JUNIORS’ ACHIEVEMENT

With big days from juniors Leon Kinnard and Matt Heacock, Loyola overcame Gilman, 21-7, to remain in the hunt for at least a share of its second straight MIAA A Conference football title.

As the junior signal caller rose to his feet and hobbled back to the Dons’ huddle, a searing pain shot up through his left hip.

“My hip was really hurting. I had hyper-extended it, but I didn’t really tell any of my coaches. It was painful, but I thought it was just going to go away. But it didn’t go away,” said Kinnard.

“I kept telling myself, ‘the team needs me,’ and, ‘be tough’ and, ‘just tough it out,'” Kinnard said. “Then I told one of my receivers, ‘unless my head falls off of my shoulders, I’m staying in this game.'”

Kinnard did that and more on Saturday in an eventual 21-7 victory by the Dons, who improved to 7-1 overall, and 2-1 in the MIAA A Conference to maintain their quest to retain at least a portion of the crown they shared with Gilman (3-4 overall, 1-2 league) and McDonogh (5-3, 2-1) last season.

Kinnard, a junior who was named second-team All-Metro last season, did much of the necessary damage before halftime, when the Dons led by the winning margin.

By that time, Kinnard had rushed for 84 of his 102 yards and a 3-yard touchdown, and he had passed for 75 yards and scores of 2 and 15 yards, respectively, to Matt Heacock and Tim Bolte.
                                                                                                                                           

“We came out here and we said that we wanted to run the ball, and that worked  very well for us today,” said Kinnard, crediting an offensive line comprised of Heacock, Bolte, Elliott Poehlman, Doug Shaw, Will Sellmayer, Kyle Stupi and Ben Cranston. “The linemen did a great job, at times, opening up holes that I could just walk through,” Kinnard said. “We came out here to play hard. We came out here like this was the championship game.” Bolte also caused a fumble, while Heacock made three sacks, had a couple of tackles for lost yardage, an interception and also a 13-yard reception that set up his own touchdown in a victory that helped the Dons to bounce back from last week’s 24-7 loss to league-leading Mount St. Joseph (4-4, 3-1), which ended the Dons’ 10-game winning streak. “Today, my play was really the result of our coaches putting me in the right positions,” said Heacock, a 6-foot, 205-pound junior. “Coach [Blake] Henry just had a good game plan for me, and then, I just came out really fired up,” Heacock said. “We’re still in the hunt for the championship. And after last week, we didn’t want to come out here and let that get away from us.”

“Unless my head falls off of my shoulders, I’m staying in this game,'” said Loyola quarterback Leon Kinnard (No. 5), trying to elude Gilman’s Davey Emala in the Dons’ 21-7 win over the Greyhounds at St. Paul’s on Saturday. Kinnard endured a painful hip injury during the victory, which maintained the Dons’ chances of securing at least a tie for their second straight MIAA A Conference title.

Also playing well, defensively, for the Dons were Charley Jones with a fumble recovery, Warren Kalkstein and Mike Aiello with a fumble caused, and Bubba Harris and CT Marsh with tackles for lost yardage.

The win was the first for Loyola over Gilman since 2003, when the Dons blanked the Greyhounds, 14-0 — the first time an A Conference team had shut out Gilman since McDonogh’s 7-0 victory in 2000.

Since 2003, however, Gilman had won, in succession, 26-19, in overtime; 14-0; and, last year, 18-10.

“Coming in, we were well aware of the fact that this is a team we haven’t beaten in four years,” said Bolte. “I wasn’t on the team as a freshman. But my sophomore and junior years, we got our butts handed to us. So this year, we came out here fired up to win.”

Unlike last week, when Loyola trailed by as much as 14-0, and, 17-7, in the first half against Mount St. Joseph, the Dons set the tone early by scoring on their first two drives of the game.

Kinnard’s 15-yard pass to Bolte completed an 11-play, 63 yard drive, after which Jeff Timmons made it 7-0 with his first of three extra point kicks with 7:04 left in the first quarter.

Heacock’s interception at the Gilman 34-yard line set up the Dons’ next score six plays later, when Kinnard’s 3-yard run made it 14-0 at 5:01 of the first quarter.

