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.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound athlete chose Maryland after narrowing his list to five schools in August.

"It came down between Maryland, Oregon, Penn State and Michigan," Hawkins said. "Maryland has been there since I was a sophomore. They offered me as a running back, but when I got on the defensive side of the ball and they saw how explosive I was they want me to play there."

Over the summer, Hawkins told MDVarsity.com that Oregon was his dream school and he would love to be a Duck, but when it came down to deciding, distance proved an important factor.

"Oregon was my dream school. I loved my visit, I loved everything about it, but the main thing was my mom," Hawkins said. "I felt like if I was there [Oregon] I wouldn't see her. And if anything happened with the family then I wouldn't be close. I woke up on Tuesday and felt it was time to make my choice."

"This is something that has weighed on his mind for a long time," Quince Orchard coach Dave Mencarini said. "He's handled this with a lot of class and dignity. It's hard for a 17-year-old kid to keep his composure and not get big-headed."

Hawkins told Mencarini on Tuesday that he was ready to commit to the Terrapins, but Mencarini told him to sleep on it for a night to make sure it was the right decision.

"He was absolutely certain," Mencarini said. "I think it's the perfect fit for him in my opinion. He can be the local guy who goes to the state school, just like Kenny Tate and Davin Meggett. He built the foundation of his success, now he can build the house on it."

Hawkins is Maryland's 21st commitment of the 2009 recruiting class and the 11th home state product to verbal.

Hawkins joins DeOnte Arnett (Forestville), Pete DeSouza (DeMatha), Eric Franklin (Archbishop Curley), Lorne Goree (C.H. Flowers), Avery Graham (Clarksburg), David Mackall (Edmondson), Caleb Porzel (Good Counsel), Isaiah Ross (Eleanor Roosevelt), Dave Stinebaugh (Perry Hall) and Marcus Whitfield (Northwest) in this year's recruiting class.

Hawkins has played mostly defensive back for Quince Orchard this season, but injured his ankle two weeks ago in a 14-6 loss to then No. 5 Sherwood. Early reports had him out for the season with a broken ankle, but the No. 12 cornerback in the nation according to ESPN's Scouts Inc. only suffered a mild sprain and has been cleared by doctors to resume playing. He is not expected to play Friday nigh against Northwest.

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.

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By Mike Loveday

One day after the electricity went out at the school, forcing a postponement of No. 1 Quince Orchard against No. 5 Sherwood, Sherwood used two first-quarter scores to turn the lights off on visiting Quince Orchard's undefeated season, 14-6

Sherwood's Zach Splain threw a 37-yard touchdown pass and Sosthene Kapepula returned a fumble 45 yards for the Warriors' only two scores of the game.

Tough Breaks: The bigger news from this game is the loss of two Cougars for the remainder of the season.

Quince Orchard quarterback Kevin Adams did not play in the second half after what is being reported as a broken collarbone. Athlete Travis Hawkins took over at quarterback in the second half and on a 3-and-goal play from the 1-yard line, broke his left ankle.

Hawkins was taken to a nearby hospital for X-rays and head coach Dave Mencarini said the full extent of both injuries are not yet known.

What this means for Quince Orchard: The injury to Hawkins hurts, obviously. He is a playmaker on both sides of the ball, but he has played sparingly on offense and the defense is talented enough to weather the loss of their star defensive back.

The tougher loss may be that of Adams. With Adams out, Hawkins would normally assume the role, but now that job looks to fall to senior Cody Schecter.

A starting defensive back, Schecter has not taken a snap from center since his sophomore year when he was quarterback of the junior varsity. The offense will rely on running back Dawuan Genies who has emerged as a star back for the Cougars.

No Fly Zone: The defensive secondary for both Sherwood and Quince Orchard were outstanding in this game.

The quarterback position for both teams combined to go 8-for-24 for 119 yards.

Phillip Durity had the lone interception in the game for Sherwood.

Running Wild: While the passing game did not provide many big plays for either team, the running game helped grind out the tough yards.

Genies rushed for 134 yards on 24 carries. The senior picked up six first downs on the night and scored the Cougar's lone touchdown of the game a six-yard jaunt with 2:42 to go in the game.

Dominique Davis was equally impressive on the ground tonight. The senior rushed for 90 yards 16 carries and picked up two first downs.

Other notes: Sherwood did not turn the ball over once in the game. While Splain did not have a great game, the senior kept his composure under pressure to throw the only offensive touchdown of the game for Sherwood. He also rushed for 26 yards in the game.

Big Picture: Sherwood is now the favorite in Class 4A West, but do not expect Quince to lose again this year. They play at home against Walter Johnson next week and while the game against Northwest will be anything but easy, the Cougars coaching staff has two weeks to come up with a new game plan. Their final game of the year is against Richard Montgomery.

Sherwood should run the table with Richard Montgomery, Gaithersburg and Walt Whitman left on the schedule.

If the playoffs started today Sherwood would play Springbrook and Quince Orchard would play Churchill, a team they handled easily, 25-6 in Week 5. Sherwood won a tight game against Springbrook earlier this year 35-27..

