By Sheldon Shealer

If the high school football season would be reduced to a game of Survivor, Linganore would stand alone.

Amazingly, four of the five No. 1 teams from last week were upset -- three in region finals and the fourth in the WCAC title game. Thanks to the surprises, this week's classification rankings have a much different look with Good Counsel finished No. 1 among the private schools, Wise moving to the top spot in 4A with Queen Anne's inheriting the top ranking in 2A and Joppatowne in 1A.

Only Linganore survived last week's round of upsets, advancing to this week's Class 3A state semifinals.

Private Schools: 1. Good Counsel (11-1#), 2. DeMatha (11-1), 3. Bishop McNamara (8-3#), 4. Gilman (7-3#), 5. McDonogh (8-2#), 6. Georgetown Prep (7-3#), 7. Loyola (7-3), 8. Archbishop Spalding (10-1#), 9. Boys Latin (10-1#), 10. Calvert Hall (6-4).

Class 4A: 1. Wise (11-1), 2. Sherwood (10-2), 3. Old Mill (10-2), 4. Arundel (11-1#), 5. Flowers (10-2#), 6. Suitland (9-2#), 7. Annapolis (8-3#), 8. Broadneck (8-2#), 9. Paint Branch (9-3#), 10. North Point (10-1#).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (12-0), 2. River Hill (12-0), 3. Huntingtown (12-0), 4. Quince Ochard (11-1#), 5. Hereford (10-1), 6. Damascus (8-3#), 7. Clarksburg (7-3#), 8. Atholton (10-2#), 9. Westlake (7-5*#), 10. Franklin (9-3#).

Class 2A: 1. Queen Anne's (12-0), 2. Eastern Tech (10-2), 3. Douglass-PG (10-2), 4. Gwynn Park (11-1#), 5. Chesapeake-BC (10-2#), 6. Kent Island (10-2#), 7. McDonough (7-4#), 8. Middletown (8-4), 9. Glenelg (8-3#), 10. South Carroll (9-3#).

Class 1A: 1. Joppatowne (12-0), 2. Dunbar (11-1), 3. Catoctin (12-0), 4. Allegany (9-3), 5. Fort Hill (11-1#), 6. Forestville (5-5#), 7. Forest Park (10-1#), 8. Havre de Grace (7-5#), 9. Snow Hill (8-3#), 10. Pikesville (9-3#).

#-season complete.

*-record includes forfeit defeats. 

By Sheldon Shealer

One champion is crowned and six others yet to be decided as Maryland enters the stretch run of the 2009 season.

Gilman, a preseason Top 5 team that fell from that perch with a loss to Calvert Hall, finished with a 34-27 victory to snag the MIAA A Conference crown over McDonogh. Both teams went 4-1 in the league, but the head-to-head matchup decided broke the tie.

This week, the MIAA B Conference title will be determined as Boys' Latin meets Archbishop Spalding. In two weeks, the WCAC title will be determined, and two weeks beyond that the four public school title games will be played.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (10-0), 2. Good Counsel (9-1), 3. 4. Bishop McNamara (8-2), 4. Gilman (7-3#), 5. McDonogh (8-2#), 6. Boys' Latin (10-0), 7. Georgetown Prep (6-3), 8. Loyola (7-2), 9. Landon (7-2), 10. Calvert Hall (6-4).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (10-0), 2. Suitland (9-1), 3. Flowers (9-1), 4. Wise (9-1), 5. North Point (10-0), 6. Sherwood (8-2), 7. Walt Whitman (8-2), 8. Old Mill (8-2), 9. Annapolis (8-2), 10. Broadneck (8-2#).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (10-0), 2. Quince Orchard (10-0), 3. River Hill (10-0), 4. Huntingtown (10-0), 5. Westlake (8-2), 7. Hereford (8-1), 8. Poly (9-1), 9. Damascus (8-2), 10. Atholton (9-1).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (10-0), 2. Queen Anne's (10-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (9-1), 4. Eastern Tech (9-1), 5. Kent Island (9-1), 6. Glenelg (8-2), 7. Rockville (8-1), 8. Douglass-PG (8-2), 9. Century (7-3), 10. McDonough (7-3).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (10-0), 2. Joppatowne (10-0), 3. Dunbar (9-1), 4. Catoctin (10-0), 5. Allegany (7-3), 6. Forest Park (9-0), 7. Bohemia Manor (7-3), 8. Snow Hill (8-2), 9. Forestville (5-4), 10. Havre de Grace (5-4).

