Maryland high school football notebook (9/28/2023)

Towson High undefeated through four after a winless 2022; Games to watch and the latest State Media Top 25

As forgettable the 2022 football season was for Towson High, the 2023 campaign has been the complete opposite.

The Baltimore County school is 4-0 after a 36-0 victory over Eastern Tech, last week.

The Generals were 0-10 in 2022.

“Last year is last year, we don’t talk about that,” said Towson coach Kelly Bryant. “We talk about winning the day, staying in the present…we knew the work the kids put in during the summer would pay off.”

The Generals dropped 16 straight decisions, including the final six decisions in 2021, before gaining a forfeit win over Sparrows Point. Towson earned its first on-field decision since week four of the 2021 campaign with a 23-14 victory over Lansdowne.

Senior linebacker Jonah Wilson said the Generals have adopted a “no excuses” mentality.

“We’re really tired of losing. We’re tired of people feeling sorry for us,” said Wilson. “We’re trying to be different this year.”

Towson, which last had a winning season in 2019 (6-5), will put its perfect start on the line Saturday against Owings Mills in a matchup of 4-0 squads.

The start of something big?

Towson is one of 28 undefeated teams in Maryland heading into this weekend’s midway point of the regular season. Six teams - Bishop McNamara, Carver Vo-Tech, Mount Hebron, North Caroline, Suitland and Winters Mill - have equaled and or surpassed their 2022 win total.

McNamara, which won two games last fall, is only 5-0 squad in Maryland.

Maryland's top high school football games to watch in Week 4

Arundel (3-1) at Chesapeake-Anne Arundel (4-0): The Cougars look to avenge last year’s loss to Wildcats and put themselves into contention for the Anne Arundel County championship.

Owings Mills (4-0) at Towson (4-0): A pair of unlikely unbeatens meet in this Baltimore County showdown.

North Point (4-0) at Calvert (4-0): The defending Class 3A state champ Eagles face toughest challenge to date in battle of Southern Maryland unbeatens.

Rock Creek Christian (2-3) vs. DeMatha (4-0) at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex, Landover, MD: Rock Creek, which has played tough out-of-state competition, gets an opportunity to serve notice in Maryland against perennial state powerhouse Stags.

Fort Hill (4-0) at Briar Woods (4-0): The Sentinels, who own wins this season over teams from the District and Pennsylvania, travel to Northern Virginia to take one of the best in the DMV.

St. Frances slips in Maryland’s Top 25

Despite battling the nation’s top team into the fourth quarter, St. Frances took a slight tumble in the latest Maryland State Media Football poll.

The Panthers, who dropped a 20-7 decision to California’s Mater Dei at Johns Hopkins University last weekend, fell from No. 3 to 5th. Good Counsel maintained the top spot for the fourth straight week, followed by DeMatha and Archbishop Spalding, which advanced from No. 5 last week.

Defending Class 4A state champ Quince Orchard held at No. 4. Unbeaten Calvert was the only newcomer in this week’s poll.

Here is this week's complete Maryland High School Football Media State Poll:

Rank, School, Record, Points, Last week’s rank

1. Good Counsel (8 first place votes), 3-1, 248, 1

2. DeMatha (2), 4-0, 242, 2

3. Archbishop Spalding, 4-1, 219, 5

4. Quince Orchard, 4-0, 213, 4

5. St. Frances Academy, 1-5, 209, 3

6. Flowers, 3-0, 201, 6

7. Oakdale, 4-0, 185, 9

8. Wise, 3-1, 170, 8

9. Rock Creek Christian, 2-3, 168, 7

10. Concordia Prep, 3-1, 167, 10

11. Georgetown Prep, 3-0, 162, 11

12. Milford Mill Academy, 3-1, 137, 12

13. Loyola Blakefield, 2-1, 133, 13

14. North Point, 4-0, 118, 14

15. Northwest, 4-0, 111, 16

16. Bishop McNamara, 5-0, 104, 16

17. McDonogh, 2-1, 91, 17

18. Broadneck, 3-1, 80, 18

19. Northern-Calvert, 4-0, 70, 21

20. Dunbar, 2-0, 59, 22

21. Fort Hill, 4-0, 48, 23

22. Mount St. Joseph, 2-3, 38, 19

23. Damascus, 3-1, 26, 25

24. Riverdale Baptist, 2-2, 17, 20

25. Calvert, 4-0, 9, not ranked

Others receiving votes: Mountain Ridge (4-0, 8 points), Patuxent (4-0, 8), Linganore (3-1, 5), Landon School (3-0, 2), Calvert Hall (2-3, 1), Walter Johnson (4-0, 1)