This time last year, the Eastern Tech Mavericks football program was in a freefall. Coming off a 2024 campaign that saw just two wins and no playoff action, the Mavericks started their 2025 season with just one win in their first six games. The 1-5 stretch saw a trio of one score losses, including 6-0 week one against Loch Raven, 13-6 week two at Pikesville, and 28-24 week four at Patapsco. Eastern Tech head coach Brian James, through those three losses, was not worried about the outlook of the rest of the season. “We were in all three of those games. Our defense played well,” Coach James said. “It was the first year of running a new offense. So, we were going through the normal growing pains of the first year learning a new offense.” With a 1-5 record through seven weeks, Eastern Tech’s growing pains began to resolve. In weeks eight and nine, the Mavericks took down Western Tech 36-22 and Chesapeake 19-6, bringing their regular season record to 3-5. Those two wins at the end of the regular season, as Coach James explained, had a legitimate impact on the roster going into the offseason. “The two wins at the end of our season gave our guys some confidence… our offense was running more fluidly which drove our guys to work hard in the offseason.” Coach James explained that the offseason consisted of 12 days of camp plus lots of work in the weight room. The coaching staff as a whole planned to increase the run game’s share in the offense. Heading into a week one rematch against Loch Raven, preparation for the Mavericks was business as usual, watching film and preparing how to attack the Raiders defense. This year, however, proved to be different than the past. Eastern Tech, for the first time since September 9, 2022, defeated Loch Raven, beating the Raiders 28-14. The victory over Loch Raven was also the first two-score win since September 23, 2016 when the Mavericks won 41-0. After their first two-score win over Loch Raven in a decade, Coach James explained how the triumph positively influenced the roster. “I think that win boosted the guys’ confidence and showed them that all the work from the offseason was paying off,” he said. “It made them hungrier for that feeling you get when you win.” Coach James’ sentiment was proven as the Mavericks’ continued on, earning revenge in big fashion against Pikesville in week two, beating the Panthers 49-20, just one year off a 13-6 loss. That was followed by a 47-0 road win over Patapsco, which came before another revenge win, a 37-14 victory over Patapsco in week four. Eastern Tech’s undefeated streak came to an end in a 21-14 loss to Sparrows Point, but Coach James said his team will use it as an opportunity to refocus heading into a week six game against KIPP DC Legacy and a week seven match against currently undefeated Towson. Through five weeks, the key to Eastern Tech’s offensive success has undoubtedly been senior running back David Akinsuroju. Thus far, per Coach James, the senior has rushed for 808 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, both leading any athlete in the state. His continued dominance on the ground will be a key part in the Mavericks’ continue to roll in the second half of the regular season.
