Fall 2026 Preview: Montgomery County Football!

FOOTBALL

Last season marked the second consecutive season, and 11th since 2012, where a Montgomery County team brought home an MPSSAA football state championship trophy! Aside from Quince Orchard winning the 4A title, Sherwood also made the 4A/3A championship game. With practices starting on Wednesday, scroll down to read more about how last year’s top teams are shaping up heading into the official start of the preseason!

The perennial powerhouse that is Quince Orchard enters 2026 after winning their second straight state title, fourth in five years, and seventh in program history. On the backs of Kentucky commit William Drakeford Jr,, QO outscored regular season opponents 341-63 while recording five shutouts in nine games. This fall, they’ll be without Drakeford under center, but running back Damien Hurtado will return to the backfield. Rafferty Bankert, who caught a touchdown in the state title game, will also be back on the roster in 2026 for the Cougars. The team’s roster has Tavien Groves listed as the lone quarterback, a rising senior who threw just one pass last fall. 

Sherwood finished as the 4A/3A runner up, falling 40-20 against Mervo in the championship game. Warrior quarterback Matthew Larsen recorded 27 touchdowns in 13 games and will return for his senior season alongside running back Frankie Saunders who rushed for over 1,000 yards with 13 touchdowns. Defensively, Sherwood will be led by linebacker London Hardy who led the Warriors in touchdowns in 2025. Pat Cilento, who led the program to a state title in 1995, will return for his third season as head coach this fall. 

Churchill made it to the 4A semifinals but fell to Wise in blowout fashion. This fall’s offense will be led by second-year starter Hunter Humphries. Humphries threw for 1,750 yards and rushed for over 300 more, racking up 34 touchdowns between the two. The Bulldog offense will be without top running back Noah Zhang, who ran for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, and top receiver Bryan Ngouzo, giving way to AJ Wiseman who will rise to the top receiver spot. Defensively, Churchill will return David Skopec to who ranked second on the roster in total tackles with 79 and first in tackles for loss with 14. 

Paint Branch only won one playoff game in 2025 despite having one of the best offenses in the county.  The Panthers scored at least 50 points in four games while surpassing 60 in three. The team was led by senior Vincent Do who threw for 1,924 yards and 26 touchdowns. Rising senior Leoul Solomon threw for 63 yards in four games and appears to be the QB1 on PB’s roster this fall. The team will also retain star running back Alijah Bah who surpassed 1,600 all purpose yards with 24 total touchdowns. Raheim Briddell led the Paint Branch defense with 50 tackles and five TFLs will be the top guy on defense. 

After a week one win over Blair, Wheaton’s season came to a close in the second round of the postseason at the hands of the Blazers. This fall, rising junior James Destine will head the offense for the second season, but his weapons will be very different. Running back Omari Madden who averaged almost 150 yards in the two games on MaxPreps graduated last spring, and each of the two receivers with a catch will also not return. Adam Cary will return to this year’s roster to lead the ground game, 

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Bethesda-Chevy Chase also had an early season win over Blair, beating the Blazers 50-12 in week two, but lost their first playoff game 24-20 against the same team. In his sophomore season, Jack Conley threw just 53 passes, completing 28 for 270 yards. The Barons did graduate Georgetown commit Gabe Eisler who rushed for 1,088 yards and 10 touchdowns. According to the team’s MaxPreps, every athlete who caught a pass in 2025 was a senior, which could lead to problems offensively for B-CC, especially with the loss of the key to their ground game. 

The 12-time state champion Damascus Hornets best game of last season was undoubtedly their 72-6 road win in week seven over the Einstein Titans. Six of the team’s seven wins game by a double-digit margin, but simultaneously, each of the four losses were by at least three scores, with the worst being a 49-0 playoff loss against Oakdale. Damascus will return a pair of all-region athletes including running back MJ Sullivan and defensive back Nolan Cooley to lead both sides of the ball. 

Richard Montgomery finds themselves in a tough position coming into this season. Quarterback Dylan Webster, who played in all 11 games throwing for 2,346 yards and 28 touchdowns, along with running back Tristan Trebules, who ran for 743 yards and 7 touchdowns, and the team’s top two receivers, Jaylen Garcia and Gerard Woods Jr., have all graduated. Rising junior Davis Bowen is the lone quarterback still on the team on this year’s roster. In his sophomore campaign, Bowen played four games, throwing for 51 yards in 10 attempts. Jacob Hecht was the leader in tackles for loss, racking up 8.5, and he will be back for the 2026 season. 

Blake won five of their first six to start the 2025 campaign but dropped four of their last five with the one win coming against Laurel in the first round of the playoffs. The Bengals will be led by Wilton Cameron who had 1,682 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and rising senior wide receiver Tatum Bell, who, per MaxPreps, recorded 466 receiving yards and four touchdowns in nine games. 

Kennedy had two back-to-back losses in the regular season, going 5-4 before earning a playoff win over Whitman. The team lost both quarterbacks on the 2025 statsheet including Ziaire Mays who recorded 1,433 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air. The good news is that running back Ashad Davis, who led the ground game with 953 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, will return to the roster this fall for his senior season. Only time will tell who is under center for the Cavaliers this season, but some regression appears likely with the uncertainty surrounding the passing game. 

Northwest quarterback Jayden Vongprachanh-Nelson and running back Isaiah Taylor were the team’s backbone. The QB threw for 1,582 yards while rushing for almost 400 more and accumulating 22 touchdowns while the RB rushed for over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns while adding 127 yards and another score through the air. The issue is that both of the two graduated in the fall, meaning the Jaguars’ offense faces significant holes in this fall’s roster. 

PROGRAMMING NOTE 💭

Stay tuned to County Sports Zone for more preview articles and power rankings for Montgomery County high school sports in the coming weeks! Practices kick off this Wednesday before the regular season gets underway on September 4.

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