#-season complete. 

By Sheldon Shealer

The following is the projected playoff pairings. The official MPSSAA pairings will be available tomorrow at noon at the MPSSAA Web site.

Class 4A

Class 3A

Class 2A

Class 1A

West: 1. Fort Hill (10-0), 2. Allegany (7-3), 3. Boonsboro (6-4), 4. Smithsburg (6-4).
North: 1. Catoctin (10-0), 2. Pikesville (7-2), 3. Sparrows Point (6-4), 4. New Town (5-5).
South: 1. Forest Park (9-0), 2. Dunbar (9-1), 3. Forestville (5-4), 4. Carver (6-4).
East: 1. Joppatowne (10-0), 2. Snow Hill (8-2), 3. Havre de Grace (6-4), 4. Bohemia Manor (7-3).

By Sheldon Shealer

Patuxent and Mervo officially forfeited two victories each Monday, leading to a change of the official MPSSAA points standings.

Patuxent forfeited its Week 2 (Leonardtown) and Week 3 (Calvert) wins to turn the squad into 2-7 on the season. Mervo forfeited its Week 6 (Northwestern-Balt.) and Week 8 (IBE) wins, leaving the program 0-9.

Patuxent and Mervo were no longer in the playoff race, yet the forfeits have the following affect:

4A North: Patterson loses apoint, yet remains No. 2 by a more narrow margin over Woodlawn.

4A East: North Point picks up two more points to close within 104-102 on Arundel for the No. 1 seed.

3A South: Huntingtown, Westlake and Lackey (current Nos. 1, 2 3) each lose a point while current No. 5 Northern Calvert earns a point to inch closer to No. 4 Potomac.  

2A South: No. 4 McDonough loses a point and now leads Southern-AA 59-58 for the final playoff spot, and Calvert moves from No. 8 to No. 6 in the region.

2A North: Lake Clifton moves a point further ahead of City College in the race for the No. 3 spot. 

1A South: WEB DuBois earnes an additional .9 points, moving it a little more ahead of No. 4 Forestville.

1A North: New Town loses two bonus points, yet remains No. 4 in the standings.

By Sheldon Shealer

It's considered tabu to talk about potential playoff matchups with the regular season still in action, but I cannot not help myself from thinking about a potential Arundel vs. Wise clash.

Arundel remains No. 1 in the MDVarsity.com Class 4A Top 10 with the most potent offense in the state. The Wildcats ran up 62 points on Meade this week to push its season total to 423 points [47.0 points per game average]. No. 2 Wise, on the other hand, recorded its eighth straight shutout, a new MPSSAA record, and has allowed only seven points all year.

Of course, 4A is not the only class with potential intereting state playoff match-ups. How about a Fort Hill-Dunbar 1A rematch? What if River Hill returns to the final with a chance at a 42nd stright win? Can Linganore close out an era with a title [remember, Oakdale -- carved from the Linganore district -- opens next year]. Oh, the possibilities!

