By Bob Blubaugh, Carroll County Times Staff Writer
A year ago at this time, Josh Bordner was looking forward to his first season as a starting quarterback at Century High School.
Now he’s looking forward to a career as a quarterback in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Bordner, readying for his senior year at Century, verbally committed to Boston College this week.
“It’s really the place I wanted to be,” he said.
Not that he was necessarily expecting this to happen.
Bordner drew some attention during a standout junior year for the Knights last fall, and then honed his skills at the Quarterback Factory under the tutelage of DeMatha offensive coordinator Chris Baucia. He has always had a strong arm and is blessed with prototypical size, at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds.
“Every [college] coach I talked to said, ‘This kid looks like a quarterback,’” said first-year Century coach Jim Holzman.
Bordner impressed scouts at combines and camps this spring — including a successful four-day stint at a Boston College camp — and then started weighing his options.
BC assistant coach Ryan Day called Bordner on Sunday and made him an official scholarship offer. Bordner said he and his parents spoke at length with Day, asking numerous questions, and hung up.
Thomas Johnson's Forbes Commits to California
By Greg Swatek, Frederick News-Post Staff
When Nick Forbes stepped off a plane at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport on Monday morning, the bright future suddenly laid out before him was not one he could have even imagined four months ago.
Forbes, a soon-to-be senior at Thomas Johnson High School, had just returned from a three-day West Coast trip, on which he verbally accepted a full scholarship to play football for the University of California.
After being pursued by hundreds of schools on all levels of college football and receiving scholarship offers from roughly 15 high-profile Division I programs, the 17-year-old Forbes disclosed one of the biggest decisions of his life to the Cal coaching staff at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday.
By that time, he was six hours into his second visit of the campus.
"I was holding back. There was a smile on my face all day," said Forbes, a muscular 6-foot-1, 225-pound inside linebacker and running back for the TJ football team.
"Two hours into the trip, I knew this was where I wanted to be."
News traveled across the country quickly that another domino had fallen in Frederick County's highly touted recruiting Class of 2010.
Jeremy Grove, who recently committed to East Carolina and plays beside Forbes in TJ's linebacking corps, received a text message from his workout partner and close friend around 11:30 p.m. Friday.
"I couldn't fall asleep for about an hour," Grove said. "I was excited."
At Monday evening's workout session in the TJ weight room, coach Ben Wright was already wearing his souvenir from Forbes' trip, a navy
blue T-shirt with a large Golden Bear print on the front.
"Nick's one of the hardest workers on this team. I am happy for him," Wright said. "I couldn't think of a better place for him to go to school."
Forbes was a coveted football recruit for two years. The website Rivals.com ranked him as the seventh-best high school linebacker in the country following the most recent season, in which Forbes led the Patriots with 106 tackles and was named The Frederick News-Post's All-Area Defensive Player of the Year.
But, as recently as late February, Cal was not among Forbes' top choices.
When the Golden Bears' offer arrived in what Forbes described as a nice, shiny envelope, he was flattered by the attention, but immediately dismissive of the idea he would go to school there.
"I was like, 'There is no way I am going out there,'" he said.
Distance from home was the primary concern. Plus, there were attractive offers from Duke, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia.
Forbes viewed all those schools as finalists for his decision.
On the final weekend of February, Forbes headed west with the purpose of visiting Stanford.
Since Cal had expressed such a strong interest and even sent one of its recruiting coordinators to TJ to make a face-to-face offer in the middle of a school day, Forbes thought it wouldn't hurt to make the 43-mile trip north from Palo Alto to Berkeley to take a look at the Cal campus.
Upon arriving, Forbes, prominently wearing TJ colors, was scolded by Cal head coach Jeff Tedford.
"Man, you are lucky anybody let you through the door wearing all that red," Tedford told Forbes, referring to the red and white of the Stanford Cardinal, the Golden Bears' arch rival in the Pacific-10 Conference.
It wasn't Forbes' intent to wear Stanford colors, even though he was on his way there for a visit.
But Tedford's friendly jab sent Forbes a strong and direct message: Even wearing enemy colors, the Golden Bears wanted him pretty badly.
And, in the span of a few hours, Forbes started to fall in love with all of the opportunities that were being presented to him in Berkeley.
Not just on the football field, but in the classroom, too. Forbes carries a 3.6 grade-point average at TJ and wants to study mechanical engineering.
"I had the opportunity to go to the No. 1 public school in the country and compete on a top-10 caliber team. This year, they are rated No. 11 in the country," Forbes said.
