Check out the Washington County Week 1 football matchups and predictions
The 2023 high school football season has arrived, with all eight Washington County teams set to play their openers this weekend.
The seven public-school teams will kick off their seasons Friday night, while Saint James gets its start at home on Saturday afternoon.
Here’s a look at the matchups, with predictions:
Francis Scott Key Eagles at Smithsburg Leopards, 6 p.m.
Series record: Leopards lead, 23-8.
Last meeting: Smithsburg 21, FSK 0 (Sept. 2, 2022)
Last season: Smithsburg finished 3-7, falling to Northern Garrett in the first round of the 1A West playoffs. FSK went 1-9, losing to Liberty in the 2A-1A West first round.
Notes: The Leopards and Eagles are meeting in the opener for the third straight year, this time at Smithsburg’s newly renovated stadium with a new artificial-turf field and new LED lights. … The Leopards are 3-7 in their last 10 openers. … Smithsburg senior Ashton Redman is Washington County’s top returning running back after rushing for 711 yards and scoring six touchdowns last season.
Prediction: Smithsburg 30, FSK 20
Season preview: Leopards leaning on strength of their defense
Century Knights at South Hagerstown Rebels, 6 p.m.
Series record: Tied, 3-3.
Last meeting: South 40, Century 6 (Sept. 5, 2014)
Last season: South finished 3-7, falling to Frederick in the first round of the 3A West playoffs. Century went 1-9, losing to Oakland Mills in the 2A West first round.
Notes: South senior Lance Ford is set to become a four-year starting quarterback. Last season, he had seven touchdown passes and nine TD runs. … Ford is one of nine Rebels returning from last year’s All-Washington County coaches’ selections. … Century is 3-21 over the last three seasons, getting outscored 666-137. …The Rebels are 6-4 in their last 10 season openers, although they’ve dropped their last three.
Prediction: South 34, Century 8
Season preview: Rebels 'due for a pretty decent season’
Boonsboro Warriors at Catoctin Cougars, 6:30 p.m.
Series record: Warriors lead, 31-22-1.
Last meeting: Boonsboro 28, Catoctin 3 (Sept. 2, 2022)
Last season: Boonsboro finished 7-4, falling to South Carroll 20-14 in the second round of the 2A-1A West playoffs after topping Western Tech 42-6 in the first round. Catoctin went 2-8, losing 21-14 to Brunswick in the first round of the 1A West playoffs.
Notes: The Warriors are going for their third straight season-opening victory over the Cougars. … Boonsboro has finished with a winning record each of the last 12 years, the longest such streak in Washington County history. The Warriors are 8-4 in season openers in that span. … Boonsboro only has three returning starters on offense, all linemen, including senior Nate Elliott, an All-County first-teamer on both sides of the ball last year. …. Junior kicker Owen Hardy was a perfect 29 of 29 on extra-point attempts last year. … Since winning the 1A state title with a 13-1 record in 2019, Catoctin has had three straight losing seasons, going 4-20 in that span.
Prediction: Boonsboro 28, Catoctin 13
Season preview: Boonsboro on record run of success
North Hagerstown Hubs at Tuscarora Titans, 6:30 p.m.
Series record: Titans lead, 3-2.
Last meeting: North 26, Tuscarora 15 (Sept. 16, 2022)
Last season: North finished 3-7, falling to Oakdale in the first round of the 3A West playoffs. Tuscarora went 0-10, losing to Urbana in the 4A-3A West first round.
Notes: The Hubs and Titans are meeting in a season opener for the first time. … North has won six of its last seven season openers, including the last three. … Tuscarora has only one win in the last two seasons. … Last year, the Hubs scored a season-high 26 points against the Titans, who tallied a season-high 15 points against North. … North seniors Luke Kercheval and Ryder Johnston return as Washington County’s top pass-catch duo as Kercheval passed for a county-high 1,344 yards last season, while Johnston had a county-leading 41 receptions for 603 yards, also a county best.
