atholton (5-0), 10. Tuscarora (4-1).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (5-0), 2. Douglass-PG (5-0), 3. City College (4-1), 4. Edmondson (3-2), 5. Queen Anne's (5-0), 6. Rockville (5-0), 7. Chesapeake-BC (5-0), 8. Eastern Tech (4-1), 9. Southern-AA (4-1), 10. Kent Island (5-0).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (5-0), 2. Joppatowne (5-0), 3. Dunbar (4-1), 4. Catoctin (4-0), 5. Cambridge-S.D. (4-1), 6. Allegany (3-2), 7. Forest Park (4-0), 8. Snow Hill (4-1), 9. Havre de Grace (3-2), 10. Smithsburg (3-2).

By Sheldon Shealer

Marcus Snipes, who has helped St. Frances to a 2-2 start in its first year in the MIAA B Conference, verbally committed to Richmond, according to coach Mike Clay.

Snipes, a wide receiver, is a candidate for Small School All-State honors this season.

2010 Verbal Commit list with most recent updates, available here.

The Week 5 scoreboard has been moved to here.