5 Offensive Playmakers to Watch in the MPSSAA 2A Semis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meet the top offensive playmakers in the MPSSAA 2A semis—discover who could make the difference and catch the action this Friday!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1941031' first='Jonathan' last='Grady'] | Wicomico | Athlete| 6-4 185 | 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grady has earned All-Bayside Team honours this season as a first-team utility player on defence and a second-team tight end on offence. He's a true athlete in every sense of the word and a match-up problem on offense. Whether on the line, at H-back, or flexed out, Grady presents a physical and athletic challenge to anyone trying to guard him in the passing game. I am super impressed with his ability to line up at cornerback at his size and lock things down on his side. There has to be a spot for him somewhere on the next level.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Russell McIntyre | Glenelg | Running Back | 5-9 | 174 | 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McIntyre carried the football 20 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 17-0 win over Howard last week. He's rushed for 698 yards and nine touchdowns on 116 carries while sharing carries with Jailen Johnson (see below).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dominic Hickman | Huntingtown | Quarterback | 6-0 | 180 | 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hickman has been a force with both his arm and legs for Huntingtown. He's thrown for over 850-plus yards, thrown for eight-plus touchdowns and has rushed for 330-plus yards and six-plus touchdowns this season. He makes many quick decisions, distributing his passes to different receivers running both short and intermediate routes. Hickman can make you pay at any point once he decides to take off and exploit whatever the defense is giving him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gabriel Copeland | Huntingtown | Running Back | 6-0 | 180 | 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Copeland carried the football 142 times for 1,284 yards (9.0 yards per carry) and 15 touchdowns in his first ten games of the season. He has a couple of runs on his highlights that are 80-plus and 90-plus yard touchdown runs that give a nice look at his long speed once he gets in the open. I love the way he's decisive, attacks the line-of-scrimmage north-south, and his quickness through the hole. Copeland can also get those tough yards.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Copeland and his teammates face Wicomico on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jai'len Johnson | Glenelg | Running Back | 5-9 | 160 | 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson carried the football 11 times for 61 yards during a 17-0 playoff win over Howard last week. On the season, he's carried the football 131 times for 855 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns. Johnson has rushed for 100-plus yards in five games so far this season. He thrives when given a chance to run on the outside, often beating defenders to the corner in his highlights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->