Trailing by a touchdown early in the second quarter, the Crofton High football team needed a spark. Its defense came through with a clutch stop to force a punt. The Cardinals’ offense, though, would not be needed.
Junior Dominic Jackson, who has stepped into a leadership role this season, lined up on the left side of the line of scrimmage, burst into the backfield and blocked the punt. Teammate Bryce McGee scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, sparking Crofton to a 43-20 victory over Leonardtown in a Maryland 4A/3A first-round game.
Jackson also rushed 17 times for 169 yards and three touchdowns and on defense had a sack and a tackle for loss. But it was the blocked punt that stood out as the game’s biggest play according to Coach Todd Sommerville.
“He just makes plays,” Sommerville said. “He’s definitely better on offense, but he makes plays when needed on defense. The stats don’t always show it. He’s the guy setting the edge or blocking the punt that changes the momentum of the game. From there, we put down the accelerator and kept it going. That changed the complexion of the game for us. Our energy went up, morale went up. We started playing really good football from that point on.”
For his efforts, Jackson was named the Military Bowl Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.
The Cardinals spread the ball around on offense, but Jackson, who also starts at linebacker, has become the team’s leading ball carrier. He surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the victory.
“He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve gotten to see,” Sommerville said. “He’s a workout warrior and dedicated in the classroom, pretty much the whole thing that you want from a student-athlete. He had a few games last year with over 100 yards rushing, but this year he has been a juggernaut on the field for us and had some fantastic games, breaking tackles left and right.”
This week’s DC Touchdown Club Honor Roll:
ANNE ARUNDEL
Meade RB Jayden Rumley rushed 11 times for 188 yards and four touchdowns and caught a 34-yard pass as the Mustangs beat Bowie, 59-22, in a Maryland 4A first-round game.
DC
Digital Pioneers RB Laroy Williams rushed 13 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns as the Pythons beat KIPP College Prep, 46-0.
FREDERICK
Middletown WR/DB Trey Wilkes returned a kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown, made a touchdown-saving tackle, broke up a pass and recovered a fumble as the Knights beat South Carroll, 21-9, in a Maryland 2A/1A first-round game.
HOWARD
Glenelg RB Jailen Johnson rushed 20 times for 171 yards and one touchdown as the Gladiators beat Wilde Lake, 14-7, in a Maryland 2A first-round game.
LOUDOUN
Potomac Falls RB/CB Greyson Todd rushed 12 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns and on defense made three tackles and intercepted two passes as the Panthers beat Riverside, 49-38.
MONTGOMERY
Paint Branch RB Alijah Bah rushed 20 times for 310 yards and five touchdowns and two two-point conversions on defense made three tackles and intercepted a pass as the Panthers beat Blair, 48-7, in a Maryland 4A first-round game.
NORTHERN REGION
Falls Church RB Makai Carothers, playing for the first time this season after breaking his collarbone in a preseason scrimmage, rushed 12 times for 181 yards and three touchdowns as the Jaguars beat rival Justice, 51-0, in the annual Bell Game.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Douglass RB/DB William Mayo IV rushed 13 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns, caught a nine-yard pass and on defense made two tackles and broke up two passes as the Eagles beat Parkside, 37-7, in a Maryland 2A first-round game.
PRINCE WILLIAM
Gainesville RB Jayden Taylor rushed a career-high 25 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals beat Pioneer, 21-14, to clinch a berth in the Virginia 6A playoffs.
PRIVATE
Bullis QB Braden Nyce completed 14 of 23 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulldogs beat St. Albans, 35-0.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Calvert RB Andrew Douglas rushed 21 times for 153 yards and four touchdowns as the Cavaliers beat Queen Anne’s County, 37-7, in a Maryland 2A/1A first-round game.
STAFFORD
Brooke Point WR/DB Aviance Young Jr. caught six passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, rushed four times for 26 yards and on defense had two tackles for loss and broke up a pass as the Black-Hawks beat Stafford, 37-7.
WCAC
St. John’s RB Dajon Talley Rhodes rushed 15 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns as the Cadets beat Gonzaga, 44-3.
This week’s DC Touchdown Club College Player of the Week Honor Roll:
- West Virginia State WR Amare Ary (Laurel) caught 12 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass on a trick play as the Yellow Jackets beat Frostburg State, 55-37.
- North Carolina QB Billy Edwards Jr. (Lake Braddock) completed 29 of 38 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns as the Tar Heels beat U-Conn., 38-21.
- UNC Pembroke QB Josh Ehrlich (Broadneck) completed 17 of 28 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 18 times for 96 yards and three touchdowns as the Braves beat Ferrum, 45-14.
- Towson DB Myles Johnson (Gonzaga) made a career-high 11 tackles as the Tigers beat Sacred Heart, 43-40 in overtime.
- Marist QB Sonny Mannino (Tuscarora, Va.) completed 10 of 24 passes for 55 yards and rushed 17 times for 155 yards and one touchdown – a 10-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter that capped a 99-yard drive — as the Red Foxes beat Morehead State, 14-13.
- Villanova RB Isaiah Ragland (South Lakes) rushed 17 times for 125 yards as the Wildcats beat Richmond, 30-0
- Maryland LB Nahsir Taylor (Riverdale Baptist) nearly doubled his previous career high, making 11 tackles with 2 ½ tackles for loss and one sack as the Terrapins beat Purdue, 34-29.
- Alabama LB Caleb Woodson (Battlefield) made eight tackles, forced a fumble and broke up a pass as the Crimson Tide beat LSU, 31-13.
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.