Football Game Preview: Loyola Blakefield Dons vs. Archbishop Spalding Cavaliers

Loyola Blakefield hasn't had much luck against Archbishop Spalding recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Dons will host the Cavaliers at 6:00 p.m. Loyola Blakefield has given up an average of 26.5 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Loyola Blakefield is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Maryland's top teams: Mount St. Joseph, who was ranked 13th at the time (Loyola Blakefield was ranked 15th). The Dons fell 35-28 to the Gaels on Friday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since December 5, 2020, but that streak is no more.

Despite the loss, Loyola Blakefield saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Carlos Spencer rushed for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also threw for 283 yards and one TD. Mason Russell was another key player, gaining 137 total yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Spalding had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 37.5 points) and they went ahead and made it five last Saturday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 49-10 win over the Saints. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Cavaliers had established a 25-point advantage.

Archbishop Spalding's victory bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Loyola Blakefield, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.

Loyola Blakefield was taken down by Archbishop Spalding 56-3 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Cavaliers' Antonio Ledbetter Jr, who rushed for 125 yards and two scores on only 11 carries. Now that the Dons know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.