Suddenly, Cal had shoved its way into Forbes group of finalists and all those cross-country flights didn't seem so bad.
"One of the stats I heard was that 44,000 kids apply to pay close to $50,000 a year to go there," he said. "It's truly a blessing to be able to go there and play football on top of that."
By the time Forbes touched down for his second visit on Friday afternoon, accompanied by his mother, Carol, his decision was basically a formality.
"I wanted my mom to see the school because I wanted her to be comfortable with my decision," he said.
Forbes understands his choice will require some major adjusting within his family, but, by Monday evening, he was convinced, "It was the best decision I ever made. I am really confident about it. It just feels really great to get it over with so I can focus on my senior year (at TJ)."
Forbes has yet to make his official, school-sponsored visit to Cal, which he is planning to take the first week of September when the Golden Bears play host to Maryland on Sept. 5.
Despite the thousands of miles of separation, Forbes anticipates his family will come out to see most of his games.
He said, "My mom is going to be racking up some frequent-flier miles."
TJ's Grove chooses E. Carolina
By Greg Swatek, Frederick News-Post Staff
There were several NCAA Division I schools in pursuit of Thomas Johnson linebacker Jeremy Grove.
But there was something about East Carolina University that appealed a little more than the rest to Grove.
"The coaches there took the time to develop a relationship with me," he said. "Everything we talked about wasn't about football. I could talk to those guys about life. That's the thing I really liked. There were a couple of other schools that were like that, but the rest didn't get to know me at all. They just wanted to talk about football."
That's why Grove has verbally committed to play for the Pirates on a full scholarship. He accepted their offer shortly after returning home from their spring football game on April 18.
"It's definitely always been a dream of mine to play Division I football," Grove said. "I have been training hard for it ever since ninth grade. So, it feels pretty good to have accepted an offer."
Grove is part of the initial wave of Division I football acceptances that is expected to sweep across Frederick County over the next nine months. Big-time offers are pouring in for numerous players in the county.
"It's a pretty cool thing," Grove said. "Growing up playing with all these guys in little league, you could just see that Frederick County had a lot of talent."
Grove said he had at least attracted the interest of just about every school in the Big East and ACC, even if they hadn't made an offer.
He received formal offers from Louisville, Navy and East Carolina, among others.
"It's kind of crazy. You are getting maybe 10 to 20 letters a day," he said. "You have coaches coming in during the season that want to talk to you. It's a pretty hectic process. There's a lot of pressure."
Grove has played one season at TJ after transferring from Urbana . Last season at TJ, he formed a dynamic duo at linebacker with Nick Forbes, another Division I prospect.
Limited by a high-ankle sprain, Grove played in just eight games for the Patriots. He registered 95 tackles, including 16 for a loss. He also assisted on 39 others.
"The kid's got a lot of guts," TJ coach Ben Wright said. "He works very hard."
In addition to his defensive responsibilities, Grove expects to play more snaps on offense this season as a fullback. Last season, he was limited to just 22 yards on five carries because of the injury, which he said has fully healed.
Grove is also planning to graduate from TJ after the first semester, following in the footsteps of former teammate D.J. Scott, who left TJ early to begin attending classes at Central Michigan University.
"They had a senior linebacker (at East Carolina). So, there's a chance I could come in and play right away," Grove said. "It would give me a chance to start school there early and would make it less hectic by the time everything with football starts."
In the meantime, Grove wants to lead TJ to a championship season this fall.
"One of my dreams was to play Division I football. The other was to win a state championship," he said. "I already have one. Now I am going after the other."
Joe Conner lands Urbana football job
Hawks end process by promoting defensive coordinator
By Greg Swatek, Frederick News-Post Staff
June 13, 2009---Just like he has for the past four seasons, Joe Conner will be pacing the sidelines for the Urbana football team today as its offseason program begins with seven-on-seven drills against Frederick .
Only this time, Conner's job title will carry a little more weight.
Conner was named Urbana 's new head football coach Friday, ending a hiring process of nearly three months for one of the state's high-profile jobs in the sport.
The announcement was made shortly after 1:30 p.m. in the school's cafeteria by athletic director Kevin Kendro. Most of the football players were in attendance, as was former coach Joe Polce, who stepped away from the job on March 20.
Conner was dressed formally for the occasion in a dark-blue, pinstriped suit, light-blue shirt and multicolored tie.
"I know it's a little late in the game to be naming a new football coach," he told the gathering. "But I don't think it's going to deter us from what we are trying to accomplish."
