There are times when it might appear that Jayson Allen is moving at less than full speed on the football field. It is a figment of the imagination, Howard High football coach Ross Hannon can assure you.
“He’s a step ahead and just playing a little faster than the rest of the kids,” Hannon said. “He’s 6 feet 2 with long arms, and so it doesn’t look like he’s moving that fast because he’s so long and he’s a strider. But he’s moving. He’s a physical player.”
Howard’s opponents can vouch for Allen, too. This past week, against Marriotts Ridge, the senior was all over the field. Starting at running back this season, he rushed 24 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns. He’s probably more impactful from his inside linebacker spot on defense, where Allen made 13 tackles with four tackles for loss and forced two fumbles, recovering one of them, as the Lions beat Marriotts Ridge, 28-0.
For his efforts, Allen was named the Military Bowl DC Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.
“He is so rangy,” Hannon said. “We noticed in 7 on 7 this summer that he just covers a lot of ground and he can get in the air and get into passing lanes. He’s going to be a good college football player. He’s bigger and heavier than he looks.”
With only 28 players on the roster, including a handful of newcomers playing the sport for the first time, Hannon has stressed the need for the Lions’ defense to force turnovers and get off the field whenever they have a chance. Allen followed through early on against Marriotts Ridge, making a critical sack after the Mustangs had driven deep into Howard territory. Later, after a teammate made the initial hit on a wide receiver, Allen followed by stripping the ball. His play has helped Howard to a 3-0 start and three consecutive shutouts to start the season for the first time since 1974.
“He doesn’t run to the ball carrier, he’s running through people,” Hannon said. “He looks like a three-year ballplayer who has stepped his game up and is ready to move onto the next level.”
This week’s DC Touchdown Club Honor Roll:
ANNE ARUNDEL
Annapolis MLB Roman Stramanak made 10 tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack, broke up two passes and blocked a punt as the undefeated Panthers beat Glen Burnie, 28-27.
DC
Theodore Roosevelt WR/DE Isaiah McVea caught two passes for 30 yards and one touchdown and on defense had seven sacks and forced two fumbles as the Roughriders beat McKinley Tech, 30-7.
FREDERICK
Oakdale WR/DB Charlie Alt caught five passes for 104 yards and one touchdown, made seven tackles with two tackles for loss and intercepted two passes as the Bears beat Middletown, 35-7.
HOWARD
Wilde Lake WR/DB Jaydin Gore caught four passes for 68 yards and one touchdown, returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown, returned another punt 49 yards and on defense made 15 tackles with three tackles for loss as the Wildecats beat Glenelg, 26-21.
LOUDOUN
Broad Run QB Paul Layne completed 10 of 14 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns and rushed three times for 78 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-clinching 23-yard score on fourth-and-goal, as the Spartans rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat Colgan, 36-27.
MONTGOMERY
Damascus RB MJ Sullivan rushed 14 times for 217 yards and six touchdowns as the Swarmin’ Hornets beat Clarksburg, 42-14.
NORTHERN REGION
West Springfield RB Dillan Wickham rushed 23 times for 200 yards and one touchdown as the Spartans beat Robinson, 55-19.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Laurel QB/LB Demerius Custis completed 3 of 5 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns, rushed three times for 125 yards and three touchdowns and made four solo tackles with one sack as the Spartans beat Northwestern, 67-6.
PRINCE WILLIAM
Manassas Park WR Ethan Casey caught 10 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown as the Cougars lost to Jefferson, 14-12.
PRIVATE
Maret QB Trysten Johnson, a Citadel recruit, completed 10 of 18 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns and rushed 22 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns as the Frogs beat Bell, 43-30.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
North Point LB Lawtrell Bowlding made 21 tackles with four tackles for loss and two sacks and forced a fumble as the Eagles beat Northern, 14-6.
STAFFORD
Brooke Point RB Anthony Robinson Jr. rushed 23 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns as the Black-Hawks beat Spotsylvania, 32-14.
WCAC
Gonzaga WR Lincoln Shelton caught two passes for 63 yards, ran for a 46-yard touchdown and returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown as the Eagles beat Carroll, 47-27.
This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:
- Villanova WR Brandon Binkowski (Battlefield) caught six passes for 113 yards as the Wildcats beat Long Island, 20-16.
- Wheeling LB Jalen Higginbotham (Bishop McNamara) made 17 tackles with one sack as the Cardinals beat Fairmont State, 28-24.
- Richmond LB Blake Houser (DeMatha Catholic) made nine tackles with 2 ½ tackles for loss and 1 ½ sacks as the Spiders beat Georgetown, 24-21.
- LSU RB Dilin Jones (Good Counsel) rushed 23 times for 106 yards and one touchdown as the Tigers lost to Ole Miss, 32-24.
- Salisbury DB Dylan Lyerly (Fairfax) made 12 tackles and blocked an extra-point that was returned for a two-point defensive conversion as the Sea Gulls beat Washington & Lee, 43-13.
- Monmouth WR Tra Neal (Frederick) caught five passes for 138 yards and one touchdown as the Hawks beat Albany, 28-20.
- Virginia Tech RB Jeffrey Overton Jr. (Hayfield) rushed 12 times for 49 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for 63 yards and another score as the Hokies beat Maryland, 35-26.
- Campbell LB Kalen Villanueva (Justice) made 10 tackles with one sack and broke up a pass as the Camels beat North Carolina A&T, 42-14.
Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack, who played at Severna Park High School near Annapolis, has been named the DC Touchdown Club Pro Player of the Week after booting the first game-winning kick of his nascent professional career.
Smack, who was selected in the sixth round of this past NFL Draft, made both of his field goal attempts this past Sunday, including a 26-yarder in overtime, as the visiting Packers rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the New York Jets, 20-17.
While there was plenty of pressure on the decisive play, Smack said it felt like a routine extra-point try.
“Normal kick,” he said. “I’m excited for now. We have another game coming up Thursday.”
Smack, a third-team All-SEC honoree last season at the University of Florida, is off to a strong rookie season. He has made all five of his field goal attempts, including a 59-yarder in Week 1 that was the second-longest in franchise history and the longest ever by a kicker in his first NFL game.
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 Freedom Mortgage 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.