Archbishop Spalding football tops Maryland State rankings for the first time

When it takes the field Friday night for a rematch of last year's MIAA A Conference football championship game, Archbishop Spalding will be sporting a new title - No. 1 ranked team in Maryland.

Earlier this week, High School on SI published its weekly Top 25 Maryland High School Football Rankings and the Cavaliers are in the No. 1 position. Not only is this the first time in school history that the Cavaliers have held the top-ranking in the state, it is the first time since St. Frances Academy left MIAA play in 2018 to become a national independent program that an MIAA school has been ranked No. 1 in a state poll or been ranked higher than St. Frances, which is currently No. 2 in the High School on SI's rankings.

Spalding began the year at No. 4 in the state rankings and moved to No. 3 after week 2 when it defeated then No. 3 DeMatha. Following last weekend's 45-0 trouncing of New York's Archbishop Stepinac, the Cavaliers vaulted up to No. 1 as then No. 1 Our Lady of Good Counsel lost to DePaul Catholic (NJ) and St. Frances was edged by Orange Lutheran (CA).

To maintain its top ranking for another week, the Cavaliers must rise to the challenge of a rematch, Friday night, with McDonogh. The Cavaliers defeated the Eagles in last year's MIAA A championship game, for their second straight league crown, but McDonogh is off to a 3-0 start, including a 9-8 win over Virgina's St. Michael the Archangel, last week.

McDonogh is No. 7 in the state this week. Also in the rankings are No. 9 Loyola Blakefield (1-1) and No. 11 Calvert Hall (2-1). The Dons rallied from a 14-0 first half deficit to knock off then No. 9 Georgetown Prep, while Calvert Hall lost for the first time in 2024, falling to La Salle College (PA), 28-10. This week Loyola is at Gonzaga College (DC), Friday evening, and Calvert Hall travels to Archbishop Curley of the MIAA B Conference on Friday afternoon.

Here is the complete slate of MIAA football games this weekend.

Friday, Sept. 13

Calvert Hall at Archbishop Curley, 4 pm

Mount St. Joseph at Gilman, 4 pm

St. John's Catholic Prep at Severn, 4:15 pm

Loyola Blakefield at Gonzaga College (PA), 6:30 pm

Southern (AA) at Annapolis Area Christian, 7 pm

McDonogh at Archbishop Spalding, 7 pm

Meade at St. Vincent Pallotti, 7 pm

Saturday, Sept. 14

St. Mary's at Concordia Prep, 12 pm