Archbishop Spalding makes a statement against DeMatha; 5 things we learned

With an experienced 4-star quarterback and an outstanding defense, the Cavaliers are "legitmate" regional and rising national power

Archbishop Spalding quarterback Malik Washington (4) reads the defense before a snap at the DeMatha six-yard line. The Cavaliers scored and went on to win, 26-10. /

In a match-up of the two of Maryland’s best high school football teams, Archbishop Spalding defeated DeMatha Catholic, 26-10, in front of an overflow audience at Whittles Field in Severn (Md.), Saturday night. 

The Cavaliers (2-0 overall), the two-time defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference champions, accounted for the final 19 points against the Stags, the longtime Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) powerhouse.

Here are five things we learned from the matchup of Maryland heavyweights.

Archbishop Spalding’s defense is legitimate 

A few years ago, while looking for Baltimore region football results, I and came across the line Gilman 76, Spalding 59 on a newspaper website.

It was the first Sunday in November and I said to myself, “Wow, basketball season has started.”

I quickly realized it wasn’t a basketball score. 

Gilman School, which was going through a transitional season after the departure of longtime coach Biff Poggi (now the Charlotte University head coach after two stints as an assistant at Michigan) ran roughshod over Spalding. I also witnessed a couple of other late regular season and or first round defensive collapses by the Cavaliers. 

Not anymore. Spalding’s rise to the top of the MIAA A and among the state’s elite has been buoyed by its defensive prowess, including Saturday’s effort.

The Cavaliers’ 3-3-5 set controlled DeMatha for most of the highly anticipated match, not allowing a first down after the Stags’ lone touchdown drive to start the second half. DeMatha running back Bud Coombs, a Maryland commit, finished with less than 10 yards.

Future University of Maryland quarterback Malik Washington is legit as well

In 2021, the Cavaliers went undefeated in the regular season, but were upset (7-0 by McDonogh School) in the opening round of the MIAA A playoffs. Spalding coach Kyle Schmitt thought about bringing in Malik Washington to spark Spalding’s offense. 

It would’ve been a huge risk to throw the then-freshman Washington into the pressure cooker of a November postseason game. Three years later, Washington has shown no moment is too big. 

Archbishop Spalding quarterback Malik Washington has the Cavaliers among the very best teams in the State of Maryland. /

In front of a standing-room only audience of nearly 3,000 Saturday evening, the Maryland commit was solid, throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another. 

Washington, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound 4-star recruit, headed to the University of Maryland next year, went untouched to the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter for Spalding’s first score. He did most of his damage on the ground with seven rushes for 80 yards.

The Cavaliers put the match away in the fourth quarter as Washington (13-of-26, 78 yards) flipped the ball to Myles McAfee for a 4-yard score.

Washington, now 23-3 in three seasons as Spalding’s “QB 1,” has accounted for six of the Cavaliers’ seven touchdowns in two games.

Sophomore wide receiver Myles McAfee is a star on the rise

Myles “Scrap” McAfee has hit the proverbial ground running for Spalding. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound sophomore wideout has become Malik Washington’s favorite target with four touchdown catches in two weeks.

McAfee, a transfer from St. John’s College (D.C.), finished with seven receptions for 114 yards and three touchdowns in the Cavaliers’ 28-14 victory over Ohio’s Archbishop Hoban in the season opener last weekend. 

McAfee had only four catches for 53 yards Saturday, but got a four-yard flip pass from Washington in the end zone, giving the Cavaliers a 24-10 advantage in the fourth. He had three catches for 53 yards as a freshman at St. John’s last season.

McAfee has early offers from Boston College, Charlotte, East Carolina, Indiana, Maryland, Penn State, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

DeMatha was rusty in its 2024 debut

The Stags had some bumps Saturday evening. 

DeMatha’s offense, outside of senior quarterback Denzel Gardner, didn’t have much success against Spalding. Gardner (199 total yards), who’s committed to Marshall, scored the Stags’ lone touchdown in the third quarter. 

DeMatha gave up a pair of safeties Saturday, including a sack of Gardner (10-of-16, 140 yards passing) in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Earlier in the fourth, a snap sailed over Stags’ punter Alex Amaya’s head and out of the end zone. The Stags had seven penalties, including a 3rd down offsides that gave Spalding a first down in its first touchdown drive.

DeMatha should improve in its next outing (vs. Mount Zion Prep, Sept. 6), but errors will have to be at a minimum once Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play starts in October.

This was another statement victory for Spalding

Saturday’s win was a reaffirmation of Archbishop Spalding’s place among the best in the DMV region. Just 10 years ago, the Cavaliers were starting to find their bearings in the MIAA A Conference after a dominant run in the B Conference under coach Mike Whittles, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2010. 

Since the start of the 2021 season, the Cavaliers are 33-4, including victories over Gonzaga College (D.C.), another WCAC stronghold, and perennial New Jersey powerhouse Don Bosco Prep.

Add last week’s impressive season-opening 28-14 victory at Ohio powerhouse Archbishop Hoban, Spalding has a strong case for Maryland’s No. 1 ranking.