This story is part of The Washington Sun’s All-DMV coverage. All-DMV is a new collaboration between The Sun, Fox 5 DC, NBC4 Washington and WTOP News, aimed at covering the D.C. area’s best high school athletes. You can find past players of the week and more information about All-DMV here.
With the postseason right around the corner, the clock is ticking for the DMV’s top football programs. Here are five players who stood out in a wild week:
Wilton Cameron, Senior, Athlete, Blake
Cameron stepped up late to help Blake earn a rivalry victory Thursday over Paint Branch in Silver Spring. The senior, who plays quarterback on offense for the Bengals, called his own number deep in the second half and burst free for a 30-yard rushing touchdown run to give coach Bryon Marshall’s team a late edge.
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He finished the job as a defensive back moments later. Cameron extinguished the Panthers’ last gasp effort in the fourth quarter by tipping a pass to a teammate for the game-sealing interception.
“That win was very important for us and for the program, and also for my teammates to give them the edge to never give up,” Cameron said. “That game should keep us going to win [the rest of the season] and try to get us to the state championship, which is our goal.”
Darius Knight, Senior, Running Back, Dunbar
Saturday’s D.C. public school bout between Dunbar and Theodore Roosevelt was a battle between two of the most potent offenses in the city. Knight led the charge at running back for the Crimson Tide — the senior rushed for over 100 yards and four touchdowns in an eventual 34-19 victory.
Coach Maurice Vaughn’s offense eclipsed 30 points for the third time in four weeks and are hitting their stride with the DCIAA playoffs approaching.
“Darius is our bell cow,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to go as far as he takes us.”
Matthew Larsen, Senior, Quarterback, Sherwood
Larsen has been a steadying presence at quarterback for a Warriors team that’s been plagued by injuries this fall. Despite being down four top receiving targets to injury, Larsen captained Sherwood to a dramatic 34-29 win against Damascus on Friday. The senior completed 21 of his 30 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown, including a late 56-yard strike in the fourth quarter to give the Warriors a late lead.
Larsen, a four-year starter for the Sandy Spring program, threw his 77th career touchdown pass in the victory as the Warriors moved to 7-1.
Jackson Waddy, Junior, Defensive Back, Gonzaga
Waddy is one of several strong defensive weapons for the Eagles, who held WCAC rival Good Counsel out of the end zone in a 21-3 victory over the Falcons on Friday. Waddy nabbed an interception, five solo tackles and a pass breakup for coach Randy Trivers’ defense, a unit that has given up just 9 points in the last two weeks against capable conference competition.
“Our defense played solid all around, making sure we neutralized the run game,” Trivers said. “We were really able to do a good job of eliminating Good Counsel’s big plays.”
Christian Wyatt, Senior, Quarterback, South Lakes
In a matchup between two of the most potent offenses in Northern Virginia, Wyatt exploded for five total touchdowns for South Lakes in a 40-28 win over Madison. The senior quarterback passed for 261 yards and two touchdowns — both of which were hauled by junior wide receiver Joshua-Benjamin Dagbe, who racked up 156 yards and three total touchdowns in the victory.
Wyatt added three more scores on the ground as coach Jason Hescock’s team emerged victorious in the shootout win.
“[Wyatt] is definitely not selfish giving that ball around,” Hescock said. “He called his own number a couple of times, called a bunch of other guys’ numbers a bunch of times. … It’s really nice that he’s on our team and we don’t have to gameplan for him.”
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