Week 4 May 12th @ Bishop McNamara HS
6800 Marlboro Pike Forestville, MD 20747

We are very excited about this JV league.  We got off to a bit of a rocky start trying to balance the number of 8th graders in the league and it is still not perfect, but some of the younger teams are making adjustments, and realizing that the purpose of the league is primarily to develop as a football player and it is much better to compete against older kids to get better.  You certainly may not win as much.  The older brother always beats the younger brother, but in order for the older brother to really get better, he needs to play against a kid older and better than him.

So these younger kids are not dominating by any means, but boy are they getting better and the league is getting very exciting.  We had two of the best youth football games I have ever seen on Sunday at McNamara on Sunday.

Game #1 Fairfax County Colts 0 vs Loudoun County Eagles 20
The Colts are getting a little bit better every week, but they are going to struggle in this league this year becuase they don't have enough size and depth yet.  I am excited becuase these kids just keep on fighting and improving.  Dajuan James is a special talent that can play on any team in this league and star.  Daiimon Cleveland is a player as well.  Very tough and reliable kid.  Zaan Khan has a ton of potential, as does Yzreal Hall.  George Mensah showed some great potential as well.

On the Eagle side the kid Val Timshenko is a beast in the making.  He has tremendous speed and athleticism.  We have spoken at length about LeRon West and all of his abilities.  Bryce McAlpine had a lights out game for the Eagles who dominated this game on the ground and through the air.  AJ Organ played big again for the Eagles as they ran out to a big lead and never looked back.

As soon as we get a more detailed write up and stats from this game, this page will be updated.

Players of the Game

Fairfax County Colts: George Mensah
Loudoun County Eagles: Bryce McAlpine

Game #2 Gorc Wildcats 14 vs Howard County Stars 39
We don't have the statistics for this game yet either, so we can't get as detailed into the write ups as we would like.  The Stars are loaded with talent and jumped out to a 39 - 0 lead on the Wildcats at the half.  QB Micheal Toler has a lot of talent and a ton of kids to throw to and hand off to.  Darius Harris is an elite TB who can score from anywhere on the field.  He had a monster game for the Stars to help them get out to the big lead. 

But the 2nd half actually belonged to the Wildcats who came out with reckless abandon to try to get back in it.  We certainly found an elite running back in Demore Carey.  The JV league has allowed some 8th graders that would not have been able to contribute to varsity to play in this league.  It has been somewhat controversial, as the Stars Varsity team is so loaded that they had a number of 8th graders that met the age requirement and were allowed to play.  The reality opened up opportunities for some other teams to bring 8th graders down from their Varsity teams that were not playing a lot.  Demorie was one of those examples and he has taken advantage of it.  Not a big kid, but tough and elusive.  Very good HS prospect.  The Wildcats scored twice in the second half to make it a bit exciting, but I can't wait to see these JV playoffs.  Don't sleep on the 3 - 1 Wildcats.

Players of the Game

Gorc Wildcats: Demorie Carrie
HC Stars: Darius Harris

Game #3 Montgomery Village Chiefs 7 vs DC Warriors 6
MV was one of the best 0 - 3 teams we have ever seen.  They had no desire to be 0 - 4, but after the whipping DC put on Hamilton last week, it did not look good for the MV Nation.  Coach Moe and his staff came locked and ready to roll.  They had Micah McNeil back for this game, which was crucial.  McNeil is the real deal.

DC is loaded with talent and coach Rodney Cephas is not new to this.  His son Selah is developing into a very nice DB prospect.  QB Steven Williams is a flame thrower and has plenty of options to go to.  Jermaine "OC" Johnson is small, but very quick and elusive.  DeMarco Hellams is a playmaker and they have a big power back in Antwan Hart that is a man-child.  A betting man would have taken DC in this one, but I am glad I don't bet.

Jaylen Lowry was key in the game on the defensive side and it was a true defensive struggle for most of the game.  Starting QB Tyree Hanes struggled a bit on this day and was replaced by Wesley McCormick, which turned out to be a good omen for the Chiefs.  McCormick was able to find a rising star in the GYFL JV league by the name of Matthew Kane.  Kane impressed at that combine and comes from the Frederick Steelers to play spring ball.  He not only plays on the JV, but he dresses for Varsity games as well, so he is well schooled.  He made 2 super catches to put the Chiefs in position to hand close with the Warriors, but the big play came late in the 4th when he went after a bomb up the left hash that was a bit inside.  He made an adjustment on the ball, jumped inside and caught it, then weaved his way into the end zone for the game winning TD.

This was truly a nail biter, but the Chiefs were able to hold on to the slim lead in the end and get the much needed victory.

Players of the Game

Montgomery Village Chiefs: Matthew Kane
DC Warriors: Jermaine "OC" Johnson

Game #4  Marlboro Mustangs 19 vs Hamilton Tigers 20
This was really the game of the year.  We thought the HC Stars vs Hamilton game was the game of the year.  Then we though the Hamilton vs MV game was the game of the year.  Heck, it seems like any game that Hamilton plays in is the game of the year.  But, this one was truly a classic.  The other games were defensive struggles with only one TD.