But the Greyhounds toughend up, defensively, stopping the Dons on downs at their own 40-yard line.

Sparked by senior Jarrell Diggs’ ensuing 45-yard punt return to the Loyola 28-yard line, the Greyhounds were within, 14-7, with 11 minutes left in the first half following Woody Williams’ 1-yard run, and Mimmo Cricchio’s extra point kick.

The Greyhounds slowed the Dons, but never fully stopped them until the second half.

By then, however, Jones’ fumble recovery at Gilman’s 42-yard line had already set up the sequence which, nine plays later, resulted in Heacock’s scoring reception 23 seconds before the intermission.

“It would have given us more of a chance if we didn’t have two errors in the short field: The interception [by Heacock,] and the fumble at the end of the half [recovered by Jones,]” said Gilman coach Biff Poggi, whose Greyhounds have won eight MIAA A Conference titles.

“Defensively, according to our early stats, we held them to 180 yards of total offense, which is probably one of their lows of the year,” Poggi said. “I thought our kids hustled a lot, hit hard and played enthusiastically.”

Gilman plays host to Mount St. Joseph next week, followed by McDonogh on Nov. 10.

Loyola has two weeks off before facing Georgetown Prep on Nov. 10, followed by its annual Thanksgiving Day game against Calvert Hall.

Loyola 21, Gilman 7

Gilman              0             7                0                 0                   7
Loyola               14            7               0                 0                  21

L- Bolte 15 pass from Kinnard (Timmons kick)
L- Kinnard 3 run (Timmons kick)
G- Williams 1 run (Cricchio kick)
L- Heacock 2 pass from Kinnard (Timmons kick)(

ROLLIN’ IN THE RAIN

McDonogh cruises past St. Paul’s, improves A league to 11-0 versus B

The second installment of the inaugural DigitalSports.com Primetime Pigskin Series Friday evening was a case of deja vu as rain was a subplot. The game, however, was a completely different story.

McDonogh School was a little too much for St. Paul’s School as the Eagles rolled to a 35-0 victory at Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Field in a MIAA intradivisional matchup. It was the third consecutive victory for the Owings Mills school after losing an overtime decision to Loyola Blakefield earlier this month.

Last week at Johns Hopkins, the Dons, then ranked No. 1 in the Baltimore metro area, were upset by Mount St. Joseph. There was little suspense Friday as McDonogh (5-3) built a 28-0 halftime advantage. It was a running clock midway in the third quarter.
    
The victory was the 11th for the A Conference in as many games against its B counterparts this season. The Eagles came in cautious about keeping the streak intact.

“It doesn’t matter what conference you’re in, any team can come out and play well one night and the other team come out and play bad,” said McDonogh senior wide receiver Gerrard Shepherd. “We had a hard week of practice and came out focused.”

Shepherd and Justin Gross each were recipients of a touchdown throw from sophomore quarterback Rudy Johnson (9-of-16 for 188 yards), and senior Andrew Hood had a pair of rushing scores. Junior defensive back Curtis Holmes returned an interception for another score.

The Eagles’ defense limited St. Paul’s to 108 yards, and held Crusaders senior quarterback Brian Taafe to just 4-of-16 for 21 yards. Taafe, a Division I prospect, has been a huge reason St. Paul’s has surged to the top of the B Conference with five straight victories. But the Brooklandville school simply didn’t have enough to compete with the defending A tri-champ Eagles. Austin Crabill (quarterback sack), Dimitri Hajimihalis (1/2 sack), Zach Linkous (interception), Scott Matthews (interception) and Peter Smyth (1/2 sack) were bright spots. 

“We didn’t played well.  We had the adversity of playing a very good opponent,” said Crusaders coach Dave Dolch, whose team dropped to 5-4. “They [McDonogh] have great people upfront. They got three or four guys upfront that I think are scholarship players.”

The Eagles established their presence at the point of attack on the opening drive, going seven plays in 80 yards as Sheppard (three receptions for 65 yards) outleaped Matthews for a 30-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-seven. After an interception thwarted its second drive, McDonogh got good field position and went 57 yards in seven plays with Hood going 12 yards into the end zone for a 14-0 advantage in the opening quarter.

