“In Virginia, high school football is a way of life, it’s bigger than Christmas day.” -Sheryl Yoast, Remember the Titans

This ain’t a rodeo we’re used to seeing. On occasion, MD and VA teams have played each other, but not often is it a clash of two state title contenders. The last time a MOCO team played a NOVA team was Churchill against Broad Run in 2019. Broad Run won 47-7. Well, if you can beat the traffic and make it down to Lorton this weekend, you’ll be in for a treat. Maryland and Virginia have sent their best as the Quince Orchard Cougars test their might against the South County Stallions.


Below you’ll see the most recent updates or final scores of the 2023 week 1 MCPS football games. The scores will be updated as we receive them. If a score isn’t listed, it’s because we haven’t yet received a report from the game that we can confirm. An ‘F’ signifies the score is confirmed as being final.

Scores from all sports available here.


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


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.


1. Quince OrchardThe 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. DamascusThe 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


$450K in Funding was Granted to 31 Non-Profit Organizations to Provide Equitable Access to Sports 

The PLAY Sports Coalition (PLAYS), a unique coalition of thousands of stakeholders across the national and community youth sports industry, announced today that the organization has successfully distributed previously unlocked state funding in Maryland and Massachusetts. This funding provided one-year grants to programs using sports as a tool for youth development in historically disadvantaged communities. Included amongst the programs receiving the grants is Girls on the Run of Montgomery County.


Watkins Mill High School has become the first Maryland school to earn Level 1 Status within the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Honor Roll Program for the third straight year after recently earning the award for the upcoming school year.

The NFHS writes playing rules for high school sports and provides guidance on a multitude of national issues. They offer online education courses for high school coaches, officials, students, parents, and speech and music leaders through the NFHS Learning Center, and showcase high school sports and performing arts online through the NFHS Network. “Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that all students have an opportunity to enjoy healthy participation, achievement and good sportsmanship in education-based activities.”


Montgomery County Public Schools (MPCS) and MedStar Health are announcing a new partnership to enhance the school system’s sports medicine program for scholastic athletics. Ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 school year, a newly-formed team of 12-month certified athletic trainers hired by MPCS has already begun working in all 25 of the county’s high schools. Their goal is to provide streamlined and enhanced care for student-athletes across all athletic programs.

“We are very excited to launch our innovative sports medicine program, which includes a full-time certified athletic trainer in each of our 25 high schools,” said MCPS Systemwide Athletic Director Dr. Jeff Sullivan. “Thanks to the commitment to safety from our school leaders and partnership with the region’s largest health system, MedStar Health, we now have medical professionals on staff to assist with the assessment and treatment of student-athlete injuries, prevention, rehabilitation, and more.”


Montgomery County native Josh Hart is finalizing a four-year, $81 million contract extension with the New York Knicks, ESPN reported on Wednesday. The 6’4 guard is considered one of the best rebounders at his position, averaging 7.8 boards per game last season. In 2021, Hart signed a $38 million deal with the Pelicans before being traded to Portland and then to the Knicks where he helped guide the team to the NBA Playoffs last season.

Josh Hart grew up in Silver Spring. Prior to transferring to Sidwell Friends in D.C., he attended and played basketball at Wheaton High School. He grew up playing basketball for the Montgomery County Bearcats, where his coaches praised him for his heart at an early age. He made the varsity basketball team as a freshman at Wheaton, eventually becoming a starter in the second half of the season. Even though he transferred to Sidwell Friends and played there the last three years of his high school basketball career, his ties to MoCo remained strong. His mother has been a long-time employee at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville and his father is a retired caterer.


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