This bad boy was exciting from beginning to end.  This game gave us a couple of more examples of why we don't do grades in the JV.  Our initial plan is to max out the number of 8th graders who play in the league at 5, for example, so that no team will have an advantage.  We didn't get it perfect in the first year, but I am glad we made some adjustments becuase had we not, there are a couple kids that we would have never seen play. 

I for one would have been sick if I never got a chance to see Tyrone Roper play football at the youth club level.  This kid is spectacular to say the least.  He is only 13 years old and won't turn 14 until July.   Although he is in the 8th grade, he is a very young 8th grader who was not on our radar screen....... until now.  Boy did he run that ball like a man possessed and with something to prove.  He started the scoring off with a power and speed run right up the middle.  I didn't think it was that big of a deal at first, because Marlboro had not shown us much resistance in the first 2 games.  They got a win over Fairfax but it was not impressive and it looked on paper like they would get blown out of their.  The first run by Roper confirmed it. 

But then something happened.  Coach Theo Blount is not a fan of losing games and he has two sons that can flat out play, Terrell and Tyrik.  The oldest Terrell is an 8th grader that fit our age cutoff and that Marlboro needed to balance the league out a bit.  I had heard about the Blount kid and word was that he was pretty good.  I just hadn't seen him in pads to evaluate myself.  Boy did it see it on Sunday.  Blount was throwing TD's off of his back foot.  He was making great decisions.  He ran when he needed to and threaded the needle when it called for it.  Blount kept his team withing striking distance of the Tigers the whole game. 

Tyler Woodard, the QB of the Tigers has a very impressive physical body and throws a nice ball too.  He made 3 deep throws that looked like they had a chance to be caught, but were not.  Both coaches played chess with each other as the score was tied deep in the 4th quarter at 13.  Roper finally scored again to make it 20 - 13 with a little over a minute on the clock.  The kid Blount went to work with a series of short passes and timely runs.  Before we knew it the Mustangs were in scoring positions with only seconds left.  Blount made the play of the day with a perfectly timed TD pass to close the gap to 1 point.  With no time left on the clock, the Mustangs went for the extra point and came up short!  What a game!!!!  We found two more ballers!  Blount and Roper are fierce.  Word is that with Rober being so young that he may consider reclassifying.  The thought of Jamaine Jeter and Tyrone Roper in the same backfield is just frightening!!!!!!!!!

Players of the Game

Marlboro Mustangs: Terrell Blount
Hamilton Tigers: Tyrone Roper

 Week 4 May 11th @ Riverdale Baptist School
1133 Largo Road Upper Marlboro, MD 20774

Week #4 was shocking and explosive.  The scores of the winners shocked us for sure.  The Charles County Heat, Loudoun County Eagles, Anne Arundel County Wildcats, and Howard County Stars all scored over 30 points and 3 of the 4 held their opponents scoreless.  We never expected that to occur.  We were just as shocked and amazed at how God held that rain off of us all day long.  There was an 80% chance of precipitation all day long and the threat of thunder and lightning was looming by all of the weather forecasters.

Although it did rain a little bit that morning, we didn’t see a drop of rain for any of the first four games.  The first drops of rain did not come until we got to the final game of the evening, which was the featured game between DC and the HC Stars.   We thank you again Lord for allowing us to do what we are trying to do for this kids and giving us another one of your beautiful days to do it in.

Although we love close games that are nail biters, we also learn a lot about the heart of kids when they are winning by a lot, or losing by a lot.   When a team is losing, it is easy for the kids to give up and quit on their teammates.  What we are learning about these kids is that they are Warriors and not quitters.

There is always a light at the end of the rainbow for those that truly persevere and some of these kids will be rewarded when we announce the selections for the North vs. South Super Star Game.  This is the first for the GYFL.  All of our games are technically All Star Games because we are playing with the best of the best kids from each of the regions.  We have not been able to penetrate every region 100% and been able to get most of the best kids, but in several of our regions we have been successful with that.  When we get to the North vs South Game though we are going to take the best kids from the 5 Northern Regions, and pit them against the best kids from the 5 Southern Regions and play in a true All Star Game.

It will be heartwarming to be able to contact some of the kids from the teams that have struggled mightily and announce to them that they have made the All Star Team!  There is always something to play for gentlemen.  Don’t ever forget that.  There are NFL teams that have gone winless in seasons, but they are professionals and they still have to motivate themselves to go out there and compete every Sunday.  You young people are learning some valuable lessons, and whether you win or lose, you will be grateful for this experience.

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 Game #1 Fairfax County Colts 0 vs Charles County Heat 48
The Heat started 7th Grade Nova FBU Quarterback Stanton Askew in this game and the young man showed himself strong and well.  He was ready for the moment and took advantage of the opportunity.  The first score came on an inside run by Rashard Jackson, who is also taking advantage of this Grassroots season.  He scored from the 5 yard line to give the Heat the 6 – 0 lead after they methodically moved down the field on their first drive.  Keisean Wilson recorded a sack on Fairfax QB Ty Crabb on the next possession.  Crabb was under intense pressure on that drive and was unable to complete his pass attempts.  Even Gregory and Myles Harris controlled the running game and on a sack of Crabb the ball popped in the air directly to Gregory, who has STAR written all over him.  Gregory began to fight to gain yardage and the ball was stripped from him and fumbled right back to Fairfax with a new set of downs.