Conner is already one of the most successful coaches at Urbana , having led the boys lacrosse team to state final in Class 4A-3A for the past two seasons.
He also served as the football team's defensive coordinator under Polce for the past four seasons, molding the Hawks defense into a formidable unit.
"I think all of that came into play," said Conner, who becomes the third head football coach at Urbana , following Polce and his predecessor, Dave Carruthers.
"This is a tradition-based program and I have been a part of that tradition."
Kendro described the hiring process as a challenging one. He sifted through roughly 15 resum?s and interviewed eight candidates, including other in-house prospects he declined to identify.
"(Joe's) been part of what we call our 'Coaching Family' here at Urbana High School. As corny as that may sound, it's the truth that we do consider ourselves a family," Kendro said.
"He knows the ins and the outs and the behind-the-scenes things that happen with our athletic program. He knows what we want to try and achieve on the field and, sometimes more importantly, the things we want to teach the kids outside of sports. He's done that with lacrosse and we are confident he can do that with football also."
The Hawks are preparing to begin their 13th full varsity season. They are 113-29 overall, including four consecutive unbeaten seasons that were punctuated with state titles. They've never had a losing season.
Few people better understand the pressure and expectations those numbers bring than Polce, who led Urbana to a 32-15 record and four playoff appearances in his four years as head coach.
Polce will be an assistant coach at Walkersville High School this season, working in his home community and at a place where his sons will presumably play football once they get older.
He still works at Urbana and remains a very close friend of Conner's. He stood off to the side of the podium as Conner was officially being installed in his old job.
"He's a tremendous football coach," Polce said. "He has great knowledge of the game. He's got great passion for the game. There's no question in my mind he will do a tremendous job here."
Conner's ties to the Urbana football program extend beyond his coaching tenure.
His son, Joe, was the starting quarterback when the Hawks went 12-0 and claimed their last state championship in 2001.
Now, he's anxious to begin a new chapter in the program's history.
He said the defensive philosophy will remain the same and doesn't anticipate a major overhaul on offense, even though there might be some new wrinkles.
In the next month, Conner and Kendro will fill out the coaching staff, which might have many of the same faces.
"It's very exciting for me," Conner said. "I always felt that if the opening came up, it would be one of the best jobs in the state. So when Coach Polce made the announcement, I was hoping that I would be considered É It's an honor to have been chosen for it."
2009 MVAL Football Conference Alignments released
Chesapeake Conference
2A CENTURY
2A FSK
2A LIBERTY
1A MANCHESTER VALLEY
2A NORTH CARROLL
2A SOUTH CARROLL
4A WESTMINSTER
2A WINTERS MILL
Piedmont Black Conference
2A/3A FREDERICK
4A GOV. THOMAS JOHNSON
3A LINGANORE
3A TUSCARORA
4A URBANA
Antietam Conference
1A BOONSBORO
1A CLEAR SPRING
2A N. HAGERSTOWN
3A S. HAGERSTOWN
1A WILLIAMSPORT
1A SMITHSBURG
Polce steps down as Urbana Head Coach
By John Cannon, Frederick News-Post
Urbana -- Joe Polce has resigned as Urbana 's football coach after four years at the helm, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
"My kids are getting older," said Polce, whose sons are 12 and 8. "It was a very tough decision."
Polce is just the second coach in the history of Urbana 's program, a perennial playoff team. He took over the Hawks in 2005, replacing Dave Carruthers, after serving as an assistant in the program for three years.
Polce compiled a 33-14 record and guided the Hawks to the playoffs all four years of his tenure. His Hawks won the Class 3A West Region title in 2006 and two MVAL Chesapeake crowns.
"We're going to miss him, obviously," said Urbana athletic director Kevin Kendro, adding that Polce made this decision for all the right reasons. "He's got his family at home, but he had to tell his family at school he wouldn't be back."
Polce told his players he resigned on Friday.
"He was very emotional today when he told the kids in the cafeteria," Kendro said. "He
wanted them to know how much he cares about them."
"I think they were surprised," Polce said. "I'm hoping they understood my reason."
Kendro called Polce a "player's coach," and Polce threw himself into the job. There were combines, summer camps and weightlifting sessions, not to mention practices and all the planning during the season.
"I worked as hard as I possibly could work to help kids in this program," Polce said.
His Hawks were also known for playing an extremely tough regular-season schedule, taking on non-conference powers like Lackey, Martinsburg and Gwynn Park. An overtime win over Gwynn Park last season was one of the memorable games Polce mentioned.
He said all games against rival Linganore stood out, as well as wins over Martinsburg.
