I find myself asking this question almost every week.
How good is Briar Woods? How good is Mountain Ridge? How good is Wadsworth? How good is New Oxford? How good is Allegany?
Surely all these teams are fairly legit given their impressive won/loss records. But you just never know because you can't be sure how good the competition is for all these teams. They all came from the top of their leagues in different states and regions far and wide.
However, I have come to this conclusion...FH may be the best FH team since they started playing 1A ball. Could the teams from 2013 through 2016 compare to this team? I think the answer is yes because some of those teams (including some of those teams with Ty Johnson) were pretty legit. But those teams never played the caliber of schedule this 2023 team has faced.
With that said...would I like to see FH square up against the likes of Martinsburg, Quince Orchard or maybe even DeMatha? Yes I would. Not sure they would win on the scoreboard but it would be a tough out for those opponents. Because there is something about this Sentinel team that makes them top flight. The offensive line is all seniors and very stout. The running backs are plentiful and exquisite each in their own way with a star in Jabril Daniels. The QB has developed into a solid weapon running or throwing. The defensive front is quick, strong and aggressive. The secondary, which was the obvious question mark heading into the season, has been so stout that they don't even use a safety much of the time. This defense is very quick and strong across the board.
Although I am tiresome of the Martinsburg debate the truth is that the Bulldogs would likely beat FH four out of five years. Simply put the Dawgs are all that with far more numbers to pick from. I never like to hear any FH fan shoot off about comparisons to Martinsburg. If you don't play them, shut up. That team rarely gets beat by anyone.
I truly do not believe there is a 1A team that can come close to this group. It would take a monumental breakdown for FH to not win state at this level. Honestly, FH could win the state title in every single class this year with their toughest opposition being the likes of Wise, Quince Orchard (all in 4A), Oakdale and possibly Dunbar. I do not feel Oakdale can beat FH based on what has been on display the past two years. There, I said it. I would also say that last season, both Mountain Ridge and FH could have won state titles in most of the classes. So stating such things are not a giant leap.
What is more amazing is that this FH team is still small ball. Kids play both ways. That would be their only weakness compared to the big league teams.
It's difficult to pinpoint the exact nature of what makes this FH so good. But damn, it is impressive. I did not have any hesitation the past week leading up to Homecoming realizing that FH was 21+ points better than Alco today. Not sure how so many felt this game had the makings of being a close one based on what we have seen the past six weeks. The common opponents were no comparison. Truth be told, FH is likely to face Alco or Mountain Ridge again in the post season because 1A football isn't good. I don't think it matters. FH is one of the best public school teams in all of Maryland.
