Howard County Football 2012

[OLINE]

With 7 v 7 tourneys starting it must be that time of year again. After a week or so into what I guess you can call "spring ball" there seems to be a lot of talent in the county. The new Atholton QB from MSJ looks ligit, Howard has a lot of good looking athletes, Long Reach looks blazing fast, and the River Hill kids look like they have been working out since they were 12. Should be an interesting year.

Any thoughts on teams or players to watch for this year?

[OLINE]

Howard and Hammond had a nice showing at the GC passing league tourney. Atholton looks to have the best QB in the league. Now that 7v7 is over its time for team camps and in about a month practices start. A lot of good teams and should be a pretty open league. Its an exciting time.

[MDhsfootballfan]

River Hill did a good job in their 7 v 7 tournaments this year, winning one to qualify for the M&T Bank tourney, and eventually losing to Good Counsel in the semi's 5 to 4. They should be good as usual, but if the QB hasn't improved since his 2 starts against Atholton and Hammond last year then Hawk fans ambitions at another state title will fall short.

Im curious to see the new Atholton transfer QB in action. He did get benched for a sophmore during a portion of last season, but yet all the things i've been hearing about him have been good.

[OLINE]

Atholton- Graduated more talent than any other team in the league. They should still be competetive with QB transfer Luke Casey. He will most likely be the best QB in the league next year. Their D will be lead by LB Pat Mullens. This will be a down year, but Atholton still has a shot at the playoffs

Cenntenial- I dont see how the Eagles can be very competetive. They won 1 game last year and graduated their two best players on Offense and Defense. Their one ray of hope is Junior RB Walter Fletcher who looked very solid for an underclassmen. They are also not recieving much help from the JV. They might get an extra win or two, but they are a long shot for a playoff spot.

Glenelg- Glenelg is returning the most talent of anyone in the league. On offense QB Mark Darden has many options with RB Nick Crabrill, TE Ben Carta, and WR David Brookhart all returning. They should also have a good D with Carta holding the edge and Crabrill playing FS. Glenelg should expect another trip to the playoffs and contend for a county championship.

Hammond- Hammond lost the best player of the year last year because of graduation. They will be putting all their hopes on RB Diante Jones. Jones has had the benefit of working off of Paye, but now he is the man. He has a lot of talent so Hammond should be good again this year. The Defense will be lead by LB Humphrey Anuh.

Howard- Howard as a lot of talent returning for 2012. They will be lead arguably the best RB in the leage in Michael Anderson, and the best lineman in the league in Jack Friedman. And surprise player RB/WR Brady Curley will have a big impact after missing all of last year with a knee injury. Andrew Young leads a potentially strong secondary. If QB Austin Blair has a good year the Lions could be a very dangerous team who could challenge for a league championship.

Long Reach- Long Reach graduated some key players, but also has good players returning especially on Defense. The Montag brothers and Michael Conlon will be the boys controling what could be the best LB core in the league. The Offense will always give teams problems with their unorthodox philosophy. The go to guy on Offense will be RB Dequan Dixon. Solid team who has a chance at making the playoffs.

Marriots Ridge- The Mustangs could be in for another long year. They had another winless season on Varsity and JV. OL Lyle Fugate is a very solid lineman and will be the anchor on the Mustangs Line. Marriots Ridge week in and week out plays with so much heart and that is a tribute to the coaching staff. Everyone remembers when River Hill struggled thier first few years, maybe soon Marriosts Ridge will have the same fortune.

Mount Hebron- The Vikings have a new coaching staff and these new coaches will have some shiney toys to play with. The offense will be lead by QB Malik Gilmore and RB Jackson Porter. Not many teams have those type of athletics their backfield. This is the darkhorse of the league, if they live up to their potential they will shock some teams and will make a run at the playoffs in the tough 3A east.

Oakland Mills- The Scorpians will be hopeful to finish above .500. Their have been bigger surprises in the league so anything is possible. The team won 1 game while graduating many of their top offensive weapons. Brandon Britton will be the best returning player on Offense and Defense. They will compete with the teams in the bottom half of the league, but should struggle against the better teams.

Reservoir- Its possible that no team has lost more talent from graduation than the Gators. They will be leaning heavy on WR/RB Robert Armstrong. Reservoir always has pretty good talent and has underachieved, but when you graduate your top WR, RB, QB, Lineman, and LB....thats tough to overcome. They shouldnt be a bottom feeder, but will struggle to break into the elite of the county.

River Hill- The defending state champions should once again be the team to beat in the league. Thats what happens when you win, you are the top dog until proven otherwise. They do have some holes to fill, but with a JV team that hasnt lost in 3 years its easy to fill them. The next great Hawk RB will be Evan Griffen. The Defense should still be solid behind DE Stephen Osong and the best returning D lineman Logan Kirby. Lock for the playoffs and will be one of few to compete for league championship.

