With only three weeks left in the regular season, the race for the Howard County championship is shaping up to be an exciting one. Four teams have a viable path to at least share the county crown, with three squads controlling their own destiny. Here’s how the 12 Howard County football teams stack up against each other heading into Week 7. (Karl Merton Ferron)

Howard County 2021 football power rankings | Fifth edition

Oct 10, 2021 at 2:00 pm

Every Sunday of each week, reporter Jacob Meyer will rank the football teams in Howard County. You can tweet at him @jcalvinmeyer or email him at jameyer@baltsun.com with comments or questions about the rankings.

With only three weeks left in the regular season, the race for the Howard County championship is shaping up to be an exciting one. Four teams have a viable path to at least share the county crown, with three squads controlling their own destiny. Here’s how the 12 Howard County football teams stack up against each other heading into Week 7. (Karl Merton Ferron)

At No. 12 again, the Eagles lost to Long Reach 28-0 on Saturday. Up next: vs. Reservoir, Sept. 14. — 12. Centennial (0-6)

The Mustangs remain at No. 11 after losing to Wilde Lake 38-10 on Friday. Up next: at Atholton, Oct. 15. — 11. Marriotts Ridge (0-5)

Down from No. 9 last week, the Golden Bears lost to Reservoir 21-20 on Saturday. Up next: at Mt. Hebron, Oct. 16. — 10. Hammond (1-5)

Up from No. 10 last week, the Gators earned their first victory of the season Saturday with a 21-20 win over Hammond. Up next: at Centennial, Oct. 14. — 9. Reservoir (1-4)

The Lions remain at No. 8 this week after their 35-21 loss to Glenelg in the Elgard Trophy game on Friday. Up next: vs. Oakland Mills, Oct. 15. — 8. Howard (2-4)

The Vikings fall a spot in the rankings after their 20-6 loss to Oakland Mills on Friday. Hebron has wins over Reservoir (7-6), Marriotts Ridge (42-21) and Howard (39-0), while its other losses were to Long Reach (18-6) and River Hill (14-6). Up next: vs. Hammond, Oct. 16. — 7. Mt. Hebron (3-3)

The Wildecats move up a spot after their 38-10 win over Marriotts Ridge on Friday. After losing its first three games of the season to Atholton (7-6), Oakland Mills (21-20) and Glenelg (47-7), Wilde Lake has won three straight games over Hammond (28-0), Centennial (55-6) and the Mustangs. Up next: vs. Long Reach, Oct. 15. — 6. Wilde Lake (3-3)

Down from No. 3 last week, the Hawks lost to Atholton 14-7 on Friday. Prior to the defeat, River Hill had won four straight games over Howard (16-0), Marriotts Ridge (27-7), Mt. Hebron (14-6) and Reservoir (28-0). The Hawks' other loss was a 14-7 defeat at the hands of Long Reach in Week 1. River Hill has the best scoring defense in the county (6.8 points allowed per game), but the Hawks' offense is scoring only 16.5 points a game. Up next: at Glenelg, Oct. 15. — 5. River Hill (4-2)

The Raiders move up a spot after beating River Hill 14-7 on Friday. Atholton opened the season 3-0 with wins over Wilde Lake (7-6), Glenelg (26-24) and Centennial (57-12) before losing to Oakland Mills 26-20 in Week 4. The Raiders have bounced back from the loss, though, with victories against Hammond (30-15) and the Hawks. Up next: vs. Marriotts Ridge, Oct. 15. — 4. Atholton (5-1)

Up from No. 4 last week, the Scorpions defeated Mt. Hebron 20-6 on Friday. Oakland Mills bounced back with a win over the Vikings after its 20-8 loss to Glenelg in Week 5. Prior to the defeat, the Scorps opened the season 4-0 with victories over Centennial (36-7), Wilde Lake (21-20), Hammond (42-20) and Atholton (26-20). Up next: at Howard, Oct. 15. — 3. Oakland Mills (5-1)

At No. 2 again, the Gladiators earned their fourth straight victory with a 35-21 win over Howard in the Elgard Trophy game on Friday. Glenelg opened the season with a win over Hammond (35-14) but lost in Week 2 to Atholton (26-24). Since the loss, the Gladiators have been dominant, going 4-0 with wins over Wilde Lake (47-7), Centennial (47-6), Oakland Mills (20-8) and the Lions. Glenelg is fourth in scoring defense (13.7 points allowed per game) and first in scoring offense (34.67 points scored a game). Up next: vs. River Hill, Oct. 15. — 2. Glenelg (5-1)

The Lightning remain in the top spot for the third straight week after their 28-0 win over Centennial on Saturday. Long Reach is the lone undefeated team remaining in Howard County, but the Lightning still have tough games against Wilde Lake, Atholton and Oakland Mills remaining. Long Reach's other wins are over River Hill (14-7), Reservoir (48-0), Mt. Hebron (18-6), Howard (21-17) and Marriotts Ridge (47-14). The Lightning have the second best scoring defense in the county (7.3 points allowed per game) and second best scoring offense (29.3 points scored a game). Up next: at Wilde Lake, Oct. 15. — 1. Long Reach (6-0)