By Mike Loveday

Atholton head coach Kyle Schmitt e-mailed me to let me know that Matt Robinson has committed.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound athlete committed to play for the University of Maryland yesterday.

"They were the only school that was really straight up with me," Robinson said. "They were always concerned with my speed and how I would do at camp. That's what they were waiting for -- to see me at camp and make sure I was a good fit for them."

Maryland offered Robinson on June 20, after the rising senior attended the Terrapins one-day camp.

"I was going to go and visit some more places, but the chances of them offering because a lot of them weren't high on me anyway," Robinson added. "Maryland was the only school that was really high on me and I felt that I didn't really need to go and use that offer to get more."

Robinson said he grew up rooting for Maryland football and used to go to games with his neighbor as a kid.

Robinson is the second Maryland high school football player to make his pledge to the University of Maryland. Wise's Titus Till committed to the Terrapins earlier this year.

The 2010 Verbal Commitment list is now updated with Robinson's commitment.

UPDATE: It has been an exciting week for Riverdale Baptist.

Just a few days after rising senior Steven Thames picked up his first official offer, star athlete Brian Burns picks up his.

Burns was offered by Temple; according to Riverdale Baptist head coach Bob Shields.

On a more somber note, this story was reported by the Gazette yesterday. I received a little more information today. Hassan Dixon's mother is still being monitored according to my source. Also, I have heard that there is going to be a vigil held at Shiane Dixon's middle school, Rocky Hill, this evening.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

Riverdale Baptist's Steven Thames picked up his first collegiate offer.

According to head coach Bob Shields, Delaware State offered the 6-foot, 175-pound Thames as a defensive back.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Good Counsel assistant coach Kevin McFadden and it looks like quarterback Zach Dancel is starting to get some serious recruiting interest.  The 6-foot, 190-pound rising junior has been a standout performer at The Quarterback Factory events, showcasing polished mechanics and a strong arm. 

Dancel is expected to be the Falcons starting quarterback this season, replacing the graduated Tyler Campbell.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

Former Gilman Greyhound and current Good Counsel Falcon, Blake Countess, picked up his second collegiate offer over the weekend.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound rising junior picked up a verbal* offer from the University of Maryland, according to Good Counsel assistant coach Kevin McFadden.

The defensive back currently holds two verbal offers -- his other offer is Wisconsin.

Countess was one of the breakout stars of the 2009 Nike Baltimore Combine -- posting the eighth best SPARQ** Rating and the third best of all sophomores.

Countess posted a SPARQ Rating of 95.25 -- running a 40-yard dash time of 4.56, a shuttle of 4.23 and posting a vertical jump of 33.6 and a kneeling power ball distance of 34-5 feet.

*According to NCAA regulations athletes cannot receive written scholarship offers until September of their junior year. Offers are only verbal until that point.

**SPARQ Rating is a mathematical equation that takes into account an athlete's performance in the 40-yard dash, shuttle run, vertical jump and kneeling power ball and turns it into a number.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Sheldon Shealer

St. Frances Academy, about to start its second year of football, recorded a first Friday as rising senior wide receiver Marcus Snipes received a scholarship offer from James Madison University.

Snipes is the first SFA player to receive a college offer.

By Mike Loveday

I just received an e-mail from McDonogh' Rudy Johnson to let me know that he committed to college.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback has committed to play football for Buffalo.

Johnson, who took an official visit to Buffalo on June 17, did not take long to make his decision – committing to Buffalo on his drive back to Maryland.

"A couple other places were trying to get me to visit, but when I went up there it was everything I wanted in a program. And the place I wanted to be,” Johnson said. "I wanted to be at a school where I can make a difference.”

As a junior last season, Johnson threw for 1,838 yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to earning All-State Big School Honorable Mention.

"The main thing was the coaching staff was real welcoming,” Johnson said of what made Buffalo stand out. "To talk to the quarterbacks coach and coach [Turner] Gill -- I just felt like those were people I was comfortable with and it would be a good place for me to be.”

The verbal commitment list for the Maryland high school football class of 2010 is now updated.

Thomas Johnson's Marquis Woodyard, a rising senior, was named the 2008-09 Gatorade Maryland Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Woodyard is the first Gatorade Maryland Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Governor Thomas Johnson High School.  

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track, distinguishes Woodyard as Maryland's best high school boys track & field athlete.  Woodyard is now a finalist for the  Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year award.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior hurdler clocked a time of 14.19 seconds to win the 110-meter hurdles and broke the tape in the 300-meter hurdles in 38.69 at the Class 4A state meet this season, leading the Patriots to the state champoinship as a team.  An Honorable Mention All-Met selection as named by The Washington Post, Woodyard also anchored the third-place 4x400-meter relay quartet that finished in 3:23.78 at the state meet.  His time of 37.63 in the 300-meter hurdles at the Frederick County Track & Field Championships ranked No. 30 in the nation among prep competitors at the time of his selection.

Woodyard has maintained a 3.14 weighted GPA in the classroom. 

By Sheldon Shealer, editor

Thomas Johnson senior Nick Forbes verbally committed to California. The following is a link to the story that appeared in the Frederick News-Post. More

UPDATED: With two more commitments over the weekend, I've updated the verbal commitment list. You can find it HERE.

By Mike Loveday

Good Counsel's Frank Tamakloe committed to Wisconsin around 10 p.m. Monday evening.

Tamakloe committed to the Badgers as a strong safety.

