Edgewood’s shutout streak continues
After every football game this season, Edgewood’s defense has looked up at the scoreboard to see that rare sign of perfection — a 0 for their opponent.
The Rams are the only team in the Baltimore metro area to have shut out every opponent this season.
“This is special, honestly,” senior receiver and cornerback Daniel Anige said. “Each night they’ve just been giving it their all and laying it on the line. The scoreboard shows it and we’re all proud of it.” They’re also motivated by it. The Rams have much loftier goals and they’re determined to build on what they started during the summer to get them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
The Rams defeated Joppatowne, 49-0, Friday night after beating both Perryville and Patterson Mill, 41-0.
Coach John Siemsen, who has 20 seniors, said it all started to come together during the summer.
“I’ve been coaching now for 21 years, seven as a head coach, and this is the best offseason we’ve ever had,” he said.
Siemsen pointed to defensive tackles William Jefferson (5 feet 6 inches and 279 pounds) and Herb Parham (5-8 and 280 pounds) as focal points of a defense that has forced eight turnovers in the first three weeks.
Against Joppatowne, linebacker Daryl Cooper and cornerbacks Tayshawn McGraw and Miguel Borja recovered fumbles while safety Darian Summerville and linebackers Amari Jones and Dontae Armwood forced fumbles. Cooper scored after his recovery and cornerback Ryan Webb returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown.
The Rams have been prolific on offense as well, led by senior quarterback Myron Williams Jr., who has thrown for 326 yards and five touchdowns.
On Friday, they head to Aberdeen, a team that beat them, 28-20, last season.
“Speaking on behalf of all the seniors on our team,” Anige said, “none of us want to see our season end the first week of November. We want to go out each week and handle our business and see where it takes us.”
Curley to meet Fort Hill
In a second battle of champions this season, Archbishop Curley will host Fort Hill Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. for the first time. Next year, the Friars will travel to Cumberland to play the Sentinels.
Curley won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference last season and Fort Hill is the two-time defending Class 1A state champion. Earlier this fall, MIAA A Conference champion McDonogh defeated two-time defending Class 3A state champion Franklin.
Friars coach Sean Murphy said Fort Hill coach Todd Appel approached him about playing the Sentinels. Appel had to drop a nonsanctioned opponent and the Friars had a bye that week, so Murphy was happy to add the game against a member of his Big 33 coaching staff last summer.
“It’s a great opportunity for our kids to play against a team with a great tradition and rich history,” Murphy said of Fort Hill, which has been to the state tournament more than any other program in history with four state championships and six other trips to the title game.
Murphy said the game is being played on Thursday because, with a bye week scheduled, he had already made plans for the weekend.
Battle in 4A North
Designating one of the state’s 16 football regions as the toughest is difficult, but when one region has nearly 20 percent of the 40 undefeated teams after three weeks of action, it has a pretty solid claim.
Seven teams remain undefeated in Class 4A North: Howard, Mervo, Bel Air, Catonsville, Paint Branch, Sherwood and Springbrook. Since only the three Montgomery County teams play one another, five teams in the region could finish undefeated, but only four can make the playoffs.
“We knew when we looked at reclassification last year that it was going to be, I think, the toughest region in the state,” said Catonsville coach Rich Hambor, noting that most of the teams don’t play one another during the regular season.
“Not only are we not playing each other, but you’ve got Howard County, Harford County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Montgomery County and we’re [among] the best one or two or three teams in those counties. ... It’s tough.”