Capital Gazette 2023 All-County football: Spalding QB Malik Washington remained grounded, again named Player of the Year

Dec. 23—By Katherine Fominykh — Kfominykh@baltsun.com

PUBLISHED:December 23, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.| UPDATED:December 23, 2023 at 10:01 a.m.

Junior Malik Washington squeezed his eyes shut and recalled all 18 schools from memory.

"Not in order," he said quickly. Virginia Tech. Maryland. Penn State. James Madison. Duke. Oregon. Texas A&M. Illinois. Virginia. Syracuse. Western Michigan, West Virginia. Toledo. Charlotte. Temple. Rutgers. Marshall. Arkansas. Boston College.

He keeps their logos of all the Division I college football teams that offered him in his phone. There will be more.

His Archbishop Spalding uniform has a frayed gash at one shoulder — he won't fix it. It's his "aura," he joked. How else would anyone recognize him?

To the world that's becoming more aware of Washington every day, he is a four-star pro-style quarterback from a very good football program in Maryland that's now won two-straight conference titles. He's the player who added another 2,093 yards to his over 5,000-yard cache alongside 21 touchdowns, earned his second Rhodes Trophy, MIAA A Conference Player of the Year and Capital Gazette Football Player of the Year honors.

He's the recruit announcing his top five on his birthday, Jan. 4, and his final pick likely around May.

Make no mistake, he is all of those things in himself, too. He'd decided to take his football path seriously between seventh and eighth grade. He never talks about the NFL with his coaches — it's his "hope." He's dreamed of hearing his name and "Heisman" together.

But he is also the 17-year-old who pulled a dystopian novel from his backpack and talked excitedly about the synopsis. He's the kid who peeled the ceiling of his mother's car when he thought she wasn't looking, and now the older brother who lovingly shows pictures of his baby sibling and his fresh first cornrows. He starred as Buddy the Elf in drama club before his voice dropped.

More notably now, he did not treat youth football as an entry level job, rather just having fun with those friends he still considers his closest now. The time to take football seriously would come, that time was high school where he switched gears.

Washington's entire offseason revolved around football, save for the months he devoted to basketball season. He traveled around the country (a credit to his mom) to work out at his offered schools, as well as places like Ohio State. He became close to other top quarterback prospects, such as fellow four-star 2025 recruit Bear Bachmeier of Murrieta Valley, California. He makes time to text, email, FaceTime and call every coach. He's learned the game.

"My dad always told me, 'We're not going to set your path for you; you make your own. Figure out what you want to do and we'll support you,'" Washington said. "'But when you choose something, be 100% into it.' And that's what I'm doing."

Come August, his world shrunk to Spalding's fields, where Washington was tasked with guiding a less experienced offense back to a championship level while also improving himself. He knew teams would effort to stop the pass, so he had to beat them with his legs. He rushed 31 times this year for 225 yards and six touchdowns. Once defenses wised up to stop his run, it gave his receivers time to get open again.

That fluidity was needed, as Spalding welcomed national beasts like Pennsylvania Class 6A champ St. Joseph's Prep on homecoming, and traveled to Imhotep Charter — though they were both defeats.

Washington blames himself for the 21-17 Imhotep loss. He and the Cavaliers carried a 13-game win streak since losing to Don Bosco Prep Week 1 of 2022 (a loss he avenged in 2023), and it died on a drive he could've engineered better. But he swallowed it like kale, something healthy that was going to help him grow. And, he said, those two top-level defeats is the reason Spalding won its title.

"No matter how upset I am about the loss, I can't go back and play it. It lit a fire under us that we needed," Washington said. "We needed that to be human, to be humble. We needed to learn how to be down."

His team follows his lead.

Washington gradually became aware of his impact this past spring. Over the summer, Spalding held an NBA Draft watch party for alum Cam Whitmore. The school laid out a tray of plastic sunglasses that went untouched until Washington stood up to take one. Within minutes, two tables filled with boys in red sunglasses. The day after this year's championship, Washington signed up for school field trip the next day to the aquarium. That previously sparse attendance list filled once they knew he was going.

He just lets this impact happen; he doesn't use it much off the field. I mean, who doesn't want to go to the aquarium?

In August, Washington held a successful free youth quarterbacks clinic to anyone who wanted to come. No one does that without trying to make a buck, Spalding coach Kyle Schmitt said, let alone someone his age.

"People are comfortable following him because they trust him. I think Malik's handled it really well. His self-awareness is unique at 17," Schmitt said. "He's zigging where others are zagging. He's so comfortable in his own skin."

The transfer portal and NIL rules the college football conversation now. Washington doesn't even consider an NIL as a high schooler. His parents don't need it, and neither does he. Washington feels he can't scroll Twitter now without shock at the volume and quality of players moving between teams now.