7th Grade FBU National Champions Jalen Brown and Raymond Boone stepped up big in the running game and stopped the Colts Wildcat offense as the 1st Quarter came to a close.  Then Rashard Jackson started finding holes behind the big Heat offensive line.  On one play he broke outside, turned on the speed and hurdled a kid on his way down to the 1 yard line.  He scored on the next play to give the Heat a 12 – 0 lead.  Askew hit Boone on a quick post for the conversion to make it 13 – 0 with 8 minutes left in the 1st half.  Another one of the National Champions struck on the next play.  This time it was Chaz Crawford from his DB position with an acrobatic interception.  Two plays later it was David Dupree banging up the middle for a 13 yard TD Run.  It was Askew to Boone again for the conversion to make the score 20 – 0. 

Asaveon Coleman of the Colts is just a special football player.  There was not a ton of running room available, but he gets every inch that can possibly be gotten on every play.  When the Heat got the ball back, John Holzworth made a serious defensive stop, but Askew went to work using his methodical style.  He hit Boone on a quick out that was turned up for a first down.  Then he threw the post corner to Nick Gage at the pylon on the left side of the field.  Gage had to lay out for it and made a circus catch for a first and goal.  Askew then hit Boone on a quick post for the 1 yard TD and found Gage again on the other side for the conversion and the score was 27 – 0. 

Some kids don’t understand how much it means for them to play hard when they are down.  We learn more about kids hearts when they are overmatched and getting beaten badly.  That is when we see how tough they are and whether or not they will quit, or keep on fighting.  We have learned that these Colts have no quit in them.  Coleman, Crabb, Holzworth, Jahlil Puryear, Henry Rudisill, Mario Bonilla, Joe Calhoun and the rest of the bunch have hearts like lions.  The Heat just had too much for them today.  Askew found Boone for another TD pass and conversion while being knocked on his tail as the first half ended with the score 34 – 0 Heat.

The Birdman Matthew Pidgeon is another Colt with no quit in him.  He opened up the quarter with an interception of Askew.   Then Wilson got his second sack on Crabb on the day.  Crabb is a true warrior that takes a licking and keeps on ticking.  Very impressed with this kids skillset and his heart.  He has a chance to be a very good one at the next level.  Brett Blandford, another one of the 7th Grade National Champions made a great play in the backfield, then Crabb found the Birdman in the flat and he turned it up for a 20 yard run.  Crabb went for it all down the right sideline, but he rangy Raymond Boone, who seems to be able to do ANYTHING on a football field came over the top, picked it off, and ran it back to the 40 yard line.  Boone is just flat our special and he will probably have to change his phone number after this film gets out.  He is tearing up the GYFL as a 7th Grader.  He will be one of the most highly recruited players in the DMV next year, along with his QB DeJuan Ellis.

On the first play from scrimmage, Askew showed us some arm strength and accuracy.  Nick Cage was lined up on the left one on with the DB with no safety over the top.  The Heat had run the ball so well that the Colts had to put 9 in the box.  Askew read it, called the audible, took a 3 step drop and hit Gage on the dead post at the Colt 45 yard line and turned on the jets.  Pidgeon and Coleman tried their best to catch him, but that was not happening.  60 yards later, the score was 41 – 0 after the successful conversion.  As the running clock was in effect, time flew into the 4th quarter but Jahlil Puryear didn’t stop playing hard with a crushing stop in the backfield.  Then Kevin Bazemore came in for Askew and hit Boone on a fly pattern for another 40 yard TD pass over double coverage.  After the conversion by Jackson the scoring was finished at 48 – 0 Heat over Colts.  Nathan Proctor had a tremendous game for the Heat on defense.

Players of the Game

Fairfax County Colts: Joe Calhoun
Charles County Heat: Rashard Jackson

Charles County Heat Game Statistics Week 4

Offense

Charles County Heat Game Statistics Week 4

Defense 

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Game #2 Prince William County Lions 6 vs Loudoun County Eagles 48
This battle of Northern VA surprised us a bit.  We thought Loudoun County (2-1) was the favorite, but we had no idea that they had gotten this good.  What a difference a year makes for the Eagles, who struggled mightily in year #3.  Chima Kpaduwa (pronounced Padoowa) opened up the game with a nice kickoff return into Lion territory at their 40 yard line.  The Lions (0-3)defense started out strong with tackles from Two-Time GYFL All Star Zion Johnson making plays, forcing a punt by the Eagles.  The Lions opened with the Wildcat and Devante Smith at QB.  They got tricky and tried a pass and Two-Time GYFL Alum Meech Hembry stepped in front of the pass, picked it off and sprinted back 45 yards for the first score of the day.   A fumble on the next Lion possession gave the ball right back to the hungry Eagles.  Meech did it again off the left side from the 22 yard line off tackle.  He bounced into the secondary and gave the corner and inside move, froze him stiff, and popped back out the sidelines where he turned on the speed and got to pay dirt.  After Jack “The Foot” Friant converted his second extra point attempt on the day, the score was a quick 16 – 0 Eagles.

