“He’s got like that CEO, face-of-the-franchise quality you want from your quarterback,” Schmitt said of Washington, who was named first-team All-Met quarterback last year. “He’s a connector.”
This August, Schmitt observed his junior quarterback with glee. Repeatedly, Washington ripped off a stellar throw, broke off toward the bench, and introduced himself to eighth-grade recruits, freshmen and transfers who sat alone. One day, Washington mentioned he was wary of the rising costs of local football camps. Shortly thereafter, he put together a free clinic on his own, which drew 85 attendees.
“He’s always gotten the best out of everyone,” said senior receiver RJ Newton, who has played alongside Washington since elementary school.
“I know a lot of families that can’t just dish out that kind of money,” Washington said. “I just wanted to give back.”
None of this is to mention Washington’s arm, which generated 2,979 yards and 29 touchdowns and led the Cavaliers to the first Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A conference title in program history last fall. Or that there’s cause for optimism up and down the roster, with the bulk of last year’s starters returning.
This year, Washington said, Spalding hopes to repeat in the conference and establish itself not just as a local power, but a national one. On Friday, the Cavaliers, who start the year at No. 4 in the Post’s local rankings, will begin that pursuit against Don Bosco Prep (N.J), the 94th-ranked team in the country per MaxPreps.
After last year’s loss to Theodore Roosevelt in the Turkey Bowl, Dunbar is starting the new season hungry. The Crimson Tide is also starting it with a somewhat new identity.
With junior quarterback Brosnan Dukes set to make his varsity debut when the Tide hosts Friendship Collegiate on Friday, an otherwise veteran offense could be quite dynamic.
“We’re just building trust with him and understanding he’s more mobile than the QB we had the previous year,” offensive lineman Solomon Sidbury said. “We’re a fast team, but we’re strong too. So we have that toughness and speed that we’re able to play with.”
Coach Maurice Vaughn says Dukes’s ability to find openings and run the ball will cause issues for opponents expecting the same team as last year, and he has several other playmakers to rely on, including running back Dre’aun Wood and wide receiver Tristan Waters.
“I’m working hard, learning the plays,” Dukes said. “So it’s a lot of pressure.”
Dunbar knows it has mistakes to fix after a 34-14 loss in a scrimmage Saturday against No. 3 Freedom-Woodbridge.
With changes on the roster and in the playbook, Friday’s test against Friendship Collegiate, the reigning D.C. State Athletic Association Class AA champion, will be their chance to set the tone.
Dunbar at No. 11 Friendship Collegiate, Friday, 6 p.m.
No. 20 Theodore Roosevelt at Bishop McNamara, Saturday, 1 p.m.
No. 13 Gonzaga at Archbishop Carroll, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Another run for the Hornets
The Damascus Hornets returned to a familiar perch last fall, winning the program’s 12th state championship and first since a dominant, four-title run that lasted from 2015 to 2019.
The comeback campaign culminated in a 21-14 win over Oakdale at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis on Dec. 3. The running game was unstoppable, the defense came up big and the postgame celebration was joyous.
Eight months later, the Hornets returned to the field the same but different. Twenty-two seniors are gone, replaced by a group of 11. The memories of last season are still strong, but the work of this year begins from scratch.
“It’s part of the fun of high school football: Each year brings different strengths and weaknesses and personalities,” Coach Josh Klotz said. “So right now we’re working to cultivate a team identity.”
While it did lose plenty of talent to graduation, including All-Met two-way star Dillon Dunathan, Damascus had a few key underclassmen last season who will be expected to step up this fall. Six sophomores got starter’s minutes last year, three of whom played both ways. Even with some continuity, Klotz said he tries not to connect one season to the next.
“There’s no sense of complacency from getting it done last year,” Klotz said. “It made a lot of us, coaches included, just hungrier to get after it again this year. It’s created an additional drive to find a way to get back there.”
An unlikely four-year starter
Carter Working had never put on shoulder pads before his freshman year at Lightridge. He was a basketball player first — his football experience was limited to scrimmages with his friends during recess or backyard tosses with his dad.
“I never really thought that football was a possibility,” Working said. “When covid hit, they were talking about possibly shutting down basketball going into my freshman year, so I really just wanted to play a sport, get out there with my friends.”
Four years later, beginning Friday against Freedom South-Riding, the senior will suit up for his fourth and final season as the Bolts’ quarterback. After being thrust into the starting spot during Lightridge’s inaugural season his freshman year, Working has become a staple of his team’s offense.
He chuckled when recalling his first start, a gritty 3-0 victory over Jefferson that ended with a game-winning field goal. He has shown marked improvement over time; Working completed over 60 percent of his throws in a pass-heavy Lightridge offense last season.
He cited an understanding of the team’s offensive system that has allowed him to thrive despite his relative inexperience at the position. Working’s knowledge of the Bolts’ playbook is a welcome sight for Coach Bobby Eavenson Jr.’s team, which moved from Class 4 to Class 5 this season and will face a slew of Virginia juggernauts.
“We’re at a point now where he’s really just got the keys,” Eavenson said. “When he talks to the offense, they listen.”