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Check out the Washington County Week 3 football matchups and predictions

Andy Mason, The Herald-Mail
·7 min read

By the time the weekend gets here, Week 3 of the Washington County football season will be over for the public schools, with six games set for Thursday night..

Boonsboro and Clear Spring are aiming to stay unbeaten, while North Hagerstown, South Hagerstown, Smithsburg and Williamsport are looking to push past .500.

Football: Washington County Week 2 roundup

Saint James (1-1), which hits the road for a Saturday night game, also is looking to get over the hump, while Hancock (0-2) is off this week.

Here are the matchups, with predictions. (Last week, we correctly picked the winners in only three of the seven games. Our season record is now 9-6.)

Thursday's Week 3 games

Century Knights (0-2) at Smithsburg Leopards (1-1), 6 p.m.

Last week: Smithsburg lost 31-16 to Williamsport; Century lost 42-13 to Cambridge-South Dorchester.

Notes: This will be the first meeting between the two programs. … The Knights, who went 1-9 last year, have been outscored 90-27 in their two losses this season. … The Leopards’ defense has forced eight turnovers, four in each game, with five interceptions and three fumble recoveries. … After gaining 237 yards on the ground in their 30-6 win over Francis Scott Key in the opener, the Leopards were held to 45 yards rushing against Williamsport. … Smithsburg senior Ashton Redman leads Washington County in scoring with 28 points — three TD runs, a pick-6 and a pair of two-point conversions.

Prediction: Smithsburg 38, Century 22

Tuscarora Titans (0-2) at South Hagerstown Rebels (1-1), 6 p.m.

Series record: Rebels lead, 5-3.

Last meeting: South 39, Tuscarora 0 (Sept. 10, 2021)

Last week: South lost 39-14 to Spring Mills; Tuscarora lost 35-0 to Brunswick.

Notes: Tuscarora is on a 15-game losing streak, last winning 27-21 over Thomas Johnson on Oct. 15, 2021. … The Titans opened the season with a 38-27 loss to North Hagerstown before getting blanked by Brunswick. … This will be South’s third straight home game to start the season before hitting the road for two straight. … Through two games, Rebels senior QB Lance Ford is tied for first in Washington County in touchdown passes (six) and ranks second in passing yards (264) and fifth in rushing yards (139). … South junior Cahauri Alford is tied for third in the county in total TDs (three) and ranks sixth in receiving yards (76).

Prediction: South 42, Tuscarora 21

Covered: 2023 Washington County high school fall sports central

Williamsport quarterback Nolan Raley tries to elude the grasp of Smithsburg's Bruce Reynolds.
Williamsport quarterback Nolan Raley tries to elude the grasp of Smithsburg's Bruce Reynolds.

Catoctin Cougars (0-2) at Williamsport Wildcats (1-1), 6 p.m.

Series record: Cougars lead, 30-17.

Last meeting: Catoctin 49, Williamsport 6 (Oct. 18, 2019)

Last week: Williamsport won 31-16 over Smithsburg; Catoctin lost 43-12 to Mountain Ridge.

Notes: The two teams haven’t met since 2019, the year Catoctin went 13-1 and won the 1A state title. … The Cougars are 4-22 since capturing that championship, but probably are better than their 0-2 record might indicate this season. In Week 1, they led Boonsboro (2-0) in the fourth quarter before falling 24-20, and last week, they faced Mountain Ridge (2-0), the 1A state runner-up in 2021 and 2022. … Williamsport senior QB Nolan Raley has completed 17 of 26 passes this season and ranks first in Washington County with the 65.4% completion rate. … Junior Ceonta Wilmore ranks second in the county in receptions (10) and receiving yards (214).

Prediction: Williamsport 28, Catoctin 20

Clear Spring Blazers (2-0) at Southern-Anne Arundel Bulldogs (0-1), 6:30 p.m.

Series record: Bulldogs lead, 1-0.

Last meeting: Southern 24, Clear Spring 13 (Sept. 9, 2022)

Last week: Clear Spring won 27-14 over Green Street Academy; Southern’s game against Digital Harbor was canceled.

