QO Set to Challenge Whitman On Short Week

When the undefeated football team travels to Bethesda to face Whitman tonight, head coach Dave Mencarini finds himself without his usual confidence.

“I am very, very nervous about [tonight’s] game,” Mencarini said. “Because not only is Whitman a very good football team, regardless of what their record might be, I’m nervous about it because our team just came off an emotional win last Saturday.” 

meant a shortened week of practice. Factor in a Thursday night game due to the start of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur on Friday night, and Mencarini’s squad could only manage two full practices prior to tonight’s game.

Mecarini held the majority of the two practices without contact, hoping to keep his players fresh for Whitman. Many recent QO-Whitman matchups have come down to the final possession or been very close, Mencarini said.

The difference may be QO’s ability to shut down the Whitman running game, Mencarini said.

“I think their quarterback and their running back are outstanding,” the eighth-year coach said. “I told our team [yesterday], those guys can score a touchdown any time they touch the ball. They do a great job of finding creases and being patient as runners.”

The Cougars’ running game isn’t to be outdone. Senior running back Mark Green ran for 271 yards and a score against Seneca Valley, a performance that earned him recognition as one of ESPN’s top-5 high school players of the week, Mencarini said, the first such recognition of a player during his tenure at QO. 

“He’s a special player,” Mencarini said. “But the reason why he’s having so much success is because he prepared himself for this…He is, by far, the MVP of our team right now.”

Like Mencarini, the news came as a surprise for the star running back.

“I was very shocked and grateful at the same time,” Green said. “People saw and liked my talent enough to acknowledge me. It was truly an honor.” 

Green’s workload, however, has been a concern for the QO coach of late. Green’s carried the football 69 times the past two weeks, a number Mencarini says is too high.

“What concerns me is we need come guys to step up and take the load off [Mark],” he said. “Whether its his backup, guys on the perimeter, or whoever, [Mark’s] carrying the weight right now, but I’ve been around long enough to know that in playoff games and things like that, we can’t just stick the ball in his hands 30 times and expect to win a state championship.”

Patch writer Matt Papuchis also contributed to this report.

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Who: Quince Orchard (5-0 overall, 1-0 division) at Whitman (3-2 overall, 3-1 division)

What: Varsity Football

Where: Guckeyson Memorial Stadium, 7100 Whittier Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20817

When: Tonight at 6:30