By Mike Loveday

	Mike Loveday/ESPNRise
	Quince Orchard looks to run back to the Class 4A state title game this year.

                                                                                                                                                      Last Year: 14-0, Class 4A state champions

Key losses: Thomas Addison (RB), Zach Kerr (DL), and Jason Morrison (QB).

Key returnees: Travis Hawkins (ATH), Terrence Stephens (DL), Jason Ankrah (DL), Cody Magill (TE/DL), Dake Williams (OL/DL).

Impact newcomer: Kevin Adams (QB), Mitch Carney (WR/DB).

Most Improved: According to head coach Dave Mencarini, Kaevon Morgan has done a great job of improving this year. The 5-foot-7, 140-pound receiver did not play last year and now is expected to be one of the starters.

Names to watch: Ben Sasu is another running back that could help ease the load on Hawkins.

My take: Quince Orchard does have a few question marks this season. Will they be able to fill Kerr's role at defensive tackle? Who will take over at quarterback with the graduation of Morrison? How will the team respond to winning the title last year?

Even with those questions, the Cougars are still the preseason favorite to head back to the Class 4A title game. Hawkins is one of the state's most talented athletes and will make plays on offense and defense.

Quince Orchard dominated the trenches last season and with Ankrah, Stephens and Magill back on the defensive line they should again this year.

I think the only thing that could stand in the Cougars way this year is themselves. They are talented and experienced and have an outstanding coaching staff. Going undefeated could be the biggest challenge with Sherwood and Damascus both on the regular season schedule and fellow 4A teams Arundel and Thomas Johnson boasting talented rosters too.

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	Photo submitted by: Matt Heacock
	Heacock won the Best Lineback award at the UMass camp.

By Mike Loveday

The public school football season is a week away and teams are focusing on their first game, but for a few athletes this is also the time of year when they are narrow their college choices or send out recruiting film.

Quince Orchard senior Cody Magill trimmed his list of schools to five. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound tight end lists Delaware, Syracuse, East Carolina, Ohio University and Vanderbilt as his final five.

Of the five, only Ohio has offered Magill as a defensive end. The other schools extended offers to him to play tight end. Magill told MDvarsity.com that he has not set date as to when he will make a decision.

Loyola's Matt Heacock hit camp scene this summer, and it is paying off. The 6-foot, 190-pound linebacker attended the UMass camp Aug. 1, and came away with the best linebacker award.

Heacock is one of the Dons' captains this year and registered a 4.6 40-yard dash at the UMass camp, which was the fastest time among the linebackers.

The offers keep rolling in for athletes at Eleanor Roosevelt. The MDVarsity.com preseason Top 10 team already has some of the state's top recruits in Derrick Thomas, Stephon Morris, Isaiah Ross and Danzel Manley. Now add another name to the list, Quincy MaCaulley.

	Photo by: Mike Loveday/ESPNRise
	Miller is garnering strong recruiting interest.

MaCaulley is a 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end who holds an offer from Buffalo. During a recent scrimmage against Friendly, MaCaulley showed a quick first step and was consistently in the backfield, chasing down the Patriots quarterback.

Good Counsel is another team loaded with Division I talent and one name that may have been overlooked so far is linebacker Durrell Miller.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior has been receiving interest from Temple and Stony Brook. The University of Maryland along with West Virginia also has been keeping an eye on the senior.

During his junior season, Miller recorded 53 tackles, three forced fumbles, three sacks and two interceptions as he helped lead Good Counsel to its fifth straight appearance in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship game.

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By Mike Loveday

oloveday5@yahoo.com

Almost every team that makes it deep into the state playoffs have one thing in common, underclassmen that contribute.

Those underclassman help augment the senior leadership. Let's look at the teams that made the championship games last year.

Quince Orchard had senior Thomas Addison, but Travis Hawkins, Terrence Stephens, Jason Ankrah and Cody Magill were all juniors. Arundel had two outstanding seniors, but Alec Lemon and Sean Fitzgerald were the perfect compliment to Brandon Johnson-Farrell.

River Hill had the trio of Michael Campanaro, Malek Redd and Leron Eaddy to help senior Zach Martin go out a champion. Dunbar was led by juniors Tavon Austin, Sean Farr and Jonathan Perry on offense and Tevin Brown on defense. Allegany put their running game on the shoulders of offensive lineman Justin Hymes.

