DC Touchdown Club Players of the Week

After Tyler Lee spent the offseason in the weight room and working hard to improve, Guilford Park High football coach Tom Montag expected his junior running back to improve. But as the regular season enters the final few weeks, it is safe to say that no one quite expected Lee to dominate the way he has.

Lee carried 27 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns this past week and scored a pair of two-point conversions as undefeated Guilford Park continued its terrific season by rallying from a 10-point deficit to beat Glenelg, 28-16.

It was Lee’s sixth 200-yard performance in seven games and the sixth time he has scored at least three touchdowns in a game.

“Nobody expects a kid to rush for 200 yards in a game, that’s wild to see,” Montag said. “I thought he was going to have a good year, but I had no idea what that meant. It’s definitely surprising to see week in and week out dominant performances.”

For his efforts, Lee was named the Military Bowl Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.

It has been a special season so far this fall at Guilford Park, which opened in August 2023, played its first varsity football last year and now has its first senior class. Lee, who is 5 feet 9 and 190 pounds, attended Meade High as a freshman before transferring to Guilford Park. He rushed for 444 yards and averaged about four yards per carry last year as the Panthers went 5-5.

Lee added about 15 pounds of muscle during the offseason and he also developed into one of the team’s leaders. Without a full complement of students until this year, not only was playing available for younger players but there also was a need for leadership. Enter Lee, who has rushed for 1,389 yards and 22 touchdowns already this season.

“As we’ve grown older as a program, more of our younger athletes are stepping up into leadership roles: What’s it like to be a leader on a high school football team,” Montag said. “Tyler has been consistently working hard and it shows up on Friday nights.”

This week’s DC Touchdown Club Honor Roll:

ANNE ARUNDEL
Crofton RB/LB Da’Juan Kinard made 10 tackles with five tackles for loss, returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown and recovered two fumbles, returning one seven yards for a touchdown, as the Cardinals beat Severn Run, 42-12.

DC
Bell QB Will Hewitt completed 16 of 23 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns as the Griffins beat Phelps, 36-8.

FREDERICK
Linganore RB Bradly Matthews rushed 27 times for 260 yards and six touchdowns as the undefeated Lancers beat Middletown, 56-42.

LOUDOUN
Loudoun Valley WR/S Mack Gaffney caught five passes for 70 yards, caught a two-point conversion, rushed for a touchdown, returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown and intercepted a pass as the Vikings beat Rock Ridge, 50-6.

MONTGOMERY
Northwest QB Jayden Vongprachanh-Nelson completed 13 of 15 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns and rushed seven times for 43 yards and two touchdowns as the Jaguars beat Walter Johnson, 41-6.

NORTHERN REGION
Falls Church RB Elijah Lewis rushed 18 times for 317 yards and five touchdowns, including a 96-yard score on the game’s first play from scrimmage, as the Jaguars beat Edison, 35-14.

PRINCE GEORGE’S
Largo RB Tymond Foxx rushed 36 times for 226 yards and five touchdowns as the Lions beat Central, 62-28.

PRINCE WILLIAM
Gar-Field QB Marcus Troy Hamlin completed 14 of 22 passes for 153 yards and rushed five times for 131 yards and one touchdown as the Red Wolves beat Forest Park, 19-14.

PRIVATE
Georgetown Prep OL/DL Immanuel Iheanacho, an Oregon recruit, led the way in all phases of the game with nine pancake blocks, four tackles and blocking an extra-point attempt as the Little Hoyas beat St. Albans, 22-19.

SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Huntingtown RB/SS Gabe Copeland rushed 21 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns and on defense made nine tackles as the Hurricanes beat Patuxent, 21-12.

WCAC
Carroll QB Avery Glass completed 15 of 21 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns as the Lions beat Bishop Ireton, 30-10.

This week’s DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week honor roll:

• Ohio RB Sieh Bangura (DeMatha Catholic) rushed 22 times for 147 yards and three touchdowns as the Bobcats beat Northern Illinois, 48-21.
• Christopher Newport QB Connor Barry completed 12 of 15 passes for 202 yards and four touchdowns as the Captains beat Kean, 49-0.
• Susquehanna QB Josh Ehrlich (Broadneck) completed 24 of 28 passes for 313 yards and five touchdowns and rushed eight times for 52 yards as the River Hawks beat Juniata, 56-7.
• Georgetown WR Jimmy Kibble (Loudoun County) caught seven passes for 141 yards as the Hoyas beat Colgate, 21-17.
• Florida K Trey Smack (Severna Park) made all three of his field goal attempts, including from 53 and 54 yards, as the Gators beat Mississippi State, 23-21.
• East Carolina WR Anthony Smith (Huntingtown) caught four passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns as the Pirates beat Tulsa, 41-27.
• Catholic WR Andrew Tabor caught six passes for 95 yards and three touchdowns, including the winning score in overtime, as the Cardinals rallied to beat Moravian, 26-20.
• Frostburg State WR Tra’Shaun Timmons (South River) caught eight passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns as the Bobcats beat Charleston, 32-30 in double overtime.

 Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross, who played at DeMatha Catholic High School and the University of Maryland, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player of the Week for the second time this season after his terrific play helped the Colts to their third consecutive win, 38-24 over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cross, enjoying a terrific season, made six tackles and snagged his first interception of the season – picking off a Justin Herbert pass in the end zone late in the first half – as the Colts remained atop the AFC South Division.

Now in his fourth year in the NFL, Cross was selected by the Colts in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He moved into a starting role last season and has excelled. He made 133 tackles and intercepted five passes last season. He has 53 tackles already this season and seems to have positioned himself for a healthy contract extension.

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 Club promotes the game of football, hosts entertaining social events and generates a significant philanthropic impact for Patriot Point. To learn more about the DC Touchdown Club, visit dctouchdownclub.com or follow DC Touchdown Club on Twitter and Instagram @DCTouchdownClub and like DC Touchdown Club on Facebook.