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (9-0), 2. Good Counsel (8-1), 3. McDonogh (8-1), 4. Bishop McNamara (8-1), 5. Landon (8-1), 6. Gilman (6-3), 7. Georgetown Prep (5-3), 8. Calvert Hall (6-4), 9. Loyola (7-2), 10. Boys' Latin (9-0).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (9-0), 2. Wise (9-0), 3. Suitland (8-1), 4. Old Mill (8-1), 5. Sherwood (8-1), 6. Flowers (8-1), 7. North Point (9-0), 8. Paint Branch (8-1), 9. Urbana (8-1), 10. Annapolis (7-2).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (9-0), 2. Quince Orchard (9-0), 3. River Hill (9-0), 4. Huntingtown (9-0), 5. Westlake (7-2), 7. Hereford (7-1), 8. Poly (8-1), 9. Damascus (7-2), 10. Atholton (8-1).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (9-0), 2. Queen Anne's (9-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (8-1), 4. Eastern Tech (8-1), 5. Kent Island (9-0), 6. Glenelg (8-1), 7. Rockville (7-1), 8. Douglass-PG (7-2), 9. City College (7-2), 10. Century (6-3).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (9-0), 2. Joppatowne (9-0), 3. Dunbar (8-1), 4. Catoctin (9-0), 5. Allegany (7-2), 6. Forest Park (8-0), 7. Bohemia Manor (6-3), 8. Cambridge-S.D. (6-3), 9. Snow Hill (7-2), 10. Havre de Grace (5-4).

By Sheldon Shealer

How good is Class 3A this year?

Through eight weeks, six teams remain undefeated. Five of the six could go 10-0 in the regular season. If so, it would match the number of most 10-0 playoff teams in a single classification set last year in Class 2A.

Interesting side note, two of the current 8-0 3A teams -- Poly and River Hill -- where 2A schools last year.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (8-0), 2. Good Counsel (7-1), 3. McDonogh (7-1), 4. Bishop McNamara (7-1), 5. Landon (7-1), 6. Georgetown Prep (4-3), 7. Calvert Hall (6-3), 8. Gilman (6-3), 9. Loyola (6-2), 10. Boys' Latin (8-0).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (8-0), 2. Wise (8-0), 3. Suitland (7-1), 4. Old Mill (7-1), 5. Sherwood (7-1), 6. Flowers (7-1), 7. North Point (8-0), 8. Urbana (8-0), 9. Churchill (7-1), 10. Paint Branch (7-1).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (8-0), 2. Quince Orchard (8-0), 3. River Hill (8-0), 4. Huntingtown (8-0), 5. Poly (8-0), 6.Westlake (6-2), 7. Hereford (6-1), 8. Clarksburg (6-2), 9. Atholton (8-0), 10. Damascus (6-2).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (8-0), 2. Queen Anne's (8-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (8-0), 4. Eastern Tech (7-1), 5. Kent Island (8-0), 6. Glenelg (7-1), 7. Rockville (7-1), 8. Douglass-PG (6-2), 9. City College (6-2), 10. Southern-AA (6-2).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (8-0), 2. Joppatowne (8-0), 3. Dunbar (7-1), 4. Catoctin (8-0), 5. Allegany (6-2), 6. Forest Park (7-0), 7. Snow Hill (7-1), 8. Forestville (4-3), 9. Bohemia Manor (5-3), 10. Havre de Grace (5-2).

The Week 7 state scoreboard has been moved to here.

By Sheldon Shealer

OK, the MIAA A Conference has become a mess -- beyond McDonogh. Every team has taken a league loss other than the Eagles at this point, and the results do not offer a clear pecking order of the teams. Therefore, we default to the most recent results of note.

In Class 2A this week, Gwynn Park posted a 21-point win over Douglass-PG to secure the current No. 1 ranking in a Top 10 that features teams from seven leagues.