The lead grew to 21-0 with Gross (two receptions for 75 yards), back in the Eagles’ lineup after missing the last couple of games due to an injury, catching a Johnson throw down the right sidelines for a 47-yard scoring play on fourth down. On the ensuing drive, Holmes stepped in front of a Troy Jones pass and returned it 39 yards for another touchdown. Hood added an 11-yard run with 6:55 left in the third quarter as the Eagles put in reserves the rest of the way.

K.C. Woods also had an interception for McDonogh, which also benefited from quarterback sacks by senior linemen Jordan Davenport. Alex Falcone, Sam Ford and Shane Milam. St. Paul’s didn’t get a first down until midway in the second quarter, courtesy of roughing the punter penalty against McDonogh, and five total. Eagles coach Dom Damico was impressed with his team’s defensive effort against St. Paul’s and Taafe.

“In high school football, if you have a kid that can throw, it makes you work and be leery of the big play,” said Damico. “We pressured him with three and four rushers, and took him out of the equation.”

The numbers have been pretty lopsided for the A Conference on the field against the B this season, winning by an average margin of 27 points. The closest game was Georgetown Prep’s 23-20 victory over St. Mary’s earlier in this month. Mount St. Joseph at Cardinal Gibbons (Nov. 9) is the only remaining A versus B matchup this season.

The Crusaders and Eagles now focus their efforts on their respective conference stretch runs.

McDonogh (3-1 league), holding a half-game advantage over Mount St. Joseph (2-1) in the A Conference heading into Saturday’s action, travels to Montgomery County next weekend to play Georgetown Prep before closing the season against Gilman School in the 91st renewal of one of the area’s best rivalries. St. Paul’s (5-1 league) heads to Annapolis Friday evening for a battle with St. Mary’s (5-1) for at least a share of first in the B Conference.

The B Conference championship game, Nov. 16 at Towson University, will be the final installment of this season’s DigitalSports.com Primetime Pigskin Football Series.        

McDonogh 35, St. Paul’s 0
First quarter
McDonogh-Sheppard 30-yard pass from Johnson (kick failed), 9:22. Drive: Eight plays, 80 yards.
McDonogh-Hood 20-yard run (Gross pass from Johnson), :26. Drive: Seven plays, 57 yards. Key play: Sheppard 20-yard pass from Johnson on third-and-five.
Second quarter
McDonogh-Gross 47-yard pass from Johnson (Eby kick), 2:41. Drive: Six plays, 70 yards.
McDonogh-Holmes 39-yard interception run (Eby kick), 1:25. 
Third quarter
McDonogh-Hood 11-yard run (Eby kick), 6:55.

ST JOHN’S WINS, 21-0

Friday night’s shutout of Annapolis Area Christian School in the rain kept St. John’s football team in the hunt for a C Conference title.

A torrential downpour that had lasted the better part of two days postponed all Anne Arundel County public school games.  But, Annapolis Area Christian School and St. John�??s Catholic Prep endured, playing Friday night�??s MIAA C Conference contest on the artificial turf at Broadneck.

In support of the Eagles�?? inaugural Homecoming football game, a great host of supporters showed up, but AACS, a first-year program coming off of the initial victory in program history. last week against Friends, were blanked, 21-0.

�??It was disappointing,�?� said Annapolis Area head coach Ken Lucas. �??Last week was last week�?� but we�??ve got to show up and play every week. Taking nothing away from St. John�??s, I don�??t think we showed up ready to play tonight. We [didn�??t] have all cylinders working.�?�

St. John�??s opened the scoring with a 1-yard run by senior Tyler Rakich with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter.  Derek Macierowski set up the score, after returning his interception of a fake punt pass to the Eagles�?? 19-yard line.

�??Getting that first score is huge in a game like this, momentum has been a big factor for us this year [because we�??re] a young team,�?� said Vikings head coach Jimmy Ward, whose team beat the Eagles 25-0 in their MIAA C Conference opener, earlier this year.
 
