Teams To Watch
(Teams ranked based on summer opinion and do not reflect, nor should influence,
the preseason state rankings)
1. DeMatha (12-0 in 1998) ñ Seven returning defensive starters from an
undefeated team bodes well. However, the Stags lost all 11 offensive starters which
recorded the highest scoring average in the state last year. Coach Bill McGregor
feels this team will be able to reload, offensively. The defense is anchored by three
Division I-A recruits ñ OLB Mikal Baaqee (6-0, 215) and DEs Derek Wake (6-4,
230) and Jason Lallis (6-3, 240). WR/DB Denard Wilson (5-11, 180) was impressive
during summer passing league. The Stags are still searching for a QB to run the offense.
In addition to their challenging Washington Catholic Athletic Conference schedule,
the Stags will play D.C. power Dunbar, Virginia prep school Fork Union and Eastern
D.C., which has one of the top RBs in the East.
2. Seneca Valley (13-0) ñ With six offensive and eight defensive starters
returning from last year's 13-0, Class 4A state title team, the Screaming Eagles
get the nod as Maryland's preseason No. 1 team. Seneca Valley, with a record 10 state
titles, is riding a 26-game undefeated streak and 30-game regular-season win streak.
This year's team is led by senior QB/LB Chris Kelley (6-2, 205), who was The Associated
Press Offensive Player of the Year in 1998. Kelley completed 106 of 162 passes for
1,761 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also passed for five two-point conversions. Kelley,
who's leaning toward South Carolina and Georgia, also rushed for 757 yards and 19
touchdowns on 121 carries. Defensively, he led the Screaming Eagles with 18.5 sacks.
Other key returners include WR Levar Scott (6-3, 185), who had 23 catches for 404
yards last year; DE Clint Pitts (6-3, 205), who was the defense's leading point-getter;
DT Damian Hall (6-5, 205); and NG David Cavell (5-9, 200). With a new high school
recently opened in Germantown, Seneca Valley's attendance fell and the school has
been reclassified as a 3A school for 1999-2000.
3. Friendly (13-0) ñ Friendly lost 20 of 22 starters from last year's
Class 3A state championship squad, but should be able to re-load. In fact, the Patriots
better ñ coach George Earley has put together what might be the most demanding
schedule by any Maryland school. Friendly faces defending 4A champion Seneca Valley,
Virginia AAAA champion Hylton, Pennsylvania power Glen Mills, in addition to league
rival Douglass-PG, which went 9-1 in 1998. OLs Tiant Thomas (6-3, 340) and Steve
Posey (6-4, 290) are the only returning starters. The team will have plenty of speed,
helped along by WR Edward Anderson (6-1, 195), who is getting Division I
looks.
4. Gaithersburg (8-3) ñ Gaithersburg returns several key players, including
RB Jay Colbert, who led Montgomery County in rushing yards, from a team that reached
the Class 4A playoffs. Gaithersburg has 17 returning players from last year's Class
4A state quarterfinalist. All three Trojan losses were to 4A playoff teams ñ champ
Seneca Valley, semifinalist Sherwood and finalist Suitland. John Harvill, the winningest
coach in Maryland history is back and in search of his first state title since 1992.
With Seneca Valley moving to Class 3A, Gaithersburg, Sherwood and Watkins Mill are
the Class 4A West region favorites.
5. Gilman (10-0) ñ The Baltimore area's top-ranked team from 1998 returns
four starting offensive lineman, two running backs and a quarterback that garnered
All-State honors last season. Gilman's commitment to the weight room and building
a program to rival the great Gilman programs of the 1970s have put the Greyhounds
at the top of the pack. Look for QB Ryan Boyle, a Ivy League-type prospect, to lead
Gilman in the always-tough Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association.
6. Suitland (11-2) ñ Suitland returns only four starters ñ one on offense,
three on defense ñ from a team that reached the Class 4A state final. Suitland
has been the 4A runner-up the past two years, losing both seasons to Seneca Valley
in the final. The Rams' top-returning player is LB Sydney Baskins. Suitland is expected
to challenge for the 4A South title for the third straight year.
7. Urbana (13-0) ñ Zack Mills, who has verbally committed to Penn State,
leads a cast of Hawks who are coming off a Class 2A state title in only the program's
second year with a full varsity schedule. Urbana became the 25th school to win a
state title in the program's inaugural playoff appearance, joining Allegany (1978),
Annapolis (1978), Arundel (1975), J.M. Bennett (1982), Damascus (1981), DuVal (1988),
Friendly (1974), Gaithersburg (1986), Havre de Grace (1978), Howard (1974), Kennedy
(1977), Lackey (1986), Largo (1976), Laurel (1987), Magruder (1984), McDonough (1983),
Richard Montgomery (1981), Oxon Hill (1982), Parkdale (1974), Seneca Valley (1976),
Springbrook (1979), Thomas Johnson (1982), Valley (1974) and Wilde Lake (1985). Of
that group, only DuVal, Gaithersburg, Lackey, Laurel and Wilde Lake accomplished
the feat since playoff expansion in 1985. Of the 24 schools that won a state title
in their first playoff appearance, only Springbrook (Class AA - now 4A) defended
its title the following year. J.M. Bennett and Seneca Valley won state titles the
next season, but in different classifications.
8. Northwestern-PG (10-2) ñ With a pair of NCAA Division I-bound defensive
players, Northwestern-PG is looking to dethrone Suitland as the Prince George's County
4A League champion. The Wildcats were a surprise last year, posting a school-best
10-2 record and making the program's first state playoff appearance.
9. Watkins Mill (7-3) ñ Erik Noll, regarded as the top lineman prospect
in Maryland, and LB Calvin Ogden lead Watkins Mill back into state prominence. The
Wolverines won a Class 4A state title in 1993, but haven't made the playoffs since.
Last year's team went 7-3 and defeated Paint Branch, however, Paint Branch (also
7-3) accumulated more points and advanced to postseason play.
10. Westlake (9-2) ñ A clear favorite to win the Southern Maryland Athletic
Conference title, Westlake returns RBs Gonzie Gray, Dennis Hicks and Ricardo Evans,
who rushed for 2,500 yards and 35 TDs last year. The Wolverines return seven on offense
and seven on defense.
Others To Watch
(Five each grouped by classification)
Class 4A: Sherwood, Broadneck, Eleanor Roosevelt, Largo, Patterson
Class 3A: Randallstown, Eastern Tech, Annapolis, Douglass-PG, Wilde Lake
Class 2A: Hereford, Middletown, Walkersville, Fort Hill, Edmondson
Class 1A: Allegany, Cambridge-South Dorchester, Oakland Mills, Forestville, Brunswick
Private Schools: Landon, Calvert Hall, Loyola, Georgetown Prep, Bishop McNamara