Wise vs. Quince Orchard: Live Score Updates from Maryland Football State Championship

Follow along as Wise and Quince Orchard face off in a rematch of last year's state championship game.

Quince Orchard head football coach John Kelley addresses his team after its victory in the 2024 MPSSAA 4A state championship game. / Derek Toney

Two heavyweight Maryland schools will face off in the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) 4A football state championship game on Friday night.

Wise enters the state championship game at 11-1 and is coming off dominant playoff victories over Glen Burnie and Churchill. Steve Rapp's Pumas dropped their first game of the season, but have prevailed ever since.

Meanwhile, Quince Orchard has fared even better at 13-0 after beating Gaithersburg, Northwest, Flowers, and Broadneck. In fact, John Kelley's Cougars haven't lost a single game since November 2023.

This will be a rematch of last year's 4A state championship game, where QO beat Wise 24-13. Will history repeat itself tonight? We'll have to see as coverage takes place at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis.

Players to Watch

Wise

Eric Wedge III - QB: A senior
Kameron Parker - RB/ATH: A senior
Zorian Gray-Vest - WR: A senior
Theodore Riley - LB: A junior

Quince Orchard

Will Drakeford - QB: A senior
Damien Hurtado - RB: A junior
Diego Rodriguez - TE: A senior
Kacey Gilliam - EDGE: A senior and James Madison commit
Jaheim Bond - DL/EDGE: A junior

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Live Updates

	1	2	3	4	F
Wise	0	7	14	0	21
Quince Orchard	7	7	13	0	26

Pregame

- Kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET.

1st Quarter

- Pumas receive the opening kickoff and begin at their own 44 off a short kickoff. They get one first down on a Kameron Parker run. On 4th and 10 from their opponents' 45, quarterback Eric Wedge punts the ball instead of going for it.

Cougars begin at their own 19. They go three-and-out and are forced to punt.

Pumas begin at their opponents' 48. On 3rd and 7, Wedge gets pressured and his pass is intercepted by QO's Camden Taylor.

Cougars take over at their own 35 with seven minutes left. They are unable to move the ball and are forced to punt again.

A penalty results in the Pumas starting at their own 7. The Cougars defense gets three big stops and forces a punt.

TIMEOUT with 4:04 left.

Cougars begin at their opponents' 33. Quarterback Will Drakeford connects with Jacob Bumgardner who is one yard short of the end zone. One play later, Drakeford runs a quarterback sneak and scores from yard out. XP good with 3:49 left in the quarter.

TOUCHDOWN: Quince Orchard 7, Wise 0, 3:49 left in 1st.

Pumas receive the ensuing kickoff but fumble the ball and the Cougars recover at the opponents' 44.

The Cougars' offense drives close to the red zone as time runs out, ending the quarter.

End of 1st: Quince Orchard 7, Wise 0

2nd Quarter

- Cougars continue inside the 10. TIMEOUT with 11:53 on the clock. On 3rd and goal, Drakeford fires a slant pass to Rafferty Bankert for a six-yard touchdown pass. XP good with 11:08 left in the first half.

TOUCHDOWN: Quince Orchard 14, Wise 0, 11:08 left in 2nd.

Pumas receive the ensuing kickoff and begin at their own 33. On 2nd down, Wedge gets sacked by James Madison commit Kacey Gilliam. Pumas go three-and-out and punt.

Cougars begin the next drive. They go for it on 4th and 1 around midfield, but are stuffed by the Pumas defense, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Pumas take over at their own 47. A big hit by Rico Jackson results in a 15-yard penalty on the Cougars. Pumas move up 15 yards and keep moving. TIMEOUT with 7:48 left in the half.

On 3rd and 12 at the 13, Wedge completes a pass to about the 3, resulting in a 4th and 2. The Pumas convert as Wedge finds Sergio Terrico in the end zone for the three-yard touchdown. XP good with 5:29 left in the half.

TOUCHDOWN: Quince Orchard 14, Wise 7, 5:29 left in 2nd.

Cougars receive the ensuing kickoff and begin at their own 31. A flag moves the Cougars back on 3rd down. On 4th and 9 from their own 42, the Cougars choose to punt instead of going for it. But a flag moves them back 10 yards. They punt regardless.

Pumas begin at their own 18. A DPI call results in a Pumas first down at their opponents' 44. The team is unable to move the ball further as the clock runs out, ending the first half.

