Here are the Washington County Week 4 football matchups and predictions

Week 4 of the Washington County high school football season is here, with five of the eight teams looking to maintain their winning records, another two aiming to reach .500 and one searching for its first win.

There are four games Friday and two Saturday.

In two of the games, county opponents will be facing each other, including a first-ever meeting between two county programs.

Football: Washington County Week 3 roundup

Here are the matchups with predictions. (Last week, we correctly picked the winners in four of the seven games as our season record went to 13-9.)

Friday’s Week 4 games

Clear Spring Blazers (2-1) at Williamsport Wildcats (1-2), 7 p.m.

Series record: Wildcats lead, 16-0.

Last meeting: Williamsport 30, Clear Spring 6 (Sept. 23, 2022)

Last week: Williamsport lost 36-20 to Catoctin; Clear Spring lost 35-0 to Southern-Anne Arundel.

Notes: Williamsport vs. Clear Spring has been a one-sided affair, with the Wildcats outscoring the Blazers 559-137 overall in the series. … The closest game between the teams was in 2011, when Williamsport won 13-6. … In last week’s loss to Catoctin, Wildcats QB Nolan Raley completed 14 of 27 passes for a school-record 341 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. … Corry Nelson caught five passes for 162 yards, the third-most receiving yards in a single game in Williamsport history. Nelson also ran for a team-high 64 yards on 12 carries. … Clear Spring was hampered by injuries in last week’s loss at Southern. Alex Matthews, who rushed for 301 yards and three TDs during the Blazers’ 2-0 season start, hurt his hamstring on the third play of the game and didn’t return. QB Hayden Hodge then went out with a knee injury in the second quarter and didn’t return. Clear Spring coach Curtis Keller said he hopes to have both players back on Friday.

Prediction: Williamsport 31, Clear Spring 14

Middletown Knights (0-3) at Boonsboro Warriors (2-1), 7 p.m.

Series record: Knights lead, 37-4.

Last meeting: Middletown 28, Boonsboro 15 (Sept. 23, 2022)

Last week: Boonsboro lost 31-14 to Brunswick; Middletown lost 13-10 to Urbana.

Notes: The Warriors have lost six straight to the Knights since beating them 20-12 in 2015. … Middletown is winless this year, but the schedule hasn’t been easy as the Knights’ first three opponents have a combined record of 7-2 — Frederick (2-1), Mergenthaler Vo-Tech (3-0) and Urbana (2-1). … The Knights have their first three-game losing streak since 2015 and haven’t lost four straight since 2014. … In last week’s loss to Brunswick (3-0), the Warriors led 7-3 at halftime before wearing down over the last two quarters. The two touchdowns scored by Boonsboro are the only points the Railroaders have allowed this year. … The Warriors’ season stat leaders include Colin Telemeco, who’s passed for 209 yards and three TDs, Chad Wyand, who’s rushed for 218 yards and two TDs, Parker DeBaugh, who has nine catches for 96 yards, Logan Frantz, who has three TD catches, and Hayden Ritchie and Trevor Sowers, who each have 32 tackles.

Prediction: Middletown 31, Boonsboro 21

North Hagerstown Hubs (1-2) at Spring Mills Cardinals (3-1), 7 p.m.

Series record: Cardinals lead, 5-0.

Last meeting: Spring Mills 29, North 15 (Oct. 20, 2022)

Last week: North lost 42-6 to Thomas Johnson; Spring Mills won 26-3 over Musselman.

Notes: TJ quarterback A.J. Allen was too much for the Hubs last week, passing for 126 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 132 yards and three TDs. … This week, North faces another multi-threat QB in Cardinals star Max Anderson. In last year’s win over North, Anderson ran for 197 yards and three TDs and passed for 75 yards and a score. … Hubs QB Luke Kercheval has passed for 603 yards and six TDs this season, including 314 yards and four TDs to receiver Ryder Johnston. … Luke Bragunier ran for 132 yards on 29 carries against TJ and scored North’s lone TD. His 323 rushing yards this season rank second in Washington County. … Spring Mills is aiming to go 2-0 against Hagerstown teams for the second straight year. The Cardinals defeated South Hagerstown 39-14 earlier this month.

Prediction: Spring Mills 35, North 14

Smithsburg Leopards (2-1) at Brunswick Railroaders (3-0), 7 p.m.

Series record: Leopards lead, 25-17.

Last meeting: Brunswick 36, Smithsburg 0 (Oct. 18, 2019)

Last week: Smithsburg won 16-6 over Century; Brunswick won 31-14 over Boonsboro.

Notes: At 2-1, the Leopards are off to their best start since they began 2-1 in 2015. … At 3-0, the Railroaders are off to their best start since 2010, when they won their first eight games. … Brunswick is led by QB Ethan Houck and running back Ben Wells. Against Boonsboro last week, Houck threw a pair of TD passes and Wells scored on runs of 42 and 66 yards. … Ashton Redman scored 14 of Smithsburg’s 16 points against Century on two TD runs and a two-point conversion. … Redman ranks first in Washington County this season in rushing yards (346), total touchdowns (six) and points scored (42).

Prediction: Brunswick 35, Smithsburg 16

Covered: 2023 Washington County high school fall sports central

Saturday’s Week 4 games

South Hagerstown Rebels (2-1) at Saint James Saints (2-1), 12 p.m.

Last week: South won 35-15 over Tuscarora; Saint James beat Mount Carmel 28-21 in overtime.

Notes: This will be the first-ever football game between the two schools, which are separated by only four miles. … The game will feature Washington County’s top multi-threat quarterbacks in South senior Lance Ford and Saint James sophomore Jayden Yates. … Ford ranks first in the county this season in touchdown passes (nine) and completion percentage (64.6%), third in passing yards (545) and sixth in rushing yards (192). … Yates is tied for first in the county in TD runs (five) and is third in TD passes (five), fourth in passing yards (416) and fourth in rushing yards (229). … South’s Cahauri Alford is tied for second in the county in total touchdowns (five) with four receiving and one rushing. … Against Mount Carmel, the Saints’ Trevor Owens had another big game on both sides of the ball, catching four passes for 132 yards and a TD and recording 10 tackles (eight solo) with a fumble recovery and a blocked punt. ... The Rebels are 1-0 under interim head coach Juwuane Sandridge, who took over after Dave Lawrence resigned last week.

Prediction: South 28, Saint James 22

Hancock Panthers (0-2) at Shenandoah Valley Blue Devils (1-3), 1 p.m.

Series record: Blue Devils lead, 1-0.

Last meeting: Shenandoah Valley 51, Hancock 20 (Sept. 24, 2022)

Last week: Shenandoah Valley (Pa.) lost 39-21 to Panther Valley; Hancock was off.

Notes: The Panthers had no Week 3 opponent after Trinity Christian canceled its season due to a lack of players. … Hancock has scored two touchdowns this season, a 72-yard pass from Isaiah Demory to Jacob Anderson in Week 1 and a TD run by Aiden McCarty in Week 2. … The Panthers scored a season-high 20 points against Shenandoah Valley last year. … The Blue Devils are led by senior quarterback Ben Dempster, who has nine TD passes and two TD runs this season. … Last year against Hancock, Dempster was 12-of-12 passing for 253 yards and six touchdowns as Shenandoah Valley got its lone win of the season.

Prediction: Shenandoah Valley 48, Hancock 22

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Previews and predictions for Washington County football Week 4