Primetime Pigskin Series Preview: Spalding football

by Aaron Gray
agray@digitalsports.com

(See photo gallery and video interviews below)

To be the best, you have to play the best and that has been the motto for the Archbishop Spalding High School football team for the last several years.

The MIAA B Conference squad routinely schedules A Conference opposition and other highly-touted teams from Washington D.C. and Baltimore in the early parts of the season to help prepare for its B Conference slate.

The strategy has worked as the Cavaliers have appeared in the last three conference championships -- winning two of them. The 2008 season has been no different as a senior-laden Spalding team once again has championship aspirations.

Another team that knows a little something about championship success is Mount St. Joseph, which shared the A Conference title last season. The Gaels (0-0) will visit Spalding (0-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. to kickoff the 2008 Primetime Pigskin Series, a weekly showcase football game, sponsored by DigitalSports.

The game will be simulcasted live on ESPN Radio 1300 and over the internet at DigitalSports.

"We simply need to capitalize on some things if we want to have any success this week against a very good Mount St. Joe's team," said Cavaliers' coach Mike Whittles, whose team dropped it season-opener at Loyola, another A Conference juggernaut, on Saturday, 39-9.

The Gaels are ranked No. 13 and the Dons assumed the No. 3 spot in the latest DigitalSports Baltimore Metro Top 20 Rankings, which comes out every Monday afternoon.

One advantage Spalding will have against Mount St. Joseph is that it already has one game under its belt. The "first-game jitters" are gone for the Cavaliers and they want to come out as a cohesive unit in front of their home crowd.

"We went out against Loyola and I think we played really hard," senior offensive lineman Nick McGuire said during practice Tuesday. "I think we really came together as a unit and going into the second game, I think we'll have the momentum we'll need. Even though (the Loyola game) was a loss, I think it will help us going into Mount St. Joe."

Against the Dons, Spalding gave up five rushing touchdowns to Loyola's Terence Garvin. This week, the Cavs will try to stop another workhorse in Mount St. Joseph senior running back Renard Robinson. Just before practice Tuesday, the entire team sat down for an hour-long film session and got a sneak peak of the upcoming opponent.

The Spalding players didn't want to reveal any defensive plans they have lined up.

"(Robinson) is real fast so it's going to be important to contain him," said senior linebacker Will Neutzling, a three-year varsity player. "We need to gang-tackle and everyone needs to get to the ball."

Said Whittles: "I don't know where coach (Chip) Armstrong gets these fast guys. They're quick and we have to be quick to the ball. If we let them gets started, we're going to be in for a long day."

In last year’s meeting, the Gaels jumped out to a 28-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 47-14 win over the Cavaliers.

On offense, Spalding will look to a plethora of rushers in its Wing-T offense. Last week, senior running back Nick Whittles led the way with 74 yards on 16 carries. He scored his team's lone touchdown on a 13-yard run. The score capped an impressive 14-play, 99-yard drive in the third quarter against the Dons. The possession was a definitely a bright spot for the Cavs' offense.

"I'm going to call it 99 and a half yards because we couldn't have been any closer to the goal line," Mike Whittles, Nick's father, said. "It was an incredible drive. Our kids could have just folded there ... they did not quit. That's what we were looking for out of them."

Junior quarterback Mike Moran was under center during the drive. He split time Saturday with junior Chris Polcak. Mike Whittles didn't say who would start Friday or if the team will continue a two-quarterback system.

Two other players that should get the ball will be running backs K'Vaunte Smith and Nick Kuhl. Smith accounted for 56 yards on six carries last week and Kuhl finished with 50 yards on seven touches.

"I expect a lot from our team," said Kuhl, who also plays on defense. "This is the hardest-working team I've ever been on. It's going to be tough but I think we'll be ready."

Kuhl said that he went to middle school with one of the defensive linemen at Mount St. Joseph and expects to see him in the trenches Friday.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said.

Many of the seniors remember another early-season tilt against yet another team Spalding was supposed to lose to. Dunbar, of Washington D.C., came to town to open the 2006 season and the Cavaliers shocked the area powerhouse, 47-40. Kevin Moran (Salisbury), older brother to Mike Moran, was a junior at the time and threw two touchdown passes in the final two minutes to lead the comeback victory.

"I got to watch the Dunbar game from the sideline and it was great," Neutzling said. "I really felt the home atmosphere. So it's important to get everyone out here for the first home game.

"Last week is done and we're ready to move on."

Friday's Mount St. Joseph/Archbishop Spalding football game will be carried live ESPN Radio AM 1300 and simulcasted live on DigitalSports.  To hear the live internet broadcast click here at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5.  ESPN Radio and DigitalSports will also broadcast three other games in the DigitalSports Primetime Pigskin High School Football Series. The other games are:

Sept. 26 - Perry Hall at Harford, 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 10 - Howard at Wilde Lake, 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 31 - Dunbar vs. Edmondson, at Poly, 7:00 p.m.