Freshman LaMont Wims ran in a 38-yard touchdown to resume the scoring for St. John�??s on the opening play of the fourth quarter.   Rakich later recovered a loose ball at Annapolis Area�??s 12-yard line and, on the next play, sophomore J.R. Ferguson romped up the middle on a hand-off to round out the scoring.

The Eagles penetrated on the ensuing drive, charging to the St. John�??s 8-yard line after completing their first three passes of the night.  The ball, however, was turned over on downs after quarterback Mike Wayne mishandled the snap, sealing the game.

�??It�??s a wet night, and the ball�??s going to be slippery,�?� said Lucas. �??They had some problems with it, so did we. But you can�??t use that as an excuse.�?�

The Eagles put the rock on the ground 11 times, mostly on the center-quarterback exchange, but salvaged possession on nine of their fumbles.  St. John�??s retained the ball all five times they fumbled.

The slippery conditions wreaked havoc on each team�??s air attack, as well.

Not a single pass was completed until less than three minutes remained in the game, when Wayne (3-of-15, 40 yards) connected with Andrew Beall for a 20-yard completion.

St. John�??s was unsuccessful on three passing attempts.

�??Obviously the weather had an impact [on the passing game],” Ward said. “But once you get that early lead you can afford to sit on it a little bit more and just wear them out with the run game.�?�

On the ground, St. John�??s was paced by Wims�?? 23 carries for 128 yards. Crippled by lost yards on fumbles, the Eagles finished with 22 total carries for -44 yards rushing.

Beall led receivers with two receptions for 35 yards, and also had an interception.

Annapolis Area fell to 1-5 overall, and 1-3 conference play.

St. John�??s, coming off last week’s shutout loss to league-leading Baltimore Lutheran, continued its quest for a C Conference title, improving to 5-4 overall, 3-1 against conference opponents.

AACS meets Baltimore Lutheran (5-3, 4-0) next week, and St. John�??s plays Friends (0-7, 0-4).

St. John’s Catholic Prep 21, Annapolis Area Christian 0

1st    2nd    3rd    4th    Final
SJ    7    0    0    14    21
AA    0    0    0    0    0

SJ: Rakich, 1-yard run with 3:43 remaining in 1st quarter. (Holcomb kick).
SJ: Wims, 38-yard run with 11:51 remaining in 4th quarter. (Holcomb kick).
SJ: Ferguson, 12-yard run with 3:12 remaining in 4th quarter. (Holcomb kick).

SPALDING STUNS ST. MARY’S WITH 21 IN THE FOURTH

But in a game played in a downpour, the Cavaliers, trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter, scored 21 consecutive points to pull out a 21-19 victory over St. Mary’s.

The loss was the first for the Saints in six league games, and it happened before a stunned, rain-soaked crowd at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on Friday night in Annapolis.

Down, 13-0, the Cavaliers’ Nick Shackelford made it 13-6 after scoring on a 65-yard touchdown run, 23 seconds into the fourth quarter.

“I told Shack to get it and go for the end zone,” said Cavaliers’ quarterback Kevin Moran. “Despite the rain, we felt confident that we could run the ball, and we did.”

The Cavaliers had their first lead, 14-13, four minutes later when Jordan Cohill’s extra point followed Moran’s quarterback sneak.
 

	The Cavaliers’ went up, 21-13, as the result of a fumble by St. Mary’s quarterback Peter Athens that was recovered by the visitors on the Saints’ 38-yard line. Two plays later, the Cavaliers’ Nick Kuhl raced 23 yards for their final score.   Still, the Cavaliers were nearly overcome by Athens, who capped a 52-yard drive with a 21 yard TD pass to Mark McNeill. With the Saints within, 21-19, however Dontra Peters was stopped short on his two-point conversion attempt by Jimmy Thomas.   “They brought in an overload formation, and I had a gut feeling that they were coming my way,” said Thomas. “I shot inside, and was able to make the tackle.” St. Mary’s recovered the ensuing onsides kick, but Mike Brandenberg’s interception with 43 seconds left sealed the victory for Spalding. “They are a great football team, they have a lot of weapons. We we made a lot of mistakes in the first half,” said coach Mike Whittles, whose Cavaliers rose to 5-3 overall, and 5-1 in the league — tied with the Saints and St. Paul’s (5-4, 5-1) for first place.
“They are a great football team,” Archbishop Spalding coach Mike Whittles (above) said of St. Mary’s, whom his Cavaliers overcame, 21-19, with three fourth-quarter touchdowns after trailing, 13-0. “In the second half we wanted to stop their game and move the ball. We were able to do both things.”

