By Mike Loveday

Both the Washington Post and MIAASports.net are reporting that the DeMatha at Gilman game will be played today at 1 p.m.

The game was postponed from Friday night due to heavy rain falling in Baltimore and the game unable to be played at its original site, Cardinal Gibbons. The game has been moved to Gilman and MDVarsity.com will have full coverage of the game that features the No. 1 team in Maryland (DeMatha) taking on the No. 4 team (Gilman).

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

By Sheldon Shealer

The always-evolving Nick Lynch Kickoff Classic has hit another minor hurdle.

The event, which was scheduled to feature four high-profile games at one location to kickoff the Maryland high school football season, is down to two games.

North Point athletic direcot A.K. Johnson confirmed Thursday at although the event is being held at North Point High School on Saturday, Sept. 8, North Point's game with Northern Calvert will remain on Friday, Sept. 7. Johnson did leave open the possibility that the contest could be moved to Saturday, but indicated it was highly unlikely.

In recent weeks, the event has changed venue and lost two match-ups. Most recently, the Gilman vs. Bear Creek (Colo.) game is no longer part of the event, according to organizer Tony Kennedy. Kennedy had hoped North Point would move its Friday game to Saturday and serve as a third game for the event.

Since that is not the case, only two match-ups remain. DeMatha has confirmed its game with Riverdale Baptist, and Prince George's County supervisor of athletics Earl Hawkins said the Suitland-Wise game is still part of the event.

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, editor

Organizers of the Nick Lynch Kickoff Classic, citing financial concerns, are planning to move the inaugural event to North Point High School.

The four-game, all-day football festival was planned for the Naval Academy stadium. Tony Kennedy, president of the group putting on the contest, said that the facility was simply too expensive to be considered for this year's event. Instead, Kennedy is working on a deal to use North Point's state-of-the-art facility.

The Nick Lynch Kickoff Classic is scheduled for Sept. 5 with games at 11 a.m. (North Point vs. Northern Calvert), 2 p.m. (DeMatha vs. Riverdale Baptist), 5 p.m. (Suitland vs. Wise) and 8 p.m. (Gilman vs. Bear Creek, Colo.).

By Sheldon Shealer

The proposed Nick Lynch Kickoff Classic will be without one of its four planned marquee matchups as the Arundel vs. Old Mill contest is no longer on the schedule.

Event organizer Tony Kennedy confirmed to MDVarsity.com that the Anne Arundel County Board of Education informed him that Arundel and Old Mill will play its game as originally scheduled, and not be part of the showcase.

The proposed showcase was supposed to feature four contests played on Sept. 5 at Navy.

Kennedy said plans are going forward for a three-team event featuring Suitland vs. Wise, DeMatha vs. Riverdale Baptist and Gilman vs. Bear Creek (Colo.).

By Mike Loveday

I'm on my way out to the NHSI at Georgetown Prep today, but I wanted to make sure I got this posted. I will get a more complete update on all DeMatha's players up early next week.

Michigan had a busy day on Thursday - offering five DeMatha football players.

Michael Cooley, Lorenzo Waters, Ari Kouandjio, Marcus Coker and Jeff Knox all received offers from the Wolverines.

DeMatha has seven athletes with at least one Division I offer.

Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

It looks as though the competition between DeMatha and Good Counsel is extending to off the field. Between these two WCAC rivals, 13 athletes already hold Division I-A scholarship offers. I'm not sure of the exact number but these 13 athletes have, combined, over 50 official offers.

The latest crop from Good Counsel started last week when the University of Florida extended a verbal offer to sophomore Vincent Croce.

Safety, Frank Tamakloe picked up his eighth official offer today. The University of Maryland offered the Good Counsel junior. The offer brings Tamakloe up to eight offers, including UNC, NC State, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Fellow junior, E.J. Scott added up offers from Wake Forest and East Carolina while Thomas Kokolas has been getting interest from Virginia, Towson and Rutgers.

ESPNU 150 To Watch defensive back Louis Young added Rutgers, UConn, Illinois and Wake Forest to his ever growing stable of offers.

Troy Gloster, another member of ESPNU's 150 To Watch added Michigan State and NC State to his list that includes Boston College, Wisconsin, Stanford, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

There is growing college interest in defensive lineman A.J. Bowman. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound junior is getting interest from Delaware and Liberty.

