By Mike Loveday

Good Counsel's Troy Gloster committed to the West Virginia University about 15 minutes ago, according to assistant coach Kevin McFadden.

The 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker becomes the fifth Good Counsel player to commit to college this season. E.J. Scot (Virginia), Louis Young (Stanford), Frank Tamakloe (Wisconsin) and Chris Pitsenberger (Towson) committed earlier this year.

Gloster is third on the Falcons with 18 tackles this season.

By Sheldon Shealer

Good Counsel linebacker Chris Pitsenberger verbally committed to Towson University on Tuesday, sources informed MDVarsity.com.

Pitsenberger played beside national recruit Jelani Jenkins last season, helping Good Counsel to an 11-1 season. He was in on 18 tackles during Good Counsel's nationally televised victory over DeMatha last October.

Pitsenberger was a Big School All-State honorable mention selection last year.

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 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 Mike Loveday

I just checked out the ESPNU site and they are reporting that Good Counsel's E.J. Scott has committed to the University of Virginia.

Scott held 11 offers at the time of his commitment, but saw the Cavaliers as the perfect fit, whichever side of the ball he winds up playing.

"I felt it was the best fit for me. They brought me in as an athlete so it gives me the option to play offensive side of the ball or the defensive side of the ball,” Scott said. "I kind of knew for a while [that Virginia was his choice] – it was always my top. I looked at other schools like Wake Forest and Rutgers, but UVA really stood out. The academics played a really big part.”

Scott, who plays receiver and defensive back for Good Counsel added that he likes that Virginia runs the spread offense. 

Scott is the second Good Counsel athlete in the class of 2010 to choose a college. Teammate defensive back Louis Young, committed to Stanford last year. 

Editors Note: Updated Sunday: The 2010 Verbal Commit list for Maryland athletes is now updated with Scott's commitment.

Also, with Urbana's new head coach now in place, I have updated the 2009 Coaching Changes list. 

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

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 Wisconsin extended a verbal offer to Good Counsel rising junior Vincent Croce. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Croce also holds verbal offers from Maryland, West Virginia and N.C. State. The offers are expected to become official written offers on Sept. 1 when colleges are allowed to make formal scholarship offers to juniors.

6-foot-3, 189-pound junior, Frank Tamakloe holds offers from Wisconsin, North Carolina and N.C. State. Tamakloe maintains a GPA of 3.7.

Junior Louis Young who had committed to Stanford in October, but decided to reopen his recruiting, holds offers from Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Receiver E.J. Scott received an offer from Rutgers, Virginia and Wisconsin while defensive end Troy Gloster holds offers from Boston College, Wisconsin, Stanford, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

Update Sunday March 1: The University of North Carolina just made a verbal offer to Croce.

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

By Mike Loveday

I just got off the phone with Good Counsel defensive line coach Kevin McFadden who informed me that defensive back Mike Wallace committed to Penn State about five minutes ago.

Wallace took an official visit to Happy Valley over the weekend and the Nittany Lions made the offer. 

Wallace held offers from New Mexico, Maine, Stony Brook, Towson, Army, Bryant, Stanford and Monmouth. 

Other recruiting news and notes

Old Mill junior Josh Furman received his first official offer. The University of Maryland offered the 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete.

It's been a busy week for Anne Arundel county. Arundel quarterback Billy Cosh received his first official offer last week. Kansas State offered the 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior set several state records last season - his first as a varsity starter.

Among the records he shattered are the most touchdowns in a season (56) and the most passing yards in a season with 3,909.

By Mike Loveday

Tuscarora Titans receiver Jakarie Jackson has made his college choice. The 6-foot, 195-pound athlete verbally committed to play for James Madison on Thursday Jan. 8, according to assistant coach Mike O'Brien.

Jackson played multiple positions for Tuscarora this season. The No. 3 receiver on MDVarsity.com's top uncommitted list  played receiver, defensive back, running back and took snaps from under center.

Jackson is the second Titan to commit to a Division I school this year. Defensive back Dominic Clarke committed to play for Ohio State before the season.

Update - It's been a crazy 24 hours as several Maryland athletes have made verbal commitments to colleges. The latest is Loyola receiver Brandon Floyd. The No. 1 uncommitted receiver on our list picked Georgetown University today.

Floyd is the third recruit to make his college choice in the last 24 hours. Gwynn Park's Raynard Randolph and DeMatha's Jeremiah Mathis both made their college decisions Sunday night.

