Inside Maryland High School Football: McDonogh player scores on offense, defense, and special teams

The last Maryland player to accomplish the feat ended up in the NFL; also Linganore's coach moves up the all-time wins list and Mervo emerges as Baltimore City's No. 1.

McDonogh School's Matthew Tees starts upfield on an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown, the first of his three scores against Loyola Blakefield. | McDonogh School

McDonogh School’s Matt Tees accomplished the rare Triple Crown of football scoring in the Eagles’ 56-19 victory over Loyola Blakefield, scoring a touchdown on offense, defense, and special teams.

The feat has never been accomplished in the NFL or major college football, where position specialization makes it far less likely. At the high school level, however, players are more likely to contribute in all three phases of the game.

The last documented Maryland high school player to accomplish the feat went on to the NFL.

Tees opened the scoring with an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown. In the third quarter, he added a 33-yard interception return for a score before completing the trifecta with a 25-yard touchdown run later in the quarter.

Dorian Strong of Wise was the last Maryland player documented to achieve the feat, scoring on a reception, an interception return and a kickoff return in a 51-0 victory over Bowie. Strong went on to star at Virginia Tech before being selected by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He recorded 10 tackles with Buffalo before suffering a season-ending injury.

Towson Emerges as Number of Undefeated Teams Dwindle

Entering Week 8 of the MPSSAA season, just 12 teams remain undefeated. 

Without a doubt, the biggest surprise of all is Towson.

The Generals are only two seasons removed from a 0-9 campaign that led the school to opt out of the playoffs.

In February of 2025, Will Thompson, previously the offensive coordinator at Concordia Prep, inherited the program.

The early returns were hardly encouraging. Towson opened the 2025 season with a 46-8 loss to Dulaney, extending its regular-season losing streak to 15 games. That proved to be the Generals’ last defeat until late October. They finished 7-4 and came within one victory of earning a state tournament berth.

This season, Towson opened with a 22-14 victory over Dulaney and has rolled ever since. The Generals are averaging more than 33 points per game while allowing just 45 points all season.

The other 11 undefeated teams are: Easton, Elkton, Fort Hill, Guilford Park, Howard, Huntingtown, Oakdale, Quince Orchard, Smthsburg, Suitland, and Wise.

Three of those teams are guaranteed to lose this week as Fort Hill faces Smithsburg, Howard plays Guilford Park, and Suitland takes on Wise.

As Tight as Predicted

Archbishop Spalding has a firm grip on the No. 1 spot in the MIAA A Conference, while McDonogh School appears to have No. 2 locked down.

The battle for Nos. 3-8, however, is wide open.

With three weeks remaining in conference play, the other six teams remain mathematically alive for the final two playoff berths, assuming Spalding and McDonogh hold their positions.

This week’s marquee matchup features St. Mary’s, currently third in the standings, against Loyola Blakefield, which is tied for fifth. A St. Mary’s victory would put the Saints in excellent position to make a second consecutive playoff appearance. A Loyola win, meanwhile, could create a four-way tie for third place and further scramble the playoff picture.

Moving Up the Coaching Ranks

Linganore defeated Middletown, 38-24, on Thursday in a game that carried more historical significance than most fans likely realized.

The victory was No. 249 for Linganore coach Rick Conner, moving him into first place among coaches in Frederick County history and ninth all time in Maryland. The twist? Linganore reached the milestone on Middletown’s field, where former Knights coach Tim Ambrose recorded most of his 248 victories.

Conner is the only active coach among the state’s all-time Top 25 winningest coaches, but that is about to change.

Reggie White at Milford Mill Academy is sitting at 204 wins, and Westlake’s DaLawn Parrish has 203, tying him with current La Plata coach Danny Hayes. Former Smithsburg coach Carroll Reid holds the No. 25 spot at 205 wins.

Mervo Gets the Upper Hand Over Dunbar

In recent years, Baltimore City football has been a two-horse race, and this year, it was Mervo by a nose.

Michael Griffin hit Amun Smith on an 18-yard scoring pass with 12 seconds left, lifting Mervo to a 26-24 victory over previously undefeated Dunbar.

Both teams are 6-1, but Mervo remains undefeated against Baltimore City opponents.

Mervo won the City Division I title in 2025, just ahead of Dunbar. Dunbar won the league title every year between 2021 and 2024, with Mervo finishing second each time. Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, Dunbar and Mervo finished 1-2 every year back to 2016.

Interestingly, Dunbar last lost a regular-season game to a school other than Mervo in the 2017 season opener against Allegany. Since then, Dunbar has gone 72-3 in regular-season games.

Quince Orchard is Getting Defensive

Quince Orchard is on pace to break its school record for fewest points allowed in a season.

The Cougars have surrendered just one touchdown – six total points – through seven games. The school record for fewest points allowed came in 2022, when Quince Orchard went 14-0 while giving up only 57 points.