There have been some growing pains as Amonte Dreher matured into a leader for the Dunbar High football team. The Crimson Tide run a fast-paced, no huddle offense, requiring their quarterback to quickly make lots of decisions.
And while it took some time for Dreher to figure things out, his second season as a starter has been special for Dunbar and its undersized, 5-foot-7 quarterback.
Dreher continued to work his magic this past weekend, passing for 247 yards and four touchdowns as the Crimson Tide beat Theodore Roosevelt, 24-12, to improve to 5-1 this season.
For his efforts, Dreher was named the Military Bowl DC Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.
“It’s a big difference from last year to this year,” Dunbar Coach Maurice Vaughn said, noting that Dreher has thrown 19 touchdown passes with only five interceptions. “He’s making good decisions with the football and making the right reads.”
Dreher’s success has taken Vaughn on a bit of a trip down memory lane. Prior to becoming the coach at Dunbar in 2017, Vaughn had been the offensive coordinator at Wilson High, where he built powerful offenses around quarterbacks with prototype size.
And while having that size was nice, Vaughn knows that Dunbar can succeed with an undersized quarterback. After all, a picture hands in his office of the 1983 Dunbar team, when a 5-7 quarterback – also wearing the No. 2, like Dreher – led the Crimson Tide to the DCIAA Turkey Bowl. That quarterback, of course, was Vaughn.
“I can relate,” Vaughn said. “I never want to be biased against a smaller quarterback.”
Others receiving Player of the Week consideration were:
ANNE ARUNDEL
Arundel QB Austin Slye passed for 400 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-36 loss to Old Mill.
FREDERICK
Middletown QB Reese Poffenbarger passed for 226 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 110 yards as the Knights beat Oakdale, 27-7.
HOWARD
Glenelg RB Kyle Dry rushed 18 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns as the Gladiators beat Oakland Mills, 28-14.
LOUDOUN
Briar Woods QB Christian Greene completed 13 of 28 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons beat Woodgrove, 28-0.
MONTGOMERY
Quince Orchard RB Marquez Cooper rushed for 136 yards and five touchdowns as the Cougars beat Richard Montgomery, 62-14.
NORTHERN REGION
Langley RB Tre Vasiliadis rushed 37 times for 306 yards and three touchdowns as the Saxons beat South Lakes, 23-22.
Yorktown QB Grant Wilson completed all seven of his passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns and had a 76-yard touchdown run as the Patriots beat McLean, 42-0.
PRINCE GEORGE’S
Parkdale WR Carlvinsky Decius caught six passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers beat Bladensburg, 41-0.
PRINCE WILLIAM
Freedom-Woodbridge QB Quest Powell completed 20 of 29 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles beat Hylton, 42-6.
PRIVATE
Potomac School RB Roland Martin rushed 21 times for 119 yards and four touchdowns as the Panthers beat Maret, 34-20.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
La Plata WR Tim Smith Jr. caught touchdown passes of 39 and 73 yards as the Warriors rallied to beat Westlake, 21-12.
WCAC
Good Counsel QB Chase Williams rushed for one touchdown and passed for another in overtime as the Falcons beat Gonzaga, 42-35 in five overtimes.
GAME OF THE WEEK
DC: Ballou (1-5) at Dunbar (5-1), Friday, 6
Maryland: Wise (6-0) at Suitland (5-1), Friday, 7
Virginia: Chantilly (6-0) at Madison (4-3), Friday, 7
Private: St. John’s (4-3) at Good Counsel (6-1), Friday, 7