Other recruiting news and notes

Good Counsel defensive back Mike Wallace will take an official visit to Penn State this weekend and will head to New Mexico next weekend, according to assistant coach Kevin McFadden. New Mexico is the latest school to make an official offer to Scouts Inc. No. 82 defensive back in the country.

Staying in the Good Counsel secondary, junior prospect Louis Young has decided to open up his recruiting. The ESPNU 150 player committed to Stanford back in October and he has not officially decommited from the Cardinal, but has opted to look at other colleges. 

Dunbar running back Davon Muse has offers from Central Michigan and Toledo. The senior captain will take an official visit to Toledo in the next week, according to head coach Lawrence Smith. 

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

When it comes to linebackers, Jelani Jenkins is a lock. The Good Counsel senior is the Gatorade State Player of theYear, the Washington Post Defensive Player of the Year and the likely All-State Defensive player of the Year.

But what about the other three linebacker positions on the Consensus All-State team?

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 linebackers 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 70 linebackers in consideration. We have narrowed the field to six for online purposes. Select three from the list below:

Devon Bridges, Douglass-PG: Bridges recorded 133 tackles leading Douglass to the Class 2A South region final, where the team lost to eventual state champion River Hill.

Steven Gamble, Sherwood: The first-team All-Met selection recorded 105 tackles, leading a swarming Sherwood defense to a perfect season and a Class 4A state title.

Lorne Goree, Flowers: This Maryland recruit was credited with 194 tackles and 12 sacksfor the Class 4A South region runners-up. 

Matt Heacock, Loyola: Heacock was the Baltimore Sun's Defensive Player of the year. He led undefeated Loyola with 101 tackles. He added two interceptions and a blocked punt.

Gary Onuekwusi, Dunbar: This hard-hitting linebacker led the Poets with 156 tackles. He forced five fumbles and was a first-team Baltimore Sun selection.

Marvin Pinkney, Old Mill: Pinkney is a three-time All-Anne Arundel County selection by the Annapolis Capital. Seventeen of his 95 tackles went for a loss. He's the school's all-time leader in tackles and 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.

It should come as no surprise that Jelani Jenkins, a candidate for Maryland's Defensive Player of the Year, has been named the Gatorade State Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Jenkins led Good Counsel to an 11-1 record and a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference runner-up finish. Good Counsel held the state's No. 1 ranking for the second part of the season, a ranking that will change in the final poll given the team's setback in the title contest.

Jenkins has maintained a 3.89 GPA in the classroom.  He has volunteered with the Special Olympics and for a program that helps children afflicted with epilepsy. He also serves as a peer tutor at his school.

"Jelani Jenkins is just a tremendous football player, said Joe Patterson, head coach of rival St. John's (D.C.). "He's unbelievable, both as a linebacker and a running back. And the thing is he's only going to keep getting better.

Jenkins remains undecided upon a collegiate destination.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE Magazine, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Jenkins as Maryland's best high school football player. Jenkins is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award to be announced in December.  

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

For 10 minutes, it appeared there was no denying Good Counsel should be the No. 1 team in Maryland.

Then, DeMatha came back and made it a game.

Good Counsel's nationally televised 42-21 victory over DeMatha on Thursday led to one state poll voter switching allegiance from reigning state No. 1 Quince Orchard to Good Counsel, but it was not enough to alter the order of the top spots. Quince Orchard responded to Good Counsel's victory by running up a 35-point first half en route to a 35-0 victory over Gaithersburg on Friday.

The Cougars collected nine first-place votes and edged Good Counsel by three points for the No. 1 spot this week.

There will be plenty of debate between which of these Montgomery County schools should be No. 1 in Maryland, but it iis likely the situation will be resolved on the field in the next few weeks. While Good Counsel's victories provide ample argument for No. 1 consideration, the flip-side is QO is about to enter its most telling part of the schedule. Games with Sherwood and league rival Northwest figure to be serious challenges. In addition, once the playoffs start, QO likely will have to survive a second meeting with Sherwood, not to mention the possibility of playing the top remaining teams from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Frederick and/or Prince George's counties.

Good Counsel appeared well on its way to wrestling the state No. 1 away from QO as it jumped out to a 28-0 first-quarter lead over DeMatha. Had the Falcons won the game by that margin - or even gotten the running clock of the Stags (which has never happened to DeMatha) - it would have been difficult not to vote this private school power as No. 1. However, DeMatha twice cut the lead to 14 before GC put the contest away with a fourth quarter scoring drive for the final margin.

MDVarsity.com High School Football Media State Poll

FREDERICK -- The Maryland High School Football State Poll, in its 19th year, is based on a statewide voting by sports reporters. Schools are ranked by points received. The number in parenthesis reflects first-place votes. LW is last week's ranking. The rankings are compiled by Sheldon Shealer.