Expect a 4A West region meeting between these two schools.

By Mike Loveday

	Mike Loveday/ESPNRise
	Quince Orchard looks to run back to the Class 4A state title game this year.

                                                                                                                                                      Last Year: 14-0, Class 4A state champions

Key losses: Thomas Addison (RB), Zach Kerr (DL), and Jason Morrison (QB).

Key returnees: Travis Hawkins (ATH), Terrence Stephens (DL), Jason Ankrah (DL), Cody Magill (TE/DL), Dake Williams (OL/DL).

Impact newcomer: Kevin Adams (QB), Mitch Carney (WR/DB).

Most Improved: According to head coach Dave Mencarini, Kaevon Morgan has done a great job of improving this year. The 5-foot-7, 140-pound receiver did not play last year and now is expected to be one of the starters.

Names to watch: Ben Sasu is another running back that could help ease the load on Hawkins.

My take: Quince Orchard does have a few question marks this season. Will they be able to fill Kerr's role at defensive tackle? Who will take over at quarterback with the graduation of Morrison? How will the team respond to winning the title last year?

Even with those questions, the Cougars are still the preseason favorite to head back to the Class 4A title game. Hawkins is one of the state's most talented athletes and will make plays on offense and defense.

Quince Orchard dominated the trenches last season and with Ankrah, Stephens and Magill back on the defensive line they should again this year.

I think the only thing that could stand in the Cougars way this year is themselves. They are talented and experienced and have an outstanding coaching staff. Going undefeated could be the biggest challenge with Sherwood and Damascus both on the regular season schedule and fellow 4A teams Arundel and Thomas Johnson boasting talented rosters too.

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	Photo by: Mike Loveday
	Hawkins has narrowed his list of schools down to five.

GAMBRILLS, MD - I just got back from Quince Orchard's scrimmage down at Arundel high school and had the chance to talk with Travis Hawkins who told me he narrowed his list and the date when he plans to commit.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Hawkins said he trimmed his list of prospective schools down to five last week with Maryland, Penn State, Georgia, Tennessee and Oregon all making the cut.

Hawkins said he has an official visit to Georgia set for Sept. 27, when the Bulldogs play Alabama. Hawkins added the he plans to visit Penn State on Oct. 18 when the Nittany Lions play Michigan.

Hawkins played multiple positions for the Cougars last season and totaled over 1,100 yards of offense. The last time high school football fans saw Hawkins in pads; he racked up 117 yards receiving in the Class 4A title game, including the go-ahead touchdown.

Since that game, the nation has been buzzing about when the senior will commit. Hawkins said he plans on committing by Nov. 3, after he has finished the last of his official visits.

Hawkins held over 20 offers at the time he narrowed his list, with schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State and Florida missing the final five.

By Mike Loveday, editor

State College, Pa., is little more than a three-hour drive for most of the Maryland football players committed to Penn State University, but the ESPN Outside the Lines series profiling the trouble Penn State athletes have gotten into over the past six years must have hit a little closer to home.

Or did it?

Six Maryland high school football players are verbally committed to attend Penn State following their senior seasons and none of the players contacted seem concerned about the issues raised in the program.

"Me and my mother watched it. It didn't really have an affect on me because I know what I can do and what I'm going through, Eleanor Roosevelt's Derrick Thomas (pictured below) added. "It doesn't really change my mind at all. I still like Penn State and I'm still with it.

While that sentiment is shared by the other athletes, Thomas' mother did not agree.

"To see all that stuff happening there I really worry. At this point I don't really want him to go to that school. I know you can't run away because trouble is everywhere, but to see that they have a coach and a coaching staff that is not doing what they need to do to keep this stuff from happening it really worries me, Angela Thomas said. "I don't want my son to attend a school where there's no guidance. When he's away from me I want him to have a role model to keep him in line.

According to the OTL program, "since 2002, 46 Penn State football players have faced 163 criminal charges, according to an ESPN analysis of Pennsylvania court records and reports. Twenty-seven players have been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to a combined 45 counts.

When asked if she was concerned about Thomas attending Penn State Mrs. Thomas replied, "I am. Honestly I am. I'm going to have to have a serious talk with him. I'm definitely not leaving it up to him. We all need to sit down and talk about this because I just want the best for my son. & I need to see what type of options he wants to have right now, because Penn State, to me, is not a good option.

Thomas added that his mother had expressed interest in him attending the University of Maryland before his commitment. Thomas chose Penn State over offers from Maryland, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Illinois.

Thomas is one of six Maryland athletes committed to Penn State. Eleanor Roosevelt teammate Stephon Morris, Oxon Hill's Brandon Felder, Lackey's Darrell Givens and Malcolm Willis and Gaithersburg's Sean Stanley have all committed to play for the Nittany Lions.

In fact, Penn State has received more commitments from Maryland players than from any other state so far. Five Pennsylvania athletes have given verbal commitments as of press time.

From those already committed, the allegations have little to no affect.

