Undefeated Dons Eye Championship

The undefeated Dons are knocking on the door of the MIAA-A championship.  (Sabina Moran/PressBox)

By: Keith Mills

It has been a tough month both on and off the field for Brian Abbott and his Loyola-Blakefield High School football team. Last month, 17-year-old Dennis Woolford, a member of the Dons' soccer team and a kicker on the football team, died in a car accident. Two weeks ago, starting quarterback Leon Kinnard broke his leg in a game against Mount St. Joseph's.

But through it all the undefeated Dons have endured and are now knocking on the door of the MIAA A Conference championship. Loyola plays Valley Forge Saturday at Hargaden Field before closing out the season with A Conference games against Georgetown Prep and Calvert Hall -- in the annual Thanksgiving Day showdown at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Dons (8-0, 3-0 A Conference) are now giving teams a new look on offense. Kinnard has been replaced at quarterback by Connor Bruns, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior transfer whose performance Friday at Gilman left everyone asking, "Who is this kid?"

Bruns is from Fargo, N.D., where he went to South High School. He moved to Baltimore with his family this past summer and announced his presence with authority against Gilman, throwing for more than 270 yards and four touchdowns while leading the Dons to a 31-20 win.

Bruns tossed two touchdowns to Brandon Floyd and one each to Vince Snarski and Matt Heacock as Loyola again came through with an impressive win.

Mount St. Joe's remains a half game back of Loyola after the Gaels beat Calvert Hall Saturday. They host Gilman Friday at 3 p.m.

***

The big showdown in the B Conference this week takes place Friday afternoon at St. Paul's as the Crusaders host a red-hot St. Mary's squad. Coach Mike Clay's Saints (5-4, 5-1 B Conference) have won three in a row after Friday's win over Archbishop Spalding.
St. Paul's is also 5-1 in the conference, but the Crusaders will be looking for a new coach next year.

Dave Dolch will be the new coordinator of athletics, facilities and transportation at Manchester Valley High School, a new school that will open in Carroll County in the fall.

Dolch was a tremendous baseball and football player at Northeast High School in Pasadena, where he played for coach Harry Lentz. He went on to play at Western Maryland College though he enjoyed great success at Bowie State University, where he took the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament.

***

Billy Cosh is on fire. The junior quarterback at Arundel threw for five scores in the Wildcats' 41-12 win over Chesapeake and now has 32 touchdown passes for the season. Arundel (7-1) is coached by Chuck Markiewicz, who runs the wide-open, run and shoot offense. The overall state record for touchdown passes in a season is 45 by Keith Ricca of St. John's Prospect Hall. Arundel's Nick Elko, who Cosh replaced this year, holds the public school single season record with 43.

Posted October 29, 2008