Photo by Mike Loveday
	The Clippers look to not only make it to the playoffs, but No. 1 in Prince George's County.

By Mike Loveday

Last Year: 7-4, 2007 Class 4A South Region semifinalist

Key Losses: Darius Jones played both outside linebacker position running back for the Clippers.

Key Returnees: Brandon Felder (WR), Jadira Green (OL/DL), Malik Cross (RB/DB).

Impact Newcomers: Julian Davis is a senior transfer from North Carolina and will play either free safety or linebacker this season. Leo Gordon is a junior who will see time at both running back and safety.

Most Improved: Deonta Swearinger played most of last year on the junior varsity and has impressed coach Kevin Wolfolk all summer. Tyrone Butler was clocked at a 4.47 40 during workouts and is expected to provide big-play ability.

Names to look for: Mike Wilson (QB) has a strong arm and good mobility and will give Oxon Hill another weapon on offense. David Baskin (TE/LB), Mark Hutcherson (TE/DE) and Skylar Clark are all expected to provide leadership this season.

My Take: Coach Wolfolk led Oxon Hill to the playoffs after not taking over the job until June of last year. Now with a full season of coaching experience and a full year to work with athletes in the offseason, the Clippers could be the sleeper team in Prince George's County.

Felder burst onto the scene after his Baltimore Nike Combine Performance (114.93 SPARQ rating) and the Clippers look to have several more athletes preparing to make names for themselves this season.

I like Wolfolk's coaching style and his players play hard for the former Redskin. I expect the Clippers to make the playoffs once again this year. Make sure to keep your eye on the Sept. 13 and Oct. 4 games, which will pit Oxon Hill against Eleanor Roosevelt and Flowers, respectively.

 

By Mike Loveday, editor

State College, Pa., is little more than a three-hour drive for most of the Maryland football players committed to Penn State University, but the ESPN Outside the Lines series profiling the trouble Penn State athletes have gotten into over the past six years must have hit a little closer to home.

Or did it?

Six Maryland high school football players are verbally committed to attend Penn State following their senior seasons and none of the players contacted seem concerned about the issues raised in the program.

"Me and my mother watched it. It didn't really have an affect on me because I know what I can do and what I'm going through, Eleanor Roosevelt's Derrick Thomas (pictured below) added. "It doesn't really change my mind at all. I still like Penn State and I'm still with it.

While that sentiment is shared by the other athletes, Thomas' mother did not agree.

"To see all that stuff happening there I really worry. At this point I don't really want him to go to that school. I know you can't run away because trouble is everywhere, but to see that they have a coach and a coaching staff that is not doing what they need to do to keep this stuff from happening it really worries me, Angela Thomas said. "I don't want my son to attend a school where there's no guidance. When he's away from me I want him to have a role model to keep him in line.

According to the OTL program, "since 2002, 46 Penn State football players have faced 163 criminal charges, according to an ESPN analysis of Pennsylvania court records and reports. Twenty-seven players have been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to a combined 45 counts.

When asked if she was concerned about Thomas attending Penn State Mrs. Thomas replied, "I am. Honestly I am. I'm going to have to have a serious talk with him. I'm definitely not leaving it up to him. We all need to sit down and talk about this because I just want the best for my son. & I need to see what type of options he wants to have right now, because Penn State, to me, is not a good option.

Thomas added that his mother had expressed interest in him attending the University of Maryland before his commitment. Thomas chose Penn State over offers from Maryland, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Illinois.

Thomas is one of six Maryland athletes committed to Penn State. Eleanor Roosevelt teammate Stephon Morris, Oxon Hill's Brandon Felder, Lackey's Darrell Givens and Malcolm Willis and Gaithersburg's Sean Stanley have all committed to play for the Nittany Lions.

In fact, Penn State has received more commitments from Maryland players than from any other state so far. Five Pennsylvania athletes have given verbal commitments as of press time.