DeMatha has seven athletes with at least one college offer. With the excitement off the field this active, just imagine what the on-the-field action will be like this season.

Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

The University of Maryland has made its presence known over the last few weeks – extending offer to several in-state football players – many of them their first offers.

The latest set are four DeMatha athletes: Marcus Coker, Ari Kouandjio, Mike Coley and Lorenzo Waters.

All four are juniors and this is their first official offer. Coker is being looked at for either running back or linebacker. Kouandjio is an offensive tackle and Coley is a receiver and defensive back.

Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

Posted by Mike Loveday

In case you missed the ESPNU presentation of the DeMatha boys' basketball game at Bishop O'Connell last night here is a video recap of the game.

CLICK HERE to view the video.

By Mike Loveday

Emmanuel McPhearson, a two-way standout at DeMatha, verbally committed Tuesday afternoon to the University of Mexico.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete was a Big School second-team All-State selection and first-team pick in the Prince George's Gazette as a defensive back. However, he's headed to New Mexico as a wide receiver.

Phearson caught four passes for 47 yards in the Crab Bowl all-star game last month.

After confirming his commitment on Tuesday, McPhearson canceled a planned visit to Akron that was scheduled for this weekend.

This past season with DeMatha, McPhearson had seven interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. 

Billy Cosh's numbers are simply too hard to overlook.

The talented junior from Arundel passed for state records 3,913 yards and 56 touchdowns in 13 games, leading his team to the state semifinals.

He figures to be the lock Consensus quarterback.

But if there was a No. 2 QB, which sometimes happens due to the voting, who would it be? 

More than 25 media members will vote on the Big School and Small School All-State teams. From those first-team selections, the top 30 vote-getters are named to the Consensus All-State squad - the highest honor for Maryland high school football players.

Today, we unveil a list of quarterback who are in the running for Consensus All-State and we invite your feedback. This list is not all inclusive. In fact, there are more than 35 quarterback under consideration. We have narrowed the field to five - other than Cosh - for online purposes. Select one from the list below:

Tom Chroniger, DeMatha: Chroniger committed, then de-committed from Eastern Michiga, ealving him back on the market. He is the only quarterback in the state to top 1,000 yards both rushing and passing.

Raymond Cotton, Meade: The one-time Auburn commit topped 2,000 passing yards helping Meade rebound from a 1-9 season with a 4-6 showing in 2008.

Leon Kinnard, Loyola: Sure, Kinnard went down to injury late in the season, but before then he successfully guided the Dons to a perfect season. He is committed to Connecticut.

Jonathan Perry, Dunbar: In the state final, Perry did not look like himself until the game matter most - the final two minutes. He drove the Poets 91 yards in 114 seconds to pull out the win. He finished the season with 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Zack Splain, Sherwood: Certainly one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the state this past season. While guiding Sherwood to a 14-0 record, Splain passed for more than 1,800 yards and 35 touchdowns while throwing only four interceptions.

So who would you vote for? Or, is there another person you would consider? Leave your comments below and let us know who you think should make the All-state team.

By Sheldon Shealer

Little-known fact: There used to be a Maryland high school basketball state poll conducted through The Associated Press.

Even lesser-known fact:MDVarsity is reviving that ranking this season!

Today, we release (athough games have been played) a sort-of preseason/Week 1 high school basketball poll for Maryland. Starting next week, the weekly poll will have input from media members around the state. We offer up an overall state Top 20 which is arrived at based on the classification rankings in which the state's media can influence.

The original Maryland basketball state rankings started in the mid-1990s and then it was DeMatha and Stu Vetter-coached St. John's at Prospect Hall (now St. John's Catholic Prep) as perennial powers. More than 12 years later, two things remain consistent - DeMatha is at the top and a Vetter-coached team, this time Montrose Christian, is close behind.