"Every game you coach, you gain experience and wisdom and try to learn from that," Polce said.
This was Polce's first job as head coach.
Kendro said the school would probably start the process of looking for new head coach on Monday.
"But right now, we're focusing on coach Polce," Kendro said. "It's our coaching family, and it's tough for someone to leave the family."
Luette new head football coach at South Carroll
By Patrick Stoetzer, Carroll County Times
South Carroll’s newest varsity football coach is making a homecoming of sorts.
Steve Luette, a former Cavaliers offensive coordinator who helped SC reach the state semifinals, is taking over as the fifth coach in school history. He succeeds Greg Mihalko, who resigned on Feb. 26.
Luette was on SC’s coaching staff for five seasons. In 2003 he served as coordinator when the Cavs went 11-2, won county and region titles, and advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals before losing to Aberdeen.
A New Jersey native and 1978 Western Maryland College graduate, Luette spent three seasons as a coordinator at St. Paul’s in Baltimore, then took a year off to watch his son, Chris, play his final season at West Virginia Wesleyan. He was the varsity girls basketball coach at South Carroll for the 2001-02 season.
Now he’s returning to South Carroll’s athletic program.
“I’m very excited to be back coaching here again,” Luette said. “As far as I know we have a pretty group coming back. We need to get as many players out as we can and start getting them ready to win football games.”
The Cavaliers went 3-7 last year. They had 22 underclassmen on their roster, including first-team all-countian Sam Wright, who was a junior defensive lineman.
Luette said being a teacher at South Carroll has kept him in the football loop. Knowing that current and upcoming players had brothers on the team when he was an assistant has Luette feeling good about the coaching transition. And the rec-level program is feeding SC with eager athletes, Luette said.
“One of the things that I see that’s coming through … is a lot of athletes who are coming through that are excited about playing football,” he said. “They’re gung-ho about winning at the varsity level. As I’ve been around South Carroll, we’ve always had some good athletes. That’s going to continue.”
Mihalko spent three seasons as the Cavaliers’ coach. He compiled a 13-20 overall record (6-12 in the county) that included a regional title and trip to the 1A state semifinals in 2007.
Mihalko said he’s planning to take a year off but plans on coaching again. For now he’s excited about seeing more of his wife and their three children, the youngest of which is five weeks old.
“It was a decision me and my wife started thinking about around Thanksgiving,” said Mihalko, a 1995 South Carroll graduate. “I’ve had a blast at South Carroll. I grew up cheering for, playing for and then coaching at South Carroll. I feel lucky to have played under coach [Ken] Parker and then come up through the coaching ranks.”
This marks the county’s second football coaching change since the 2008 season ended. Tony Shermeyer recently left Century to become the coach at soon-to-open Manchester Valley and was replaced by assistant Jim Holzman.
South Carroll didn’t waste much time in finding a new coach — athletic director Jim Horn announced Luette as Mihalko’s replacement on Tuesday.
“I don’t feel good about losing Greg, but I feel Steve has a tremendous amount to offer with these kids,” Horn said. “He’s got a good background, he’s a well-respected teacher. I think he’s going to do a great job for us.”
The Greene Turtle honors MVAL's best
January 31, 2009---The Frederick Greene Turtle's Erik Scheidhauer and Leigh Sauter honored the best players and coaches in the MVAL for the 2008 season on Saturday afternoon.
The MVAL salutes all award winners and would like to thank Erik and Leigh for their support of MVAL Athletics.
Shermeyer leaves Century to take over at Manchester Valley
By Patrick Stoetzer, Times Staff Writer
February 20, 2009---Manchester Valley’s list of varsity coaches for the 2009 fall season is taking shape, and heading the group is former Century football coach Tony Shermeyer.
One year after leading the Knights to a perfect regular season and a Class 2A state semifinal appearance, Shermeyer will take over as the Mavericks’ new football coach when the school opens in the fall.
Shermeyer posted a 22-21 record in four seasons at Century and guided the Knights last fall to a 12-1 mark, their first winning season in school history.
Century won county, conference and regional championships and had 10 players named to the Times all-county teams, including Player of the Year Luke Wright. After the season, Shermeyer was honored by the Baltimore Ravens as their high school coach of the year.
The Hanover, Pa., resident will have a shorter drive to work next year, which likely means more time spent with his family, but Shermeyer said the excitement of opening a new school helped him make the decision.
“That’s what it came down to,” he said. “I knew the school was being built and had wanted to put my name in there for a while. It did turn out to be a tough decision. But if I kept saying to myself, ‘What about next year?’ it probably wouldn’t have happened.”