Johnny “The Purple Lantern” Jordan and Daniel “The Boss” Renaud were giving the Lions fits in the interior running game.  Those two are Two-Time GYFL Alums, as well as Nova FBU All Stars and they are the best that the GYFL has to offer on the defensive line.  Dominique Early is as prospect for the Lions that can get it done, but he has been contained pretty well so far this season.  As the second quarter began, the Eagles were up 16 – 0 over the Lions.  Kash Jackson followed his blockers closely and powered in from inside the 10 yard line to make it 24 – 0 after “The Foot” Friant converted again. 

Brandon Gonzalez put a monster hit on Tre Gresham and the Lions turned it over on downs.  The Jonte “Big Baby” Craig and the Lions appeared to stiffen up on defense.  As soon as we thought they were getting in a groove, the 4.6 forty guy named Jayden Bunting exploded around the left side and would have scored had he not stepped out of bounds at the 40.  QB Mitchell Johns had a slick run around the right side of the field and on the next play, Bunting got loose up the middle and scored from the 15 yard line.  The Foot converted again and the score was 32 – 0.  Hembry almost got another pick, but he was not able to bring it in.  He made up for it on the next punt return taking it deep into the Lion territory.  A fumble gave it back to Prince William inside their own 5 yard line.  On the 4th down punt attempt, the snap was bad and Devante Smith was tackled in the end zone trying to get the punt off.  The score was now 34 – 0 Eagles.  Hunter Rogers made a nice run for the Eagles.  Then he followed “The Boss” up the middle again to get it inside the 5, where Sean Walcott pushed it in for the score on the next play.  The score was 42 – 0 at the half and opened the 3rd quarter with a running clock.

In the 3rd quarter, Ishmeal Farmah broke off a strong 20 yard run up the right sideline.  Jarrett Powell has taught us the meaning of tough through 4 games.  This kid has been hit hard and often and not had a lot of blocking, but he continues to bring it every single game and we have certainly noticed.  There was no scoring in the 3rd as the running clock few by and the defenses tightened.  We took a 42 – 0 score into the 4th quarter.  We did get our highlight though when the Lions got the ball back.  We told you last week that Devante Smith was a major D-1 prospect.  Even in the midst of a losing season, this league can be a blessing to kids.  Smith caught the pass from Powell at the 24 yard line.  He broke one tackle.  He broke a second tackle.  He found himself on the right sideline with 73 yards in front of him and since there is no quit in him, you can imagine what he did.  He found that 4th gear and hit the clutch.  He made a slick freeze move on the safety at the 50 and shook him off.  He was flying down the sidelines to put the Lions in the scoring column.  No flags on the play.  The score was 42 – 6 with not enough time for the Lions to come back, but enough time to show some Lion pride.

Never let anyone tell you that a 42 – 6 game can’t be exciting.  On the last play of the game, Powell put up a Hail Mary.  On the 15 yard line, superstar DL Johnny “The Purple Lantern” Jordan pulled off the spectacular.  He was deep in coverage.  He went up with two hands and pulled down the INT.  That would have been enough for any DL.  To be able to say I had an interception in pass coverage.  Jordan is not just any DL.  He wanted more.  There is a saying that we have stolen from the ATT Commercial and it goes like this.   We want more……We want more……Like, we really like it…….We want more!  Jordan wanted more.

He sprinted from the 15 to the sideline 40 yard line right in front of his bench.  He eluded a would be tackler.  He had to be tired by now right?  Nope.  He really liked it…..He wanted more.  By the time he got to the Lion 40, the QB Powell was right there to tackle him.  He cut back on Powell and wanted more.  We knew there was no way he was going to go 85 yards on the INT return……But we were wrong.  The kid turned on the jets and sprinted up the sideline like he was not even tired.  Jordan is on his way to Gonzaga in the Fall.  The WCAC better beware!!!!!

Players of the Game

Howard County Stars: Jarrett Powell III
Loudoun County Eagles: Johnny “The Purple Lantern” Jordan

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Game #3 Baltimore Metro Stallions 16 vs Montgomery County Bearcats 20
Our first two games of the day were blowouts and did not give us what we expected.  We were certain that this Montgomery County vs Baltimore Metro was going to give us what we needed.  These two teams are original Grassroots Franchises.  They have been through this before and knew what to expect.  The Montgomery County Bearcats (2 -1) were trying to stay in control of their own destiny and remain in playoff contention.  The Stallions (1-2) were in danger of being knocked out of the playoffs with a 3rd loss.

The Cats came out smoking with the shifty and elusive Marvin “The Shape Shifter” Beander who is headed to St. Johns from Maplewood.  Beander is another Two-Time GYFL All Star that can get it done.  With a powerful line in front of him that includes 3 Good Counsel prospects in Chesapeake Bowl Alum Brandon Johnson, Josh Contee, and 8th Grade FBU All Star Nasir Watkins, the Bearcat running game is in good hands.