From those already committed, the allegations have little to no affect.

"Of course if you have a lot of students and players at one school getting into trouble it's going to make that school look bad, but you can't necessarily say that the school is a bad place. It just shows that those people chose to make the wrong decision, Givens said. "It's not really been a big deal to me. Once you're in college you're an adult. You're a grown female or male and you're old enough to make your own decisions. If you choose to make the wrong decision, that's on you.

The program seems to have raised so little interest in the athletes interviewed for this story that at least one, Felder, still has not seen it. Thomas chose to not watch the entire program and said he has no interest in seeing the rest of it.

While no names were mentioned in the OTL program, days later former Gwynn Park standout Phil Taylor was dismissed from the team. A name that Roosevelt defensive back Morris knows, which made the series more interesting for him, but did not make him waiver from his decision.

"My whole take on it was that I stay away from that type of trouble. When you go to college you should know the things you shouldn't be doing, Morris said.

What about the questions surrounding Paterno's job security? The 81-yeard old, who will enter his 43rd season as head coach and has compiled a win-loss record of 372-125-3, enters the last year of his contract and the release of the OTL information raises serious questions as to whether JoPa will return.

"I've been told that about his (Joe Paterno) contract. I've been watching ESPN College Gameday, they keep talking about it. I mean even if this is his last year, whether it's a successor, which I'd love to have, or if it's a brand new coaching staff, and then I guess I'm going to have to see, Morris added. "I'm going (to Penn State) because that's where I should be. It wasn't for any specific coach.

Bobbie Felder, the mother of Brandon Felder (pictured), also seemed unconcerned about the program.

"I honestly don't have a problem as far as these allegations that have gone on with Penn State, Mrs. Felder said. "Both my son and I believe in the program and I don't feel as though this is going to be a problem with my son's football career or academic career.

While each student-athlete comes from a different background and are spread out over several counties, they all expressed a single thought.

"At a lot of schools around the country things are going to happen, people make mistakes. It's not like it really affected me or changed my mind, Lackey's Malcolm Willis said. "There are places you can get in trouble around the world. You can live in the country with no trouble at all and you can mess up. It's about bettering yourself after you make that mistake.

Penn State has offers out to five more Maryland high school athletes: Dunbar's Tavon Austin, Gwynn Park's Raynard Randolph, Quince Orchard's Travis Hawkins and Jason Ankrah and Good Counsel's Jelani Jenkins.

So how will this impact the decision for potential commitments? At least one athlete said it will have none.

"That's not me. I know what kind of person I am and I won't be in situations like that, Randolph said. "That has nothing to do with me and has nothing to do with the school. That's outside of the school and what they did. & stuff like that happens everywhere. Unfortunately they were the ones to get caught. Penn State is still one of my favorites.

Randolph is said to be deciding between attending Penn State and Maryland.

As of press time, the other four athletes mentioned above along with Stanley were unavailable for comment.

Make sure to leave your comment below and let us know how we're doing.

Email Mike at Mike.Loveday.ESPN@gmail.com

Posted By Mike Loveday

Oxon Hill's Jadira Green has been weighing offers the past few weeks and with interest rising could see more on the horizon.

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackles currently has offers from Sacred Heart and James Madison.

Green, who is teammates with Brandon Felder is coming off a junior season in which he recorded 129 tackles and recovered eight fumbles.

"I'm really happy that the offers are coming around. I've been working really hard with my teammates, like wide receiver Brandon Felder - our goal this year is to win the Maryland 4A state championship," Green said via e-mail.

Oxon Hill went 7-4 last season and made it to the Class 4A South region finals.

For Green the offers are the culmination of months of hard work, including an outstanding performance at the Nike Maryland Combine.

Green ran a 5.25 40-yard dash and recorded a 21 inch vertical and a 5.1 shuttle run.

He also placed in the top 20 in the Kneeling Power Ball toss with a throw of 39-03.