Looking ahead, Sherwood faces Churchill in a 4A game that likely could settle the No. 1 seed in the West Region, and Fort Hill takes on Thomas Johnson in a rare 1A vs. 4A contest. Another game to watch this week is Archbishop Spalding and Boys' Latin squaring off in a battle of MIAA B conference undefeated teams.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (7-0), 2. Good Counsel (6-1), 3. McDonogh (6-1), 4. Bishop McNamara (6-1), 5. Landon (5-1), 6. Georgetown Prep (4-2), 7. Archbishop Spalding (7-0), 8. Calvert Hall (5-3), 9. Gilman (5-3), 10. Loyola (5-2).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (7-0), 2. Wise (7-0), 3. Suitland (6-1), 4. Old Mill (6-1), 5. Sherwood (6-1), 6. Flowers (6-1), 7. North Point (7-0), 8. Urbana (7-0), 9. Churchill (7-0), 10. Walt Whitman (6-1).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (7-0), 2. Quince Orchard (7-0), 3. River Hill (7-0), 4. Huntingtown (7-0), 5. Poly (7-0), 6. Clarksburg (6-1), 7. Westlake (5-2), 8. Hereford (5-1), 9. Atholton (7-0), 10. Damascus (5-2).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (7-0), 2. Queen Anne's (7-0), 3. Chesapeake-BC (7-0), 4. Eastern Tech (6-1), 5. Kent Island (7-0), 6. Douglass-PG (6-1), 7. McDonough (5-2), 8. Rockville (6-1), 9. City College (5-2), 10. Glenelg (6-1).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (7-0), 2. Joppatowne (7-0), 3. Dunbar (6-1), 4. Catoctin (7-0), 5. Allegany (5-2), 6. Forest Park (6-0), 7. Havre de Grace (5-2), 8. Snow Hill (5-1#), 9. Bohemia Manor (4-3), 10. Cambridge-S.D. (4-3).

By Sheldon Shealer

In a week that offered five State Poll Top 25 matchups, the net result was very little change for this week's classification rankings.

DeMatha remained No. 1 in the private schools with a dazzling fourth-quarter rally; Arundel had no problem maintaining No. 1 in 4A during Billy Cosh's record-setting performance; and Linganore helped secure its place in 3A -- and in the state -- with a convincing win over a D.C. team that had played DeMatha.

The only real shake-ups this week were in the private school rankings and in Class 2A. Although the same 10 private schools are ranked this week, the order changed significantly following Calvert Hall's win over Gilman and McDonoh's victory over a shorthanded Loyola team. The results allow McDonogh to move to No. 3, with Loyola settling in at No. 4, followed by Bishop McNamara at No. 5. Gilman, the former No. 3, slips to No. 10 this week. Spalding comes out of this week looking even better considering it handed Calvert Hall a loss to start the season.

In Class 2A, losses by Edmondson and City College allows Queen Anne's and Rockville to move higher. Some Bayside observers indicate this Queen Anne's team might be the best team to come from the Shore since the Cambridge-South Dorchester squad of 1996.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (6-0), 2. Good Counsel (5-1), 3. McDonogh (5-1), 4. Loyola (5-1), 5. Bishop McNamara (5-1), 6. Landon (4-1), 7. Georgetown Prep (3-2), 8. Archbishop Spalding (6-0), 9. Calvert Hall (5-2), 10. Gilman (4-3).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (6-0), 2. Wise (6-0), 3. Sherwood (6-0), 4. Suitland (5-1), 5. Eleanor Roosevelt (5-1), 6. Old Mill (5-1), 7. Flowers (5-1), 8. North Point (6-0), 9. Urbana (6-0), 10. Churchill (6-0).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (6-0), 2. Quince Orchard (6-0), 3. River Hill (6-0), 4. Huntingtown (6-0), 5. Westlake (5-1), 6. Poly (6-0), 7. Clarksburg (5-1), 8. Hereford (4-1), 9. Atholton (6-0), 10. Tuscarora (5-1).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (6-0), 2. Douglass-PG (6-0), 3. Queen Anne's (6-0), 4. Rockville (6-0), 5. Chesapeake-BC (6-0), 6. Eastern Tech (5-1), 7. Southern-AA (5-1), 8. Kent Island (6-0), 9. McDonough (4-2), 10. City College (4-2).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (6-0), 2. Joppatowne (6-0), 3. Dunbar (5-1), 4. Catoctin (6-0), 5. Allegany (4-2), 6. Cambridge-S.D. (4-2), 7. Forest Park (5-0), 8. Snow Hill (5-1), 9. Havre de Grace (4-2), 10. Bohemia Manor (3-3).

