Author: Damon Anderson

Damon Anderson is an army veteran and 1992 graduate of Quince Orchard High School who has covered MoCo public high school football for 15 years. Damon and Kevin Grant also started the first ever podcast covering local high school football.

Damascus

The MoCoShow Game of The Week: Damascus at Northwest (Preview/Prediction)

By Damon Anderson

The two teams regularly expect to contend for a state championship in their classifications and this year is no different, with Damascus looking to repeat after capturing a record-tying 12th state title last year. Northwest, though a few years removed from their last title game appearance, added some big-time championship experience to their coaching staff. Their head coach will be familiar to many Damascus fans, as Bucky Clipper was the Hornets’ defensive coordinator during their dynasty run from 2014-18, and in 2019 served as DC for Northwest who made the 4A final that year. Anyone who saw Damascus play during that glory period knows the Hornets defense was straight up nasty during that time, and Clipper will look to maintain that same identity as he guides Northwest as the top dog. He’s not the only championship coach they brought in either, as Justin Sickeri returns as OC of the Jaguars after head coaching stints at Poolesville and Seneca Valley. Sickeri was the mastermind behind the offensive unit that captured back-to-back titles in 2013 & 2014, and will look to field a just-as-great unit a decade later.

Both teams achieved big blowout victories to start the year. Northwest went to Montgomery Village and thumped Watkins Mill, 47-0, which they reached in just the first half of play. Damascus welcomed Einstein to the “Hornet’s Nest” and boatraced the Titans 44-12. Solid performances across the board for these teams, but Watkins Mill and Einstein will not come close to the challenge level that Northwest and Damascus will find in each other.

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MCPS

The MoCo Show High School Football Preseason Top 50 Players (2023 MCPS)

By Damon Anderson

As we prepare for Week 1 of the High School Football season, the MCS High School Football staff has created the Preseason Top 50 list based on performance in previous years, film, and input provided by coaches (MCPS schools only). Check it out below:

Jaden Nix Sherwood Wide Receiver 2025

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Germantown

MoCoShow Football Friday Game of the Week: Churchill @ Seneca Valley (Includes Prediction)

By Damon Anderson

Churchill has re-established themselves as a very good team over the last two years, going 17-6 and making it to the state quarterfinal last year. They did have an easier schedule that cycle though, and this year they will be put to the test against MoCo’s best. However, early signs seem to indicate they’re up for a fight. David Avit is a human bowling ball and one of the top RBs in a year full of talent at that position. He will be guided by one of the best in the biz, as Dave Mencarini has returned to MoCo after a decade-long absence as the Bulldogs’ OC. Given the RB talent he coached at QO from 2004-13, it should be interesting to see what he will be able to get out of Avit. Junior QB Vasi Hallas looks to be the next man up under center, and senior WR Layton Johnson Jr., who’s picked up a few D3 offers, looks to be his top weapon aside from Avit.

Seneca Valley has managed to reassert themselves as a consistent top 6 team following the opening of their new building, and if it was business as usual for them this past offseason, I’d take them in this matchup in a heartbeat. SV should still field a competitive team this year. Their strength is their backfield, which is probably the most experienced in the county: senior QB Elijah Frazier and RB Jorden Hungerford will both be 3-year starters. Frazier is a frontrunner for all-county QB, and Hungerford is a highly underrated RB who would probably be much more well-known if he wasn’t contemporaries with the likes of Iverson Howard, Gideon Ituka, David Avit, and several others.

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MCPS

2023 MoCoShow MCPS Football Preseason Top 10

By Damon Anderson

1. Quince Orchard: The Cougars closed out the 2022 season as back to back State Champions, winning their 5th overall State title. Once again, QO has reloaded adding to an already impressive roster led by Senior Defensive End Jaylen Harvey and Junior Running Back Iverson Howard.  Quince Orchard kicks of their season vs perennial playoff contender South County from Lorton, Virginia in the MoCoShow Co-Game of the Week

2. Damascus: The Swarmin’ Hornets capped off their 2022 campaign with their state tying 12th State Championship.  With Damascus returning  players like Junior Linebacker Michael Cooley and dropping back down to the 2A classification they are odds on favorite for a record breaking 13th championship. Damascus will start their season at home vs Einstein

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Maryland

Maryland Public Schools Officially Permit High School Athletes to Monetize Their NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness)

By Damon Anderson

On Tuesday, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association officially permitted high school athletes to monetize their NIL and maintain their eligibility. Under the new policy, it is permissible for student-athletes to financially gain from the use of their own NIL in commercial endorsements, promotional activities, social media presence, product or service advertisements or NFTs.  Student-athletes must keep their NIL activities and participation in interscholastic activities separate.

The guidance prohibits high school student athletes from doing NIL deals to promote video games.  The MPSSAA also prohibits the formation of collectives – groups of boosters that support schools through NIL activities – by employees, contractors and vendors of member schools. MPSSAA Guidance for Name, Image, and Likeness Related To Interscholastic Athletics:

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Celebrities

Former MoCo Resident and NFL Hall of Famer Tom Mack Honored by the LA Rams

By Damon Anderson

Former Darnestown resident, Tom Mack, was honored by the Los Angeles Rams last week during their game vs the Las Vegas Raiders. Mack was selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the second pick in the 1966 NFL Draft and played left guard for the Rams for 13 seasons from 1966 to 1978, appearing in 11 Pro Bowls. During his NFL career, he appeared in 184 consecutive games, 176 as a starter. He was a starter on the 1964 Michigan team that won the Big Ten Conference championship and defeated Oregon State in the 1965 Rose Bowl. He was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player in 1965 and was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 2006. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

After retiring from football, Mack worked as an engineer, using the engineering degree he received at the University of Michigan. He eventually became a lobbyist for Bechtel Group, Inc., whose headquarters are located in nearby Reston, VA. Tom and his family lived in Darnestown from 1987-1993. His daughters, Katy and Cari, graduated from Seneca Valley & Quince Orchard respectively.

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MCPS

MoCo Coaches 4A All-County Football Team

By Damon Anderson

In the images below you will see the Montgomery County 4A Coaches All-County Selections (as chosen by the 4A coaches in Montgomery County). Honorable mention defense, honorable mention offense, second team all-county defense, second team all-county offense, coaches of the year, first team all-county defense, first team all-county offense, offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year, and player of the year awards can be seen:

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Damascus

The MoCoShow Maryland Football State Finals Preview & Predictions

By Damon Anderson

(*) =  Seed

4A: (2) Quince Orchard vs (1) Flowers–  The Cougars beat Broadneck 42-9 in the semifinals. RB Iverson Howard rushed for 210 yards & 2 touchdowns in the victory. WR Tavahri Groves also contributed with 129 yards of total offense and 2 touchdowns.  Flowers, from PG County, defeated Wise 20-13 in their semifinal game. This will be QO’s 9th appearance in the state finals, having won 4. Flowers will be playing in their 1st state final in school history. These two squads have only played each other once prior, in 2011 they met in the state semifinal resulting in a 23-12 Quince Orchard win. Quince Orchard vs Flowers High School Football Game of the Week (2011) The Head Coaches of QO & Flowers, John Kelley & Dameon Powell respectively, both played their high school ball in MoCo. Kelley at Seneca Valley and Powell at Sherwood. In addition, they played against each other twice in 1996, Seneca winning the regular season meeting and Sherwood getting revenge in the playoffs. Thursday night Quince Orchard vs Flowers for the 4A State Championship at Navy Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Prediction: Quince Orchard by 17

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