Capital One Bank Washington, D.C. Coach of the Week: Chuck Markiewicz

A young but talented Arundel (Gambrills, Md.) football team received a major wake-up call in its eighth game of the season when Broadneck (Annapolis, Md.) pulled off a 37-18 upset.

Coach Chuck Markiewicz told MaxPreps, "We have a lot of tradition and pride in our program, but I don't think they got it until we got beat by Broadneck. Our first half was terrible."

That poor showing spurred the Wildcats to win their last three outings, including Friday's stunning 25-22 upset of previously unbeaten Old Mill (Millersville, Md.) during the Class 4A state playoffs. It marked the first time Arundel had ever beaten Old Mill in the playoffs. Old Mill had previously handed the Wildcats a 24-14 defeat in the second game of the year.

The Wildcats will carry a 9-2 record against Meade (Fort Meade) on Friday in the Class 4A regional championship game.

For his efforts, Markiewicz has been named the Capital One Bank Washington, D.C. Coach of the Week.

Junior quarterback Anthony Messenger spearheaded the big upset by completing 28 of 40 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns and adding 56 yards on the ground. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder hit Don Keith with the winning 22-yard touchdown pass with just 1:12 left. Linebacker Kwame Kumah (6-3, 190) was the tackle leader, while sophomore Andrew Cassard made a crucial interception at his one-yard line.

Even returning just four starters, Markiewicz felt he could field a good team because the underclassmen had gone 18-0-2 during their ninth- and tenth-grade years.

A 1973 graduate of Arundel, where he played football, baseball and wrestled, Markiewicz has won 210 games in his 27th year as a head coach. He said he wanted to be a coach ever since he was six years old and returning to Arundel was his goal following his 1978 graduation from Salisbury State College.

It took a while to get back, even though he started his career as an assistant JV football coach at Arundel in 1978. He also assisted in wrestling and lacrosse. He then coached at Chesapeake (Pasadena, Md.) and Meade (Fort Meade, Md.) before getting the head football position at the new North County (Ferndale, Md.) High School. He was there for 10 years and won the Class 4A state title in 1994.

Markiewicz finally realized his dream in 2000 when he returned to his alma mater as head football coach.

"My wife taught at Arundel and I used to attend their basketball games," he said. "I heard that the football job was open and one night I was sitting behind their principal. The next thing I knew I was the head football coach. It was pretty special."

The 58-year-old coach, who retired as a teacher last spring, still loves his school and his job.

"I'm pretty lucky," he said. "I know people who still don't know what they want to do in life."