By Sheldon Shealer

Consider it the calm before the storm.

There was almost no movement in this week's classification rankings as nearly every team won.

However, don't expect a similar fate in the upcoming weeks. This week's schedule includes the colossal DeMatha vs. Good Counsel contest, which could have national ranking implications, and the Flowers vs. Suitland showdown in 4A. The ensuing two weeks will offer no fewer than eight matchups between ranked teams, which ultimately will sort how these teams should be positioned for the stretch run.

But for now, this week's ranking will look very similar to last week's. The combined record of last week's 50 teams was 42-8 this past weekend with four of those losses coming to other ranked teams and two to out-of-state opponents. The two other ranked teams that lost both were No. 10 teams in their respective classification.

Newcomers to this week's classification rankings are Tuscarora at No. 10 in 3A, Havre de Grace at No. 9 in 1A and Smithsburg at No. 10 in 1A.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (5-0), 2. Good Counsel (5-0), 3. Loyola (5-0), 4. Gilman (4-2), 5. McDonogh (4-1), 6. Bishop McNamara (4-1), 7. Landon (3-1), 8. Georgetown Prep (2-2), 9. Archbishop Spalding (5-0), 10. Calvert Hall (4-2).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (5-0), 2. Wise (5-0), 3. Sherwood (5-0), 4. Suitland (4-1), 5. Eleanor Roosevelt (4-1), 6. Old Mill (4-1), 7. Flowers (5-0), 8. North Point (5-0), 9. Thomas Johnson (4-1), 10. Urbana (5-0).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (5-0), 2. Quince Orchard (5-0), 3. River Hill (5-0), 4. Huntingtown (5-0), 5. Westlake (4-1), 6. Poly (5-0), 7. Clarksburg (5-0), 8. Hereford (3-1), 9. Atholton (5-0), 10. Tuscarora (4-1).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (5-0), 2. Douglass-PG (5-0), 3. City College (4-1), 4. Edmondson (3-2), 5. Queen Anne's (5-0), 6. Rockville (5-0), 7. Chesapeake-BC (5-0), 8. Eastern Tech (4-1), 9. Southern-AA (4-1), 10. Kent Island (5-0).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (5-0), 2. Joppatowne (5-0), 3. Dunbar (4-1), 4. Catoctin (4-0), 5. Cambridge-S.D. (4-1), 6. Allegany (3-2), 7. Forest Park (4-0), 8. Snow Hill (4-1), 9. Havre de Grace (3-2), 10. Smithsburg (3-2).

The Week 5 scoreboard has been moved to here.

By Sheldon Shealer

Chesapeake-BC 15, Eastern Tech 13.

Yes, that score required a double-take. Let's put this in context. Eastern Tech is coming off back-to-back state runner-up finishes with lofty expectations in 2009, a No. 15 state ranking and a 23-game regular-season win streak. Chesapeake-BC, meanwhile, has only three winning seasons since 1994!

Yet, on the Bayhawks' field on a rainy Saturday, Chesapeake-BC pulled off the surprise of the season so far in Maryland high school football. The result bumps Eastern from the top of the MDVarsity.com Class 2A Top 10 and allows Chesapeake, making a return to 2A this year, to jump into the fray with a 4-0 record.

Other newcomers to this week's classification rankings are Thomas Johnson (Class 4A, No. 9), Urbana (Class 4A, No. 10), Atholton (Class 3A, No. 9), Franklin (Class 3A, No. 10), Kent Island (Class 2A, No. 10) and Western Tech (Class 1A, No. 10).

