Long before the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium lights flashed green, Arundel football captured its first state title in 49 years.
Pause the game film on any minute of the Class 3A state championship, and you could likely hit the winning moment. Senior running back TJ Mordecai followed his quarterback’s 21-yard rush with an 18-yard touchdown for Arundel’s very first offensive plays. When the Linganore offense wasn’t committing penalties, it was getting dragged down in the backfield or getting picked off.
And that was in the first 30 minutes.
In 2011, Old Mill squeaked to its 4A title by a stunning 2-point conversion in overtime. In the 13 years since, no Anne Arundel County team had been able to add another one to the county pile, though several — including Arundel (2022) — came close.
This time, the Wildcats left the clock running with 3:40 left in the third. When it ended, senior Brandon Gorham pointed to the screen, which flashed from the 35-7 final to “CLASS 3A FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS, ARUNDEL,” laughing.
That wasn’t an unfamiliar situation for the Wildcats (12-1), who unloaded 55 points per game coming into Saturday night.
“There’s no game this season that compares to today,” Arundel coach Jack Walsh said. “This is a real special one.”
Arundel defeats Linganore football for 3A state championship | PHOTOS
Arundel previously appeared in eight final fours since 1975, coming its closest most recently in 2022 when a rash of injuries helped deny the Wildcats the trophy. Other county teams shared the same bitter misfortune of coming close and falling short.
But to finally break the curse, to keep a football trophy within county borders, made a statement in Arundel’s eyes.
“Other people might start coming out to watch us,” Mordecai said, “and see football is pretty good in Anne Arundel County.”
The moment Walsh gripped the 3A trophy in his hands again, he held it up toward the bleachers — players’ families, fans and even alumni as far back as the 1975 team. So they would not go unnoticed, he explained. A half hour after the stands emptied, five Arundel players — quarterback Ahmir Lowery, Mordecai (18 completions for 139 yards, two touchdowns), Gorham, Naseem Tention and Jonathan Coleman — circled the Navy field together, laughing, tossing their helmets if they still had it, teammates one last time and victors to the end.
Gorham left Arundel to play his junior season in Hawaii. His performance toward his team’s state title run drew Division I offers, but it felt hollow without his friends.
To not only come back to his hometown and win, but to play such an essential role in it, choked Gorham up.
“It means too much,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
There was a world in which this didn’t happen for Arundel, had Walsh not decided to casually visit his old high school coach — the winningest coach in Anne Arundel history — 20 years ago. Chuck Markiewicz offered Walsh a volunteer job.
Arundel celebrates its win in the Class 3A state championship game. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)
“His thumb is still very heavy on this program,” the seven-year coach said. “And this year’s team really accepted the [old-fashioned] values. His legacy lives on for sure.”
Arundel’s defensive coordinator retired the night of the 2022 state title game. Monday morning, Walsh called former Annapolis coach Nick Good-Malloy.
“He has our defense dialed in. The kids are prepared. He brings a much more high-energy, positive approach,” Walsh said. “And I think it shows.”
The Arundel defense meticulously broke down every option Linganore had. The state-leading rusher, Bradly Matthews? Contained to 21 yards. By the fourth quarter, the Lancers still suffered more penalty yards (50) than they had offensive yards (46).
Linganore senior Caden Kiester’s interception could’ve been the turning point. It was only Lowery’s second, and the Lancers — who’d already racked up seven penalties for one first down by the second quarter — gasped for a spark.
Gorham squashed it.
Sacking Linganore quarterback Shawn Pelovitz shoved the Lancers’ offense to the 10. He knew after Linganore had less than success running the ball, a pass had to be coming. Gorham dove right in.
The 6-foot-4 Delaware commit tipped Pelovitz’s attempted pass and hauled it into the blue-and-gold checkered end zone. The pick-six and subsequent field goal dug Linganore’s ditch to 20-0 less than halfway through the second quarter.
“Earlier in the season, I almost had another one against Northeast, but it slipped through,” Gorham said. “Couldn’t let that happen again.”
An even shinier opportunity fell into Linganore’s lap. It just made it more enticing for Coleman to pluck it away.
The Lancers rolled down from their best field position of the night (Arundel’s 40), having finally realized throwing the ball was their only useable salvation against the choking ground defense.
It was also, once again, their downfall. There was no tip necessary this time to strip Pelovitz; Coleman leapt up at the goal line instead, handing Arundel the ball at halftime — and securing the 20-0 advantage.
“We were prepared all week,” Lowery said, “and we came out doing what we had to do.”
Arundel decorated the second half as prettily as their first, too, scoring on the second play of their first drive just as Mordecai did. This time, Lowery rolled into open space while his line consumed the Lancers defense and rocketed a 46-yard touchdown to Naseem Tention. The two teamed up again when Tention snuck in for a 2-yard score, and Lowery backed him up to convert two extra points.
“They ran man on us,” Lowery said. “I don’t think that was the smartest thing to do.”
Arundel graduates its quarterback, running back, receivers and plenty of its defense. None of that deters them from the hunt to the Class 4A/3A title next fall.
“After the show we just put on?” Gorham said. “This is going to set the tone for years to come.”
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