Week 5 Football Games to Watch

With Hurricane Joaquin bearing down on Maryland, some schools have been forced to change the start time, and date, for their football games. Hopefully the weather is not as bad as predicted and we can see a full slate of MPSSAA varsity football games played this weekend!

With that being said, here are a few exciting games going on around the state in Week 5.

Howard at Oakland Mills

These two teams combined have gone 27-1 in Howard County play since last year. Both teams have dynamic offenses- Oakland Mills has scored more than 30 points in three games this year, while Howard has done it twice. The teams' defenses aren't shabby either- both shutout their opponents in Week 4, with Oakland Mills blanking Long Reach and Howard keeping Mt. Hebron off the scoreboard. This meeting of titans could decide who will be Howard County champion this year. Adding to this match up is that the teams have not faced each other since 2011.

The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM on Friday.

Northwest at Sherwood

This match-up features two Montgomery County teams in competitive regions for the playoffs. Sherwood is 4-0 this year and rolled through previously unbeaten Springbrook last week, winning 50-20. Northwest, who has won the 4A state title the past two years, is 3-1 and beat Whitman 42-7 last year. The two teams are in different regions of the 4A tournament, but both cannot afford a slip up. The 4A West region, which Northwest is in, has six teams with two losses or less, while the North region has five teams at 4-0, including Sherwood.

This game is taking place Saturday at 6:30 PM at Gaithersburg High School.

Perry Hall at Catonsville

The Gators and Comets square off this week in a game that neither can afford to lose. Both teams are in the ultra competitive 4A North region, which currently features five teams with 4-0 records. With both Perry Hall and Catonsville having already suffered a loss this season, whoever drops this game will have a tough road ahead to qualify for the postseason.

Perry Hall is aiming to make it three straight wins, having beaten Kenwood and Parkville in the previous two weeks while Catonsville is hoping to avoid a losing streak. The Comets dropped their Week 4 match up against Franklin. Franklin also beat Perry Hall, back in Week 2.

The Gators and Comets are scheduled to play at 7:00 this Friday night at Catonsville.

South Carroll at Manchester Valley

Manchester Valley puts their undefeated mark of 4-0 on the line when they welcome South Carroll this Friday. The Mavericks have had one close game this year, a 14-7 victory over Smithsburg in Week 2. Otherwise Manchester Valley has blown out their opponents, with their next closest game being a 34-0 win over Clear Spring. South Carroll is 3-1, with their only loss being a 21-20 decision against South Hagerstown. The Cavaliers are coming off an excellent performance in Week 4 though, in which they beat Liberty 28-0.

South Carroll has beaten Manchester Valley the past two years. Last year, the Cavaliers won a shootout, 40-35.

This game is scheduled to take place at Manchester Valley at 7:00 PM this Friday.

Walkersville at Linganore

One of the surprise teams of the 2015 season has been Walkersville. After going 5-5 last year, the team is 4-0 this season and has a chance to equal their win total when they travel to Linganore this Friday night. After a close win in Week 1 against Thomas Johnson, Walkersville has recorded three lopsided wins over Liberty, Francis Scott Key and Blake. They face their stiffest test yet in Linganore, who has also been very impressive in 2015. Linganore is 4-0, with their most spectacular win being a 38-20 result against a tough team from South Hagerstown last week. Linganore topped Walkersville last year 27-7.

Linganore hosts Walkersville this Friday at 7:00 PM.
October 1st, 2015By: Wick Eisenberg

County Sports Zone provides the schedules, scores and standings for 208 public high schools across Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
We post the score of every game - varsity, junior varsity, freshman - by 11 o’clock every night.