LANDOVER, Md. — One year after falling to St. Paul VI Catholic High School on a cold, rainy night in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Metro Division title game, St. Mary’s Ryken returned to the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex under clear skies Saturday afternoon and delivered a performance that left no room for doubt.
The Knights scored on six of their first seven possessions, piled up 43 unanswered points, and rolled to a 43-6 victory that gave the Leonardtown private school its second Metro championship in three seasons and exacted complete revenge on the Panthers.
From the opening kickoff — originally scheduled for 4 p.m. but delayed slightly until just before 4 — Ryken wasted no time announcing its intentions. Paul VI kicked off to the Knights, and on the third offensive snap of the game senior running back Tyler Holmes (#5) burst through the line and raced 60 yards untouched for a touchdown with approximately 11 minutes remaining in the first quarter. Kicker Androwdo Juju Bradley (#4) split the uprights to make it 7-0 only five minutes into the contest.
Four minutes later junior Joshua Grier (#6) powered in from 11 yards out for another score. Bradley’s second PAT pushed the lead to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The second period brought no relief for the Panthers. Midway through the frame Bradley drilled a 37-yard field goal — his longest of the season — to extend the margin to 17-0. With under a minute remaining before halftime, junior quarterback Matthew Posey (#7) found wide receiver Julian Delozier (#3) on a 15-yard slant for six more. Bradley’s kick sent the Knights to the locker room ahead 24-0 in front of an estimated crowd of at least 1,000 spectators on a cold but dry afternoon.
Ryken received the second-half kickoff and continued the onslaught. Early in the third quarter Posey connected with Connor Todd (#13) on a 13-yard touchdown pass. Bradley added the extra point for a 31-0 lead. Late in the same period an unidentified No. 26 plunged in from seven yards out to make it 37-0, though the ensuing PAT sailed wide.
Paul VI finally reached the end zone with about nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when its quarterback hit Tanner Wiles (#84) on a 4-yard scoring pass. The two-point rush failed, leaving the score 37-6.
The Knights answered immediately. On the ensuing series Posey rolled left and lofted a 28-yard touchdown strike back across the field to Holmes for the senior’s second score of the day. Ryken’s two-point pass fell incomplete, setting the final at 43-6.
The 37-point margin represented the seventh time this fall St. Mary’s Ryken won by 33 or more points. The Knights closed the season 9-3 overall, going 8-1 over their final nine games while surrendering an average of just 10.3 points per contest during that stretch — a testament to a defense that repeatedly forced three-and-outs and turnovers on downs.
Offensively, the balanced attack that coach Gary Wynn has built over the past three seasons was on full display. While earlier reports highlighted junior running back Malachi Milburn as a primary weapon, Saturday belonged to Holmes, Grier and the passing game as Ryken spread the wealth and kept Paul VI’s defense off balance throughout.
The victory erases the memory of last year’s championship defeat and gives Wynn’s senior class — many of whom were sophomores on the 2023 title team — a storybook ending. With no all-star games or postseason bowl invitations on the schedule, the Knights close the book on 2025 as WCAC Metro champions.