Wilde Lake- The Wilde Cats were the most disappointing team last year by far. I cant remember another team to win a state championship and not even return to the playoffs next year. The only returning RB with any significant playing time is RB Shawn Winans. They shoud be solid on D with transfer lineman Moises Larose and stud LB Eric Handy. I dont see this team making a rebound and aa big reason why id their JV has been sub par the last 2 years.


Standings predictions:
River Hill
Glenelg
Howard
Atholton
Long Reach
Hammond
Mount Hebron
Wilde Lake
Reservoir
Cenntennial
Marriots Ridge
Oakland Mills

[50defense]

You the man o-line but let me take a shot

River Hill- Always good. I would pick GHS but to be the man you have to beat the man.
Glenelg- I think Butch can beat Brian this year
Howard- My Boys
Wilde Lake- Too much talent and good coaching to have another bad year
Atholton- Hope this coach is as good as he thinks he is. He will earn it this year. Watch for a late summer transfer.
Long Reach- Lots of talent and will be below par as usual. Can anyone waste this much talent year in and year out.
Hammond- Not very good but either is anyone below them
Mount Hebron- New group and I always root for Connor
Tie- Marriots Ridge- Good coaches ----- Reservoir- See LRHS
Oakland Mills- Makes me sad every time I see them play.
Centennial- Terrrrrrible. I hope the parents get what they deserve.

[RM7]

Howard will have the best backfield in the county with Soph T Charles and Anderson. Oakland Mills how can you waste some much talent year after year?

[MDhsfootballfan]

My worry about Glenelg is that even though their young talent shined last year, they are losing a lot of their beef. I think all 3 linebackers graduated including big Glenn Lucas and JT Komsa. Lost all county d-lineman Warfield as well as others on both the D and O line. Also, both corners graduated, so hopefully their back ups step it up because their secondary's pass defense last year was one of their weak points.

Darden and Brookehart will be two of the quickest boys in the league. Along with their main rb Crabill returning and backup Jacoby.

This is why I love football. Gotta see how it turns out on the field!

[First_Down]

Glenelg looked good last season and pulled out a classic when against I think it was Hammond with what is a long field goal for high school play. They even beat Gwynn Park in the playoffs handily but the wheels fell off for them against Douglass the following week and the Glenelg secondary was badly exposed against that very heavy run PG team. And that was the second year in a row that PG team came into Glenelg and beat them at home.

[JustMyThought]

Here's how one person sees it, ...



Pre-Season Teams

1) 37 River Hill
2) 34 Atholton
3) 30 Wilde Lake
4) 28 Glenelg
5) 25 Long Reach
6) 22 Howard
7) 22 Hammond
8) 15 Mt. Hebron
9) 10 Reservoir
10) 1 Marriotts Ridge
11) 0 Centennial
12) -3 Oakland Mills


Pre-Season All-County

WR Brandon Anthony (Atholton)
WR Jackson Porter (Mt. Hebron)
OL Moises LaRose (Wilde Lake)
OL Zach Plotkin (Atholton)
OL Dominic Williams (Long Reach)
OL Derek Sicca (Hammond)
OL Ryan Hasson (Mt. Hebron)
TE Ben Carta (Glenelg)
QB Luke Casey (Atholton)
RB Michael Anderson (Howard)
RB Nick Crabil (Glenelg)
RB Robert Armstrong (Reservoir)
AP Malik Gilmore (Mt. Hebron)

DL Jack Friedman (Howard)
DL Sean Twigg (Glenelg)
DL Jack St. Hilaire (Long Reach)
LB Humphrey Anuh (Hammond)
LB Stephen Osong (River Hill)
LB Eric Handy (Wilde Lake)
LB Mike Conton (Long Reach)
DB Dionte Jones (Hammond)
DB Evan Griffin (River Hill)
DB Zach Nicholas (Mt. Hebron)
DB Hunter Carter-Rimbach (Atholton)
KP Luke Brister (Glenelg)


Pre-Season OPOY : Moises LaRose (Wilde Lake)
Pre-Season DPOY : Humphrey Anuh (Hammond)

[OLINE]

Here's how one person sees it, ...