The Lead FB/LB is a certified stud by the name of Jalen Lea, who is going to terrorize the WCAC for years to come for the Falcons.  He is a Two-Time GYFL Alum and 8th Grade FBU All Star.  These Bearcats are loaded and they have two capable signal callers to choose from.  Kendall “Doc” Bonner led the Cats to an undefeated GYFL regular season last year as a 6th grader, and the 6’2” QB Travis Nannen is a baller and member of the FBU All Star team.  The Cats came out moving it down the field on the first possession and it looked like they were poised to score, but the Stallions defense stiffened and turned them over on downs.  The Stallions star RB’s Terrell “Turbo” Smith and Jamar “X Button” Williams were bottled up on the first possession by Lea and the Cats defense.  It was a defensive struggle early until Turbo finally got loose in that secondary and got inside of Bearcat territory.  DeAngelo Thompson is a kid who was not widely known before the league, but is making a name for himself.  He made a couple of tackles in the first quarter, as the horn blew with a 0 – 0 score.

Nova FBU All Star and Chesapeake Bowl Alum Carlos Washington (Good Counsel) began banging inside, the Nannen found his RB Tremayne Stott on a deep fly patter up the left sideline.  The coverage was good, but Stott’s concentration was even better and he came down with it at the 50 yard line. Stott and his older brother Travon were discovered at a GYFL combine 3 years ago when he was 4th grader.  We knew he was going to be good then and as a 7th Grader, he has become an elite prospect.  His brother was dominant in the league for 2 years and this young fella is picking up right where Travon left off.  He played varsity as a 6th grader and will be only the 2nd player in GYFL history to be a Three-Time All Star.  On the very next play, Stott took and inside handoff and exploded to the wide side of the field.  He got in full sprint mode and outran all of the speedy Stallions on his way to a 50 yard TD run.

Khalil Owens and Noah Nicholson are both Two-Time GYFL All Stars that have taken their games to the next level in their second seasons.  Playing mostly behind 8th graders last year, they didn’t get much playing time, but they are making up for it this year and doing great jobs against the run and the pass.  The second we say that, Turbo got a pitch from his 34 yard line to the wide side with a line of blockers in front of him.  Nicholson was blocked by the WR and Turbo got into the alley and turned on the after burners.  This kid can fly and he will NOT be caught.  66 yard later he was in the end zone celebrating another explosive run.  However, it was called back by an illegal motion penalty and brought back.  The X Button Williams had a couple of slick runs, which he is a master of.  But the Stallions were stopped from moving the chains on a big stop by Lea and the crew.  The Shape Shifter Beander had another great run up the left sideline and a penalty added 15 more.  On the next play, Nannen (Good Counsel) pulled up a fired a strike to Anthony Budd (Good Counsel) to give the Falcons fans a glimpse of the future.  Budd is a speedster who found himself one on one with the DB.  The quick post gave him a step and Nannen put it on the money.  Budd Split the safeties and scored from 30 yards out to give the Cats a 12 – 0 lead with 1:38 left in the half.

The X Button Williams and Turbo Smith stayed in attack mode and found creases created by their offensive line.  Curtis Yancy, Anthony Anderson, Melvin Kiah, and company did a good job of opening holes, but the Stallions were not able to score before the half was out.  In the second half, the Stallions went to the I formation and began to bang versatile RB Tyrek Alston.  Then Antwan Harris powered through the line for a 15 yard run and the Stallions were threatening.  A Pass Interference call on a bomb by QB Everette Jefferson to Chris Hailey got the ball in scoring position and Antwan Harris finished off with a power run.  Ryquan Floyd converted the kick and the gap was closed to 12 – 8 Bearcats.  The Stallions defense held and a trick on the punt return allowed the X Button to have a great run back.  Then Turbo was in the Wildcat and put a sensational move on the DE in the backfield and broke off a 20 yard run to get into Stallion territory.  The X Button moved it inside the Red Zone as the 3rd quarter ended in this thriller. 

Tyrek Alston popped up the middle to get it inside the 5, and then Big Jalen Lea began to take matters into his own hands.  He was determined not to let the Stallions score and he and his defensive buddies Malik Davis and the crew held firm as the Cats took over on downs.  The Shape Shifter moved the ball out to the 22 yard line to give the Cats some room.  We expected the Bearcats to pound and ground, while eating up the clock and keeping the ball out of the Stallions hands.  Apparently, Tremayne Stott had other ideas.  He took a basic handoff up the middle, read the hole, slipped out the right at the 25 yard line.  He saw some daylight and sprinted towards the right sidelines.  By the time he got to the 50 he had scoring on his mind.  But, was he fast enough to take it to the house.  The kid had no idea that the 7th Grade FBU National Championship Winning Coach had asked about him earlier that day and one of his assistants was on the sidelines with me watching the game.  The kid decided to show off anyway and put it in another gear that we didn’t even know he had.  We knew he was tough and quick and could run between the tackles.  Now we know that he can take it the distance against fast 8th graders.  FBU better beware.  Stott for 75 yards!  The score was 20 – 8 after the conversion kick by guess who……..Stott.  Right down the middle.  The kid can do it all.  With 6:46 left in the game the margin was extended.

