Week 4 High School Football Capsules

Sep. 21—6:30 p.m.

Linganore (3-0) at Oakdale (3-0): The annual de facto Game of the Year (on paper) in Frederick County pits two of the leading contenders for the Class 3A state title against one another. Both have looked the part so far, rolling over an impressive schedule (in the case of Oakdale) and by impressive margins (in the case of Linganore, 139-12) through three games. Oakdale is coming off a 28-16 victory at Frederick High last week, while Linganore turned in a dominant 42-12 win over visiting Walkersville. This will be the second consecutive year the Bears have hosted the Lancers. Oakdale snapped a two-game losing streak to Linganore with a 28-14 victory last season.

Smithsburg (2-1) at Brunswick (3-0): The Railroaders are looking for their first 4-0 start since 2010. They have yet to be tested in victories over Rock Ridge (Virginia), Tuscarora and Boonsboro, winning by a combined score of 105-14. This will be their first meeting with Smithsburg since 2019, and Brunswick has won the last two overall. Smithsburg has beaten Francis Scott Key (30-6) and Century (16-6) so far and lost to Williamsport (31-16).

Westminster (2-1) at Walkersville (2-1): This is the first meeting between the Lions and the Owls. Walkersville is looking to get back on track after getting blown out by Linganore 42-12 on the road last week. After scoring a touchdown on their opening possession to take the lead, the Lions couldn't generate much offense against the Lancers. They didn't help their cause by fumbling the ball away on their first three possessions of the second half. On the other hand, Westminster quickly bounced back from a 34-26 home loss to Frederick on Monday of last week and beat South Carroll 42-0 last Friday.

Catoctin (1-2) at Tuscarora (0-3): Senior quarterback Haydn Mathews and junior receiver Shaymus Stull connected on a pair of touchdown passes last week to lift Catoctin to another win over Williamsport, which hasn't beaten the Cougars since 2001. Mathews finished with four touchdown passes, while Stull had 154 receiving yards in the victory, as Catoctin claimed its first win of the season. The Cougars are hoping to maintain the positive momentum against Tuscarora, which is trying to snap a 16-game losing streak. The Titans fell at South Hagerstown 35-15 last week.

Middletown (0-3) at Boonsboro (2-1): The Knights find themselves at 0-3 for the first time since 2003 after last week's close home loss to Urbana. This will be their third road game in the first month of the season. They have dominated the rivalry with Boonsboro, winning the last six meetings. The Warriors are trying to bounce back from their first loss of the season. They fell 31-14 at home to Brunswick last week.

6 p.m.

Urbana (2-1) at Ballou (2-1): The Hawks overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter last week to nip Middletown 13-10 on the road and climb over .500. Senior quarterback Tanner Rupinta engineered a three-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by his 2-yard plunge for the game winning touchdown with just under eight minutes to play. First-year head coach Dean Swink later described it as a "gut-check" for the Hawks. They will seek their third straight win against D.C.-based Ballou, which was a late addition to their schedule during the offseason. The Knights come into the game riding back-to-back shutout wins.

7 p.m.

Thomas Johnson (2-1) at Walt Whitman (1-2): The Patriots seem to be motivated and flourishing so far under first-year coach Beau Traber. They rolled to a 42-6 home win over North Hagerstown last week, and are seeking their first 3-1 start since 2016. They take on a Walt Whitman team that is licking its wounds following a a 41-7 home loss to Walter Johnson last week.

Perkiomen School (1-0) at MSD (2-2): Junior Dwayne Collins II scored a pair of touchdowns for MSD last week as the Orioles pulled out a 14-12 home win over California School for the Deaf in the final two minutes with a touchdown and 2-point conversion. They stopped California SD's flea flicker on fourth down to end the game. This week, MSD seeks to continue its momentum with a third consecutive win. The Orioles split a pair of meetings with Pennsylvania-based Perkiomen School last season, including a 46-18 victory in the championship game for the eight-man Keystone State Football League.

Noon Saturday

St. John's Catholic Prep (1-2) at Bishop Ireton (2-1): Defense led the Vikings to their first win of the season last week, as it forced four turnovers and set up a pair of touchdowns in a 20-0 home win over Central Maryland Christian. This week, they travel to Alexandria, Virginia, to take on a Bishop Ireton team that is coming of a 27-18 road victory over neighboring St. Stephen's & St. Agnes last week. This will be Bishop Ireton's first home game of the season.

6 p.m. Saturday

Frederick (2-1) at Mountain Ridge (3-0): The Cadets make the trip to Frostburg for a Saturday evening game against one of the state's preeminent Class 1A schools. The Miners lost a nail-biter to Fort Hill in the 1A championship game last December. So far this season, they rolled to victories over Southern Garrett (49-0) and Catoctin (43-12) before pulling out a close win over visiting Allegany last week, 16-13. Meanwhile, Frederick is trying to shake off its first regular-season loss since October 2021. The Cadets fell to visiting Oakdale 28-16 last week in a rematch of their playoff game from a season ago. They will be looking to limit big plays and shore up their run defense against Mountain Ridge.

— Greg Swatek