“But in the second half we wanted to stop their game and move the ball. We were able to do both things,” Whittles said. “Jimmy’s stop, Drew Saine’s interception, Brandeberg’s pick at the end — they were big plays for us on defense.”

Early on, the Saints (5-3 overall, 5-1 league) led, 13-0, after Athens’ 63-yard scoring strike to Marcus Snipes, followed by Peters’ 2-yard run.

Those scores occurred, respectively, with 3:13 to go in the first quarter, and with 2:15 left in the half.

But the Cavaliers bounced back to forge a three-way tie, with the top two emerging teams slated to  advance to the B Conference Championship Game on Nov. 16
at Towson University.

“We faced some adversity this year, especially the loss to St. Pauls, but the seniors here knew that we had to step up,” said Moran, praising Shackleford, running back Evan Hockel and defensive end Joe Brennan.

“Coach  told us at the half, we’ve been here before, and been down,” Thomas said. “He said that we came back last year, and that we could do it again.”

Archbishop Spalding 21, St. Mary’s 19                            
AS    0   0   0   21     21
SM   7   6   0     6     19

1st
SM-Snipes 62 pass from Athens (kick)

2nd
SM-Peters run (kick failed)

4th
AS-Schackelford 65 run (Cohill kick)
AS-Moran 2 run (Cohill kick)
AS-Kuhl 23 run (Cohill kick)
SM-McNeill 21 pass from Athens (run failed)

RAIN MOVES TWO GAMES TO ST. PAUL’S

The MIAA A Conference clash between Gilman and Loyola, originally scheduled for Saturday at noon, at Loyola, will now be played at 2:00 pm at St. Paul’s.  In addition, the MIAA B Conference between Archbishop Curley and Cardinal Gibbons, originally slated for tonight at Gibbons, will be played at 9:30 am, also tomorrow at St. Paul’s.

Other weather related changes to football games, will be posted here as they are known.

EAGLES CLAIM FIRST; A CONFERENCE SEEDS

McDonogh wins finale over Gilman; Curley finishes second and Mount St. Joseph grabs third seed for postseason tourney

Senior forward Chris Agrosor scored two goals and had an assist for McDonogh, and sophomore midfielder Jeremy Kirkwood had a goal. Senior goalie Tom Caso had six saves to post his 18th shutout this fall.

Mount St. Joseph (13-6, 10-6), which defeated Curley, 3-1, earlier this week to complete a strong regular season finish, will be the third seed.  Calvert Hall (10-8-3, 8-5-3), which completed a tough second half with a 1-1 tie against winless St. Paul’s, will be the fourth seed by virtue of a tie-breaker with Loyola (10-5-3, 8-5-3).  The Cardinals and Dons split a pair of games, but the Cardinals get the nod by virtue of a win against McDonogh.

The sixth and final playoff seed goes to Gilman (9-8-2, 7-8-1), which rebounded from a winless league campaign in 2006 to win seven times and reach the post-season.

In tying Calvert Hall to earn its first point of the season, St. Paul’s got a second half goal from Brian Slaughter, who headed home a feed from fellow senior Josh Du Coudrey and goalkeeper Peter Windsor provided 12 saves.

In the first round of the playoffs, which will take place on Thursday, Nov. 1, St. Joe will host Gilman at Villa Julie College and Loyola will visit Calvert Hall.  The MSJ/Gilman winner will go to Curley on Tuesday, Nov. 6 for one semifinal and McDonogh will host the Calvert Hall/Loyola winner the same afternoon.  The A Conference Championship Game will be played at Calvert Hall on Saturday, Nov. 10.

McDonogh 3, Gilman 0
Goals: McDonogh-Agorsor 2, Kirkwood.  Assists: McDonogh-Bulls 2, Agorsor. Saves:  McDonogh-Caso 6; Gilman-Hall 9. Halftime: McDonogh, 2-0.