Rank, School, Record, Points, LW

1. Quince Orchard (9), 5-0, 294, 1
2. Good Counsel (3), 5-0, 291, 2
3. River Hill, 5-0, 271, 3
4. Loyola, 6-0, 267, 4
5. Sherwood, 5-0, 246, 5
6. Eleanor Roosevelt, 5-0, 232, 6
7. Gwynn Park, 5-0, 220, 9
8. Seneca Valley, 5-0, 217, 10
9. Gilman, 4-1, 208, 7
10. Suitland, 5-0, 203, 11
11. Dunbar, 4-1, 178, 12
12. Linganore, 5-0, 171, 14
13. DeMatha, 3-2, 154, 8
14. Flowers, 5-0, 145, 16
15. Old Mill, 5-0, 128, 18
16. Clarksburg, 5-0, 103, 21
17. Eastern Tech, 5-0, 98, 20
18. Westminster, 5-0, 75, nr
19. Wilde Lake, 5-0, 65, 22
20. Urbana, 4-1, 59, 15
21. Lackey, 4-1, 54, 19
22. Damascus, 4-1, 48, 24
23. Arundel, 4-1, 38, 25
24. Landon, 5-0, 34, nr
25. Perry Hall, 5-0, 28, nr

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Douglass-PG (4-1, 21), Joppatowne (5-0*, 18), Friendly (4-1, 13), Allegany (4-1, 9), Century (5-0, 7), Churchill (4-1, 3), Mount St. Joseph (3-1, 2).

*-Joppatowne will forfeit three games effective in the next ranking week.

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 Sheldon Shealer

Former No. 3 DeMatha's loss to Gilman last week leaves a two-team race for No. 1 in the latest media state poll Top 25.

A week after the closest three-way vote for No. 1 in the 19-year history of the state rankings, Quince Orchard again barely retains the No. 1 spot by two points ahead of Good Counsel, despite a heavy edge in first-place votes.

Good Counsel was ranked No. 1 or 2 on 11 of 12 ballots while Quince Orchard's range was 10 first-place votes, a No. 5 and a No. 6 - leading to the close call for the top spot.

DeMatha settles in at No. 8.

The newcomers to this week's Top 25 are Old Mill and Eastern Tech. Old Mill, an honorable mention last week, knocked off former No. 11 Arundel. Eastern Tech, meanwhile, climbs back into the Top 25 after winning its 15th game in its last 16 outings.

MDVarsity.com High School Football Media State Poll

FREDERICK -- The Maryland High School Football State Poll, in its 19th year, is based on a statewide voting by sports reporters. Schools are ranked by points received. The number in parenthesis reflects first-place votes. LW is last week's ranking. The rankings are compiled by Sheldon Shealer.

Rank, School, Record, Points, LW

1. Quince Orchard (10), 2-0, 291, 1
2. Good Counsel (2), 2-0, 289, 2
3. River Hill, 2-0, 271, 4
4. Loyola, 3-0, 264, 5
5. Sherwood, 2-0, 232, 7
6. Eleanor Roosevelt, 2-0, 229, 6
7. Gilman, 2-0, 219, 17
8. DeMatha, 1-1, 208, 3
9. Gwynn Park, 2-0, 206, 9
10. Seneca Valley, 2-0, 201, 8
11. Suitland, 2-0, 190, 12
12. Dunbar, 1-1, 178, 10
13. Douglass-PG, 2-0, 158, 13
14. Linganore, 2-0, 153, 14
15. Urbana, 2-0, 139, 16
16. Flowers, 2-0, 119, 19
17. Mount St. Joseph, 2-0, 94, 25
18. Lackey, 1-1, 91, 18
19. Wilde Lake, 2-0, 64, 22
20. Damascus, 2-0, 61, 23
21. Old Mill, 2-0, 57, NR
22. Hereford, 1-1, 51, 20
23. Clarksburg, 2-0, 33, 24
24. Eastern Tech, 2-0, 31, NR
25. Arundel, 1-1, 23, 11

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Joppatowne (2-0, 8), Polytechnic (2-0, 8), Thomas Johnson (1-1, 8), Edmondson (1-1, 5), Oxon Hill (1-1, 5), Northwest (1-1, 4), Westlake (2-0, 4), Parkside (2-0, 2), Cambridge-S.D. (2-0, 1), Wootton (1-1, 1).

By Mike Loveday

Good Counsel rising junior, Louis Young received his fourth offer over the weekend. This time it came all the way from the West coast as Stanford came calling.