The X Button is just special with the ball in his hands and he doesn’t believe there is a lead that he can’t come back from.  He broke off another X Box type run of 25 yards to get inside the Cat Red Zone.  A bad snap and a great play by DeAngelo Thompson pushed the Stallions way back to the 25 yard line.  But the X Button Williams was not done.  On 4th down he sprinted to the left side and found a receiver in the back of the end zone.  He put it up and Stephon Torrence got his hands on the ball in the back of the end zone but he could not haul it in.  The Stallions stopped the Bearcats and a shanked punt off of the side of the punters foot was scooped up by Williams, who sprinted around the left side for the 30 yard TD. The XP kick was good and we had a 20 – 16 game with 1:30 left in the 4th quarter.

The Stallions tried the onside kick but it was recovered by the Bearcats and they were able to run the rest of the clock out.  What a game!!!!!

Players of the Game
Montgomery County Bearcats: Tremayne Stott
Baltimore Metro Stallions: Jamar “X Button” Williams

Montgomery County Bearcats Game Statistics
Offense

Montgomery County Bearcats Game Statistics

Defense 

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Game #4 Anne Arundel County Wildcats 31 vs Prince George’s County Swarm 0
Jaret Patterson has great vision!  He showed it on the opening kickoff with a tremendous return.  His first few hand offs were very productive.  His brother James is a big and bruising FB who blocks and runs with power.  Patterson was blown up on a run to the left side and it would not knocked anyone else down, but not him.  He stayed on his feet somehow and made it very exciting by reversing his field before getting a horse collar penalty moving the ball inside the ten.  On 4th down Wildcat QB Isaiah Robinson found James Patterson in the flat.  The safety Nykeim Johnson came flying in from the secondary and made a great play on Patterson.  The referee called it a TD, but pictures taken on the goal line clearly showed that he was short on the play. With that being said, the referees raised his hands and the score was 8 – 0 after the conversion kick by Timothy Williams.

On the Swarms first possession,  they tried to run right at the Wildcats and had a bit of success, but on 4th down, they got a load of Tahj Rojas, who is a flat out football player.  Rojas has the great combination of size and speed and he fills holes with reckless abandon, as he did on 4th down with the stop on versatile QB Garrison Burnett.  But, there was a fumble on the Wildcat handoff and Do Everything 8th Grade FBU All Star Brian Lassiter, was there to pounce on it.  A hard worker and consistent player, Lassiter will have an outstanding career at St. Mary’s Ryken.  The first quarter ended with an 8 – 0 score and the Swarm with the ball on the move.  Burnett hit Johnson on a quick slant to move the chains, then Tyree Beale came off of the edge and made a great sack on Burnett from his DE position.  Beale, is an intriguing prospect.  He has great height and athleticism at 6’1”.  He is on his way to Spalding in the Fall.  He is a very talented and athletic WR that can play a variety of positions.  He is doing a great job as a DE, but we project him as a safety in High School.  Remember that name.  Beale has a chance to be special, along with Rojas and the Patterson brothers.

The Swarm were banging at the Wildcats with Burnett, Carl Payton Jr, and Jaivon Belt.  They bent, but they would not break and turned them over on downs.  Then it was the Wildcats who inserted the Little Big Man Deron Whitley, who was the star game #3.  He began chewing up yardage for the Wildcats.  Robinson almost hit Beale on a fly pattern under tremendous pressure from Lassiter, who was able to sack him on the next play and give it back to the Swarm. 

At that point we saw a truly unique play.  Garrison dropped back and threw it deep.  The ball was intercepted by Jaret Patterson, who pitched it back to Cameron Sullivan-Brown.  Brown is another kid with great potential for the Wildcats.  He ran it back about 10 yards and pitched it back to Patterson, who sprinted around the left side and gained yardage.  Then it got too good to the Wildcats.  They tried to pitch it back two more times and got a penalty on the play for a forward lateral.  They did maintain possession as the half came to an end with an 8 – 0 score.  We had a football game.

Tim Williams came out with some serious linebacker play to go along with his good kicking.   A blocked punt appeared to change the momentum of the game.  Jehlani Gray, another in a long line of talented Wildcats, broke through and blocked a punt that was recovered by Beale inside the Swarm 10 yard line and they Wildcats were in business.  Lassiter and Nicholas Caeser made a great defensive play on “The Little Big Man” Whitley for a big loss.  Then the 8th Grade FBU All Star JaHarold Williams (St. Mary’s Ryken) teamed up with Hassan Sheriff to get a sack on Robinson and the Swarm held for the turnover on downs.  Stanley McCombs stepped up the pressure on defense and the Wildcats forced a turnover on downs and got it back inside the 20 yard line.  This was becoming a defensive struggle played on the Swarm side of the Red Zone.  That is when the Wildcats pulled out the tricks.   They pitched the sweep to the Whitley and he ran the option pass.  He lofted a nice 20 yard pass to Beale who was open in the end zone and with 39 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, the score was 15 – 0 Wildcats.