-Derek Toney  

CHAPELGATE WORKS OVERTIME

Tom Ruzzi’s goal in the second extra session secured a come-from-behind victory for the Yellow Jackets.

Ruzzi drilled his game-winner into the upper left corner over keeper Amy Chotikul (7 saves) as the Yellow Jackets bounced back from a recent league loss to Mount Carmel to improve to 10-1 in league play, and 15-3 overall.

Baltimore Lutheran slipped to 9-3 overall, and, 9-6 in the league.

A victory by Baltimore Lutheran would have forced a tie for first place in the league standings.

Chapelgate defenders Mike Lovaas, Chris Carlson, and Jeff Yahiro led the defense in shutting down their rivals, following Dave Crotty’s goal for a 1-0 lead.

With under twenty seconds left in the second half, Yellow Jackets’ senior Jim Becker took a pass from senior Ji-Min Jeong for a last minute goal, tying the score and sending the game into overtime.

MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH BEATS LOYOLA, TAKES THIRD PLACE

Gaels defeat Dons 3-1 in final regular season game.

Mount St. Joseph’s varsity soccer team entered its final regular season matchup with Loyola tied for third place in the A conference.

With a 3-1 victory over the Dons (10-5-3 overall, 8-5-3 conference), the Gaels have now won seven out of the last eight A conference games and take sole possession of third place.

Jay Huffman scored for Mt. St. Joseph (13-6-0, 10-6-0) in the first minute to give the Gaels a lead it would never lose.  Huffman took a cross-field pass from Uche Ukoka (two assists) and bent the ball to the right for the score.

Chris Coello added a goal early in the second half.  After a Steven Levine score, Loyola cut the lead to 2-1.  Sophomore DeSean Ragland added the final goal with 11 minutes left to play and put the game out of reach.

“Ragland is very good on the ball,” head coach Mike St. Martin said of his leading scorer. “Being a sophomore he has two more years to grow.”

Goals: L–Levine; MSJ–Huffman, Coello, Ragland.
Assists: L–Adjei; MSJ–Ukoka 2, Quamina.
Saves: L–Peitsch 6; MSJ–Santiago 4.
Half: MSJ, 1-0.

LANE CLELLAND: BACK IN THE HUNT

Two straight wins and a Loyola loss has a rejuvenated Lane Clelland and the McDonogh Eagles back in contention for an MIAA A Conference title.

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound
Clelland believes the Eagles can win their remaining games if their
dedication remains intact.

by Lane Clelland
as told to DigitalSports
 
DS Lane, was there ever any strong consideration on your part given to early graduation?

No, there honestly was no consideration or desire to leave McD early. The reasons are really simple: 1) I feel like there would be no reason academically to go early, since McD is obviously a great high school and I do not believe I could be at a better place to prepare myself for the workload I will receive at Notre Dame.

2) I feel like my coaches, and my being at McD, will only drive me more at ND when I get out there and i will strive to contribute the most I can to the team and school for the better. Also I have to wrestle my last year at McD. My teammates have stuck with me through the thick and the thin and I owe that to not only the coaches but my teammates to help them win another state title.  

I know its becoming more and more common to leave early, but not for a kid like myself, who has a lot of great support and help to make the transition into college that much easier.

Why do you believe other kids believe they have an advantage in leave early, and why did you choose not to even consider it?

The advantage is getting used to college courses, practices, and coaching styles, which is all good to understand. I guess some recruits need that extra time to help them in the long-run. I chose not to even consider it because I have received a lot of the preparation that I wouldn’t even if I was to leave early. I have hard classes, I have tough coaches and I know that the practices and classes will be harder. The difference is that I realize that and have taken all that into consideration.

As a result of staying, I’ll have another year with some friends that are going to know me and be there for me forever. My wresting friends are some of the best and I appreciate that and could not miss my last and most fun year with them. Also, I get to finish a year of being a senior and having fun before ND becomes my home and life.

How did you feel once you found out that Loyola lost to Mount St. Joseph, and that you had an opportunity to at least share, if not win the MIAA A Conference title once more?

