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Every week, across several sports, players around the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Virginia) shine in individual performance. Every Monday, I’d like to take a minute to highlight some of those performances, including what I view as the best performance and name that athlete the “DMV Star of the Week.”
This week’s DMV Star of the Week is the entire Howard Football Team, for winning its first ever MEAC title.
On Saturday, Howard knocked off Morgan State 14-7 in DC to win its sixth game of the season and win its first conference championship in program history.
Just four years removed from a two win season, HU put together a season to never forget, finishing the year 6-5 and securing its first ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football championship.
Howard has not had a winning season since 2017.
HU was led all season long by a stout defensive group, mainly cornerback Kenny Gallop, who had 3 interceptions and a forced fumble this year.
On offense, the Bison were led by QB Quinton Williams, who threw for over 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns, with just 4 interceptions to go along with 5 rushing touchdowns.
With the win, Howard will participate in the Cricket Celebration bowl on December 16 in Atlanta. There, they’ll take on the winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
“Congratulations to the MEAC champion Howard University Bison for earning their first trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl,” said Executive Director John Grant, who was on-site at the game in Washington D.C. for Howard’s win on Saturday. “We are excited for the Bison to make their first appearance and join us in this championship matchup."
The DMV saw ten teams in action this past week, including the Washington Commanders, Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals, the Maryland and Howard football teams, and the Maryland, Howard, Georgetown, George Washington, and American basketball teams
Here are some honorable mention performances for DMV Star of the Week:
Washington Capitals’ Hendreix Lapierre and Aliaksei Protas each had 3 points, one goal and two assists, in the Caps 4-3 win over Columbus on Saturday
Maryland Running Back Billy Edwards Jr. had 4 carries for 3 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Terrapins 31-24 loss to #3 Michigan on Saturday
Georgetown’s Jayden Epps scored 31 points in the Hoyas 88-83 overtime win over American on Sunday
Washington Commanders linebacker David Mayo had 2 sacks in Sunday’s loss to the Giants, leading a defense that recorded 9 total sacks in the game
Washington Capitals Goalie Charlie Lindgren had 35 saves in the Caps 3-0 win over Las Vegas on Tuesday
Georgetown Forward Dontrez Styles scored 26 points in Saturday’s 83-72 win over Mount St. Mary’s
Washington Wizards Forward Kyle Kuzma had 34 points in Monday’s 111-107 loss to Toronto
Howard Running Back Jarett Hunter had 20 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown in HU’s MEAC title-clinching 14-7 win over Morgan State on Saturday
George Washington’s Garrett Johnson had 18 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s win over New Hampshire
Here’s what’s coming up this week in DMV Sports:
Washington Commanders (4-7, 3rd in NFC East)
11/23 @ Dallas (Thanksgiving)
Washington Capitals (9-4-2, 2nd in Metropolitan Division)
11/22 vs. Buffalo
11/24 vs. Edmonton
Washington Wizards (2-10, 13th in Eastern Conference)
11/20 vs. Milwaukee
11/22 @ Charlotte
11/24 @ Milwaukee (NBA In-Season Tournament - Group stage)
Maryland Terrapins Football (6-5 overall, 3-5, T-4th in Big 10 East)
11/25 @ Rutgers
Howard Bison Football (6-5 overall, 4-1, MEAC Champions)
12/16 @ Celebration Bowl vs. SWAC Champion (Atlanta, GA)
Maryland Terrapins Basketball (1-3 overall, 0-0, 14th in Big 10)
11/21 vs. UMBC
11/25 vs. South Alabama
Howard Bison Basketball (2-3 overall, 0-0, T-4th in MEAC)
11/20 @ Bryant
11/25 @ Mount St. Mary’s
Georgetown Hoyas Basketball (3-2 overall, 0-0, T-8th in Big East)
11/25 vs. Jackson State
George Washington Revolutionaries Basketball (4-0 overall, 0-0, T-1st in Atlantic 10)
11/24 vs. Ohio (Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship)
11/25 vs. Middle Tennessee/UIC (Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship)
11/26 vs. TBD (Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship)
American University Eagles Basketball (2-3 overall, 0-0, 2nd in Patriot League)
11/22 vs. Mount St. Mary’s
11/26 vs. Hood College
*Denotes games I will be covering in-person