The amazing athletic ability of Burnett allowed him to give his team breathing room on the next possession after a mishandled kickoff had them pinned deep in their own territory.  On the next play however, Burnett tried to throw the quick slant, but it was picked off by Tim Williams of the Wildcats and returned to the 24 yard line of the Swarm.  We took that score into the 4th quarter.  They called a nice reverse play to the versatile Zachary Neuland who got it inside the 10.  Then Jaret Patterson found a crease up the middle and pushed it to the two yard line.  The Swarm defense was getting tired and softening up a bit late in the game.  On the next play, Patterson was in the end zone and the game was getting away from the Swarm.  The two point conversion made it 23 – 0, with 8:47 left in the game. 

The Swarm moved Lassiter to the TE position, which we have never seen him play.  He is such a versatile player that I would not be surprised if he could pull it off, but on this play he didn’t look comfortable and appeared to break off a route.  Burnett threw where he thought Lassiter would be, but he was not there.  Jaret Patterson was there and he picked off the pass, weaved his way through the traffic and 45 yards later he was in the end zone for another score.  Williams hit another one and the score was 31 – 0. 

Big Brandon Rowe and the 8th Grade FBU All Star Victor Olawatimi (Carroll HS) kept on blocking and Payton and Belt kept on running hard, but they were unable to get in the end zone as the rain began to drop.   Terrell McCants, the 5th grade tailback got a couple of carries in their as the rain began to come town harder and harder.  The rain had no impact on the outstanding Field at Riverdale, but the game ended 31 – 1 Wildcats.

Players of the Game
Anne Arundel County Wildcats: James Patterson
Prince George’s County Swarm: Brian Lassiter

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Game #5 Howard County Stars 38 vs District of Columbia Warriors 0
This was expected to be the marquee game of the season thus far.  We had two undefeated teams going head to head with other.  The game was so highly anticipated that we decided to move it form the 9am game to the first ever GYFL night game under the lights at 7pm.  There was much hype about this matchup and the region was looking forward to coming out and watching these talented young kids perform.

Both teams are tremendously well coached and have stud athletes.  The Warriors are led by Maurice “Bink” Vaughn, who is the offensive coordinator of the Wilson Tigers.  The Tigers are on the rise in the DCIAA and Coach Vaughn is one of the reasons for their success last year.  He is an original founding member coach of the GYFL and has been with us for 4 years.  He coached in the Championship Game and lost in a double overtime thriller in year 1.  He lead the Warriors to a thrilling victory over The Montgomery County Bearcats in year 2.  The Warriors had a humbling season in year 3 going 4 – 4 and missing the playoffs for the first time.  It looked like they were back this year with 3 impressive victories.

The Stars are led by Terry “Coach T” White.  The Stars are in their second year of the league.  Coach T has been around the GYFL machine since the beginning.  He helped out the Metro Stallions initially before moving onto St. Frances HS and taking a number of GYFL alums with him over there.  When he left St. Frances he called and said he loved the GYFL so much that he wanted to put his own team into the league.  We didn’t think he had enough time to do it, with only 5 months before the start of the season, but we obviously didn’t know T. White.  When the man puts his mind to something, it will be successful.  He won the league last year in the Stars first year of existence and is the front runner to win it this year.  We have learned about the front runner stuff from last year as the Bearcats rolled off 8 straight wins and appeared to be the first team to go undefeated in GYFL history, so we are not going to put the cart before the horse.  But, we will say that T. White is stacked and loaded this year.

We thought we would get a barn burner, but we did not.  There is no doubt that the rain was most likely going to have an impact on the Warriors spread passing offense to some degree.  But, make no mistake about it, the rain was not the difference in this game being 38 -0.  The Stars came out and beat the Warriors on the field. 

I have chosen not to do a detailed write up of this game like I normally do.  As I review the film I will try my best to address the major plays that deserve recognition because they kids deserve it, but this game is heavy on my heart because of a very unfortunate fight that broke out on the field and I am going to spend more time addressing that than I will highlighting individual performances.

I am not going to highlight the names of the players that were ejected from the game because I don’t want them to get that type of negative exposure.  But, I do want all of the players to feel the pain of what can happen when teammates allow their emotions to get out of control.  In this case, there are some players that deserve write ups that they are not going to get because of the fight that occurred.  We have to make sure that you all learn a valuable lesson from this unfortunate circumstance.

The film that we have did not capture the actual fight so I can’t comment on who was at fault.  From one teams perspective a very negative tone was set early in the game when one of the players teed off on a defenseless center that had his head down preparing to snap the ball.  That is a very dangerous play in a very dangerous game.  Let’s make no mistake about this guys.  Football is a violent and dangerous sport played by courageous warriors and it will always be that way.  The sport was not designed to be safe and it will never be safe.  We don’t pay top dollar for two athletic trainers on each sideline just in case somebody gets injured.  In football, somebody is going to get hurt.  We have the staff on site to treat them immediately and look out for their safety.  We as a country and a league must take precautions to make the game as safe as it can possibly be and we are doing that.  But, the game will never be safe.

It will always be violent.  For those that use the potential for injury as a reason not to play Spring Football, I concur with them that Spring football is dangerous.  I also confirm that Fall football is dangerous.  All contact sports are dangerous and we all need to make serious decisions about whether contact sports like football, hockey, lacrosse, etc., are too dangerous for our kids.  Each parent has to make that decision.  I personally am convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks.  With that being said, we as a group need to do everything possible to make sure that we don’t add insult to injury and do anything to make it more violent than it already is.

