2020 Quince Orchard graduate Marquez Cooper has earned his first all-conference (Mid-American Conference) after posting the sixth 1,300+ yard season in Kent State football history.
In high school, Cooper led Quince Orchard to a 12-1 record and the No. 11 ranking in the state of Maryland. He helped the team to a 2019 MPSSAA 4A state semifinal appearance, rushing for 2,897 yards and 51 touchdowns in just two years of high school football.
A letter (seen below) was communicated to the John F. Kennedy High School community, in Silver Spring, informing parents and guardians of an incident that occurred at school on Wednesday involving graffiti with threatening language found in the bathroom. Per the letter, the threat is not believed to be credible, but school administrators, the security team, and the community engagement police officer will continue to be visible and on high alert this week. The full letter can be seen below:
“Dear Cavalier Parents and Guardians,
(*) = 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
The pilot and passenger of a small plane that crashed into a power line tower near Goshen Road and Rothbury Drive in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village around 5:30pm on Sunday were successfully rescued without incident by EMS personnel using two specialty crane/boom trucks just after midnight on Monday. According to Maryland State Police, the pilot was identified as Patrick Merkle, 65, of Washington, D.C. and the passenger was identified as Jan Williams, 66, of Louisiana. Both were transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The plane was also removed from the power lines early Monday morning.
ICYMI @MontgomeryCoMD Rescue operations @mcfrs @dcfireems Technical Rescue Team(s) rescue/removed 2 adult occupants trapped on plane that crashed into power lines in Gaithersburg, MD area. Tower & Crane company (contractors) working w/ PEPCO & @mcfrs to get plane down. https://t.co/bgesIAf7uQ pic.twitter.com/sY3O0Eq2tG
Dozens of MCPS high school student dancers took the stage at the Music Center at Strathmore on Nov. 21 to represent their schools at the 22nd annual MCPS Latin Dance Competition. The event was organized by the After School Dance Fund, whose mission is to build strong Latin dance clubs in MCPS and to support the academic and social-emotional success of students.
“The annual MCPS Latin dance competition has been taking place at the Music Center at Strathmore since 2010 and is the culmination of Montgomery County’s elite high school Latin dance program which started back in 1999 at Seneca Valley High School. The main objective is to strengthen the social emotional well being of our students and promote health, exercise, and unity through Latin dance education. Students compete in the Junior and Senior categories showcasing their choreographies in Duets/Partner: Salsa, Chacha, Merengue, Bachata, Jack and Jill, Parent/Student, and Best in Show (Group).”
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has announced that schools will be closed on Monday, November 28th, 2022. The closure is due to power outages across the county stemming from a plane crash earlier today in Gaithersburg.
Per MCPS: MCPS schools and offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 28, due to a widespread power outage and its impact on safety and school operations.
Per MCPS at 10:06pm on Sunday, November 27: “Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will continue to assess the impact of the power outage on school system operations. We will have an announcement later this evening. Currently, more than 40 schools and 6 central office facilities are without power, affecting a number of key services such as maintenance, buses and food services.”
A plane crash occurred in Gaithersburg around 5:30pm on Sunday night that has caused outages across the county. Based on the 10:06pm announcement, a decision will likely be made at some point tonight.
MCPS has announced it is “monitoring the situation concerning the large power outage in many areas of the county. Any message about impacts to school operations will come later as more information becomes available.” after a plane crashed has led to widespread power outages across the county.
The plane crash occurred around 5:30pm on Sunday night. According to the latest information from Montgomery County Fire & Rescue, there appears to be three individuals inside the plane, which is currently suspended about 100ft. As of right now there are no injuries reported. Fire and rescue crews are working to rescue the occupants of the plane, but at this time the power lines surrounding the plane are still energized.
Results of semifinal playoff games involving MCPS schools can be seen below. Scores will be updated as we receive them (an F will signify the score is final, no F means the score is from the game while it is/was in progress). If a score isn’t listed, it’s because we haven’t yet received a report from the game.
4A: Quince Orchard 42 Broadneck 9 F
Arnold Ebiketie is a rookie drafted with the 38th overall pick in second round of the NFL draft. The 6-2, 250-pound linebacker transferred to Penn State after three seasons at Temple and was named first-team All-Big Ten in 2021. He now starts at linebacker for the Falcons and has 2.5 sacks on the season, including 1.5 in the last two games. According to the Atlanta Falcons, “Ebiketie has turned up the heat lately, registering a sack and four other quarterback pressures last game against Chicago.” Ebiketie is dealing with an arm injury that has left him questionable for this Sunday’s game.
Ebiketie was a three-year letterwinner for Albert Einstein High under head coach Mike Bonavia. As a senior, he helped Einstein earn a 6-4 record while playing linebacker and wide receiver. He earned 2016 Co-Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Sentinel honors. Ebiketie was awarded Washington Post All-Metro honorable mention in his senior year, when he compiled 21.5 sacks, 36 tackles for loss, and logged 298 receiving yards and three TDs as a receiver on the other side of the ball. In his junior year at Einstein he had 9.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, three pass deflections, and two blocked field goals during junior year. He also played basketball for Einstein and averaged 9.7 rebounds and 6.5 points in career as a power forward. Ebiketie participated in high jump and sprints in track and field. He transferred to Einstein from Richard Montgomery before his sophomore year.
It is a rare privilege to still be playing high school football on Thanksgiving. Damascus & Quince Orchard Alumni gathered this morning to support the players & coaches of their respective schools as they prepared for Friday nights semifinal state playoff games. This will be Damascus’ 19th semifinal appearance and Quince Orchard’s 8th.