Notes: The Blazers, who are 2-0 for the first time since 2015, haven’t started 3-0 since 2011. … Clear Spring, under first-year head coach Curtis Keller, already has matched its total number of wins from last season. … Blazers sophomore Alex Matthews leads Washington County in rushing yards (301) and yards per carry (11.6) and is tied for first in TD runs (three). On defense, he leads the county with three interceptions. … Will Bennett, another 10th-grader, ranks fourth in the county in receiving yards (130). … Southern lost its opener 39-6 to South River (1-1).

Prediction: Clear Spring 27, Southern 16

North Hagerstown's Ryder Johnston secures one of his eight receptions against Manchester Valley on Sept. 7, 2023.
North Hagerstown's Ryder Johnston secures one of his eight receptions against Manchester Valley on Sept. 7, 2023.

North Hagerstown Hubs (1-1) at Thomas Johnson Patriots (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

Series record: Patriots lead, 16-11.

Last meeting: North 21, TJ 17 (Sept. 2, 2022)

Last week: North lost 24-21 to Manchester Valley; TJ lost 28-0 to Urbana.

Notes: The Hubs have won two straight against the Patriots, defeating them each of the past two years in their season openers.  … TJ, coming off three straight one-win seasons, opened this year with a 37-19 victory over Washington (W.Va.). … North senior Ryder Johnston ranks No. 1 in Washington County this season in receptions (13), receiving yards (234) and TD catches (four). … Johnston ranks first in school history in both career catches (80) and receiving yards (1,232), setting both marks in last week’s loss. … Hubs senior QB Luke Kercheval leads the county this year in passing yards (442) and completions (25) and is tied for first in TD passes (six). The 442 passing yards are the most in school history through two games. … North sophomore linebacker Damean Thomas had 22 tackles against Manchester Valley — the most ever by a non-senior in program history — giving him a county-leading 33 this year.

Prediction: North 27, TJ 20

Brunswick Railroaders (2-0) at Boonsboro Warriors (2-0), 7 p.m.

Series record: Warriors lead, 37-18.

Last meeting: Brunswick 27, Boonsboro 7 (Sept. 16, 2022)

Last week: Boonsboro won 42-28 over Liberty; Brunswick won 35-0 over Tuscarora.

Notes: The Railroaders, who’ve defeated the Warriors each of the last two seasons, have yet to allow any points this year, outscoring their first two opponents 74-0. … The last time the Railroaders started 2-0, in 2018, they lost to Boonsboro in Week 3. Brunswick hasn’t started 3-0 since 2010. … The Warriors, off to a 2-0 start for the second straight year, haven’t been 3-0 since 2016. … Junior quarterback Ethan Houck and senior running back Ben Wells, who led Brunswick past Boonsboro last year, are off to hot starts this season. Houck has five TD passes and a TD run, while Wells has four TD runs and two TD catches. … Boonsboro speedster Chad Wyand, a senior, ranks first in Washington County in kickoff return average (24.0 yards), second in punt return average (21.8), fourth in rushing yards (187) and second in yards per carry (9.4). … Hayden Ritchie, a junior, ranks third in the county in tackles (24), including two sacks.

Prediction: Brunswick 28, Boonsboro 21

Saturday

Saint James Saints (1-1) at Mount Carmel Cougars (2-1), 7 p.m.

Series record: Saints lead, 1-0.

Last meeting: Saint James 34, Mount Carmel 17 (Aug. 30, 2014)

Last week: Saint James won 31-0 over Kiski; Mount Carmel won 40-6 over National Christian Academy.

Notes: This game wasn’t scheduled until Tuesday of this week. … Saints sophomore QB Jayden Yates is coming off a huge game against Kiski, passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns and running for 55 yards and three TDs. … Senior Trevor Owens stood out on both sides of the ball last week for Saint James, catching six passes for 71 yards and a TD, and he had 13 tackles (eight solo) with two sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. … Mount Carmel senior William Scott is averaging 112 yards rushing per game.

Prediction: Saint James 30, Mount Carmel 28

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Previews and predictions for Washington County football Week 3