OVERALL TOP 20
1. DeMatha    2-0
2. Montrose Christian    3-0
3. Bishop McNamara    2-0
4. St. Frances    4-1
5. National Christan Academy    5-1
6. Lake Clifton    2-0
7. Springbrook    2-0
8. Riverdale Baptist    3-2
9. Wise    1-0
10. Eleanor Roosevelt    4-0
11. Douglass-PG    0-0
12. City College    1-0
13. John Carroll    5-0
14. Walbrook    1-1
15. Calvert Hall    2-0
16. Digital Harbor    1-0
17. Potomac    1-0
18. Pocomoke    0-0
19. Mount St. Joseph    5-1
20. Woodlawn    1-0


Private Schools
1. DeMatha
2. Montrose Christian
3. Bishop McNamara
4. St. Frances
5. National Christian Academy
6. Riverdale Baptist
7. John Carroll
8. Calvert Hall
9. Mount St. Joseph
10. Georgetown Prep

Class 4A
1. Springbrook
2. Wise
3. Eleanor Roosevelt
4. Walbrook
5. Woodlawn
6. Laurel
7. Bowie
8. DuVal
9. Glen Burnie
10. Old Mill

Class 3A
1. Lake Clifton
2. Potomac
3. Huntingtown
4. Largo
5. Milford Mill
6. Howard
7. Lackey
8. Atholton
9. Annapolis
10. Seneca Valley

Class 2A
1. Douglass-PG
2. City College
3. Gwynn Park
4. Walkersville
5. River Hill

Class 1A
1. Digital Harbor
2. Pocomoke
3. Snow Hill
4. Dunbar
5. Fort Hill

By Mike Loveday

DeMatha used two touchdown runs by Marcus Coker and a spark by Aaron Conaway to rout Good Counsel 34-7.

Good Counsel scored first on a Caleb Porzel 13-yard run, but DeMatha responded with 34 unanswered points to win their sixth straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship.

The win gives DeMatha its seventh WCAC title in eight years.

Shell shocked: DeMatha dominated after Porzel's touchdown run. The Stags' defense tackled Porzel in the endzone for DeMatha's first points and Coker capped the next drive with a 6-yard run to put DeMatha up 8-7.

The spark: Aaron Conaway sparked the offense in the second half, running for all 102 of his yards in the final 24 minutes.

"He was a true spark. He's our change of pace back," DeMatha head coach Bill McGregor said. "Conaway can take it on the edge and make big plays. He really came out and had a tremendous ball game tonight. Good Counsel was coming down hard inside at times so we said let's run some outside zone to try and get Conaway on the edge."

DeMatha football: The Stags ran for 177 yards in the game using three different ball carriers. The Stags' defense held the Falcons to 195 total yards and made two interceptions in the game. Emmanuel McPhearson returned the first interception of the game 22 yards for a touchdown.

The biggest difference between this game and Good Counsel's 42-21 win over DeMatha in October was DeMatha's defense. McGregor switched to a 3-5 defense and used quarterback Tom Chroniger as a safety. The change worked. With the additional speed on the field, DeMatha limited Porzel to 65 rushing yards. Porzel shredded the Stags defense for 124 yards and scored on three consecutive possessions on Oct. 3.

SCORING SUMMARY:

GC Porzel 13 run (kick good) 7-0
DE Porzel tackled in endzone (safety) 7-2
DE Coker 6 run (Michael Branthover kick blocked) 8-7
DE McPhearson 22 interception return (Branthover kick blocked) 14-7
DE Latimer 25 run (Branthover kick good) 21-7
DE Coker 3 run (Branthover kick good) 28-7
DE Conaway 4 run (Branthover kick no good) 34-7

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - DeMatha: Conaway 11-102, Coker 13-57, Chroniger 9-18. Good Counsel: Porzel 16-65, Jelani Jenkins 3-17, Michael Nittoli 3-12.
PASSING - DeMatha: Tom Chroniger 8-18 115. Good Counsel: Tyler Campbell 9-14 103
RECEIVING - DeMatha: Michael Milburn 3-54, Emmanuel McPhearson 2-13, Jeremiah Mathis 2-32, Michael Coley 1-16. Good Counsel: Jenkins 2-29, E.J. Scott 1-65, Louis Young 1-15.
RECORDS - DeMatha 10-2 (7-1); Good Counsel 11-1 (7-1)

PAST FIVE WCAC CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES:

2008 DeMatha 34, Good Counsel 7
2007 DeMatha 12, Good Counsel 7
2006 DeMatha 20, Good Counsel 14
2005 DeMatha 21, Good Counsel 20
2004 DeMatha 30, Good Counsel 29


DeMatha 0 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 34
Good Counsel 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7

Question of the Night?: With Good Counsel graduating a highly touted senior class, did the Falcons let its best shot at a WCAC title slip away this year?