“This was the best move for me in the end. I’m going to miss it [at Century] but I’m excited for the challenge that’s ahead for me.”
Former MVAL player Ambrose takes over Towson grid program
By Darren J. Gendron | The Gazette
Rob Ambrose got his best-ever case of hat-hair at Towson University on Tuesday.
The Middletown High graduate was named head coach of the Tigers. As part of the announcement, he officially put on a hat handed to him by Towson University President Robert Caret.
"Anybody count how many times Dr. Caret said win?" Ambrose asked shortly after being announced.
Ambrose noted that he never looked good wearing a hat, and had it off before Caret even began his welcome speech, in which the W-word was said seven times.
"I've only got a few years left, and I want to see it happen while I'm still president," Caret said. "So I'm putting a lot of pressure on this team and this new coach. We look forward to a winning season as soon as you can muster."
Ambrose, a former player, student-coach and associate head coach for the Tigers, became the logical selection to replace Gordy Combs as head coach for Towson. It was an echo of the philosophy of Bear Bryant, who once likened his alma matter to a mother.
"I'm not a big fan of Bear Bryant, I think the guy is a little bit crazy, but he got it done," Ambrose said. "I read the books. And when Momma calls, you just have to come runnin'."
Combs was actually the first one to predict Ambrose's eventual ascension to head coach, back when they were on a home visit with a recruit. Since that prediction was made, Ambrose took a one-year stint as head coach at Division III Catholic University in Washington D.C. in 2001 before moving up to the University of Connecticut as an assistant.
As a Husky, he continued to move up the ranks, spending three seasons as the quarterbacks coach and working with Dan Orlovsky, followed by four seasons as the Huskies' offensive coordinator. UConn made it to three bowl games in that period, including the 38-20 win over Buffalo in Saturday's International Bowl.
But even with his success at Connecticut, his roots were tied to Towson. Phil Albert, only the second-ever football coach at Towson, recruited him. And Combs, the third coach, made Ambrose into a player-coach his senior year.
Ambrose's father and high school coach, Tim Ambrose, noted that he never talked to his son about being a coach before that year.
"He dislocated his hip going into the spring of his senior year, and it ended his playing career," Tim Ambrose said.
"Combs, instead of letting him go and pushing him aside, said the next year that he wanted him to be a student coach. That's the reason he's coaching. It's not any other reason. I thank Gordy every moment for that, because he could have just stuck him off to the side and let him graduate. But he did that, and it turned into this."
Tim Ambrose noted that the family found out about his new job just before Christmas, and that having the grandchildren in the same state was going to be a big plus.
Things have been moving fast for the younger Ambrose. He said that he's hoping to solidify his staff by the end of next week, and is already in the process of moving.
"By the way, if anyone wants to buy a house in northeast Connecticut, I have a deal for you," Ambrose said.
But rebuilding the roster of the Tigers is an early priority, with four all-Colonial Athletic Association seniors to replace.
"My calls are going to encompass at the moment a 3-5 hour radius from the campus," Ambrose said.
"Within a week or two, the calls I make will be way outside of a 5-hour radius, too."
But one cog in the offense is already familiar to Frederick County, with Linganore High graduate Matt Castor.
As a junior, he was the team's leading rusher with 543 yards and five touchdowns on 144 carries.
"He's all about Towson. I'm absolutely thrilled," Castor said. "It's my senior year, and I'm looking forward to running the ball some more."
Castor noted that after a pass-heavy attack and missing four games to injury in 2008, he's setting the bar higher for himself in 2009.
He won't be the only representative from Frederick County on the team. Thomas Johnson alum Colin Bass, Linganore's Todd Cox, Urbana's Brent Hawkins, Wes White and Matt Ray, Tuscarora's Billy Stup and Maryland School for the Deaf's Ryan Bonheyo will join him.
"It's been pretty surreal, the whole process," Cox said. "It came out of nowhere with Gordy being the face of Towson football."
And while Rob Ambrose admitted that he'll probably be play-calling his offense, he did not note what type of plays he'd be calling.
"Everyone knows that when I was here I was a chuck-and-duck guy, and no one can believe the International Bowl, where I only threw it six times," Ambrose said.
"So I've covered the entire scope of running and passing. I can give you the answer to that, but I'm going to tell you to buy your season tickets and find the answer to that."
