DC Touchdown Club Players of the Week
Locked in a high-scoring tied game late in regulation, South River High football coach Steve Erxleben felt pretty confident that his team could put together a game-winning drive. The Seahawks’ defense got a stop and the team had two timeouts remaining. Quarterback Finn Mulvihill was enjoying a spectacular night, passing for 420 yards and six touchdowns. Including four touchdown passes to standout junior Jaden McDuffie.
McDuffie, though, had something else in mind. He fielded a punt at his own 35-yard line and started to his left, before abruptly reversing field and eluding multiple defenders before breaking away for a game-winning, 65-yard touchdown as South River beat Crofton, 48-41.
“I was surprised they kicked it deep,” Erxleben said. “I thought they would kick it out of bounds. It wasn’t like we blocked it up that well. Just a heck of a return.”
For his efforts, McDuffie was named the Military Bowl DC Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.
McDuffie was named second-team All-Anne Arundel County as a defensive back last season, but this season he has made a bigger impact on offense. South River has transitioned into an offensive scheme that relies on throwing the ball. On Friday, McDuffie caught six passes for 205 yards.
“He may be the top receiver in Anne Arundel County right now,” Erxleben said. “He’s a huge playmaker for us. We’ve won five games, all in different ways, and it seems like every single situation he’s the one who makes the play.”
For the season, McDuffie has caught 44 passes for 709 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“Coming into the season, basketball was his first love but I think he’s finding out real quickly that he’s a recruitable kid in football,” Erxleben said. “We’re getting calls from a lot of different colleges wanting to see tape.”
This week’s DC Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week honor roll:
DC
Digital Pioneers RB King Williams rushed 20 times for 312 yards and two touchdowns as the Pythons beat Jefferson, 46-0.
FREDERICK
Linganore QB Shawn Pelovitz completed 20 of 31 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a touchdown as the Lancers beat Middletown, 40-34 in double overtime.
HOWARD
Atholton WR Ja’Varr Stewart had a 38-yard touchdown run and returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown as the Raiders beat Mount Hebron, 31-3.
LOUDOUN
Independence RB-LB Jackson Thorne, a Richmond recruit, rushed four times for 122 yards and two touchdowns and on defense made 15 tackles with five tackles for loss and one sack as the Tigers beat Riverside, 39-10.
MONTGOMERY
Paint Branch RB Alijah Bah rushed 21 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers beat Blake, 35-7.
NORTHERN REGION
Marshall RB-LB Ethan Lebkisher rushed 22 times for 211 yards and five touchdowns and on defense made 11 tackles as the Statesmen beat Wakefield, 40-14.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Largo RB Tymond Foxx rushed 34 times for 238 yards and four touchdowns as the Lions beat Friendly, 30-26.
PRINCE WILLIAM
Patriot QB Tyler Knutson completed 17 of 21 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns as the Pioneers beat Osbourn, 48-7. Knutson has thrown 21 touchdown passes without an interception this season.
PRIVATE
Georgetown Prep RB Japhya Rouson rushed for two touchdowns as the Little Hoyas rallied to beat St. Albans, 25-20. It was yet another big game for Rouson, a freshman, who was coming off a 258-yard performance in a win over Landon.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Patuxent QB-DB Evan Blouir, a Navy recruit, completed 18 of 20 passes for 323 yards and six touchdowns and rushed 20 times for 120 yards and one touchdown and on defense made two tackles and intercepted a pass as the Panthers beat Northern, 55-24.
WCAC
DeMatha QB Denzel Gardner, a Marshall recruit, completed 9 of 14 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns as the Stags beat Good Counsel, 35-7.
————————————————————————————————————————————–
University of Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who starred at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week after his career performance led the Terrapins to a thrilling 29-28 win over USC this past Saturday.
Edwards, in his first season as Maryland’s starter, completed 39 of 50 passes for a career-high 373 yards and two touchdowns. He also scampered three yards for the game-winning touchdown with 53 seconds left.
“Threw it a little more than I would expect or want him to, but really played at a high level today,” Maryland Coach Michael Locksley said.
With USC often playing man-to-man coverage, that prompted the Terrapins to rely on Edwards’ throwing arm to move the ball. Edwards delivered as Maryland rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Roman Hemby’s 10-yard touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion pass from Edwards to Kaden Prather pulled Maryland within 28-22 with 10 minutes left.
The Terrapins had their backs against the wall late in regulation, but Donnell Brown blocked a 41-yard field goal attempt with two minutes left, setting up Maryland at the USC 47-yard line with 1:48 remaining. Edwards was 4 of 4 passing on the winning drive; another passing attempt resulted in a 15-yard gain for a pass interference penalty.
On second-and-goal from the 3, Edwards faked a handoff, took a step to his left and then cut up the field and into the end zone.
“The biggest thing for me the final drive was to try to continue what I did the whole game, where I found success and getting the ball out to the playmakers … and let them do the hard work,” said Edwards, a redshirt junior who played one season at Wake Forest before transferring to Maryland.
This week’s DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week honor roll:
- Lafayette RB Jamar Curtis (St. John’s) rushed 27 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 42 yards as the Leopards beat Sacred Heart, 31-17.
- Virginia Tech CB Mansoor Delane (Spalding) made nine tackles as the Hokies beat Boston College, 42-21.
- Shepherd WR Cameron Dorner (Oakdale) caught eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams beat Millersville, 35-21.
- Indiana RB Justice Ellison (Flint Hill) rushed nine times for 105 yards and two first-half touchdowns as the Hoosiers improved to 7-0 for the first time since 1967 with a 56-7 win over Nebraska.
- Catholic RB Daequan Harvin (Dunbar) rushed 32 times for 157 yards as the Cardinals beat Lycoming, 14-12.
- Susquehanna WR Kyle Howes (Urbana) caught seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns and returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown as the River Hawks beat Juniata, 66-21.
- Navy CB Dashaun Peele made three tackles with one sack and returned two interceptions for touchdowns as the Midshipmen improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1979 by beating Charlotte, 51-17.
- Gallaudet QB Brandon Washington rushed 25 times for 151 yards and four first-half touchdowns as the Bison beat Anna Maria, 39-34.
ABOUT THE MILITARY BOWL FOUNDATION
The Military Bowl Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates premier events in the National Capital Region to benefit our nation’s service members. Originally formed to create the region’s first-ever college football postseason bowl game, the Foundation now not only runs the Go Bowling Military Bowl but additionally operates the DC Touchdown Club and Patriot Point, a retreat for recovering service members, their families and caregivers on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The Foundation hosts engaging events throughout the year to raise money and awareness for military service members, directly impacting those who give so much of themselves for the country.
ABOUT THE DC TOUCHDOWN CLUB
The DC Touchdown Club honors the best in Washington Metro football, with year-round events highlighted by an annual awards dinner. Operated by the Military Bowl Foundation, the Touchdown Club promotes the game of football, hosts entertaining social events and generates a significant philanthropic impact for Patriot Point. To learn more about the Touchdown Club, visit dctouchdownclub.com, or follow the Touchdown Club on Twitter and Instagram @DCTouchdown Club and like the Touchdown Club on Facebook.
Recommended for you
You must be logged in to post a comment Login