Pre-Season Teams

1) 37 River Hill
2) 34 Atholton
3) 30 Wilde Lake
4) 28 Glenelg
5) 25 Long Reach
6) 22 Howard
7) 22 Hammond
8) 15 Mt. Hebron
9) 10 Reservoir
10) 1 Marriotts Ridge
11) 0 Centennial
12) -3 Oakland Mills


Pre-Season All-County

WR Brandon Anthony (Atholton)
WR Jackson Porter (Mt. Hebron)
OL Moises LaRose (Wilde Lake)
OL Zach Plotkin (Atholton)
OL Dominic Williams (Long Reach)
OL Derek Sicca (Hammond)
OL Ryan Hasson (Mt. Hebron)
TE Ben Carta (Glenelg)
QB Luke Casey (Atholton)
RB Michael Anderson (Howard)
RB Nick Crabil (Glenelg)
RB Robert Armstrong (Reservoir)
AP Malik Gilmore (Mt. Hebron)

DL Jack Friedman (Howard)
DL Sean Twigg (Glenelg)
DL Jack St. Hilaire (Long Reach)
LB Humphrey Anuh (Hammond)
LB Stephen Osong (River Hill)
LB Eric Handy (Wilde Lake)
LB Mike Conton (Long Reach)
DB Dionte Jones (Hammond)
DB Evan Griffin (River Hill)
DB Zach Nicholas (Mt. Hebron)
DB Hunter Carter-Rimbach (Atholton)
KP Luke Brister (Glenelg)


Pre-Season OPOY : Moises LaRose (Wilde Lake)
Pre-Season DPOY : Humphrey Anuh (Hammond)

I like your preseason all county teams...gonna be tough though for a lineman to win the OPOY.

I also just think Long Reach, Wilde Lake, and Atholton lost to much to finish that high.

[Big Sky]

Everyone is discounting Hammond, Great coaching wins highschool football games and Makousy(sp) is a great coach. I am sure they will be in the hunt.

[OLINE]

Everyone is discounting Hammond, Great coaching wins highschool football games and Makousy(sp) is a great coach. I am sure they will be in the hunt.

Talent wins games in high school (Dunbar). Makousy is a great coach, but he cant play the game.

[JustMyThought]

I like your preseason all county teams...gonna be tough though for a lineman to win the OPOY.

Agreed.

OLs rarely get OPOY, though HoCo has had 2 relatively recent ones - 2001 Rob LaHayne (Glenelg) and 2004 Shawn Fredericks (Wilde Lake).

If he stays at Wilde Lake instead of returning back to Meade, 2011 1st Team All-State OL Moises LaRose seems to be a pretty solid pre-season OPOY favorite.

As best I can tell, the only other 2012 HoCo player to receive a 2011 All-State nod was Honorable Mention Glenelg P/K Luke Brister - who also seems to be the only returning 2011 1st Team All-HoCo player.

[Big Sky]

Talent wins games in high school (Dunbar). Makousy is a great coach, but he cant play the game.

Not even close. Coaches win games. Ask Just My thoughts to put together a list of teams making it to the State Finals game.Last 30 years You will find out that its 80% all the same coaches. Names like
Al Thomas
Bob Milloy
Rick Conner
Dave Caruthers
Van Deusen
Makousy
and so on. It even gets worse when you look at the Privates
WCAC
Moss Collins
Bill McGregor
Bob Milloy

When these Coaches were not the heads they were usually one of the coordinators.

[themamba]

Atholton- Graduated more talent than any other team in the league. They should still be competetive with QB transfer Luke Casey. He will most likely be the best QB in the league next year. Their D will be lead by LB Pat Mullens. This will be a down year, but Atholton still has a shot at the playoffs

Cenntenial- I dont see how the Eagles can be very competetive. They won 1 game last year and graduated their two best players on Offense and Defense. Their one ray of hope is Junior RB Walter Fletcher who looked very solid for an underclassmen. They are also not recieving much help from the JV. They might get an extra win or two, but they are a long shot for a playoff spot.

Glenelg- Glenelg is returning the most talent of anyone in the league. On offense QB Mark Darden has many options with RB Nick Crabrill, TE Ben Carta, and WR David Brookhart all returning. They should also have a good D with Carta holding the edge and Crabrill playing FS. Glenelg should expect another trip to the playoffs and contend for a county championship.

Hammond- Hammond lost the best player of the year last year because of graduation. They will be putting all their hopes on RB Diante Jones. Jones has had the benefit of working off of Paye, but now he is the man. He has a lot of talent so Hammond should be good again this year. The Defense will be lead by LB Humphrey Anuh.

Howard- Howard as a lot of talent returning for 2012. They will be lead arguably the best RB in the leage in Michael Anderson, and the best lineman in the league in Jack Friedman. And surprise player RB/WR Brady Curley will have a big impact after missing all of last year with a knee injury. Andrew Young leads a potentially strong secondary. If QB Austin Blair has a good year the Lions could be a very dangerous team who could challenge for a league championship.

Long Reach- Long Reach graduated some key players, but also has good players returning especially on Defense. The Montag brothers and Michael Conlon will be the boys controling what could be the best LB core in the league. The Offense will always give teams problems with their unorthodox philosophy. The go to guy on Offense will be RB Dequan Dixon. Solid team who has a chance at making the playoffs.

