There are rivalry games, and then there are rivalry games in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference.
Saturday at 1 p.m., McDonogh (4-2 overall, 2-0 MIAA) will travel to Loyola Blakefield (6-0, 1-0) and renew the teams? bad blood.
“I think of all of our A Conference games are rivals,” McDonogh coach Dom Damico said.
Jared Jorgensen, the Eagles? senior standout quarterback, agreed with Damico?s assessment, but growing up with the players on the teams you line up against takes big games to another level.
“It?s always been evenly matched,” Jorgensen said. “You know the players, they know you and it causes everyone to want to win it more.”
With both squads sporting undefeated conference records, this game will put one team in the rearview mirror and the other on a collision course with Gilman (3-2, 3-0) for the conference championship. So far, both teams have enjoyed high-octane offenses that have each scored 131 points, the most in the conference.
“We have played great,” Jorgensen said. “I think our offense is top-notch.”
That?s not to say the Eagles have any less bite in their defense. Holding opponents to a respectable 13.7 points per game, McDonogh has put plenty of work in on both sides of the ball. Studying film and spending time on the field focusing on details, the Eagles are looking for results this weekend.
“Our main focus is to stop their offense,” Damico said. “Stopping them is a primary concern. We have been working hard to make sure we can stop them.”
Losing both of their games to teams from Philadelphia, McDonogh has been just a handful of plays away from being in the same spot as the Dons ? undefeated. Loyola, which is giving up only 10 points per game, suffered its biggest scare on Sept. 30, a 16-14 squeaker against Mount St. Joseph.
As for McDonogh, their goal the rest of the year is simple, and almost certainly mirrors that of Loyola: “Don?t lose another game and win the A Division,” Jorgensen said.