Prediction: North 34, Tuscarora 14
Season preview: Johnston, Kercheval set to lead young Hubs in 2023
Williamsport Wildcats at Winters Mill Falcons, 7
Series record: Wildcats lead, 1-0.
Last meeting: Williamsport 41, Winters Mill 21 (Nov. 4, 2022)
Last season: Williamsport finished 8-4, falling 33-24 to Patuxent in the 2A-1A state quarterfinals. Winters Mill went 3-7, losing to Williamsport in the 2A-1A West first round.
Notes: In their first matchup between the programs, the Wildcats defeated the Falcons in the first round of the region playoffs last year en route to a second straight appearance in the state quarterfinals. … After earning Washington County Offensive Player of the Year honors last season, multi-threat Corry Nelson is back for an encore as a senior. … Williamsport, on a program-record run of four straight winning seasons, is 6-4 in its last 10 openers. … Winters Mill, which hasn’t had a winning season since 2011, has dropped its last four openers.
Prediction: Williamsport 31, Winters Mill 13
Season preview: Williamsport is riding high from recent success
James Buchanan Rockets at Clear Spring Blazers, 7 p.m.
Series record: Rockets lead, 3-1.
Last meeting: James Buchanan 14, Clear Spring 6 (Sept. 2, 2022)
Last season: Clear Spring finished 2-8, falling to Allegany in the first round of the 1A West playoffs. James Buchanan went 3-7.
Last week: James Buchanan lost its opener 14-7 to York County Tech.
Notes: The Blazers will kick off their 20th season of football with a first-year head coach, Curtis Keller. … Last year, Clear Spring started 0-6 before winning two of its last four games, while JB started 3-1 and then lost six straight. … The Blazers have one winning season in program history, going 6-4 in 2010, while the Rockets haven’t had a winning season since 1995, when they finished 6-4. … Clear Spring is 5-14 all-time in season openers.
Prediction: James Buchanan 22, Clear Spring 14
Season preview: Blazers have a young roster and a new coach
Hancock Panthers at Madonna Blue Dons, 7 p.m.
Series record: Blue Dons lead, 1-0.
Last meeting: Madonna 52, Hancock 0 (Sept. 2, 2022)
Last season: Hancock finished 0-9, opting out of the 1A West playoffs. Madonna went 5-5.
Notes: The Panthers and the Blue Dons, of Weirton, W.Va., are meeting for the season opener for the second straight year. … Lucas McAllister, who passed for 211 yards and five touchdowns against Hancock as a sophomore last season, has transferred to Steubenville (Ohio). … Hancock returns all but one starter from last year, including junior RB/LB Aiden McCarty, who led the team in rushing, scoring and tackles. … The Panthers are 4-6 in their last 10 openers.
Prediction: Madonna 28, Hancock 14
Season preview: Panthers have experience on their side
Saturday
North Cross Raiders at Saint James Saints, 2 p.m.
Last season: Saint James went 6-3 and won its second straight MAC title. North Cross finished 11-1, winning the Virginia Independent Schools Division II state title.
Last week: North Cross won its opener 15-13 over Nansemond-Suffolk Academy.
Notes: This will be the first meeting between Saint James and North Cross, of Roanoke, Va. … The Raiders, who’ve had 15 straight winning seasons, outscored their opponents 473-96 last year. … North Cross first-year head coach Shannon Taylor played four seasons as a linebacker in the NFL for San Diego (2000), Baltimore (2001-02) and Jacksonville (2003). … Raiders star lineman Moritz Schmoranzer, a senior, has committed to the University of Pittsburgh. … Saint James has had three straight winning seasons, winning the opener in each. … Saints sophomore linebacker Liam Hall is The Herald-Mail’s No. 1-ranked returning player on defense in Washington County. … Saints junior RB/LB Sammy Stonebraker was voted the county’s preseason player of the year in an online poll.
Prediction: North Cross 27, Saint James 20
Season preview: Can Saints make it three in a row and claim the MAC title in 2023?
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Previews and predictions for Washington County football Week 1