"That's never been me as a person. When things aren't going well, I always wanted to stick through and figure it out," Washington said.

When he makes his choice, Washington's locked. In his mind, there's probably fewer than five schools on his list. But Washington is adamant he's "neutral" to which of those schools will be the one.

"Maybe I kind of got a clue," he said with a smile. "But I still want to give everybody their fair shot."

Coach of the Year

Alec Lemon, Glen Burnie

Glen Burnie football has never been relevant in the county football scene. This year, after years of toiling away on building the Gophers into a contender, Lemon changed that. Glen Burnie carried out its best season in at least a decade (7-4), battled county leader Old Mill to a one-point final on Oct. 20, as well as Arundel in the first week.

An sudden injury to star quarterback, Romeo Edmonds, left the question of whether the Gophers could've finally beaten a top-three county team and advanced to the Class 4A state quarterfinal on the table. But the senior was nonetheless the runner-up in the Rhodes Trophy voting behind Malik Washington, and one of several Gophers on the All-County teams after not one made the list last year.

"Our expectation every year is to have a better year than the previous season. Still lost in the second round, but the strides we made — putting our name against Arundel, Old Mill, Broadneck — has put us at the top of the county. And that's not even the biggest impact."

Community flooded the football stands this year, excited to see a team worth watching now. Lemon sees the positive impact it's had on his players.

"There's a lot of life. It's tell-tale of the sports here at Glen Burnie," Lemon said.

All-County first team offense

Romeo Edmonds, Glen Burnie, senior, quarterback

Edmonds was the lifeblood of the Gophers' successful season, both by leading Glen Burnie in the air, 93-of-186 for 1,331 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, as well as on the ground: 105 carries for 768 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Kaden Curtis, Archbishop Spalding, senior, running back

Curtis' pinnacle to the season was running in a touchdown in the Cavaliers' MIAA A Conference title game, but he was a workhorse all season, rushing 191 for 1,245 yards and seven touchdowns.

Maximus Jones, Old Mill, senior, running back

Jones fulfilled his mission of leading the county in rushing yards two seasons in a row, finishing with an Anne Arundel-best 1,682 yards on 240 carries with 21 touchdowns.

Tyler Womack, Annapolis, junior, running back

Womack totaled 1,536 rushing yards on 211 carries, scoring 14 touchdowns, a county-high through the regular season. Like Edmonds, he was a contender for the Rhodes Trophy.

Eli Harris, Broadneck, senior, wide receiver

The Navy commit didn't let missing two games and parts of others to an in-season injury slow him down, ultimately leading the Class 4A state runner-ups and county with 884 yards on 56 receptions and 13 touchdowns.

Aaron Igwebe, Archbishop Spalding, sophomore, wide receiver

The sophomore splashed in his first season, showing off a dynamic play-style with 61 catches for 777 yards and eight touchdowns for the MIAA A Conference champions.

Tyrique Jones, Meade, senior, wide receiver

Despite missing a game and parts of others to injury, Jones led Anne Arundel for most of the fall in receiving yards. He finished with 33 receptions for 780 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Jameson Coffman, Archbishop Spalding, senior, tight end

Coffman was active on both sides of the offense and a go-to for touchdowns, making 44 receptions for 294 yards and seven touchdowns, as well as 28 carries for 128 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Jason Shipman, Archbishop Spalding, senior, center

The Delaware commit and three-year starter anchored the offensive line that only gave up two sacks all season, rushed for a team total of 1,930 yards and averaged 33 points per game.

RJ Duncan, Old Mill, senior, guard

The top-vote getter for the Coaches' All-County in his position, Duncan secured the line for a Patriots team that battled to the Class 4A state quarterfinal and went unbeaten against county opponents.

Niles Willis, Meade, senior, guard

The No. 2 vote-getter for the Coaches All-County Team was a battering-ram for the Mustangs, with 11 pancake blocks, 21 impact blocks and one sack guarded.

Wyatt Ferguson, Chesapeake, senior, tackle

The Navy commit, 2023 Al Laramore Memorial Award recipient, team MVP, three-year starter and captain put his offense on his shoulders 36 pancake blocks, as well as 47 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 26 blocked punts on the other side of the ball.

Davon Watkins, St. Mary's, senior, tackle

The Maryland commit and narrow runner-up for the Al Laramore Memorial Award punished anyone who came near his skill players, allowing St. Mary's to have a 1000-yard rusher for the eighth straight year in a row.

Connor Adams, Old Mill, junior, all-purpose

The Patriot impacted every inch of the field, from 39 tackles (24 solo, 15 assists) and an interception on one side of the ball, to a touchdown reception (12 yards) while rushing 21 for 196 yards and a touchdown on the other.

