Where the schools have no names

By Sheldon Shealer

In tribute to the ultimate numbers game which took place in Baltimore last week, I will recap the 418 vs. 419 contest in the most fitting way -- since the schools have no names, neither will the players in this report.

Final score: 419 20, 418 0.

Scoring started in the first quarter when No. 8 hit No. 81 for a 5-yard scoring pass, giving 419 a 6-0 lead. 419 went ahead 14-0 in the second quarter when No. 20 scored on a 6-yard run and the two-point conversion pass from No. 8 was caught by No. 81. Finally, in the fourth quarter, No. 8 scored on a 10-run run to make it 20-0.

And there you have it -- the summary for the inaugural 418 vs. 419 clash!

For those unfamiliar with the story, Northern-Balt. officially was split into two schools in late July. In the haste, little consideration was given to the athletic program -- which had already set fall schedules as Northern High School. Talk of the two schools fielding a combined team, since they share the same building, were nixed by MPSSAA rules that stipulate -- one school, one school athletic program. The new schools -- titled 418 and 419 until formal names are decided --hurried to fill coaching staffs. Confusion ran amuck since potential players did not know which school they were attending, and many showed up at whichever practice they wanted for the first week. As for games, the new schools took Northern's football schedule and split it in half, with each new school taking five opponents. Then it was up to the schools to scramble in mid-August to fill the schedule. Lost in the shuffle was the fact Flowers of P.G. County was supposed to play Northern. The two Northern schools opted to schedule each other for the week in which Northern was supposed to play Flowers, leaving Flowers with a nine-game schedule -- a fact that doesn't sit well with coach Mike Mayo. Flowers was not contacted regarding Northern's change in plans until the last week in August -- almost too late to correct the situation.

Without doubt, the split of Northern has to rank among the all-time most bizarre situations in Maryland prep history and should serve as a "How Not To" handle future splits of high schools.

RECORD SETTERS

Statistically, it doesn't get any longer, therefore Valdase Morris' 99-yard rushing touchdown for Wicomico last week would tie a record for longest run from scrimmage. However, no real state record is kept for that category. Therre was one 99-yard TD run last year, but that was courtesy of a punter who was forced to scramble instead of having a punt blocked.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

He plays quarterback, but there's no denying Damond Malloy is one of the state's most electrifying running backs. For the second week in a row, the Player of the Week hails from Baltimore County as Malloy gets the nod following Pikesville's 58-22 victory over Havre de Grace. Malloy rushed for 271 yards and five touchdowns on 25 carries. He completed 5 of 13 passes for 72 yards and two TDs. On the season, Malloy has rushed for 447 yards and seven touchdowns on 59 carries.

IN CASE YOU WHERE WONDERING

Who'd a thought it -- both the defending 4A and 3A state champions are sitting at 0-2. Defending champs starting 0-2 is not as uncommon as you might think. The last 4A defending champ to start 0-2 was North County in 1995 (following the 1994 title). The last 3A champ to begin 0-2 was Friendly in 1999 (following the 1998 title).

AROUND THE STATE (Week 2 Notes)

Fairfield (Pa.) visited Hickey School for a game last week, but no officials showed. Fairfield left the game assuming a forfeit. The MPSSAA has discovered the error did not rest with Hickey, but rather with the officials group who were contracted, but never showed. Therefore, Hickey will not be penalized a forfeit. Instead, Hickey has found another opponent and will squeeze three games into eight days to meet the state minimum of a nine-game schedule. ... Northwestern-PG moved up to No. 11 in this week's AP state poll, the school's highest football ranking since checking in at No. 9 following Week 1 of the 1999 season. The Wildcats made the jump this week after defeating Eleanor Roosevelt. ... Newcomers to this week's state poll are Parkdale, Richard Montgomery and Francis Scott Key. ... Georgetown Prep leads the state in scoring average at 47.5 points per game. Wilde Lake (46.0) is second, Calvert Hall (41.7) is third and Rising Sun (41.0) is fourth. ... Six teams are getting defensive. Chesapeake-AA, Edmondson, Richard Montgomery and Wilde Lake have each shut out both of their opponents. Bullis and Flowers, both 1-0, also have not allowed a point. ... The FSK coaches won't want to hear this, but they might want to start preparing for the playoffs. The Eagles are only 2-0, but a 41-20 win over Middletown last week holds historical value. The teams have played annually since 1975. FSK has won only four times -- and two of the first three FSK wins have resulted in playoff appearances. ... Speaking of Middletown, FSK became the first team to score 40 points on Middletown since the Knights gave up a school-record 42 points in a 42-16 loss to Poolesville in 1974 -- Middletown's first year of football. ... looking for offense? Then attend an Arundel game. The average score of Arundel's games this year is 34-29. ... Here's an interesting play on numbers. Maryland School for the Deaf scored 28 points in its first game -- a loss. The team scored six points in its second game -- another loss. This past week, MSD won, oddly, by the score of 28-6.

STREAK BUSTERS

Patuxent's 17-game regular-season win streak was brought to an end in an 8-0 loss at Fort Hill. ... Archbishop Spalding ended a 10-game losing streak with a 23-20 victory over Wilmington (Del.) Charter School. ... Middletown's 11-game regular-season win streak was ended in a 41-20 loss to Francis Scott Key. ... Easton's nine-game win streak was smashed in a big way -- a 48-0 loss to Wicomico. ... Forest Park's nine-game regular-season win streak was halted in an 18-17 loss to Polytechnic. ... Randallstown's 10-game regular-season win streak is history, thanks to Dulaney, 15-14. ... Severna Park ended a nine-game slide with a 21-18 win over South River. ... Washington ended an eight-game losing streak with a 28-6 win over Queen Anne's. ...

LOOKING AHEAD

Suitland at Largo, Friday. Suitland's No. 5 state ranking is well-earned considering it knocked off the defending state champion and the state runner-up in the first two weeks of the season. There's no break this week as Suitland heads to state-ranked Largo.

Walt Whitman at Magruder, Friday. This has a making of a classic. Both teams are on the verge of being playoff-caliber squads, and the winner here gets a major jump in the 4A points standings. Magruder opened the season with a one-point surprise win over Gaithersburg. Last week, Whitman pushed Gaithersburg to OT before losing. Count on a close one between Whitman and Magruder.

Long Reach at Wilde Lake, Saturday. Is this the Howard County title match? Well, not if Glenelg has a say. But for now, this is the biggest showdown in the county. Both teams are 2-0 and to the winner goes a lot of bonus points plus the inside track to the county title.

Bowie at Eleanor Roosevelt, Saturday. Last year, these teams met for the state title. This year, the early regular-season meeting is also desperation time. The teams both started ranked among the state's Top 10 teams. But like the St. Louis Rams, Bowie and ER are both 0-2. The loser Saturday could find itself out of the playoff race before midseason.

Other Games of Note: Friday: Allegany ay Beall; Calvert at McDonough, Catoctin at Middletown, Catonsville at Hereford; Lackey at Patuxent; Rising Sun at Joppatowne; Wicomico at Stephen Decatur. Saturday: Blair Academy (N.J.) at Gilman; Potomac at Gwynn Park.