MCPS High School Football 2023 Week 4 Preview & Predictions

Northwest (3-0) at Seneca Valley (2-1): If our research is correct, the King’s Trophy head to head is currently tied, on the back of 6 straight wins by Northwest. The Jags will look to claim the long-awaited lead in the series and will be strongly favored to win their 7th in a row. SV’s defense may be able to keep the Jags in check for a bit, but it’ll be on the Eagles’ offense to make this a game. Prediction Northwest by 24

Blake (3-0) at Sherwood (3-0): Congratulations to the Bengals on starting 3-0 for the first time ever! It was a bit expected given the level of competition they’ve played so far, but also a testament to their growth under Coach Marshall. Sherwood will be a big step up for the Bengals, but this should be a good one – Blake tends to play the Warriors tough, and nearly pulled off the comeback upset last year, only to fall on a walk-off Hail Mary. However, Sherwood has exceeded expectations so far this year and based on their performances along with Blake’s not particularly impressive win over Einstein, think they show the Bengals that there’s still a ways to climb. Prediction Sherwood 28 by 11

Quince Orchard (3-0) at Churchill (3-0): After 9 years we’ll finally get former QO Coach Dave Mac vs. QO! As he returns to MoCo as the Bulldog Offensive Coordinator. Not all 3-0 records are created equal. No doubt every coach in the county is gonna be poring over the Stone Bridge tape to see if they can exploit any Cougar weaknesses, but most won’t have the horses to do it. Churchill will try with star running back David Avit.  Prediction QO by 31

Damascus (2-1) at Poolesville (0-3): A collision of the county’s smallest schools, both of which are young and lean. However, Damascus’ definition of that is wildly different from Poolesville’s. Prediction Damascus by 38

Wootton (2-1) at Gaithersburg (2-1): A low-key solid matchup. Wootton got sent back down to earth last week against rival Churchill. They’ll have to lick their wounds quickly because they’re going to a Gburg squad anxious to make noise. It’ll be Gideon Ituka vs. Wootton’s stout defense. Gburg’s defense seems to be solid enough, so we like Ituka in this one. Prediction Gaithersburg by 12

Blair (2-1) at Einstein (1-2): Another low-key good matchup. A bit tough to pin both squads yet: they’re both solidly below the elite tier, but solidly above the basement. A step down for Blair and a step up for Einstein compared to last year. Are they equals now? We like the Blazers to pull it out. Prediction Blair by 2

Rockville (0-3) at Springbrook (0-3): A tough early season slate has both looking for their first win. Rockville didn’t do too bad against Sherwood and an undermanned Damascus squad, so we like them over a Springbrook team that has had more struggles against lower quality opponents. Prediction Rockville by 18

Magruder (2-1) at Clarksburg (1-2): A solid game that has the potential to be close. Magruder tends to win these sorts of matchups, so I’ll go with the Colonels here. Prediction Magruder by 7

Kennedy (0-3) at BCC (1-2): Barons get back to .500 with ease. Prediction BCC by 38

Northwood (0-3) at Richard Montgomery (1-2): RM’s offense looked pretty good against Northwest. . Prediction RM by 45

Watkins Mill (0-3) at Wheaton (1-2): And here’s a potentially competitive  matchup. Watkins Mill is looking to win its first game since Week 9 of 2019. It has been a rough start for the ‘Rines who have yet to score a single point so far. But Wheaton is not too far above them and had a pretty close affair against Northwood. Prediction Watkins Mill by 2

Thomas Johnson (1-2) at Whitman (1-2):  TJ’s win over North Hagerstown was more impressive than Whitman’s win over Northwood. Rooting for Whitman, but we got a feeling TJ will be just one step ahead. Prediction TJ by 13