The offer came in during Good Counsel's practice on Saturday, according to Young.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Young already holds offers from Boston College, Virginia Tech and Maryland.

Young played on Good Counsel's varsity football team as a sophomore and totaled 48 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks. In addition to his football skills, Young is also a highly recruited basketball prospect.

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

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

It turns out that Good Counsel defensive back Mike Wallace was just getting started this week. The 5-foot-10, 182-pound defensive back received an offer from Stanford earlier this week and added an offer from Monmouth University yesterday.

This brings Wallace up to five offers, with Army, Towson and Bryant rounding out the list for the rising senior.

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

email Mike at oloveday5@yahoo.com

By Mike Loveday

Oloveday5@yahoo.com

Two rising juniors, St. John Catholic Prep's J.R. Ferguson and Good Counsel's Louis Young, received good news yesterday when both received offers from colleges.

Young received an offer from Boston College around 4 p.m. on Monday, July 28. Boston College assistant coach Ryan Day extended the offer to Young, who now holds three offers. The University of Maryland and Virginia Tech also have offers on the table for Young.

SJCP defensive lineman, J.R. Ferguson, has racked up offers at almost one a week now. Tennessee is the latest school to jump into the mix, as the Volunteers made their offer on Monday, according to SJCP head coach Jimmy Ward.

Ferguson holds seven offers now with Illinois, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Clemson.

Young and Ferguson were impact players as sophomores on their respective teams, with Young recording 48 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks and Ferguson totaling 106 tackles and 18 sacks, helping lead the Vikings to a 7-4 record and a share of the MIAA C conference title.

UPDATE: Another Good Counsel athlete received an offer this week. I just got off the phone with defensive line coach Kevin McFadden and he told me that defensive back Mike Wallace received an offer from Stanford this afternoon.

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

By Mike Loveday

Oloveday5@yahoo.com

COLUMBIA: The ninth annual Quarterback Tune-up event showcased athletes who are committed to Division I colleges, several who are vying for scholarships and even a few who will be heading to college in a few weeks.

Quarterback Factory founder Chris Baucia hosts the event and among the athletes in attendance were Leon Kinnard (committed to UConn), Tom Chroniger (Eastern Michigan), St. Mary's Ryan Hart, Tuscarora's Josh Marshall, Damascus' Connor Frazier, Sherwood's Zach Splain, Arundel's Billy Cosh and even former high school quarterbacks Kyle Frazier and Scott Barnes.

"He (Baucia) truly taught me about improving my mechanics, my footwork and making the reads, said Kinnard who has trained with Baucia several times over the past three years. "Without him it would have been a lot harder to get a scholarship offer and play quarterback at D-I.

The consensus from the athletes in attendance was that the event was the perfect way to get ready for the season.

"It was the best training I ever went through. He pushes us and he don't let us quit, Trevon Bennett of Paul VI said.

"It was good. I learned a lot. It was a great way to come out here and polish up and get ready for the season, St. Paul's quarterback Troy Jones added. "It's a great way to fix some of the minor things that you may not see yourself and get a viewpoint from someone outside of your coach, your dad or whoever you train with.

The event had 80 athletes in attendance and took quarterbacks through a series of drills including throwing on the run, keeping the ball in the correct spot during drops and improving their accuracy.

"We've averaged about 60 to 70 kids each year, but the good thing is the talent level is coming, Baucia said. "Now they're seeing the value of the fundamentals and revisiting those fundamentals and sort of tightening their game up before you go in to two-a-days and making sure they understand the proper things to do and not do.

"I'm just trying to sharpen things up and get better for the season and make another run at a state championship, Eastern Tech's Joe Jones said. "I'm learning some basic things.

"I learned how to stop without hitching up on my drop step and my three step drop, North County's Travis Delizo added.

The event gave the high school athletes a chance to see the payoff for their hard work as rising college freshman Kyle Frazier and Scott Barnes also attended the event to prepare for their seasons.
Frazier has been working with Baucia at the Quarterback Factory for the past three seasons and is heading to Monmouth on a football scholarship while Barnes, who helped lead Paint Branch to a near playoff berth, will head to Guilford.

Several signal callers in addition to the above mentioned impressed during the day. Sherwood's Splain, St. Mary's sophomore Ryan Hart, Loyola's Mike Smith and Damascus' Andrew Konieczka all drew attention.

Good Counsel's Zachary Dancel along with Tuscarora's Josh Marshall are two quarterbacks who look ready to lead a team today.

Be sure to check MDVarsity.com all week, as we will have interviews with Kyle and Connor Frazier and Arundel's Billy Cosh.