Hereford and Damascus seem to be the exception to this rule as both teams relied heavily on seniors to get them to the title game, but state semifinalists Lackey, Wilde Lake, Clarksburg and Thomas Johnson counted on their juniors.

With this in mind I'm continuing my look at some of the rising juniors that I expect to make an impact on their respective teams this season. This is the third and final story in the series.

Robbie Havenstein, Linganore: At 6-foot-7, 300-pounds, Havenstein is an imposing presence on the line. The offensive tackle not only has the size, but also the agility to anchor the Lancers this season.

J.D. Hook, Allegany: As a running back, Hook will be looked to as a replacement for Jake Twigg and Brian Matthews. As a linebacker, the junior will pair with fellow junior Dustin Wharton as leaders on the defense.

Evan Pittman, Calvert Hall: (pictured above) Pittman impressed coaches with his size, mobility and strong arm at the Bullseye combine. As a Super 100 member, Pittman proved that he could lead his team during 7-on-7 games.

E.J. Scott, Good Counsel: A look at 2010 athletes is not complete with Scott. The receiver and defensive back is not only an impact player on the Falcons, but will be one of the most highly recruited athletes in the state.

Tyler Lardy, Gaithersburg: Lardy ran a 4.7 40-yard dash at the Bullseye Combine and showed his explosiveness with a 25-8 vertical and a 29-2 kneeling power ball toss.

Troy Gloster, Good Counsel: (pictured right) Gloster is another Falcon that will be highly recruited. The 5-11, 209-pound linebacker has a rock-solid frame and runs a 4.7 40.

Joseph Kirby, Kent Island: As a sophomore, Kirby rushed for 441 yards and seven touchdowns. At the Bullseye Combine, the running back ran a 4.68 40 and did 14 repetitions of 155 pounds.

Kyle Tucker, Linganore: The Lancers line will be tough to get through with Havenstein and Tucker. Tucker broke the Bullseye Combine bench press record when he did 38 reps of 155 pounds.

Devante Stamps, McDonogh: Stamps could be the perfect compliment to fellow receiver Javarrus King. Stamps has 4.8 speed and has a 6-foot-2, 183-pound frame, similar to that of King.

Dylan Acab, Poly: Acab showed good speed with a 4.6 40-yard dash and was one of several Engineers to impress during the Bullseye Combine.

Justin Handley, Patuxent: Handley has 4.67 speed and as a third receiver in the Patuxent offense, could be the perfect slot receiver compliment to Eric Farmer and Justin Ford.

Antione Goodson, Poly: Goodson was primarily the running quarterback for Poly last season, but during the Bullseye Super 100 he showcased one of the strongest arms of any participant.

Nick Bonhag, River Hill: Bonhag plays tight end for the Hawks and made a run at the Bullseye Super 100 MVP with highlight reel catches during 7-on-7 games.

Kevin Johnson, River Hill: Johnson played quarterback on the junior varsity, but could see time as a defensive back for the Hawks this season. With 4.65 speed and a 35-inch vertical, there has to be some place for this athlete to play.

Malik Cross, Oxon Hill: Cross along with receiver Brandon Felder will be a player to watch on Oxon Hill's offense. As a sophomore, Cross rushed for 1,653 yards and nine touchdowns.

If you want more information about the upcoming season and all the players you can order your copy of the Preseason Football Magazine Here

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By Mike Loveday

I spoke with Quince Orchard head coach Dave Mencarini today to check in on his remaining three athletes: Travis Hawkins (pictured), Cody Magill and Jason Ankrah. All three athletes have narrowed their list of schools and while rumors have swirled about Hawkins commitment, I hate to disappoint.

Defensive end Jason Ankrah is still in the process of checking out schools, but has narrowed his list to seven schools. Penn State, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan and N.C. State are all still in the running for the 6-foot-4, 248-pound Ankrah.

Tight end and defensive end Cody Magill has also narrowed his list with Syracuse, Ohio, Richmond, Delaware, East Carolina, James Madison and Vanderbilt making the cut. According to Mencarini, Vanderbilt only recently made the cut and both the school and Magill are showing increased interest.

Hawkins name has surfaced lately as many have speculated that the defensive back has committed to the University of Maryland, but Mencarini assured me that is not the case and added that Hawkins is currently on vacation.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Hawkins has narrowed his choices though. Maryland, Georgia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Tennessee, Michigan and Oregon are the seven schools Hawkins will choose from.

As to when Hawkins will commit, Mencarini said he does not think his star athlete has a timetable.