3 Takeaways from Archbishop Spalding's 45-0 thumping of McDonogh

The Cavaliers prove they remain the class of the MIAA A Conference

Archbishop Spalding football players sing its The Cavaliers moved to 4-0 with a 45-0 win over McDonogh School Friday evening. / Derek Toney

SEVERN, MARYLAND - The rematch of last year’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference football title game between McDonogh School and Archbishop Spalding Friday evening was almost a carbon copy.

Defending champ Spalding had little problem with the Eagles in a 45-0 drubbing at Whittles Field. University of Maryland commit Malik Washington threw for two scores and Chase Gorman added two rushing touchdowns for the undefeated Cavaliers.

Spalding defeated McDonogh, 40-7, in last year’s MIAA A championship game at Towson University.

Here are 3 Takeaways from Friday’s contest

Business as usual for Archbishop Spalding 

In its first game as the new No. 1 team in Top 25 Maryland High School Football Rankings, Archbishop Spalding (4-0 overall. 1-0 MIAA A) more than looked the part, building a 31-0 halftime lead. The Cavaliers made it a running clock with less than eight minutes remaining in the third quarter after Washington dropped a 29-yard touchdown pass to Kam Miller.

In addition to the having Maryland’s top-billing with High School on SI, the Anne Arundel County private school has the rare distinction of being ranked No. 1 by both the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post newspapers. The Cavaliers also moved to No. 1 in this week’s state media poll. 

Senior linebacker Ben Liguori said Spalding’s coaches keep the players focused.

“We’re not allowed to get complacent,” said Liguori. “Our captains hold each other accountable…we’re a true brotherhood. That’s what Spalding football is really about, it’s the brotherhood on the field."

McDonogh’s offense struggled without quarterback Braeden Palazzo

The Eagles (No. 7 in the Maryland Top 25) were at a disadvantage Friday with Palazzo sidelined with a sprained ankle. The junior, arguably the MIAA A league’s second-best quarterback behind Washington, suffered the injury during last week’s home non-league win over St. Michael’s the Archangel (Va.).

McDonogh (3-1, 0-1 MIAA A) rotated sophomore Caden Cashman along with seniors Jeff Exinor and Brandon Finney behind center. The Eagles didn’t record their initial first down until late in the first half and had four for the entire game.

“It was an uphill battle,” said McDonogh coach Hakeem Sule, who ran Exinor, a Penn State commit and arguably the state’s top receiver and Finney (Oregon) out of the Wildcat formation.

Sule hopes to have Palazzo, who passed for more than 500 yards and eight touchdowns in three games in 2024 after totaling 2,318 yards passing and 18 touchdowns last fall, next week against Loyola Blakefield.

The road to the MIAA A championship, no doubt, goes through Spalding

Even if Palazzo was 100-percent Friday, McDonogh would’ve likely needed a perfect effort to derail a Spalding team that’s firing on all cylinders. Friday’s victory was the Cavaliers’ 17th straight (including postseason) against MIAA A Conference competition.

McDonogh was the last team to beat Spalding, back in the 2021 MIAA A semifinals (7-0). The Eagles scored first on the Cavaliers in last year’s final, but, including Friday, Spalding has ran off 85 unanswered points. 

The Cavaliers have won 18 straight regular season MIAA A decisions, outscoring opponents, 724-173. 

Spalding, seeking a third straight MIAA A title, plays at Calvert Hall College (11th in this week’s Maryland rankings) next Friday.