Fall 2026 Season Preview: Montgomery County Flag Football & The Inside The Bag Podcast!

FLAG FOOTBALL

This fall is year three of high school flag football in Montgomery County! Last season saw Clarksburg become back to back state champions, leaving many teams hungry for victory. Click this link or scroll below to read more about how this fall shapes up as the 2026 flag football season is almost here!

Clarksburg capped off back to back state championships in 2025 after a dominant 13-0 season, outsourcing opponents 350-64. New to the team is head coach Richard Noland, who will take over for K.C. Landefeld. While Landefeld is remaining with the team in an assistant role, the reins have been given to Noland, and the squad is confident as they look to three-peat. Look for two-way senior Aysia Jones-Robinson to lead the way ahead of playing in the U.S. Army Bowl in December. Jones-Robinson had an incredible 2025, finishing the campaign just shy of 3,000 all purpose yards and 42 touchdowns. Senior Rianna Prather and sophomore Jhena Palmer will also play key roles as the Coyotes aim high once more in 2026.

Damascus is coming off a 9-1 regular season where they outscored their opponents by a combined 155-59, but fell to Linganore in the regional round. Under coach Andre Wise, the Hornets look to build on last season’s success with a copious amount of young talent. They are retaining a large number of playmakers including junior quarterback Payton Wallace who surpassed 2,000 passing yards and threw for 26 touchdowns. Another star, two-way player Olivia Keys, caught five touchdowns and six interceptions a season ago in her freshman campaign. Wide receiver Delaney Ray, linebacker Isa Brant and corner Lila Mack are also returning and look to lead the Hornets on a deep run.

Northwest lost a few key seniors including Myah Jackman who is now playing D1 flag football at the University of Texas at Arlington. However, they retain seniors Lauryn Toole and Jazzy Madden as well as Kennedy Reynolds. Led by an all female coaching staff, including Team USA National Team defensive back Kendra Meredith as well as OC Katie Rim, DC Emily Bowles and Elizabeth Le, the Jaguars are ready to pounce in 2026.

Paint Branch rebounded from a tough 2024 season with a division title in 2025, finishing 9-1 during the regular season. The Panthers graduated both offensive star Euphemia Lamptey to Marymount University and quarterback Madison Flowers, but watch out for juniors Rebecca Douzemai and Aria Bandio, who were both named to the All Division First Team a season ago. Also, Aleigha Bundy, who was named to the All County Second Team in 2025 looks to step up in a big way. 

Walter Johnson finished with a 9-3 record and won their division title for the second year in a row and look to three-peat in 2026. Two First Team All County selections are returning. Those being quarterback Ruby Bonior and rusher Annaelle Dogbe. Bonior finished 2025 with over 1100 passing yards, finding the end zone 12 times and added another two rushing touchdowns. Dogbe recorded 57 tackles for loss, which put her well above second place in the category. Also watch out for wide receiver Tatiana Galeano, corner Jade Sneed and linebacker Briyel Alao.

Rockville finished 2025 with a 7-3 record in the regular season, outscoring their opponents 156-71. All seven of those regular season victories came in a row, sweeping a seven game stretch. That included a 21-20 nailbiter over the Einstein Titans. Aside from that close victory, when the Rams won, they won big. The 2026 schedule is similar to that of a season ago, which can bring success to an underdog Rockville squad.

The Winston Churchill Bulldogs won their division title in 2025, finishing the regular season 7-3. Despite losing the game 30-12, they were just one of five teams to score against the eventual state champions in the Clarksburg Coyotes during the regular season. They open their 2026 season against that same Coyote squad and look to do more than just score, they’re hungry to win and carry that momentum into the rest of the campaign.

Richard Montgomery is hungry to win their division after falling to Quince Orchard in the second round in 2025. On offense, look for Serach Jackson and Ava Ruggeri. Defensively the Rockets are sharp. Kimmy Ellison Mendoza, Katelyn Marchetti, Anjolie Dilaire and Dymond J. Mosley all make a consistent impact on the field. Specifically watch Marchetti, as she finished 2025 with ten interceptions, which led the team in the category. Led by head coach Jonathan Mensah, the Rockets are confident in their 2026 squad as they look to make a deep run.

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AROUND THE COMMUNITY

Former NBA star and Magruder High School alum Jerome Williams is hosting a new podcast called Inside the Bag alongside a pair of Walter Johnson high school basketball players, his son Jeremiah “DaDog” Williams and Carter “Wiggle” Brooks. Occasionally, special guest Stephen Graddick will also co-host, who brings his prior experience working at Fox5News.

This podcast adds on to Jerome Williams’ legacy. Rather than positioning himself as the sole voice of experience, he built the podcast around a mentorship model, aiming to teach younger audiences about leadership, mental toughness, community impact and more through the lens of basketball by putting a couple of young athletes into the center of the conversation, rather than watching from the sidelines. The goal is to make the podcast avoid feeling like a one-directional lecture and instead play out more like an ongoing dialogue between generations.

Post retirement, the nine-year NBA veteran has held a variety of roles including a leadership role with Shooting for Peace, an organization that focuses on youth empowerment and connecting young athletes with role models. That work, he says, laid the groundwork for the podcast and shaped the message he wants to send to a new generation of listeners.

“I realized that some of the most valuable things I learned had nothing to do with scoring points,” Jerome Williams said. “They were lessons about relationships, money, opportunity, preparation and handling adversity. I wanted to create a platform where we could pass those lessons forward while also hearing directly from the next generation.”

The name of the podcast, Inside the Bag, is more than just a title. According to Jerome Williams, it represents everything that you carry with you in your life, both the good and the bad. He took the basketball term “in their bag” and turned it into something that represents things off the court as well like your experiences, skills, values and more. Each episode is built around that central idea, using conversations about basketball as a jumping-off point for broader life lessons. He aims to answer the question: “What’s in your bag that can help you succeed—and what do you still need to put in it?”

That question is meant to resonate with listeners beyond the basketball court. Whether they're student-athletes, aspiring professionals or simply young people trying to figure out their next step, this podcast aims to connect sports and real worlds together.

Jerome Williams is devoted to giving back to his hometown of Montgomery County. The two students, “DaDog” and “Wiggle” were specifically selected for more than their talents on the basketball court. According to Jerome Williams, this opportunity gives them a chance to develop as leaders and teach them how to use their voices in a positive manner.

“I also wanted authentic youth voices at the table. Instead of adults constantly telling young people what they need, ’DaDog’ and ‘Wiggle’ help us hear directly from their generation,” Jerome Williams said.

Inside the Bag is available on AAUTV+.

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 are in full swing and the regular season gets underway on September 4.

SHARE YOUR STORIES

Know a coach, teammate, or fan going above and beyond? Nominate them for a feature! Your story idea could be highlighted in next week’s edition.

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