By Mike Loveday

Looks like the Terrapins are gaining some traction in their recruiting. Edmondson's stud defensive end, David Mackall, committed to the University of Maryland today according to head coach Dante Jones.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound rising senior was recruited as both an outside linebacker and defensive end.

Mackall recorded 140 tackles and 13 sacks for the Red Storm last year, helping the team to a 9-3 record and a North Region final berth.

This is the second commitment from a Maryland athlete this week for the Terrapins, who also received a verbal from Good Counsel's Caleb Porzel.

Overall, nine Maryland high school football players have committed to play for Maryland this year.

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You can e-mail Mike at oloveday5@yahoo.com

I just got off the phone with Good Counsel's Kevin McFadden and was informed that running back Caleb Porzel is in the process of committing to the University of Maryland.

The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Porzel rushed for 967 yards and 16 touchdowns last season and made news earler this year when he committed, then decommitted to the University of Virginia.

Check MDVarsity.com later for more information on the Maryland athlete.

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By Mike Loveday

With the start of practice almost a month away it seems like a good time to take a look at some of the rising juniors that could become impact players on their teams this year.

After watching countless hours of film along with attending underclassmen camps and combines along with the NFL player development camps I had the opportunity to witness some of the states best talent up close.

I will take a look at some of these athletes over the next week in a series of blogs.

In no particular order, these are just some of the players I expect to play big roles on their teams as juniors.

Nick Forbes, Thomas Johnson: Big, strong and fast Forbes matured as the season wore on and already has several verbal offers.

Deron Ames, Snow Hill: (pictured above) Ames does not get a lot of ink west of the Eastern Shore, but the rising junior only needs 1,200 yards to surpass the 4,000 yard mark. With two years ahead of him, Ames could make a run at the state rushing mark once Tavon Austin is done with it.

Matt Robinson, Atholton: Robinson could be the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the state for 2010. A two-time Bullseye Super 100 selection, Robinson has the perfect size and shows terrific hands.

Andrew Veith, Clarksburg: The receiver ran a 4.69 40-yard dash at the Schumann's Underclassmen and was impressive during the MDVarsity.com Passing Jamboree.

Don Hursey, Bishop McNamara: Hursey made a name for himself at the Nike Maryland Combine. The 5-10, 185-pound safety ran a 4.54 40 and posted a SPARQ rating of 91.71. He continued to impress scouts at the Nike Penn State camp.

Hassan Dixon, Good Counsel: Of the rising juniors on the Falcons, Dixon may not be the best known, but that could change this season. With a 4.53 40 along with 17 bench reps at 155 pounds, Dixon could see time as Caleb Porzel's backup, causing havoc for tired defenses.

Khalek Shepherd, Gwynn Park: (pictured right) The Yellow Jackets are loaded this season and head coach Danny Hayes said Shepherd is the hardest working athlete he's every had at Gwynn Park. With a 4.69 40 and Nygee Carmichael ahead of him, Shepherd should see time at running back on third downs and late in the game.

Ego (J.R.) Ferguson, St. John's Catholic Prep: Ferguson only appears to have come from nowhere. As a sophomore, Ferguson recorded 106 tackles and 18 sacks and made the biggest noise in the offseason. Ferguson matched up against one of the best offensive lineman in the Midwest at an Illinois camp and dominated so much that the Illini made him an offer. Maryland soon followed suit.

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The wealth of talent at the defensive back position in Maryland is not reserved to the class of 2009. Good Counsel's Louis Young, a 2010 defensive back prospect, received his second offer this weekend.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Young attended the Virginia Tech one-day camp on Saturday, July 12 and came away with an offer from the Hokies, according to Good Counsel head coach Bob Milloy.

"I impressed the coaches with the defensive back drills and especially when we did the one-on-ones against the wide receivers," Young said via e-mail. "After my sixth repetition out of my total of 16 reps during the one-on-ones, the defensive back coach told me that they want to go ahead an offer me a scholarship. After we were done with the day camp I went with the coaches and head coach Frank Beamer and they offered me my second football scholarship which adds to my list with the Maryland University offer."

The University of Maryland's Chris Cosh and Virginia Tech's Billy Hite are recruiting Young. In addition to the Terrapins and Hokies, Young is receiving recruiting interest from Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia and Penn State.

"This is overwhelming. With the interest from the schools, my football coaches and family are telling me the best is yet to come and to stay hungry, aggressive and to always be humble," Young said.

Young totaled 48 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks as a sophomore and is also a highly recruited basketball prospect.

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