Oct. 9: Dylan Duffy, Briar Woods

photo by jackson reid

With injuries ravaging the Briar Woods High School football team, Coach Mike Burnett turned to one of his most trustworthy players. Senior Dylan Duffy is in his second year starting at safety on defense for the Falcons but he also has proven adept at filling in wherever needed.

“I think he has played four or five different positions,” Burnett said. “Cornerback. Safety. Inside receiver. Outside receiver. Fullback. He even kicked when our kicker got hurt. He’s one of those kids.”

So when Briar Woods trekked to Cumberland this past Friday to take on one of Maryland’s traditional small school powers, Duffy was ready to answer the call. He finished with 11 tackles, made his first career interception, recovered a fumble, caught the first four passes of his career and scored his first career touchdown as Briar Woods beat Fort Hill, 28-7, ending the Sentinels’ five-year home winning streak.

For his efforts, Duffy was named the Military Bowl DC Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.

“He’s just a great kid who played the game of his life at the right time,” Burnett said. “You don’t get those stories all the time. It was truly incredible.”

Duffy’s interception late in the first half went for naught, but a few plays later he recovered a fumble that led to a Falcons touchdown. In the third quarter, as Briar Woods held a 14-7 lead, Burnett decided to leave the offense on the field for a fourth-and-19 play near midfield, trusting star quarterback Brady Carmical, a Navy recruit. Carmical found Duffy for a 24-yard catch, leading to a touchdown, and Duffy’s 14-yard touchdown catch later sealed the victory over the Maryland 1A three-time defending champions.

This week’s DC Touchdown Club Player of the Week High School Football Player of the Week Honor Roll:

ANNE ARUNDEL
South River QB Finn Mulvihill completed 16 of 23 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns as the Seahawks beat Northeast, 35-15.

DC
KIPP Legacy LB Orlando Stanton-Carter made 12 tackles with 1 ½ sacks, forced a fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown as the Bulldogs beat Connexions Leadership Academy, 36-0.

FREDERICK
Linganore RB Bradley Matthews rushed 13 times for 107 yards and five first-half touchdowns as the Lancers beat Tuscarora, 42-6.

HOWARD
Wilde Lake CB Jaydin Gore made five tackles and intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown, as the Wildecats beat Howard, 10-7 in overtime.

MONTGOMERY
Churchill K Cole Hessman made all three of his field goal attempts, including the game-winning, 20-yarder in overtime, as the Bulldogs beat Urbana, 23-20. Hessman also made both of his point-after kicks and averaged 46 yards on three punts.

NORTHERN REGION
Yorktown WR Finn Luca caught eight passes for 173 yards and one touchdown and rushed five times for 93 yards and another score as the Patriots beat Centreville, 34-7 for Coach Bruce Hanson’s 300th career victory.

PRINCE GEORGE’S
Largo LB Johnathan Irvin made nine tackles and recovered a fumble as the Lions beat Potomac (Md.), 28-22.

PRINCE WILLIAM
Battlefield WR-S Cole Woodson, a Pittsburgh recruit, caught a 50-yard touchdown pass, returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and recovered a fumble on defense as the Bobcats won their 39th consecutive regular season game, 56-7 over Unity Reed.

PRIVATE
Spalding QB Malik Washington, a Maryland recruit, completed 11 of 14 passes for 241 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, as the Cavaliers beat St. Mary’s-Annapolis, 54-0.

SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Patuxent QB Evan Blouir, a Navy recruit, completed 10 of 10 passes for 203 yards and five touchdowns and rushed two times for 24 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers beat Chopticon, 63-6.

WCAC
Gonzaga RB-DB Kainoa Winston, a Michigan recruit, rushed 13 times for 110 yards and one touchdown and on defense made eight tackles with one tackle for loss and intercepted a pass as the Eagles beat Benedictine, 23-16.