Of course our team was bummed when we lost. But when we found out about Loyola’s loss to Mount St. Joe, no one needed to say a word about it the next day. You could feel it and you just knew the next day, walking into practice. Every one was practicing with more intensity and everyone realized the opportunity we had in front of us. Personally, I feel like, now, I can walk out as a senior champion and to be proud that I can leave this school as  an MIAA A Conference champion.
 
The vibes, in general, around the school are a lot different now that everyone knows that we have a shot at being champs.

Do you feel that there were those around town who doubted that Loyola would lose?

Definitely. And maybe Loyola bought into that a little bit: That they could coast the rest of the season after beating us. But the our league is not like that. We know that a team might have a down year or is coming off a tough loss, but that doesn’t mean they lay down. No team can be underestimated and no team should be. 

JOEY EHRMANN CHOOSES WAKE FOREST

The Gilman senior linebacker “chose Wake over a number of schools, like Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, Iowa, Syracuse and others,” said his father, Joe Ehrmann Sr., a Greyhounds’ assistant.

by Lem Satterfield

Gilman senior linebacker-tight end Joey Ehrmann, who leads the Greyhounds in sacks and tackles, has orally committed to a full football scholarship to Wake Forest University, his father, Joe Ehrmann Sr., said Thursday.

Ehrmann, a 6-foot-4, 205-pounder, “chose Wake over a number of schools like Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, Iowa, Syracuse and others,” said Joe Ehrmann Sr.

“Joey had a lot of wonderful options,” his father said. “Joey whittled it down in two ways: The quality of the degree, and the character of the coaches.”

Joey Ehrmann Jr. calls his father, a former Baltimore Colt,  �??my role model,�?� who �??just sets the standard for everything.�?�

Joey Ehrmann Jr., last year, ranked first among the Greyhounds with 15 sacks, and also made 77 tackles –21 of them for lost yardage.

The younger Ehrmann, this year, has gained 40 pounds and bench presses nearly 300 pounds.

He has shined as a linebacker and tight end, with three touchdown receptions and a fourth on an interception returned for a TD.

“I�??m thrilled that he�??s going to Wake. It�??s great football, and it�??s in the ACC,” said Joe Ehrmann Sr. “It�??s a school that was highly attractive to Joey. He�??s a linebacker who can go to the quarterback and drop back into pass coverage. We�??re thrilled. Good choice on Joey’s part.”

	�??I really liked the school. It�??s small, and I wanted to go to a small school,�?� said Joey Ehrmann Jr. �??I feel like the Wake Forest defense, that it�??s the best scheme for me because I can play outside linebacker, and I can drop into coverage and rush the passer.�?� Of the other schools, Joey Ehrmann said  Duke, Syracuse and Iowa offered football scholarships. Ehrmann said that Iowa was recruiting him as a defensive end. �??I didn�??t want to play defensive end, the whole time,�?� Ehrmann said. �??I wanted to go into school as a linebacker with the option of playing defensive end. Then, if I grew into defensive end, then I�??d do it.�?� In August, Ehrmann had indicated that he intended to wait until the Greyhounds has played through their entire football season before choosing a program.
Joey Ehrmann (No. 40), who recently accepted a full football scholarship to  play at Wake Forest, with his father, Joe Ehrmann Sr., and his brother, Barney (No. 42), a former All-Metro football and lacrosse player who plays lacrosse at Georgtown University.

�??I was going to wait until the end of the season, but Wake
had had two scholarship offers for one more spot,�?� Ehrmann said. �??I knew. Wake was where I wanted to go, so I figured, why wait.�?�

The Greyhounds, who shared last year’s Maryland Interscholastic
Athletic Association A Conference title with Loyola and McDonogh, visit
Loyola on Saturday at noon.

The Greyhounds (3-3 overall, 1-1
league) have won two straight games, while the Dons (6-1, 1-1) are
trying to bounce back from their first loss.

Ehrmann said the Greyhounds are ready for Saturday�??s game at
Loyola.

�??We�??re red-hot as a team that�??s really to hit it�??s stride,�?�
Ehrmann said. �??We�??re a pretty good football team right now.�?