2008 Greene Turtle MVAL Conference Awards
Chesapeake Conference
Offensive Player of the Year Zach Zwinak-RB-Jr.-Linganore, 6-1, 238
(Being recruited by Maryland, Duke, UConn, Notre Dame, BC, Virginia, Penn St. (Been officially offered by MD) Had 133 carries for 1447 yards, 10.9 yards per carry and 19 TD's. Fast enough to go the distance - longest TD run was 66 yards. Also played LB (53 tackles, forced 3 fumbles, 1 INT) on a very good defensive team. A rare talent! First team all MVAL Chesapeake)
Defensive Players of the Year (tie) Nick Forbes-LB-Jr.-Thomas Johnson
(Nick was named to MVAL-Chesapeake Conference First Team at Linebacker. Had 108 tackles on defense with 3 INT's. He has been offered scholarships to the following schools: Maryland, WVU, Boston College, Syracuse, Pitt, Stanford, and Virginia. Has visits planned to UCLA, Alabama and numerous others. He has been chosen by Rivals.com as one of the top 150 players in the country for next year)
Cannan Metz-LB-Sr.-Linganore, 5-10, 200
(Our leading tackler with 85 tackles, 52 first hits, 8 tackles for loss, 6 QB sacks (missed 3 games with ankle injury and still produced these numbers). Being recruited by D-2 and D-3 schools. Big hitter, opponents had to account for him as a run stopper and primary blitzer. First team all MVAL Chesapeake)
Special Teams Player of the Year Alex Eckard-K/P-Jr.-Linganore
(72 out of 74 tries on extra points, all time leader in MVAL with a season to go, 7 of 10 FG's for a total of 93 points scored this year from the kicker position, also selected first team Chesapeake Conference Punter = 34.9 yard avg. Career FGs - 16 of 24, has great chance at breaking state career record for FGs as well as extra-points. Just selected HM all-met (Washington Post), All-Gazette first team)
Coach of the Year Rick Conner-Linganore
(Led Lancers to undefeated regular season, Chesapeake Conference Championship, 4A North Championship, and to the Maryland 4A State Championship Game before falling to Sherwood)
Offensive Player of the Year Rob Michels-QB-Sr.-Middletown
(Rob was one of our captains and was a major part of our 2008 MVAL-Piedmont Conference Championship Team. He was the general of our offense from the air to the ground. Was First Team All-MVAL Piedmont Conference at QB. Led MVAL Piedmont Conference in Passing Yards (1445), Passing TD's (13), and Completions (97). Also was second in overall touchdowns (6) and finished with 259 rushing yards. He has been voted Player of the Week three times in 2008. Rob had 200+ yards passing and 3 TD's in our regional semi-final upset victory over powerhouse and undefeated Clarksburg HS. Rob is being recruited by several Division-I AA schools such as Richmond)
Defensive Player of the Year Greg Pheabus-LB-Jr.-North Hagerstown
(Greg is a junior two year starter and once again led the team in tackles and tackles for loss. Led the MVAL's Piedmont Conference with 121 tackles and TFL with 22.0 (conference/school career/single-season record). Also had 6 sacks (3rd in conference) and 5 QB hurries. Greg is the heart and soul of the Hubs Defense. In only 16 games of varsity play, Greg has accounted for 190 tackles. Finished second in Defensive Player of the Year Voting in 2007 as a sophomore)
Special Teams Player of the Year Chase Worthington-K/P-Sr.-North Hagerstown
(Chase served as both the Kicker and punter. As a kicker, Chase hit 23-of-27 extra points, including 18 in row, and kicked a game winning 35-yard field against Frederick. As a punter, he had 1202 yards on 39 punts for a 31 yard avg and had five inside the 20-yard-line. Also had 38 kickoffs for 1582 yards with one touchback. Won the 2007 Piedmont Special Team POY, 2007 & 2008 All-MVAL Piedmont Conf first team kicker)
Coach of the Year Kevin Lynott-Middletown
(In first season as Middletown Head Coach, led the Knights to a perfect 4-0 record in the MVAL Piedmont Conference in winning the conference title, a 7-3 regular season to clinch a playoff berth, and to an upset victory over undefeated Clarksburg in the 2A West playoffs)
Offensive Player of the Year Luke Wright-WR/RB-Sr.-Century