Marriots Ridge- The Mustangs could be in for another long year. They had another winless season on Varsity and JV. OL Lyle Fugate is a very solid lineman and will be the anchor on the Mustangs Line. Marriots Ridge week in and week out plays with so much heart and that is a tribute to the coaching staff. Everyone remembers when River Hill struggled thier first few years, maybe soon Marriosts Ridge will have the same fortune.

Mount Hebron- The Vikings have a new coaching staff and these new coaches will have some shiney toys to play with. The offense will be lead by QB Malik Gilmore and RB Jackson Porter. Not many teams have those type of athletics their backfield. This is the darkhorse of the league, if they live up to their potential they will shock some teams and will make a run at the playoffs in the tough 3A east.

Oakland Mills- The Scorpians will be hopeful to finish above .500. Their have been bigger surprises in the league so anything is possible. The team won 1 game while graduating many of their top offensive weapons. Brandon Britton will be the best returning player on Offense and Defense. They will compete with the teams in the bottom half of the league, but should struggle against the better teams.

Reservoir- Its possible that no team has lost more talent from graduation than the Gators. They will be leaning heavy on WR/RB Robert Armstrong. Reservoir always has pretty good talent and has underachieved, but when you graduate your top WR, RB, QB, Lineman, and LB....thats tough to overcome. They shouldnt be a bottom feeder, but will struggle to break into the elite of the county.

River Hill- The defending state champions should once again be the team to beat in the league. Thats what happens when you win, you are the top dog until proven otherwise. They do have some holes to fill, but with a JV team that hasnt lost in 3 years its easy to fill them. The next great Hawk RB will be Evan Griffen. The Defense should still be solid behind DE Stephen Osong and the best returning D lineman Logan Kirby. Lock for the playoffs and will be one of few to compete for league championship.

Wilde Lake- The Wilde Cats were the most disappointing team last year by far. I cant remember another team to win a state championship and not even return to the playoffs next year. The only returning RB with any significant playing time is RB Shawn Winans. They shoud be solid on D with transfer lineman Moises Larose and stud LB Eric Handy. I dont see this team making a rebound and aa big reason why id their JV has been sub par the last 2 years.


Standings predictions:
River Hill
Glenelg
Howard
Atholton
Long Reach
Hammond
Mount Hebron
Wilde Lake
Reservoir
Cenntennial
Marriots Ridge
Oakland Mills

Britton is not returning to Oakland Mills.

[50defense]

Al Thomas- Great coach with great talent
Bob Milloy- Beltway Bob Milloy!!
Rick Conner- Great coach with great talent
Dave Caruthers- Ditto
Van Deusen- Documented
Makousy- Great at Damascus but he will need to be consistent somewhere else.

I agree that coaching is key but you need talented players.

[JustMyThought]

Ask Just My thoughts to put together a list of teams making it to the State Finals game.Last 30 years You will find out that its 80% all the same coaches.

There have been 152 state champions since 1974.

97 of those 152 champions (64%) were led by a coach who has won at least two titles.

The 17 winningest coaches have won almost half (49%) of all championships.

[Big Sky]

There have been 152 state champions since 1974.

97 of those 152 champions (64%) were led by a coach who has won at least two titles.

The 17 winningest coaches have won almost half (49%) of all championships.

Thanks JMT

[Red Raider 49]

Al Thomas- Great coach with great talent
Bob Milloy- Beltway Bob Milloy!!
Rick Conner- Great coach with great talent
Dave Caruthers- Ditto
Van Deusen- Documented
Makousy- Great at Damascus but he will need to be consistent somewhere else.

I agree that coaching is key but you need talented players.

You've got to include Doug Duvall in this group. Coach Duvall is a great coach/motivator and assembled a team of assistant coaches that are top notch and have been on staff for years. He attributes a lot of his success to those coaches, many of whom still coach at Wilde Lake HS. Coach Duvall had talent but he and his staff brought the best out in all his players. His last season Wilde Lake HS made it to the state championship with out having a superstar team. They rolled through Howard, Fallston, and Herford before falling to a very talented, well coached West Lake team in the final. Bottom line was outstanding coaching and players buying into the system got them there. Coach Mike Harrison is carrying on the tradition already knotching a state championship with the same formula.

[50defense]

Red, I completely agree but if you check the WLHS staff you will not see the same group as in years past. Still a great staff....they won a state championship with one forward pass and excellent defense. I went to Oakland Mills and it is hard to say nice things about the 'Cats.

Some of you guys are coaches...if you ever get to sit around and hear Al Thomas tell some stories you will not regret it. Does anyone know if Thomas, Conner and Caruthers ever coached together? I seem to remember someone telling me that.