By Mike Loveday

The Frederick News Post is reporting that Thomas Johnson's Marquis Woodyard has committed to college.

According to the article, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound safety committed to play football for James Madison University.

Woodyard is the third Patriot to commit to college this year. Teammates Nick Forbes (California) and Jeremy Grove (East Carolina) committed earlier this summer.

As a junior last season, Woodyard won two state Track & Field championships at the Maryland outdoor championships on May 23.

Woodyard won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.19-- the win was his first career state championship. Later in the day, he won his second title with a victory in the 300-meter hurdles. Woodyard was also a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that finished third. Woodyard's contribution helped the Patriots to the Class 4A state championship.

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

Several Maryland high school football players have been selected to participate in inaugural Champion Gridiron Kings hosted by ESPN RISE Games, scheduled for July 23-25 at Disney's Wild World of Sports in Orlando (Fla.)

City College's Adrian Coxson, Good Counsel's Louis Young, Thomas Johnson's Nick Forbes.

According to the press release, Champion Gridiron Kings is an elite high school football event that features 64 of the best players in the game's seven skill positions – quarterback, running back, tight end, wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback and safety.

Skill position players selected to participate in the Champion® Gridiron Kings event will receive intensive on-the-field and off-the-field coaching from an outstanding list of former football players during the three day event:  Stacey Bailey (retired NFL wide receiver and San Jose State University alum); Donnell Bennett (retired NFL running back and University of Miami alum); Jeff Blake (retired NFL quarterback and Eastern Carolina University alum); Michael Fletcher (Retired CFL linebacker and University of Oregon alum); Chris Gizzi (retired NFL linebacker and Air Force Academy alum); Brandon Hancock (Full back/University of Southern California); Eugene Jackson (Defensive back/University of Oregon Alum); Lonnie Marts (retired NFL linebacker and Tulane University alum); Terance Mathis (retired NFL wide receiver and University of New Mexico alum); Browning Nagle (retired NFL quarterback and University of Louisville alum);Hardy Nickerson (retired NFL linebacker and University of California-Berkeley alum); Louis Oliver (retired NFL safety and University of Florida alum); Carl Pickens (retired NFL wide receiver and University of Tennessee alum); Lamar Thomas (retired NFL wide receiver and University of Miami alum).

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

Thomas Johnson senior Nick Forbes verbally committed to California. The following is a link to the story that appeared in the Frederick News-Post. More

UPDATED: With two more commitments over the weekend, I've updated the verbal commitment list. You can find it HERE.

	Photo by: Mike Loveday
	D.J. Scott and the Patriots have thier sights set on a Class 4A title this season.

By Mike Loveday

Last year: 10-3

Key losses: The graduation of running and defensive back Corey Hunt hurts, but he was injured some of last year, which gave others a chance for experience. Tight end Steven Chase along with center Colin Bass and linebacker Chris Johnson also leave voids to fill.

Key returnees: Nick Forbes (RB/LB), D.J. Scott (ATH)

Impact newcomers: The additions of Jeremy Grove (FB/LB) and Rashard Lyles (RB/DB) are huge. Grove is a stud with offers waiting to become official and Lyles is the nephew of former NFL fullback Ritchie Anderson.

Most Improved: D.J. Jenkins (QB). Head coach Ben Wright said Jenkins has worked hard in the offseason to improve his accuracy and has improved his leadership.

Names to watch: Steven Probst has dropped 50 pounds in the offseason and has impressed Wright. Mike Simon (OL).

My take: Thomas Johnson lost some key players from last year's team, but the scary thing about the Patriots is that they might have gotten better at those positions.

Forbes will be one of the best players in Maryland in 2010 and came into his own by the end of last year. Scott will get his hands on the ball more and with his playmaking ability, has the chance to break a big play with every touch.

The additions of Grove and Lyles could have been the tipping point for the Patriots. Grove was one of Urbana's leading tacklers last season and should wreak havoc with Forbes lining up beside him this year.

Wright said his team is still a year away from a serious state title bid and with teams like Quince Orchard and Eleanor Roosevelt also making bids for the 4A crown this year that could be true, but I fully expect the Patriots to be back in the state semifinals again and I will not be surprised when they make it to the finals.

Quick fact: The Patriots offensive line will all be juniors this season.

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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