DC Touchdown Club Players of the Week
Kosi Ukiwe is used to staying busy. During football season, that means being McDonough High’s featured running back on offense and then putting his hand in the ground and playing defensive end when the opponent has the ball.
In the winter, Ukiwe is a wrestler and last year qualified for the Maryland state tournament. In the spring, Ukiwe turns to track, where he runs sprints and throws the discus and shotput.
Add it all up and Ukiwe is in excellent shape to handle the unusual combination of running back and defensive end. He has been at his best late in the season and that continued in McDonough’s opening playoff game. Ukiwe rushed 13 times for 141 yards and one touchdown, caught the decisive 90-yard touchdown pass in the quarter and on defense made eight tackles with five sacks and forced one fumble as the Rams beat Northeast, 22-21, in a Maryland 2A first-round game.
“He’s had a lot of these type of games,” McDonough Coach Ryan Gick said. “He’s our best player. To be able to do it on both sides of the ball is pretty impressive.”
For his efforts, Ukiwe was named the Military Bowl Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.
At 6 feet 2 and 235 pounds, Ukiwe has the size to play defensive end and is garnering attention from college recruiters. Morgan State was the most recent school to offer Ukiwe a scholarship. However, it is quite a sight for defensive backs and other would-be tacklers to see Ukiwe speeding their way. In McDonough’s two previous games, Ukiwe rushed for 297 yards and then 254 yards.
“He doesn’t come off the field very often at all,” Gick said. “He’s playing defensive line and taking the hits over and over again. I think it’s impressive, the physicality and his ability to stay in the game. … He’s always active and working out, whether it is in the weight room or on the wrestling mat or on the track. He’s constantly preparing himself. He knows the season is long and his role is a very physical situation.”
This week’s DC Touchdown Club Honor Roll:
ANNE ARUNDEL
Meade RB Jayden Rumley rushed 25 times for 125 yards and three touchdowns as the Mustangs beat Dundalk, 35-12, in a Maryland 4A first-round game.
DC
Digital Pioneers RB Leroy Williams rushed 12 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns as the Pythons claimed the PCSAA title by beating Kipp DC Legacy, 42-6.
FREDERICK
Urbana QB Joshua White completed 9 of 11 passes for 134 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for two touchdowns as the Hawks beat Tuscarora, 56-0, in a Maryland 4A/3A first-round game.
HOWARD
Guilford Park RB Tyler Lee rushed 15 times for 158 yards and five touchdowns as the Panthers beat Chopticon, 48-0, in a Maryland 3A first-round game.
LOUDOUN
Loudoun Valley QB Zach Detweiler completed 18 of 24 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns and rushed five times for 48 yards and another score as the Vikings beat Woodgrove for the first time in 15 years, 42-28.
MONTGOMERY
Churchill QB Hunter Humphries completed 11 of 18 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown and rushed nine times for 52 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat Clarksburg, 36-6, in a Maryland 4A first-round game.
NORTHERN REGION
McLean RB Finn Thompson rushed 33 times for 225 yards and three touchdowns beat Wakefield, 35-32.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Oxon Hill WR D’eor Ray caught four passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns and rushed four times for 53 yards and another score as the Clippers beat Einstein, 72-6, in a Maryland 4A/3A first-round game.
PRINCE WILLIAM
Woodbridge QB Caleb Tucker completed 23 of 29 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings beat Gar-Field, 42-14.
PRIVATE
St. Albans QB Brett Paukstis completed 18 of 23 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat Landon, 32-14.
WCAC
Gonzaga QB Jason Lindsay completed 13 of 22 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles beat St. John’s, 24-21
Ohio University running back Sieh Bangura, who played at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week after his standout performance helped the Bobcats moved into a tie for first-place in the Mid-American Conference.
Bangura, a senior, rushed 17 times for 102 yards and one touchdown and returned a kickoff 97 yards for another score as Ohio handed Miami (Ohio) its first loss in conference play, 24-20.
It was Bangura’s third consecutive 100-yard game and fifth this season, continuing what has been a very rewarding season.
Bangura played his first three seasons at Ohio, He was the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2022, rushing for 1,078 yards and 13 touchdowns. After rushing for 811 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, Bangura transferred to Minnesota for the 2024 season But while he was accustomed to being a featured player at Ohio, he played sparingly at Minnesota, rushing just four times for 12 carries and seeing action in only three games.
Bangura then transferred back to Ohio for his final season of eligibility.
“He’s a huge part of why we’re successful on offense,” said Ohio first-year coach Brian Smith, who was an assistant coach at the school the previous three seasons, including a stint as running backs coach. “He and I had a really good relationship my first two years here. When he left, I understood where he was mentally and what his aspirations were. As the [2024] season was going on, I looked at how he was doing and I thought there was an opportunity he might get back in at some point.
“The relationship we have and the trust we have made it the right fit for him for his last season of college football. He’s making the most of it. You’re seeing how hard and how physical he plays, the determination he has with some of these runs. It’s really impressive.”
This week’s DC Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Football Player of the Week honor roll:
- Christopher Newport QB Connor Barry (Madison) completed 15 of 29 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 12 times for 65 yards and two touchdowns as the Captains beat Salisbury, 45-42, in a meeting of previously undefeated teams.
- James Madison S Tyler Brown (Spalding) made a career-high 13 tackles and broke up a pass as the Dukes beat Marshall, 35-23.
- Bowie State DB Samuel Graham (North County) made a career-high 13 tackles as the Bulldogs beat Lincoln, 28-17.
- Virginia Union LB Lamumba Howard (St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes) made 15 tackles with half a sack as the Panthers beat Virginia State, 14-3.
- East Stroudsburg S Raquane Matthews (Eleanor Roosevelt) made a team-high nine tackles and intercepted two passes as the Warriors beat Millersville, 45-21.
- Yale RB Josh Pitsenberger (Avalon) rushed 27 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 25 yards as the Bulldogs beat Brown, 34-22.
- SMU DE Isaiah Smith (St. John’s) made nine tackles with four sacks as the Mustangs beat Boston College, 45-13.
- Morehead State WR Ryan Upp (Tuscarora) caught nine passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning seven-yard score in the final minute, as the Eagles beat Butler, 31-30.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who starred at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Football Player for the second consecutive week and the third time this season after his late-game heroics led the surging Bears to their sixth win in seven games.
With Chicago trailing the New York Giants by 10 points late in the fourth quarter, Williams threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Rome Odunze with 3 minutes 56 seconds left. The Bears defense forced a punt and Williams drove the Bears for the winning touchdown, scrambling 17 yards for the decisive touchdown with 1:47 left as Chicago pulled out a 24-20 win over the visiting Giants.
Williams finished 20 of 36 passing for 220 yards and and rushed eight times for 63 yards as Chicago improved to 6-3.
“He’s got ice in his veins now,” Bears Coach Ben Johnson said as he presented a game ball to Williams in the jubilant locker room after the game. “If you don’t believe it now, you just wait. The best is yet to come.”
Williams was the Touchdown Club Washington Metro College Player of the Year in 2023 and the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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