(Luke was the Carroll County Player of the Year and MVAL Blue Ridge Conference First Team selection. As a receiver he had 48 receptions for 828 yards and 11 Touchdowns. Luke averaged 17.3 yards per catch. Also had 69 rushes for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns. Luke's versatility and big play capability make a good candidate for player of the year. Other teams had to game plan just to stop him and he demanded a double team just about every game as a receiver. Helped lead Century to an undefeated regular season and a 12-1 overall record)
Defensive Player of the Year Cory Anderlik-LB-Sr.-Century
(On the defensive side of the ball, Cory was Century's leader. He made sure players were in the right position. Add this to his ability to make plays from sideline to sideline and I think Cory is the best candidate for defensive player of the year. To go along with his 106 total tackles, Cory also had 2 interceptions (one being a return for a TD) and two sacks. Was a First Team All-MVAL Blue Ridge Conference selection at ILB. Was named conference player of the week three times during the 2008 season)
Special Teams Players of the Year (tie) Mike Swiontek-K-Jr.-Liberty
(Had 27 PAT's and 3 field goals. We won two games by a margin of 3 points (Mike's field goals). Mike's field goal against Winters Mill was with 3 second left)
J.P. Hudson-K/P-Jr.-Century
(Had 39 Extra Points, 2 Field Goals. He also did a tremendous job of punting this year. Consistently placed the ball where we asked him. His punting helped us win the field position battle in some games down the stretch)
Coach of the Year Tony Shermeyer-Century
(Shermeyer led the Knights to a perfect 10-0 regular season, the MVAL-Blue Ridge Conference Championship, and the 2A West Championship)
Offensive Players of the Year (tie) Kyle Orndorff-QB-Sr.-Smithsburg
(Kyle quarterbacked Smithsburg to a perfect regular season, throwing for 860 yards on 41 completions, and 16 touchdown passes. Was selected All-MVAL Antietam Conference First Team at QB)
Josh Conway-SB-Sr.-Smithsburg
(Josh was an all-around threat for Smithsburg on offense, special teams, and defense. Scored 11 touchdowns, rushed for 410 yards, caught 16 passes, had 326 yards receiving, and caught 6 TD passes. Was the key to Smithsburg finishing the regular season at 10-0. Selected to All-MVAL Antietam Conference First Team)
Defensive Players of the Year Alex Akers-LB-Sr.-Smithsburg
(Alex led the Antietam Conference in three major defensive statistics. Alex led the conference in tackles (120), sacks (4.0), and tackles for loss (23.0). Helped the Leopards lead the conference in defensive points allowed. Was named defensive conference player of the week a record five times during the 2008 season. Selected to the All-MVAL Antietam Conference First Team at LB for second straight season)
Special Teams Players of the Year Seth Poffenberger-Returner-Boonsboro
(Seth Poffenberger had multiple returns for TD's. (2 punt returns for TD's, 1 kickoff return for TD)
Coach of the Year Buddy Orndorff-Smithsburg
(Orndorff led Smithsburg to a perfect regular season at 10-0 and the MVAL-Antietam Conference Championship for the second straight season. Led the Leopards to the playoffs for the fourth time in six years)
Playoffs: State Championship
Class 4A
Sherwood (14-0) 21, Linganore (13-1) 3
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Playoffs: State Semifinals
Class 4A
North
Linganore (13-0) 59, Arundel (11-2) 34
Class 2A
West
River Hill (13-0) 48, Century (12-1) 14
Class 1A
North
Dunbar (12-1) 48, Catoctin (8-5) 12
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2008 All-MVAL Football
Chesapeake Conference
First Team Offense
QB-D.J. Jenkins-Sr.-Thomas Johnson
RB-Zach Zwiniak-Jr.-Linganore
RB-Nick Forbes-Jr.-Thomas Johnson
RB-Dominic Clarke-Sr.-Tuscarora
OL-Bobby Kmetz-Sr.-Urbana
OL-Sean Brennan-Jr.-Tuscarora
OL-Dylan Ewen-Sr.-North Carroll
OL-Robby Haverstein-Jr.-Linganore
OL-Kyle Tucker-Jr.-Linganore
WR-D.J. Scott-Sr.-Thomas Johnson
WR-Ryan Dixon-Jr.-Linganore
TE-Andy Anderson-Linganore
K-John Hajnos-Sr.-Westminster
Six MVAL players selected for First Annual Crab Bowl
Baltimore, MD---For the first time since 2004, Maryland will have a state-wide all-star game.
The Crab Bowl will debut this year on December 20 at Towson's Johnny Unitas Stadium featuring the best senior all stars from public and private schools in the state of Maryland.
The Game will consist of 90 players split on 2 different regional teams.
The DC regional team will consist of players from Montgomery, Prince George's, Calvert, St.Mary's and Charles counties.
