Football poll countdown: No. 4 McDonogh
With the high school football season about to swing into full gear this weekend, we continue to take a look at the projected top teams in the area.
Through Thursday, we'll count down the top five teams in The Baltimore Sun's official top 15 preseason poll.
The entire poll -- along with the full season preview -- will be published Thursday in The Baltimore Sun and on baltimoresun.com
Today we feature our No. 4 team in the area, McDonogh.
4. McDonogh
Coach: Dom Damico.
Last season: 6-4, unranked.
Postseason: N/A.
Outlook: With seven or eight starters back on each side of the ball, the Eagles look like a team on the rise. Last season, they won all of their non-conference games, starting out 5-0. Then they lost all but one A conference game -- a 38-21 win over Mount St. Joseph -- but that is unlikely to happen again.
This summer, the Eagles skill players showed they can play with anyone. They won the the 7-on-7 tournament at M&T Bank Stadium, beating Washington-area power Good Counsel. Junior wide receiver Jabari Weems could be poised for a break-out season.
The line has plenty of experience as well. The bookends to the Eagles success at defensive end and offensive tackle will be Roman Braglio and Allen Jackson, a matched set who will rank among the A Conference's best players this fall.
The Eagles have never won the MIAA A Conference outright although they tied with Gilman and Loyola in 2006 and with Gilman in 2001. With this year's inaugural championship game, there will be no ties for the title anymore.
Look for the Eagles to be right in the thick of what should be a very competitive A Conference race as seven teams vie for four post-season berths.
Photo above of Jabari Weems being mobbed by teammates after catching the game winning pass in the championship game of the inaugural Ravens 7-on-7 tournament at M&T Bank Stadium. (By Lloyd Fox/The Baltimore Sun)
