By Mike Loveday

I'm on my way out to the first practice of many over the next few weeks so start looking for Training Camp Reports starting tomorrow, but before I get too far ahead I wanted to make sure I got the fourth and final clip of High School Gameday up for everyone to see.

In an continuation of part three, Sheldon and I continue to discuss teams that are just outside the preseason Top 25 rankings. If you want more information on how to get your copy of the 2008 Maryland High School Preseason Magazine e-mail me at Mike.Loveday.ESPN@gmail.com

Enjoy MDVarsity.com's High School Gameday pt. 4.

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

Here is the section most people have probably been waiting for. Why were Friendly and Damascus left outside the Top 25? We have worked our way through the rankings and now Sheldon and I discuss why the last two Class 3A champions are not included in the preseason Top 25.

Click here to watch MDVarsity.com's High School Gameday part 3 of 4

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

Sheldon and I continue our discussion about the Preseason Magazine's Top 25 with a look at some other teams that may have been surprises.

Click here for the second of four parts of a preseason edition of High School Gameday.

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

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

With practice only days away for public schools and the preseason magazine garnering attention from around the state, Sheldon and I found it fitting to film a preseason edition of High School Gameday. 

The preseason rankings in the magazine have created some buzz around the state, from our choice at No. 1, Quince Orchard instead of DeMatha, to the abscence of two traditional powerhouses, Friendly and Damascus.

We discuss all this and more in a 40 minute edition of MDVarsity.com's High School Gameday.

Editors Note: The link to gameday should be working now. E-mail me if you're having problems viewing it.

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

By Mike Loveday

Recruiting news has slowed a bit the past few days. After a three-week span where offers for athletes poured in like reports from Packers camp, no new offers have been reported in three days.

With colleges starting practice and preparing for their seasons, this was expected, but there are a number of athletes waiting to hear from schools.

Tuscarora's Jakarie Jackson holds offers from three schools now. Liberty was the first to offer, but over the summer, Eastern Michigan and James Madison extended offers to the 5-foot-11, 170-pound receiver.

Continuing down I-270, several athletes from Flowers have been receiving collegiate interest, other than stud linebacker Lorne Goree who is committed to Maryland.

6-foot, 199-pound linebacker Brandon Killebrew has an official offer from the Naval Academy and several other colleges are circling.

According the Flowers head coach Mike Mayo, Maryland called the other day to let him know they are very interested in Killebrew. Ohio University has also been in touch to express interest. Mayo added that colleges are waiting on film from the team's first couple of games this season.

Two other Jaguars that seem to be flying under the radar are athlete Dwayne Powell and running back James Jenkins (pictured above).

Mayo said Powell is receiving interest from Ohio University as well as several other MAC schools. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete plays defensive back, quarterback and wide receiver for Flowers. Mayo added that Powell's biggest assets could be his ability to play multiple positions. Several of the interested schools are looking at Powell for a variety of spots on their team.

Jenkins is a name that many may not have heard yet, but by the end of his senior season they will be talking all about him.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound running back transferred from Riverdale Baptist after his junior season and will look to fill the hole at running back with the graduation of Jarren Brown.

Mayo said that Jenkins is starting to gain interest, but he has the potential to have a stellar senior season and really get on scouts radar screen.

Odds and Ends

This story seems right on cue with the story I linked to Sunday about Josh Haden looking to be the starter for Boston College.

Former Friendly teammate Lamaar Thomas (pictured) has his own write-up in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The former Consensus All-State athlete is challenging several Buckeye's for the title of team's fastest athlete. With speed like that, could playing time be far behind?

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

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.

Posted by Mike Loveday

oloveday5@yahoo.com

Here's an interesting article from South Coast Today about former DeMatha Stag Marc Hayes.

Hayes played for DeMatha in the late 1990s and went on to play college football at the University of Rhode Island. Now at age 25, he is finding ways to stay active in the game.

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

Posted by Mike Loveday & Sheldon Shealer

Welcome to MDVarsity.com on ESPN

After being hosted for more than eight years by Rivals.com, the MDVarsity.com Web site is now part of ESPN.

This blog format is only temporary. All of the other features from the previous web site, including message boards, will eventually be added.

It is never easy to switch in the internet world, but going to the Worldwide Leader in Sports is an opportunity that excites the people behind all of the sites in the Student Sports Inc. family. These sites on ESPN are going to be off the charts for the athletes, coaches, parents, and fans throughout the country.

We will continue to cover the key combines and camps, recruiting and games along with the State Top 25 and classification rankings. Our coverage of everything Maryland high school football related will be enhanced in the coming months.

We need to credit four people who contributed mightily to this site becoming part of ESPN who have passed away in recent years. This would be Student Sports co-founder Nelson Tennis, former Student Sports marketing director Kim Blankinship, former team sales manager and longtime supporter Jerry Keane and Larry Bark, father of president and co-founder Andy Bark. In addition, we need to thank Mark Thomas for starting the original MDVarsity.com Web site nearly a decade ago.

We invite you to keep coming back to this site every day to see exclusive, original content that is not available anywhere else.

Sincerely,

Mike Loveday & Sheldon Shealer

East Region Editor & High School Editor, ESPN Rise