By Sheldon Shealer

The Falcons, 5-0 and ranked No. 2 in the MDVarsity.com High School Football Media State Poll, stunned the Stags (3-2) with a 28-point first quarter, pinning one of the worst defeats on a Bill McGregor-coach DeMatha squad.

Caleb Porzel, who sat out last week's victory over Paul VI (Va.) nursing an injured ankle, had scoring runs of 7, 38 and 56 yards on consecutive carries in the first quarter as the Falcons' offense blitzed DeMatha. The Maryland-bound Porzel had 111 of his game-high 124 yards in the first quarter, and it appeared this contest might be headed for the running clock before an overflow capacity crowd, estimated at more than 5,000.

However, DeMatha climbed back into the contest behind the Tom Chroniger-to-Emmanuel McPearson connection, before the Falcons put the outcome out of reach with a 1-yard scoring plunge by Jelani Jenkins with 7:44 left in the contest.

"Their speed," McGregor said as a quick response to the difference in the game. "You need to play disciplined football and we did not do that and [Porzel] made plays."

"I'm very shocked," Good Counsel coach Bob Milloy said about the final margin, which marked the most points allowed by DeMatha in McGregor's 27-year coaching tenure. "[DeMatha is] an awfully good football team. It was our night tonight, but we will have to deal with them later on down the line.

While Porzel was garnering postgame attention for his first-quarter performance, it was Campbell's performance that kept the Falcons out of trouble. The senior quarterback completed all nine of his passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. Twice when DeMatha pulled within 14 points, Campbell responded: first a 32-yard scoring strike to junior prospect Louis Young in the third quarter for a 35-14 advantage and later a 39-yard pass to Young to set up the final touchdown.

"I should have had some incompletions -- I was sacked when I should have gotten rid of the ball," said Campbell, who was surprised by his performance. "[Young] made me look good tonight."

Facing a 28-0 deficit, DeMatha turned to the deep pass attack to garner some offense. Midway through the second quarter, Chroniger hit McPhearson on a 66-yard scoring pass to make it 28-7.

Chroniger and McPhearson connected on a 39-yard pass play that led to Chroniger's 15-yard scoring run three plays later to make it 28-14 with 6:03 left in the third quarter.

Just as momentum seemed to swing toward DeMatha, Campbell hit Young to re-establish a 21-point margin with 4:06 left in the third.

Late in the first quarter, Good Counsel scored 21 points while running only two plays. Porzel had scoring runs of 38 and 56 yards sandwiched around a 17-yard fumble return by Jenkins. Good Counsel scored on its fifth play from scrimmage on a 7-yard run by Porzel.  Porzel's second score, the 38-yard run, was set up by a 32-yard pass from Campbell to E.J. Scott.

With the 28-0 lead, Campbell felt Good Counsel had the game in the control, which DeMatha proved was not the case.

"I think we all got a little too happy, Campbell said.

NOTES -- Hamilton and DeMatha kicker Michael Branthover converted all nine extra points, and each kicker put all but one kickoff into the end zone. & While Thursday's game received a lot of media attention, the teams likely will play again in November in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoffs. They have met for the WCAC final the past four years with DeMatha winning each time, including twice when Good Counsel won the regular-season contest. & More than 100 media credentials were issued for Thursday's contest. & The 21-point loss matched the 28-7 margin DeMatha suffered last September to St. Xavier (Ohio) on ESPN2. & Although McGregor was disappointed in the outcome, he did find a positive in Thursday's contest during aired nationally: "It's a win-win for everybody," he said. "It was a lot of fun for the kids and the fans."

By Mike Loveday

There's a good article in today's Washington Post about former Consensus All-State selection and Defensive Player of the Year Kenny Tate.

Tate, who was named to the 2007 Consensus All-State team as a defensive back, was recruited by Maryland as a wide receiver, but it turns out the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Tate might be able to play more quickly as a safety in the Terrapins lineup.

Tate was a three-time All-State selection, making the Consensus All-State team in both his junior and senior seasons.

As a senior receiver, Tate recorded 32 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns.