HALFTIME: Quince Orchard 14, Wise 7

3rd Quarter

- Cougars receive the opening kickoff and start at their own 30. On the drive, Drakeford keeps it himself for a huge run up to the Pumas 6.

On 3rd and goal at the 1, a false start penalty moves the Cougars back to the 6. They run play action as Drakeford connects with Jaheim Bond for a six-yard touchdown. XP blocked with 8:58 left in the third.

TOUCHDOWN: Quince Orchard 20, Wise 7, 8:58 left in 3rd.

Pumas respond on the ensuing kickoff as Zorian Gray-Vest takes it 85 yards to the house for a score. XP good with 8:47 left in the third.

TOUCHDOWN: Quince Orchard 20, Wise 14, 8:47 left in 3rd.

Cougars take the ensuing kickoff and begin at their own 31. INJURY TIMEOUT with 8:19 left. On 3rd and 8, Joshua Humphries drops a wide open pass, resulting in a three-and-out and punt.

Pumas begin at their own 29. On 2nd and 15, Wedge fires a pass which is intercepted by QO's Rico Jackson.

Cougars take over at their opponents' 32. Drakeford keeps it himself again on an RPO play up to the 10. Drakeford then scores on a four-yard rushing touchdown. 2-point conversion no good with 5:28 left in the third.

TOUCHDOWN: Quince Orchard 26, Wise 14, 5:28 left in 3rd.

Ensuing kickoff goes out of bounds, resulting in the Pumas starting at their own 35. On the first play, Parker scampers his way 65 yards to the end zone for the touchdown. XP good with 5:19 left in the third.

TOUCHDOWN: Quince Orchard 26, Wise 21, 5:19 left in 3rd.

Cougars receive the ensuing kickoff and begin at their own 26. They go for it on 4th and 2 near midfield, but a delay of game penalty moves them back to their own 44. It results in a short punt.

Pumas begin at their own 34. A defensive penalty moves the Pumas up to the Cougars 33. Bond tackles Parker behind the line of scrimmage as the quarter ends.

End of 3rd: Quince Orchard 26, Wise 21

4th Quarter

- Pumas continue the drive on 3rd and 22, as Wedge gets sacked and fumbles the ball, but his own linesman recovers. They go three-and-out and punt.

A facemask call on the return results in the Cougars being moved up to their own 42. They go three-and-out near midfield and punt.

Pumas begin at their own 29. On 3rd and 7 in their own territory, Wedge is sacked by Urijah Lyles. They are forced to punt.

Cougars begin at their own 21. Bond and Damien Hurtado pound the rock on the drive to keep the clock running, They get over midfield but go three-and-out as the Pumas take a timeout with 2:03 left in the game. They punt.

Pumas begin at their own 10 with 1:53 left. They move 20 yards but on 3rd down, Wedge gets sacked by Diego Rodriguez. Pumas take their final timeout with 49 seconds left. Cougars also take a timeout.

On 4th and 16, Wedge gets pressured but a completes a short pass with the Pumas just short, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Cougars take over at their opponents' 25 and take a knee, ending the game and clinching the state championship.

FINAL: Quince Orchard 26, Wise 21

RECAP

Wise and Quince Orchard once again met in the MPSSAA 4A high school football state championship game in Annapolis. Like in 2024, John Kelley's Cougars emerged victorious as they beat Steve Rapp's Pumas 26-21 in a thriller.

QO has officially gone back-to-back and has still not lost a single game since November of 2023. The school has also now won four state titles in five seasons and five championships during Kelley's tenure.

The Cougars jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter with quarterback Will Drakeford scoring on a QB sneak and then connecting with Rafferty Bankert for a six-yard touchdown.

Wise then responded later in the half when quarterback Eric Wedge found Sergio Terrico for a three-yard score to cut the deficit to 14-7 heading into halftime.

The third quarter turned out to be very exciting as both teams traded back-and-forth scores. Drakeford led the Cougars to the end zone twice on a six-yard touchdown pass to Jaheim Bond and a four-yard rushing score of his own. Meanwhile, the Pumas scored two touchdowns on an 85-yard kick return by Zorian Gray-Vest and a 65-yard run by Kameron Parker.

However, the fourth quarter was a much different story as it featured no scoring at all. Both defenses stepped up, but more importantly, QO made the biggest stop late in the game to hang on for the victory.