Dec. 1, 2023: Broadneck kicker Chris Coleman attempts a field goal in the third quarter. The Broadneck Bruins play the Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr Pumas in the MPSSAA Class 4A Football State Championship game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)Chris Coleman, Broadneck, senior, kicker

The single-season field goal record-holder excelled as a punter for the Bruins with 36 punts — an average of 35.8 yards — with 12 inside the distant 20 and a long of 57. He also booted in four of seven field goals and was 51-for-52 on extra points, the only miss was blocked.

All-County first team defense

Bo Fowler, Severn, senior, defensive end

The Richmond commit, standing at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, turned in 51 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three sacks and three fumble recoveries for the MIAA C Conference champions.

Tyler Hicks, Broadneck, senior, defensive end

The 6-foot-2 end's 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks made him an invaluable member of the Bruins' line, with his best game coming in the Class 4A state championship game.

Darryl Rolle, Northeast senior defensive tackle

The Eagle lived up to his surname, rolling over opponents with 80 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Elijah Wright, Glen Burnie, junior, defensive tackle

The Gophers line was safe with Wright and his 60 tackles and five sacks, key in close games.

Teddy Androus, St. Mary's, senior, inside linebacker

The Navy commit backed up his switch to fulltime football with 105 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions — one returned for a touchdown — as well as a forced fumble, a safety and two blocked kicks.

Keyshawn Flowers, Archbishop Spalding, senior, inside linebacker

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound three-star Maryland commit stood out on a powerhouse defense with 83 tackles as well as 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.

Earl Hyatt, Meade senior outside linebacker

The 6-foot, 175-pound team captain tallied 96 tackles (52 solo, 44 assists), with 14 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass-breakup.

Torrian Jones, Old Mill, senior, outside linebacker

The swift 5-foot-11, 180-pound Patriot put up 65 tackles (24 solo, 41 assists) with six tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, two defensive touchdowns and a sack.

Braden McCassie, Broadneck, senior, outside linebacker

McCassie turned in his best season with 45 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, a pass break-up and an interception.

Diontae Colbert, Old Mill, senior, defensive back

The coaches' All-County selection at safety made 83 tackles (37 solo, 46 assists) with six interceptions, 129 interception return yards, a defensive touchdown and a tackle for loss.

Trent Gillis, Archbishop Spalding, junior, defensive back

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound safety, fielding Maryland and Syracuse among others, was named to the MIAA A All-Conference team after registering 74 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions, including one in the championship.

Sean Johnson, Archbishop Spalding, sophomore, defensive back

The corner back is already courting offers from Power Five schools and posted 62 tackles and two interceptions, one for a touchdown in the MIAA A championship.

Alijah Jones, Archbishop Spalding, junior, defensive back

The 6-foot, 175-pound safety, with four Division I offers, had 78 tackles this fall, including a whopping 11.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Jayden Shipps, Archbishop Spalding, junior, defensive back

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound cornerback and MIAA All-Conference pick fields 13 Division 1 offers from Maryland, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Penn State among others, and made 63 tackles with three interceptions this fall.

Cameron Shortridge, St. Mary's, senior, defensive back

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound strong safety made 65 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks while collecting a forced fumble and fumble recovery and an interception.

Second Team Offense

Brian Jamison, Meade senior quarterback

Darius Burley, North County junior quarterback

TJ Mordecai, Arundel junior running back

Hebrew Norfleet, Glen Burnie junior running back

Jamal Epps, St. Mary's sophomore running back

Danny Outen, Glen Burnie senior wide receiver

Jordan Penn, Old Mill senior wide receiver

RJ Newton, Archbishop Spalding senior wide receiver

Darell Brown, Meade senior tight end

Ty Schwartz, Chesapeake senior center

Calieb Collazo, Broadneck senior offensive guard

Liam Lynch, Archbishop Spalding senior offensive tackle

Hayden Raymond, Broadneck senior offensive tackle

Caiden Leonard, Archbishop Spalding senior offensive guard

Daniel Growney, Severn junior athlete

Cooper Welch, Archbishop Spalding junior kicker/punter

Second Team Defense

Delmar White, Archbishop Spalding junior defensive end

Nate Bedell, North County senior defensive end

Mikael Villatoro, St. Mary's senior defensive tackle

Tyler McVicker, Archbishop Spalding defensive tackle

Landen Lilly, South River senior inside linebacker

Raymond Chapman, Arundel senior inside linebacker

Khalil Johnson, Glen Burnie senior outside linebacker

Tyrin Chinn-Thompson, Broadneck junior outside linebacker

Jacob Jenkins, Northeast senior outside linebacker

Tyler Brown, Archbishop Spalding senior defensive back

Isaiah Hall, Meade senior defensive back

Zayne Gay, Old Mill senior defensive back

Calvin Smith, Annapolis sophomore defensive back

Jaden McDuffie, South River sophomore defensive back

Mitch Collier, Chesapeake senior defensive back

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