The inaugural Grit and Greatness Invitational kicked off the 2026 Maryland high school football season, delivering a slate of high‑profile matchups that set the tone for a year expected to be packed with drama.
Season Opener Highlights
Defending state champions Dunbar High School opened their campaign with a commanding 42‑7 victory over Milford Mill, a performance that underscored their status as favorites; Kylie Holmes and Donteze Branch each added two touchdowns, and the team rushed for 432 yards, while Milford Mill’s only points came from Marques Harris’s 52‑yard interception return, marking their first season without an offensive touchdown since 2015.
Linganore High School extended its winning streak to 14 games with a 29‑28 triumph over Mergenthaler Vocational‑Technical, a comeback fueled by late touchdown passes from David Day to Jackson Simmons that turned a 20‑14 deficit into a victory and highlighted a 27‑1 record since the start of the 2024 season.
Broadneck High School held off Saint Mary’s 29‑28, never trailing and benefiting from a defensive stop by Grayson Whitney that prevented a field goal, a result that secured their fourth consecutive appearance in the Maryland Class 4A state semifinals.
Our Lady of Good Counsel captured its first win of the season with a 41‑39 goal‑line stand against Bergen Catholic, ending a drought that dated back to 2004 and coming after Bergen Catholic’s quarterback Trey Tagliaferri was ruled out of bounds.
The weekend also showcased Milford Mill’s fifth straight trip to a state semifinal and its 2023 Class 2A championship, while Broadneck’s resurgence from a 0‑3 start last season to a semifinal berth for the fourth year in a row illustrated the volatility of the competition; Good Counsel has not begun a season 0‑2 in more than two decades, and Bergen Catholic’s 0‑2 start marked its first such occurrence since 2004, underscoring the heightened stakes for every program.