Gameday Final Football Power Poll
GamedayMD Football Power Poll
Final Poll for 2010
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Good Counsel and Damascus held onto the top spot in our polls to end the 2010 season. Congratulations to Good Counsel for their dominate win in the WCAC Championship game. Gaithersburg and Damascus were knocked out of the state playoffs a tad earlier than we expected, but both programs had tremendous years and should be quite proud of everything they accomplished.
The private school top 5 ranks the private schools only in Montgomery County, Washington D.C., and Prince Georges County.
Private:
1. Good Counsel (Olney, MD) - (10-2) The Falcon's were unstoppable since the return of Wes Brown to the lineup. A very impressive 44-0 victory over Gonzaga and an even more impressive win over Dematha in the WCAC finals.
2. Dematha (Hyattsville, MD) - (9-3) A tough loss to end their season, the Stags will regroup and see if they can knock off Good Counsel next year. I'm sure, after winning the past two regular season matchups, that the Stags would like to get the win against GC in the playoffs in 2011.
3. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) - (7-4) Three straight losses to end the season was not how Coach Brady had envisioned this year ending, but Gonzaga made their presence known in the WCAC this season. We will see if the Eagles can overcome the loss of Kevin Hogan next year.
4. St. Albans (Washington, DC) - (9-1) A great win over Landon gave the Bulldogs the IAC title for the second straight year. Only a prior loss to Prep had us debating where to rank Coach Schnell's team.
5. Landon (Bethesda, MD) - (7-3) After an upset win over Prep two weeks ago, Landon hosted St. Albans in a game to decide the IAC title. St. Albans pulled out a close game and made our decision on the rankings virtually impossible.
Outside Looking In: Georgetown Prep and St. John's
The Public School rankings are for Montgomery County only:
Public:
1. Damascus (Damascus, MD) - (12-1) The Hornets lost in a major upset to Wilde Lake to end their season short of their State Title hopes, but they were impressive enough all year to claim the top spot in our Power Poll for 2010.
2. Gaithersburg (Gaithersburg, MD) - (11-2) Coach Kephart and his team handled a blowout loss at home with class. While they would have liked to end their season on a higher note, we will remember the way Zack Fetters and Co. performed for a long time.
3. Sherwood (Olney, MD) - (10-2) The Warriors certainly didn't have an easy situation this season, with a late coaching change, but the program showed its pedigree with an outstanding year.
4. Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, MD) - (9-3) A tough loss to Damascus in the second round of playoffs ended the Cougars season and the careers of a strong group of seniors. Notable for QO was the play of many underclassman, especially late in the year as a sign of big things to come.
5. Seneca Valley (Germantown, MD) - (8-3) It seems that Coach Kim has settled on Tanner Vallely as his quarterback. They lost to Quince Orchard a month ago, but played well in the second half of that game. Special teams and turnovers were the difference that night and will likely be this week as well.
6. Whitman (Bethesda, MD) - (7-4) The Vikings have had trouble playing at their best against top competition late this season. We've seen them play well and their talent is undeniable, so this week would be as good a time as any for Whitman to step up and beat Gaithersburg. Not an easy matchup at all but Whitman is talented enough for us to give them a shot on the road.
7. Springbrook (Silver Spring, MD) - (7-4) Springbrook has won the games the needed to win and have been rewarded with a playoff spot after holding off Paint Branch last week in a classic. We certainly don't expect an upset at Sherwood this week, but any team with Devon Pestano has a shot.
8. Paint Branch (Burtonsville, MD) - (6-4) Mike Nesmith's team was so so close to a highly contested 4A playoff spot, but it wasn't to be in 2010. A year after PB's first playoff win in over a decade the Panthers improved dramatically in the second half of the season. This young team will likely be a playoff pick heading into 2011.
9. Walter Johnson (Bethesda, MD) - (6-4) The Wildcats completed their best season since 1998. While the program graduates prolific offensive performers like Cole Ahnell and Ryan Davis there is still plenty left in the cabinet for Coach Jon Kadi. Look for Andrew Pittsenberger to emerge as a top linebacker in Montgomery County next season.
10. B-CC (Bethesda, MD) - (6-4) In his second year with the program, Rich Noland has his team in contention until the final week. The Baron's put up points on the Gaithersburg defense last week like nobody else had all year, but unfortunately for them could not hold down the Trojan's offense. Regardless, the Barons impressed and will graduate a senior class that has several All-Gameday performers.
Outside Looking In: Rockville (2A Playoff 1st Round Loss), Churchill, Clarksburg
