SPORTS TALK
With Michael Betteridge
Fasten Your Chinstraps
Recently, I had a conversation with high school football historian and guru, Sheldon Shealer. Sheldon is the chairman of the Communications Department at Mount St. Mary’s. Sheldon has a Ph.D. in sports media. His website, mdprepfootball.com, is the repository for high school sports history. Sheldon knows high school football!
I made the following statement to Sheldon: “I believe that Frederick County sports is now a force to be reckoned with in Maryland high school athletics.” Sheldon laughed at me and reminded me that Frederick County has been at the top of Maryland high school athletics for quite some time, not just recently. I decided to do some homework to test his statement.
Here is what I found:
Frederick County sports teams have won 49 Maryland state championships in the past 10 years alone. That is an average of five sports championships per year out of 23 counties in Maryland. That is amazing.
With so many sports teams—fall, winter, and spring—let’s focus on football for now. We hold the record for the most points ever scored in a 3A State football championship, Linganore vs. Oakdale, who put up 77 points in 2023. Linganore also holds the record in the 3A for the fewest points ever in a state championship with a 3-0 win over Magruder in 1989. Oakdale holds the record for the most points ever scored by a Maryland high school football team in the postseason: 261 in 2023. Urbana holds the record for four consecutive state football championships and was undefeated from 1998 to 2001. Brunswick holds the record for the most pass attempts in a game: 65 in 2011 by quarterback Ian Fisher, also an individual record holder for the same, along with Collin Nusbaum in 2012, who broke the record for total passes in a season with 480.
Out of 44 state football championships from 2009 to 2019, Frederick County had 11 wins.
So, Sheldon was right. Frederick County sports and, most especially, Frederick County football has been a force for several decades.
Now that October is in the rear-view mirror, let’s take a look at high school football playoffs in our area.
Our hometown Catoctin Cougars, with a new head coach and a young team, are most certainly in a rebuild. Sophomore Quarterback Chase Cregger showed remarkable improvement this year, in spite of a tough, competitive schedule. Junior Colton Gray, their feature back, was injured. Junior running back Quinton Thompson is a bowling ball that comes at you and runs through you. We all scratched our heads up in the pressbox, wondering why they didn’t pound him up the middle, down after down. Catoctin struggled with its identity this year. They started the season in the old Wing-T, which features the run, but quickly abandoned that set and went to the spread passing game, which never jelled. They will probably face the 1A North No. 2 seed Boonsboro Warriors at Boonsboro in the first round, a team that they know quite well.
Middletown owns the 2A/1A West division. They scared the dickens out of Linganore in week seven, until the Lancers managed to knock their D1 Stoneybrook commit and county-leading quarterback Britt Poffenbarger out of the game. Poffenbarger’s injury remains unclear. If he is back, Middletown could be headed to the Naval Academy in December. Without Poffenbarger, it will be tough. Walkersville is in the same division. They have had an up-and-down season, but their star running back, Colton Amoriell, broke a school rushing record, with 384 yards and six touchdowns against TJ. Walkersville will ride on Amoriell’s back. Walkersville is a team to watch.
That brings us to Linganore in the 3A West. Linganore is ranked in every Maryland high school football poll in the top ten in all six divisions. They are undefeated and certainly the favorite in the 3A to return to the State championship again. I coached their star running back Bradly Matthews in the Fairfield youth league. We called him BAM. Those were his initials and his running style. It is wonderful to watch him playing for Linganore and possibly another appearance at the Naval Academy. Bradly has committed to play Georgetown football next year after he graduates. Coach Rick Conner knows how to win, and this might be the best Linganore team ever. It is deep and talented at all skill positions, with a fierce defense.
That takes us to the 4A/3A West with four teams in that division: Urbana, Frederick, TJ, and Tuscarora. Urbana has a lock on first place in the division. But that class features powerhouses Sherwood, Mervo, and North Point. That is some tough competition. It’s all going to depend on how the playoff brackets play out. I can’t guarantee who will move on in the playoffs. The thing that makes it so fun is the unpredictable nature of high school football.
There is a new website, fredcosports.com, that features all things Frederick County sports. Not just football, but all Frederick County sports and all ten high schools. Full disclosure: Our radio team started the website in August, and our objective is to create a collaborative effort with all the fans. Anyone can contribute. We have news, interviews, predictions, standings, and more. Our blogs and podcasts are open to anyone who wants to channel the sports reporter in them. We have poured 17 years of Frederick County high school athletics into this endeavor. Please let us know what you think.
Get out and support your local high school. Go to a high school football playoff game. There is nothing more electric than postseason football under the lights in Frederick County and beyond. Take the whole family and enjoy the remarkably pleasant fall we are having.
I said I couldn’t guarantee who would move forward in the playoffs, but there is one thing that I can guarantee. Frederick County postseason football in November rules, and it sure beats following the Commanders or the Ravens right now!
Fasten your chinstraps and hang on. It’s all about to begin!
