DMV High School Football Powers to Clash in MoCo

Virginia power Stone Bridge set to clash Maryland stalwart Quince Orchard

Quarterback Will Drakeford leads Quince Orchard against Virginia power Stone Bridge on Friday in Montgomery County. / Harry Lichtman

A heavyweight battle between one of Northern Virginia’s top high school football programs and a perennial Maryland high school football powerhouse is scheduled to take place in Montgomery County, Maryland on Friday night when the Quince Orchard Cougars play host to the Stone Bridge Bulldogs at the Cougar Dome. 

Two Top 10 Powers in Their Respective States

Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Virginia) is ranked No. 10 in this week’s High School on SI Virginia High School Football Top 25 State Rankings and Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, Maryland) holds down the No. 6 spot in the latest High School on SI Maryland High School Football Top 25 State Rankings. 

Quince Orchard Has Dominated Early in 2025

Quince Orchard head coach John Kelley is no stranger to big games; the Seneca Valley High School (Germantown, Maryland) product has been a part of state championships as both a player and coach. 

Quince Orchard (2-0) has been led by quarterback Will Drakeford who transferred to the Gaithersburg, Maryland school from Westlake High School (Waldorf, Maryland) in Charles County, Maryland. 

The Cougars have beaten Montgomery County rivals Paint Branch and Walter Johnson by a combined score of 91-6. Jacob Bumgardner, Rafferty Bankert and Isaiah Simms are among Drakeford’s top receiving targets and running back Jaiden Hebron scored three touchdowns in the win over Walter Johnson. 

Stone Bridge Is a Long-time Virigina Power

Meanwhile, Stone Bridge (3-0) boasts one of the state’s top high school football programs and has produced more than a handful of NFL players including current Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. 

In fact, Stone Bridge head coach Kedric Golson was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 2006 NFL Draft and spent all of his eleven seasons in the NFL wearing the burgundy and gold uniform. 

Golston, who retired from the NFL in 2016, began his coaching journey in 2021 when he worked as a defensive staff intern at Virginia Tech before landing a job as an assistant coach on Randy Trivers’ coaching staff at Gonzaga College High School (Washington, DC) in 2023. He was hired at Stone Bridge High School last year after the retirement of legendary head coach Mickey Thompson. 

The Bulldogs have built a reputation as one of the most dominant high school football programs in the state of Virginia and boast three state championships. The Stone Bridge High School football program has also captured 16 region championships and 19 district championships. 

Stone Bridge opened up the 2025 campaign with victories over James Madison, Dunbar (Baltimore) and John Champe but Quince Orchard is a different animal. 

Quince Orchard Has Won the Previous Two Meetings

The Cougars have beaten the Bulldogs in each of the past two seasons but Friday night’s matchup should be a classic. 

Stone Bridge boasts a stout defense with edge rusher and University of Tennessee commit Kedric Golston II who also happens to be the head coach’s son. Stone Bridge defensive backs Chase Geter (Syracuse) and Xavier Wimbush (Connecticut) are also highly regarded college prospects. 

You can expect an overflow crowd at this border war matchup in the DMV on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm.