By Brian Hradsky
Updated Nov. 12, 2026. Reporting reflects results available before the evening’s games.
John Carroll and Our Lady of Mount Carmel have set the pace in the 2026 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference football race, and both enter the semifinals with 9–1 records. John Carroll hosts Boys’ Latin, while Mount Carmel welcomes Severn School in two rematches scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13. The regular season established two clear leaders, but both visiting teams have another opportunity to change the championship picture. With four teams still playing, the conference has reached the point where a strong fall must translate into one more complete performance.
The Patriots earned the top seed after an unbeaten conference schedule, and the Cougars occupy the second position. Boys’ Latin closed with consecutive victories, while Severn reached the bracket despite ending its regular season with a nonconference loss. Those different finishes give the semifinals their own identities. One matchup asks whether John Carroll can repeat its earlier success against a familiar opponent; the other asks whether Severn can substantially improve on its first meeting with Mount Carmel.
Where all eight MIAA B teams stand
| Team | Reported overall record | Season position |
|---|---|---|
| John Carroll | 9–1 | No. 1 playoff seed |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel | 9–1 | No. 2 playoff seed |
| Severn School | 7–3 | No. 3 playoff seed |
| Boys’ Latin | 6–3 | No. 4 playoff seed |
| Archbishop Curley | 3–7 | Outside semifinal field |
| St. Paul’s | 2–7 | Outside semifinal field |
| St. Vincent Pallotti | 1–9 | Outside semifinal field |
| Annapolis Area Christian | 0–10 | Outside semifinal field |
The conference standings listing separates the top two teams from the rest of the field. John Carroll is listed at 7–0 in league play, with Mount Carmel at 6–1. Overall records include games against opponents outside the conference and should not be treated as interchangeable with league records. The playoff seeds, rather than a computer ranking, determine the semifinal pairings discussed here.
John Carroll has answered close-game tests
John Carroll’s season began with a 26–13 loss to West Catholic, followed by nine consecutive victories. The Patriots’ game-by-game schedule includes a 14–13 victory over Severn and 28–21 wins against Mount Carmel and Pallotti. John Carroll also defeated St. Paul’s 14–7 before finishing with a 28–7 victory over Archbishop Curley. That collection of results shows why the top seed has more substance than an impressive winning percentage alone.
Several of those league wins came by one possession, an important detail when evaluating the Patriots’ championship chances. John Carroll has already faced the pressure of a narrow final margin against teams in this conference. A semifinal can create that situation again, particularly against an opponent with an established rushing threat. The earlier wins support confidence in the Patriots, although the scores alone do not explain which individual plays decided those games.
Quarterback Jack Sabol is among the players to watch in the rematch. Prep Redzone’s Nov. 10 preview reported 1,420 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes across John Carroll’s 10 regular-season games. James Westervelt gives the Patriots a notable target at tight end, while Chase Holliday appears among the rushing leaders on the team’s statistics page. Frank Matricciani and Joe Choe also appear among its listed defensive leaders, bringing attention to players whose work matters beyond the passing game.
Boys’ Latin brings a productive rushing threat
Boys’ Latin enters at 6–3 after winning its final two regular-season games. Its earlier meeting with John Carroll ended in a 30–17 defeat, giving the Lakers a specific result to improve upon. The semifinal offers another chance against the team that finished first in the league. John Carroll’s official football page lists the home semifinal for 8 p.m. Friday.
Alonzo Wallace stands out in the Lakers’ reported player statistics, which list him at 111.5 rushing yards per game. Paxton Randall appears as the leading receiver by yards per game, while Blake Griffith and Cameron Frank are among the defensive leaders. These are submitted statistics rather than a complete independent ranking of every player in the conference. Even with that limitation, they identify several of the names most relevant to following Boys’ Latin in the postseason.
Wallace’s production makes the Lakers’ ability to sustain possessions a central matchup question. A productive running game could help Boys’ Latin control down-and-distance situations and reduce the number of opportunities available to John Carroll. That is a tactical possibility, not a claim about a scheme confirmed by either coaching staff. The more immediate benchmark is straightforward: the Lakers must improve on the 13-point gap from the first meeting.
Mount Carmel reaches November with momentum
Mount Carmel has won five consecutive games and carries a 9–1 record into its home semifinal. The Cougars defeated Severn 35–13 in their regular-season meeting and closed with a 49–26 victory over Pallotti. Those results establish the Cougars as a difficult opponent without requiring a prediction about Friday’s outcome. Their only reported regular-season defeat came against John Carroll, a 28–21 result that also illustrates how closely the two leading teams have competed.
Quarterback Blake Caccamo completed 10 of 11 passes for 184 yards in the first Severn matchup, according to his published game log. That game provides a concrete example of efficient passing against the upcoming opponent. Severn will need a different defensive result in the rematch. The earlier performance also gives Mount Carmel a measurable standard as it attempts to advance.
Jahleel Gant, Tywan Young, Isaiyah Scott and Tavon Mitchell appear prominently on Mount Carmel’s player-statistics listing. Gant is listed with 17 total touchdowns, while Scott appears at 10.9 tackles per game and Mitchell at nine sacks. Those numbers reflect the statistics available on that page when researched. They highlight contributions on both sides of the ball, but they should not be read as verified statewide leading totals.
Severn’s passing targets remain worth watching
Severn enters the semifinals at 7–3 after a 33–6 loss to St. Mary’s ended a three-game winning streak. The Admirals now return to conference competition against a Mount Carmel team that won the first meeting by 22 points. Reaching this stage gives Severn another opportunity, but the regular-season matchup sets a demanding reference point. Improving that result will require more than carrying its overall winning record into the game.
Myles Goger is one of the clearest individual highlights of Severn’s fall. His 2026–27 season statistics list 24 receptions for 760 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns across 10 games. That works out to 31.7 yards per catch in the published table, showing the value of his completed receptions. Grady Kelly and Tristan Gale also appear among the rushing and defensive leaders on Severn’s team page.
The other four teams still belong in the season review
Archbishop Curley finished at a reported 3–7 after remaining in the discussion for the final playoff berth late in the regular season. St. Paul’s, listed at 2–7, and Pallotti, listed at 1–9, also appear in several of the contenders’ close results. Annapolis Area Christian’s reported 0–10 finish left it outside the semifinal field. Those records describe the season’s outcomes without reducing the work of their players to the standings alone.
For context on how the field developed, MSB’s earlier MIAA playoff-race report tracked the final berth before the last weekend. Readers can follow additional school coverage through Maryland Sports Blog. Our guide to MPSSAA schedules and standings covers the separate public-school information system. MIAA results and its championship race remain distinct from those MPSSAA classifications.
How the semifinal field becomes a champion
The MIAA’s football handbook specifies a four-team varsity tournament in each conference, with the fourth seed meeting the first and the third meeting the second. The winner of the championship game earns the conference title. That distinction matters for John Carroll: finishing first has secured its position in the bracket, but the Patriots still must win the tournament. Mount Carmel, Severn and Boys’ Latin have the same remaining objective once the semifinals begin.
Defensive contributions deserve attention alongside the offensive names in this race. John Carroll’s reported leaders include Choe with 11 sacks and Nick Bel Bruno with three interceptions, while Severn lists Gale with seven sacks. Pressure and takeaways can change possession counts in a close playoff game. Those listed figures help show why the semifinal matchups should be followed on defense as well as through the running backs and receivers already highlighted.
MSB Take
John Carroll has earned the strongest position through its unbeaten league record and repeated success in close games. Mount Carmel has a persuasive case of its own, particularly given the first Severn result and its winning finish to the regular season. Boys’ Latin’s rushing production and Severn’s explosive receiving numbers give both visitors reasons to believe they can challenge those advantages. My view is that the semifinal rematches deserve more attention than a simple comparison of overall records: the earlier head-to-head results identify the exact gaps each challenger must close.