Kent Island (4-0) is off to an impressive start, which includes a 26-7 victory over Cambridge-S.D. this past weekend. C-SD (3-1) had been rolling opponents prior meeting Kent Island.

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (4-0), 2. Good Counsel (4-0), 3. Loyola (4-0), 4. Gilman (3-2), 5. Landon (3-0), 6. Bishop McNamara (4-0), 7. McDonogh (3-1), 8. Georgetown Prep (1-2), 9. Archbishop Spalding (4-0), 10. Calvert Hall (3-2).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (4-0), 2. Wise (4-0), 3. Sherwood (4-0), 4. Suitland (3-1), 5. Eleanor Roosevelt (3-1), 6. Old Mill (3-1), 7. Flowers (4-0), 8. North Point (4-0), 9. Thomas Johnson (3-1), 10. Urbana (4-0).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (4-0), 2. Quince Orchard (4-0), 3. River Hill (4-0), 4. Huntingtown (4-0), 5. Westlake (3-1), 6. Poly (4-0), 7. Clarksburg (4-0), 8. Hereford (2-1), 9. Atholton (4-0), 10. Franklin (4-0).

Class 2A: 1. Gwynn Park (4-0), 2. Douglass-PG (4-0), 3. City College (4-0), 4. Edmondson (2-2), 5. Queen Anne's (4-0), 6. Rockville (4-0), 7. Chesapeake-BC (4-0), 8. Eastern Tech (3-1), 9. Southern-AA (4-0), 10. Kent Island (4-0).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (4-0), 2. Joppatowne (4-0), 3. Dunbar (3-1), 4. Allegany (3-1), 5. Catoctin (4-0), 6. Cambridge-S.D. (3-1), 7. Forest Park (3-0), 8. Snow Hill (3-1), 9. Mountain Ridge (2-2), 10. Western Tech (3-1).

The Week 4 scoreboard has been moved here.

By Mike Loveday and Sheldon Shealer

Another week in the books and still very little movement among the state's classification rankings. DeMatha, Arundel, Linganore, Eastern Tech and Fort Hill remain No. 1 in their respective groups.

Looking ahead, there will be some changes in the 4A rankings next week as No. 2 Wise takes on No. 3 Eleanor Roosevelt. The winner will be in prime position to claim the Prince George's County 4A League crown, and with it, the No. 2 ranking in 4A. In Class 3A, Westlake takes on Huntingtown in a SMAC showdown.

The highest newcomer to this week's rankings is Southern-AA, which checks in at No. 8 among 2A schools. 

Private Schools: 1. DeMatha (3-0), 2. Good Counsel (3-0), 3. Loyola (4-0), 4. Gilman (2-2), 5. Landon (2-0), 6. Bishop McNamara (3-0), 7. McDonogh (3-0), 8. Mount St. Joseph (2-2), 9. Georgetown Prep (1-1), 10. Archbishop Spalding (3-0).

Class 4A: 1. Arundel (3-0), 2. Wise (3-0), 3. Eleanor Roosevelt (3-0), 4. Sherwood (3-0), 5. Suitland (2-1), 6. Old Mill (2-1), 7. Flowers (3-0), 8. North Point (3-0), 9. Patterson (3-0), 10. Woodlawn (3-0).

Class 3A: 1. Linganore (3-0), 2. Westlake (3-0), 3. Quince Orchard (3-0), 4. River Hill (3-0), 5. Damascus (2-1), 6. Hereford (1-1), 7. Poly (3-0), 8. Clarksburg (3-0), 9. Huntingtown (3-0), 10. Lackey (2-1).

Class 2A: 1. Eastern Tech (3-0), 2. Gwynn Park (3-0), 3. Douglass-PG (3-0), 4. City College (3-0), 5. Edmondson (1-2), 6. Queen Anne's (3-0), 7. Rockville (3-0), 8. Southern-AA (3-0), 9. Winters Mill (3-0), 10. McDonough (1-2).