"Of course if you have a lot of students and players at one school getting into trouble it's going to make that school look bad, but you can't necessarily say that the school is a bad place. It just shows that those people chose to make the wrong decision, Givens said. "It's not really been a big deal to me. Once you're in college you're an adult. You're a grown female or male and you're old enough to make your own decisions. If you choose to make the wrong decision, that's on you.

The program seems to have raised so little interest in the athletes interviewed for this story that at least one, Felder, still has not seen it. Thomas chose to not watch the entire program and said he has no interest in seeing the rest of it.

While no names were mentioned in the OTL program, days later former Gwynn Park standout Phil Taylor was dismissed from the team. A name that Roosevelt defensive back Morris knows, which made the series more interesting for him, but did not make him waiver from his decision.

"My whole take on it was that I stay away from that type of trouble. When you go to college you should know the things you shouldn't be doing, Morris said.

What about the questions surrounding Paterno's job security? The 81-yeard old, who will enter his 43rd season as head coach and has compiled a win-loss record of 372-125-3, enters the last year of his contract and the release of the OTL information raises serious questions as to whether JoPa will return.

"I've been told that about his (Joe Paterno) contract. I've been watching ESPN College Gameday, they keep talking about it. I mean even if this is his last year, whether it's a successor, which I'd love to have, or if it's a brand new coaching staff, and then I guess I'm going to have to see, Morris added. "I'm going (to Penn State) because that's where I should be. It wasn't for any specific coach.

Bobbie Felder, the mother of Brandon Felder (pictured), also seemed unconcerned about the program.

"I honestly don't have a problem as far as these allegations that have gone on with Penn State, Mrs. Felder said. "Both my son and I believe in the program and I don't feel as though this is going to be a problem with my son's football career or academic career.

While each student-athlete comes from a different background and are spread out over several counties, they all expressed a single thought.

"At a lot of schools around the country things are going to happen, people make mistakes. It's not like it really affected me or changed my mind, Lackey's Malcolm Willis said. "There are places you can get in trouble around the world. You can live in the country with no trouble at all and you can mess up. It's about bettering yourself after you make that mistake.

Penn State has offers out to five more Maryland high school athletes: Dunbar's Tavon Austin, Gwynn Park's Raynard Randolph, Quince Orchard's Travis Hawkins and Jason Ankrah and Good Counsel's Jelani Jenkins.

So how will this impact the decision for potential commitments? At least one athlete said it will have none.

"That's not me. I know what kind of person I am and I won't be in situations like that, Randolph said. "That has nothing to do with me and has nothing to do with the school. That's outside of the school and what they did. & stuff like that happens everywhere. Unfortunately they were the ones to get caught. Penn State is still one of my favorites.

Randolph is said to be deciding between attending Penn State and Maryland.

As of press time, the other four athletes mentioned above along with Stanley were unavailable for comment.

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By Mike Loveday

Oloveday5@yahoo.com

Loyola rising senior Terence Garvin made the decision that will impact his next four years. He verbally committed to West Virginia University on Friday, July 25; according to Loyola head coach Brian Abbott. West Virginia recruited Garvin as a free safety.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Garvin also held an offer from Maryland at the time of his commitment.

Garvin also plays running back for the Don's and according to Abbott will likely see time at linebacker this season. Last year Garvin rushed for 792 yards and 15 touchdowns and added 42 tackles and three interceptions on defense.

Garvin is the first Maryland recruit to commit to WVU this season. The Mountaineers have also extended offers to uncommitted Maryland athletes Tavon Austin, Jason Ankrah, Raynard Randolph, Jelani Jenkins, Travis Hawkins, Xavier Hughes and Anthony Young-Wiseman.

If you want more information about Loyola and the upcoming season, including team breakdowns and player profiles, you can order your copy online of the Preseason Football Magazine Here

Or by mail for $10 plus $3 for shipping & handling

Please make checks payable to MDVarsity.com

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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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By Mike Loveday

I spoke with Quince Orchard head coach Dave Mencarini today to check in on his remaining three athletes: Travis Hawkins (pictured), Cody Magill and Jason Ankrah. All three athletes have narrowed their list of schools and while rumors have swirled about Hawkins commitment, I hate to disappoint.

Defensive end Jason Ankrah is still in the process of checking out schools, but has narrowed his list to seven schools. Penn State, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan and N.C. State are all still in the running for the 6-foot-4, 248-pound Ankrah.

Tight end and defensive end Cody Magill has also narrowed his list with Syracuse, Ohio, Richmond, Delaware, East Carolina, James Madison and Vanderbilt making the cut. According to Mencarini, Vanderbilt only recently made the cut and both the school and Magill are showing increased interest.

Hawkins name has surfaced lately as many have speculated that the defensive back has committed to the University of Maryland, but Mencarini assured me that is not the case and added that Hawkins is currently on vacation.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Hawkins has narrowed his choices though. Maryland, Georgia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Tennessee, Michigan and Oregon are the seven schools Hawkins will choose from.

As to when Hawkins will commit, Mencarini said he does not think his star athlete has a timetable.