Throughout the preseason and leading up to the season opener, there were more than a few occasions where Westlake High School first-year football coach DaLawn Parrish was sure to chirp on the whistle as soon as running back Devin Cox burst through the line of scrimmage.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing that Cox wanted to run every play to its completion. But there were only 10 minutes in each practice period and the goal was to get in as many repetitions as possible, not watch Cox speed off into the distance then have to return to the backfield.
“He doesn’t do it maliciously, but he wants to finish every run,” said Parrish, who led Wise High to six Maryland 4A titles before moving to Westlake this past offseason. “My man will try to take it to the house every play. But let’s get back in the huddle and get another play in.”
There were no such concerns this past Friday. Cox rushed 29 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns and returned a kickoff 89 yards for another score, as the Wolverines opened their season with a 48-33 victory over Northern. For his efforts, Cox was named the Military Bowl DC Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.
“He just turns into a different person on the field,” Parrish said. “It’s exciting talking about him. He’s an outstanding young man, a leader.”
Upon accepting the job at Westlake, Parrish said he began watching videos of the Wolverines’ games last season. The team went 6-6 and Cox would occasionally deliver standout plays.
“Every game, he would have a run that you were like, ‘Whoa!’ but you wondered why he did not get the ball 20 times. Why didn’t they feed him the ball?” Parrish said. “He wants to win. He texts and calls, always asking me my opinion of something. I want this team to be successful because of young men like him.”
This week’s DC Touchdown Club Player of the Week High School Football Player of the Week Honor Roll:
ANNE ARUNDEL
Annapolis RB Tyler Womack rushed for 217 yards and six touchdowns as the Panthers beat Old Mill for the first time in more than 20 years, 40-20.
DC
KIPP Legacy CB Berry Johnson intercepted three passes, returning one 52 yards for a touchdown, and broke up another pass as the Bulldogs beat Jefferson, 38-2.
FREDERICK
Brunswick QB Ethan Houck, a Liberty recruit, completed 12 of 18 passes for 180 yards and three touchdown and rushed 12 times for 165 yards and four touchdowns and a two-point conversion as the Railroaders beat Rock Ridge, 56-28.
HOWARD
Oakland Mills DL Ayo Adeniyi made six tackles with two sacks, forced two fumbles, blocked a punt and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown and returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown as the Scorpions beat Reservoir, 33-0.
LOUDOUN
Loudoun Valley QB/WR Mack Gaffney completed 9 of 12 passes for 159 yards, rushed 12 times for 117 yards and one touchdown and caught four passes for 90 yards and another score as the Vikings beat Musselman, 35-21.
MONTGOMERY
Damascus RB/LB Michael Cooley rushed 17 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns, including a 99-yarder on his first carry of the season, and on defense made nine tackles with one sack and one tackle for loss as the Hornets beat Einstein, 14-0.
NORTHERN REGION
Madison WR/RB Dominic Knicely rushed 15 times for 78 yards and one touchdown, caught five passes for 92 yards and another touchdown and had an 80-yard kickoff return as the Warhawks beat Lake Braddock, 36-15.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Laurel QB Demerius Custis completed 16 of 26 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 10 times for 82 yards and three touchdowns as the Spartans beat Surrattsville, 46-28.
PRINCE WILLIAM
Colgan RB/LB LJ Richards rushed 21 times for 149 yards and one touchdown and on defense made nine tackles with three sacks, three tackles for loss and one forced fumble as the Sharks beat Osbourn, 24-7.
PRIVATE
St. Albans WR/S Zahir Cobb caught 10 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns and on defense made six tackles and recovered a fumble as the Bulldogs beat O’Connell, 44-34.
WCAC
Bishop Ireton LB Matthew Worth made 13 tackles with one sack and intercepted two passes as the Cardinals beat Mount Carmel, 27-23.