Class 1A: 1. Fort Hill (3-0), 2. Joppatowne (3-0), 3. Allegany (3-0), 4. Dunbar (2-1), 5. Catoctin (3-0), 6. Cambridge-S.D. (3-0), 7. Forest Park (2-0), 8. Snow Hill (2-1), 9. Brunswick (2-1), 10. Mountain Ridge (1-2).

By Sheldon Shealer

Riverdale Baptist's Brian Burns, a rising senior defensive back, verbally committed to Temple on Monday.

As a junior, Burns had seven interceptions and 40 tackles. As a sophomore, he had six interceptions and 39 tackles.

The 6-foot, 170-pound Burns played multiple positions for the Crusaders last season -- seeing time at running back, receiver, cornerback and safety. The junior averaged more than nine yards per carry and more than 19 yards per reception on offense.

He has been timed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, 4.10 in the short shuttle and boasts a 34-inch vertical leap.

By Sheldon Shealer

Atholton is expected to name former University of Maryland player and recent Terps grad assistant Kyle Schmitt as the school's new coach today.

Schmitt played for the Terps from 2001-2004 as an offensive lineman. The past two years he has been on the Terps' staff.

By Mike Loveday

Travis Hawkins, Quince Orchard's star football player, will attend the University of Maryland, he announced at a press conference today at noon.

	Mike Loveday
	Travis Hawkins will be playing on Saturdays for Maryland next season.

Hawkins was Mr. Everything for the Cougars last season -- rushing for 407 yards while making 25 catches for 700 yards. He also led the team through the first round of regional playoffs last year from the quarterback position when the regular starter was injured.

Hawkins took official visits to Oregon on Oct. 10 and Michigan on Oct. 3. He had an official visit to Maryland scheduled for Nov. 21.

Have an opinion on this story? Make sure to leave your comment below and let us know how we're doing. And be sure to discuss it in our Baltimore/D.C. Metro Group.

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

By Mike Loveday

oloveday5@yahoo.com

St. John Catholic Prep's J.R. Ferguson (pictured) just keeps on impressing. As reported on MDVarsity.com Tuesday, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound lineman is on an unofficial tour of several major colleges and on his first day picked up two more offers.

The University's of South Carolina and Clemson are the fourth and fifth schools to make the rising junior an offer according to head coach Jimmy Ward.

Ferguson, who recorded 106 tackles and 18 sacks as a sophomore, already held offers from Illinois, Maryland and Oklahoma. The Sooners offer came in earlier this week.

Ferguson left Tuesday for unofficial visits to the following schools: Wake Forest, UNC, N.C. State, South Carolina, and Clemson and will end his week at the University of Georgia where he will participate in the team's one-day camp on Friday, July 18.

Ferguson will be a member of the Dream Team second team when the football preview magazine is released later this month. Click here to read more about the magazine.

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

The offers keep piling up for St. John's Catholic Prep rising junior J.R. Ferguson who just received an offer from Oklahoma, according to head coach Jimmy Ward.

The 6-foot-4, 270 pound defensive lineman already held two offers, from Maryland and Illinois, which he received in the final weeks of June.

More offers could be in the near future for Ferguson, who is leaving at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15 for a series of unofficial visits to many of the nation's high profile colleges.

The rising junior will make visits to the following schools in this order: Wake Forest, UNC, N.C. State, South Carolina, and Clemson and will end his whirlwind week at the University of Georgia where he will participate in the team's one-day camp on Friday, July 18

Ferguson first attracted national attention when he attended the Illinois one-day camp and walked away with his first official offer. Maryland made their offer days later.

Ferguson had a stellar sophomore season with 106 tackles and 18 sacks, helping lead the Vikings to a 7-4 record and a share of the MIAA C conference title.

Ferguson will be a member of the Dream Team second team when the football preview magazine is released later this month.

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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.