The Baltimore regional teams, featuring six MVAL players, will consist of players from Anne Arundel, Howard, Baltimore County, Baltimore City. Frederick, Washington, Allegany, Cecil, Harford, Carroll, Garrett and the Eastern Shore.
MVAL players included in this season's event include Thomas Johnson's D.J. Scott, Tuscarora's Dominic Clarke and Jakarie Jackson, Westminster's Brett Baer, Urbana's Lex Utt, and Linganore's Canaan Metz.
Frederick Head Coach Vince Ahearn will also assist with the Baltimore team.
Tickets for the game will are available thru Ticketmaster. For more information visit: www.crabbowl.com
2008 MVAL Football Standings
(FINAL)
Chesapeake Conference
Team..................Conf....MVAL.....Overall
x-Linganore...........5-0.......9-0.......13-1
Tuscarora................4-1.......8-3........8-3
Urbana....................2-3.......4-3........8-4
Thomas Johnson......2-3.......5-3.......6-5
Westminster.............2-3......6-5.........6-5
North Carroll...........0-5.......1-8........2-8
Piedmont Conference
Team..................Conf....MVAL.....Overall
x-Middletown............4-0......7-4.......8-4
Walkersville..............2-2.......3-7........3-7
North Hagerstown.....2-2......3-4........3-7
Frederick.................1-3.......3-7........3-7
South Hagerstown.....1-3......3-5........4-6
Blue Ridge Conference
Team.................Conf....MVAL.....Overall
x-Century.............4-0......12-0.......12-0
Liberty................3-1.......7-4.......7-4
Winters Mill.........2-2.......4-6........4-6
South Carroll........1-3.......3-7.......3-7
F.Scott Key..........0-4.......0-9........0-10
Passing Yards
1. 1445, Rob Michels-Midd
2. 1131, Jeremy Musselman-Walk
3. 972, Steve Coccodrilli-NH
4. 747, Andrew Zimnik-Fred
5. 483, Hunter Phillips-SH
6. 454, Nick Gross-SH
7. 266, Bryan Calendine-NH
Completions
1. 97, Rob Michels-Midd
2. 79, Jeremy Musselman-Walk
3. 65, Steve Coccodrilli-NH
4. 56, Andrew Zimnik-Fred
5. 39, Hunter Phillips-SH
6. 31, Nick Gross-SH
Completion Percentage
1. 56.5%, Hunter Phillips-SH
2. 54.4%, Andrew Zimnik-Fred
3. 53.7%, Steve Coccodrilli-NH
4. 47.7%, Nick Gross-SH
5. 40.9%, Rob Michels-Midd
6. 38.9%, Jeremy Musselman-Walk
Passing TD's
1. 13, Steve Coccodrilli-NH
1. 13, Rob Michels-Midd
3. 8, Jeremy Musselman-Walk
4. 7, Andrew Zimnik-Fred
5. 5, Hunter Phillips-SH
6. 3, Denzel Ferguson-Fred
6. 3, Deon Walker-Fred
8. 2, Nick Gross-SH
8. 2, Bryan Calendine-NH
10. 1, Lynn Lowman-NH
Receiving Yards
1. 834, Anthony Winters-NH
2. 534, Cory Shank-SH
3. 498, Joey Zuniga-Walk
4. 384, Jalen Gee-Fred
5. 331, Pat Ryan-Midd
6. 323, Adam Dulberger-Midd
7. 305, Mark Hoy-Fred
8. 279, Tyler Spencer-NH
9. 209, Jaraad Yates-Midd
10. 207, Nick Pirrone-Midd
11. 189, Jay Dertzbaugh-Walk
12. 165, Sam Glushakow-Midd
13. 146, Denzel Ferguson-Fred
14. 138, Alec Nelson-NH
15. 137, Chris Turner-Walk
Receptions
1. 35, Anthony Winters-NH
2. 31, Cory Shank-SH
2. 31, Jalen Gee-Fred
4. 28, Joey Zuniga-Walk
5. 25, Tyler Spencer-NH
6. 18, Adam Dulberger-Midd
7. 17, Pat Ryan-Midd
7. 17, Nick Pirrone-Midd
9. 15, Mark Hoy-Fred
10. 13, Jay Dertzbaugh-Walk
10. 13, Denzel Ferguson-Fred
12. 12, Jaraad Yates-Midd
13. 10, Alec Nelson-NH
13. 10, Tyler Kight-Fred
14. 9, Tony Boyer-Midd
15. 8, Sam Glushakow-Midd
15. 8, Devone Bowie-SH