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

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

With the first day of summer only a few days passed, vacations have started and visits to the pool have increased, but for the kids that will take snaps from under center this is time to throw through tires, work on their drops and for many Marylanders will mean preparing for The Quarterback Tune-up on July 27.

The Quarterback Tune-up is an event from The Quarterback Factory and will work with athletes to help prepare them for the football season by fine-tuning the skills they will use during the season.

The Quarterback Factory and its National Director Chris Baucia host the event.

"The tune up is a one day mini skills session devoted to refreshing the quarterback's on what is needed to be successful in the upcoming season, Baucia said. "It's a great chance for kids to come together for the last time before the season.

Broadneck's Kyle Colleran, Old Mill's Grant Enders and DeMatha's Tom Chroniger will be just a few of the 50 athletes scheduled to attend.

The event will be held on July 27 at two sites.

The first site will be at Cedar Lane Park in Howard County and runs from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.

The second site will begin at 3 p.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. and be held at Gorc Park in Odenton, Maryland

Former DeMatha quarterback Scott McBrien who played NFL football with the Green Bay Packers and was a two-time bowl MVP with the Maryland Terrapins will be in attendance and MDVarsity.com will have complete coverage of the event.

For more information about the event, fans can visit www.qbfactory.com.

Posted by Mike Loveday

DeMatha's Pete DeSouza is a behemoth. At 6-foot-7 and 305 pounds, DeSouza is an offensive line coach's dream and several colleges came calling before the rising senior made his decision.

DeSouza helped anchor a Stags offensive line that paved the way for Ashby Christian to rush for more than 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns while the team successfully defended their WCAC title.

DeSouza, despite his size, shows the ability to stay low on opponents and use his footwork well.

With his size, defensive lineman will likely try to use their speed to move around instead of through DeSouza, but the 300 pounder also shows good speed.

DeSouza held offers from Maryland, Syracuse and Delaware, but it was Maryland that eventually landed the lineman when he committed to the Terrapins.

Posted by Mike Loveday

With MDVarsity.com's transfer to the ESPN platform underway and a new beginning on the horizon, I think this is a good time to look ahead to the upcoming football season. This year could be one of the most exciting seasons in years, with several individual records preparing to go down and personal landmarks ready to be reached.

Of course, DeMatha makes a bid to win the WCAC for the sixth straight season and eighth overall this decade, but overshadowed in the Stags dominance is head coach Bill McGregor's personal landmark. McGregor enters his 27th season as head coach and his next win will be his 250th. McGregor has a career record of 249-34-3.

Quince Orchard is vying to become the first Class 4A school to go 14-0 in back-to-back seasons and the first since Seneca Valley to go undefeated two years in a row. The Screamin' Eagles went 13-0 in 1997 and 1998.

Damascus' Mark Magas will break the career record for most extra points in a season this year. The rising senior has 139 for his career, three shy of Jon Dinkins (Hereford) record of 142 from 2001 to 2003. Not only is Magas making a run on the Maryland record books, but could have his name in the national books by the end of the season. If Magas kicks 49 extra points this year he will break into the National Top 10, surpassing Bill Manolopoulos (Hobart, Ind.) 187 set from 1988 to 1991. The National record is 350, set by Tyler Lewis (Albemarle, N.C.).

The biggest record that is expected to fall this season is the career rushing record by Dunbar's Tavon Austin.

Austin ranks fifth all time with 5,287 yards, 634 away from breaking Ben Tate's (Decatur/Snow Hill) record of 5,920. The rising senior already holds Maryland's career touchdown record and could break into the national Top 10 with another stellar season.

Two players, Troy Fleming (Franklin Battle Ground Academy, Tenn.) and Hubert Bobo (Chauncey-Chauncey Dover, Ohio), are tied for 10th place with 132 touchdowns. Austin needs 41 touchdowns to break into the top 10. Nedrow Onondaga's (N.Y.) Michael Hart holds the No. 1 spot with 204 career scores.

Posted By Mike Loveday

DeMatha's Tom Chroniger who helped lead the Stags to the WCAC championship last season made his college decision last week.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback committed to Eastern Michigan on Friday June 27 according to his stepfather.

Chroniger had offers from Akron, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo and Delaware at the time of his decision.

As a junior last season, Chroniger quarterbacked the team to its fifth consecutive WCAC championship with a 12-7 victory over Good Counsel.