By Mike Loveday

I just received an e-mail from McDonogh' Rudy Johnson to let me know that he committed to college.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback has committed to play football for Buffalo.

Johnson, who took an official visit to Buffalo on June 17, did not take long to make his decision – committing to Buffalo on his drive back to Maryland.

"A couple other places were trying to get me to visit, but when I went up there it was everything I wanted in a program. And the place I wanted to be,” Johnson said. "I wanted to be at a school where I can make a difference.”

As a junior last season, Johnson threw for 1,838 yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to earning All-State Big School Honorable Mention.

"The main thing was the coaching staff was real welcoming,” Johnson said of what made Buffalo stand out. "To talk to the quarterbacks coach and coach [Turner] Gill -- I just felt like those were people I was comfortable with and it would be a good place for me to be.”

The verbal commitment list for the Maryland high school football class of 2010 is now updated.

By Mike Loveday

There is no real way to directly link to it, but up on the ESPNRISE Maryland front page there is a new video. I did an interview with McDonogh's Rudy Johnson after the passing jamboree on Saturday. There will be another new video, with Good Counsel's Zach Dancel, up on Thursday.

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

McDonogh's 6-foo-1, 200-pound Rudy Johnson received his first official college offer.

The quarterback received an offer from Buffalo last week, according to Johnson.

"I didn't get the official letter in the mail until yesterday, but Friday during school my coach told me that they called him and told him that they were going to [make the offer]," Johnson said.

As a junior, Johnson threw for 1,838 yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to earning All-State Big School Honorable Mention.

"I was just real happy. Almost shocked in a way. It's something I've been waiting for, for a real long time," Johnson added.

Update: According to Meade head football coach Lance Clelland, wide receiver Tuswani Copeland has received offers from Kansas State and Western Michigan.  As a junior Tuswani was an All-Anne Arundel County Coaches selection after recording 30 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns.

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

Fort Hill and Cambridge-South Dorchester settled their scheduling snafu, and it could affect as many as seven schools - four in Maryland.

Here is the official latest: Fort Hill WILL play C-SD on Sept. 26 [Week 4] in Cumberland. C-SD's schedule already reflects that contest. Fort Hill currently has an open date in Week 5, but that could be filled by an out-of-state school today.

In order for Fort Hill to move the C-SD game to Week 4, it agreed with Southern Garrett to drop their scheduled Week 4 meeting. That leaves Southern with a Week 4 opening that could be filled by flipping the date on its current Week 5 opponent. If succesful, Southern Garrett will pick up Hancock on Oct. 3, according to the Hancock athletic director.

Hancock, meanwhile, is in quite a bind given West Nottingham folded its program and a West Virginia school dropped the Panthers. Hancock added a second game with St. James for a Week 2 opponent, and ONLY that game will count toward the MPSSAA standings. Given Hancock still has an open date, pending a response from a West Virginia school, and one game with St. James that will not count, the Panthers have only eight regular-season contests. It is not yet clear if the second game with St. James could count for bonus points for opposing teams.

All changes must be finalized before gametime Friday in order to meet with MPSSAA guidelines. 

MIAA MOVE: Calvert Hall's once-scheduled Saturday contest at McDonogh has been moved to Friday this week at 3:30 p.m.

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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