Tamakloe took time Monday evening to call coaches at the others schools who had offered him and let them know of his decision.

"I just wanted to really thank the other schools that offered me. I didn't want them to find out over the internet. That's why I did it [committed] so late,” Tamakloe said. "It was a close decision. It was just a blessing for all the coaches that offered me. The Northwestern coaches and Maryland coaches are all great people.”

Tamakloe said his decision came down to three schools: Wisconsin, Northwestern and Maryland.

"They were all 1A (Wisconsin), 1B (Northwestern) and 1C (Maryland),” Tamakloe said. "I just felt right at Wisconsin. I have a good relationship with my recruiting coordinator and I just like Madison.”

"There were a couple other schools that were close to offering, but basically when I looked at my list they wanted me the most,” Tamakloe added. "They weren't waiting for anyone else. I felt like those were the schools that wanted me the most.”

Badgers defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks recruited the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Tamakloe.

At the time of his commitment, Tamakloe held 10 offers many of the major Football Bowl Championship Series schools, including Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Wake Forest and West Virginia.

Tamakloe is the third Good Counsel athlete to commit to a college from this rising senior class.

Athlete E.J. Scott committed to Virginia two weeks ago and defensive back Louis Young committed to Stanford last season.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

Atholton (Columbia, Md.) receiver Matt Robinson picked up some good news in the form of another offer on Saturday.

According to Atholton head coach Kyle Schmitt, Robinson picked up an offer from the University of Maryland after attending their one-day camp on Saturday.

The offer is Robinson's fifth, but first from a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) school.

The 6-foot-4, 201-pound Robinson also holds offers from James Madison and Fordham, UMass and Stony Brook.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

James Madison just offered Potomac's Devonta Tabannah, according to head coach Chris Davidson.

The offer from the Dukes comes a week after he picked up an offer from Delaware State. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound athlete is now up to six offers.

Tabannah now holds offers from Akron, Monmouth, Maine and Towson.

As a junior last season, Tabannah accounted for 62 percent of Potomac's offense - accumulating 1,441 and 14 touchdowns.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

Century's Josh Bordner just received some great news. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound rising senior received his first official offer around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Bordner was offered by Boston College as a quarterback.

"Originally I went to their camp and he [assistant coach Ryan Day] said I was their No. 1 guy,” Bordner said. "He said that they had a couple quarterbacks come up to their next camp, but I was they guy they want. They want me to come back up there and see more of the school and the city."

Bordner, who made the move to quarterback before last season, threw for a Carroll County best 2,212 yards. Bordner threw for 18 touchdowns and also made 78 tackles from his linebacker position on defense.

The Small School First Team All-State quarterback led Century a Class 2A tate semifinal berth and a 12-1 record.

"I'm really excited because that's where I really wanted to go to begin with,” Bordner said minutes after talking to Day.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Sheldon Shealer

Wednesday proved to be a busy day for Maryland high school football as the Crab Bowl head coaches were introduced to the media in Baltimore and Nick Lynch Classic field was confirmed in Prince George's County.

Legendary coach Al Thomas, who recently retired as Sherwood's coach, is the head coach of the Washington, and Linganore's Rick Conner is the Baltimore head coach for the Crab Bowl.

Tony Kennedy, organizer of the Nick Lynch Classic, confirmed the pairings Wednesday. The Sept 5 all-day affair at North Point High School features Theodore Roosevelt (D.C.) vs. Anacostia (D.C.) at 11:30 a.m., Riverdale Baptist vs. DeMatha at 2 p.m., Suitland vs. Wise at 4:30 p.m. and North Point vs. Northern Calvert at 7 p.m.

"It;s 90 percent done, we signed the contracts Wednesday," Kennedy said. "We're real excited about pulling this off. It was a lot of work, a lot of changes, but the meat of it stayed the same." 

By Mike Loveday

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Sheldon Shealer

Walbrook High School, which opened in 1971, is closing at the end of this school year, according to sources at the Maryland state association.

This is the second Baltimore City public high school ordered to close this year. Samuel Banks also is getting shut down.

Like Banks, Walbrook's athletic schedule will be inherited by a new Baltimore City public school, this one known as the Institute of Business & Entreprenuership. Maritime Academy is taking over for Samuel Banks.

What remains in question is the enrollment and classification of these schools for the fall football season.

A third city public high school, this one called Masonville Cove Military Academy, is scheduled to open this fall in Baltimore City and expects to play only a junior varsity schedule.

By Mike Loveday

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting, and I just confirmed with DeMatha head coach Bill McGregor, that defensive back Jeff Knox committed to play for Pittsburgh on Sunday evening.

The 6-foot2, 190-pound Knox transferred to DeMatha before last season after playing his sophomore season at Pittsburgh Central Catholic. Knox rushed for 1,243 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore running back for Central Catholic.

Pittsburgh is recruiting Knox as a safety, according to McGregor.

Another Stag made a commitment Sunday evening as well. Kyrrel Latimer, a 5-foot-11, 192-pound athlete committed to play for the University of Virginia.

Latimer was recruited to play either defensive back or safety for the Cavaliers.

Knox and Latimer are the first two DeMatha football players to commit to colleges this year. McGregor said he has more than 10 athletes with Division I offers at this point in the year.

It was a busy weekend for the University of Virginia, who picked up a commitment from one of DeMatha's rivals -- Good Counsel.

E.J. Scott, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound receiver and defensive back committed to play for Virginia on Saturday.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com