With respect to any player offense or defense teeing off on a defenseless player, that can’t be tolerated.  That is not football and all of us as coaches need to make sure that none of our kids are participating in that.  That is the first time that I have seen that this year and we are going to consider it a mistake.  However, to make sure that it doesn’t happen again, we are going to institute a special rule against teeing off on a defenseless player for the GYFL.

We will announce it before the games on Saturday so every player and coach will know.  I am reviewing it now and my staff and I will have an announcement regarding that before the week is out.  We can’t have anything that warrants retaliation in the minds of kids, particularly if it can be avoided.

We that being said, you kids must understand the risks of retaliation on the football field.  You have always heard that “The refs always see the retaliation, almost never the first blow.”  I understand that and we understand how emotionally charged the game of football is.  We all played it.  We get it.  It is a tough sport played by tough guys.  If somebody does something to us, we have been taught to “get them back.”  I get it.

But there is too much at stake for all of us.  I am not even going to spend ten paragraphs discussing how fighting can destroy the integrity of the league that we all love.  If anybody is interested in that, I will address it at some point, but please understand that as we strive to get the sponsorship needed to keep this thing going, the last thing that we can afford to have people saying about us is that we are a bush league that tolerates fighting.  That is just unacceptable and will destroy everything that the league is trying to accomplish.

More importantly though, what we care about are your futures athletes.  We don’t want you to do anything to harm your reputations.  You are all in the midst of preparing for HS Football.  Some of you are fighting to get noticed by HS Coaches.  Is that the type of exposure that you want?  I can assure you that none of these coaches want to deal with any kids that have reputations for being knuckleheads.  The last thing any of you want is for any of these HS coaches to see you fighting.  Nobody is going to see the first punch, or the second.  Nobody is going to ask a ton of questions to try to get to the bottom of what happened.  The refs are going to throw kids out of the game and the coaches are going to want to know who the numbers of the kids are, so that they can scratch them off of their lists, or at best put an asterisk beside their name.  You don’t want that.

You guys have to learn how to put your hands up and walk away for your sake and for your team’s sake.  Can the Heat afford for Lebron James to get ejected from a game?  He has to take a lot of crap that he doesn’t want to take because he can’t afford to retaliate and neither can you.  There is no benefit in fighting on a football field.  You are going to get ejected.  You are going to hurt you team that needs you.  The fans and coaches are going to question your character, even if it was not your fault.  It is not about fault in a fight on a football field.  It is about the decision to engage and the fact that you lost your temper and could not control it. 

The other way that you get hurt is by hurting your own hands!!!  You guys have on helmets, shoulder pads and rib protectors.  Who are you hurting if you get a good punch in?  You are punching hard plastic and padding.  All you are hurting is yourself and your reputation.  I could go on and on, but I hope and pray that you get the point.  I don’t want to hear any more talk of retaliation.  That is not what this league is about and it will not change.  We are going to get very harsh in our punishment if we see or hear of anything that is not in the spirit of the GYFL.  I know how bad you all want to win, but our main focus on developing you as football players and into young men that will be productive members of society.  We want you to have great coaching and play against great competition that will make you better players in the Fall whether you win or lose.  We do crown a champion and it does mean a lot, but don’t lose sight of the real reason for Spring Football…….. Development!!!

Game Summary:

With that being said, this is the abbreviated version of the write up for this game.  Mohamed Ibrahim opened the game up with a huge 30 yard run, before the Warriors sacked the 7th grade QB Trent Jackson.  Davon “Excitement in a Bottle” Williams broke of a sweet run before throwing a big block for his running mate Ibrahim to turn the corner and get the ball down to the 15 yard line.  Brayden Pierce ran hard up the middle on consecutive runs and as the rain began to pour, Jackson hit Cody Wilburn on a quit post for the 5 yard TD.  Wilburn has been catching everything this year, but on a rainy night with a wet ball that was thrown on a rope, this was very impressive.

On the Warriors first possession, the play where the Stars defender teed off on the Center started a very bad tone for the game, as many of the Warriors players though the shot was intentional.  Delonte Hellams made a circus catch off a deflection on the play, but the Warriors were not able to convert as the first quarter came to an end.  The ensuing punt was when the fight broke out and I am truly tempted right now to stop writing at this point, but I don’t want to hurt the players that had nothing to do with it and played their hearts out so I will do my best to continue.

On the Warriors next possession, Karl Mofor picked off a Damari Sumpter pass and returned it 35 yards for a the Stars TD, making the score 14 – 0 with 8 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.  Khary Smith began to apply pressure and a sack on Sumpter.  On the punt Davon “EIB” Williams had a slick punt return, and then followed that up with a nice run up the middle.  Brayden “The Pile Driver” Pierce got it down inside the 1 yard line.  Jeremy Mensah finished it off with the 1 yard run.  The score was 20 – 0 Stars at this point.  Why Keonte Johnson did not start this game was a mystery to us.  He was the star of last week’s game over the Heat.  When he came in the offense started moving the ball down the field.  Johnson was effective with the QB draw.  Coach Bink had a Mother’s Day engagement that he could not adjust, which certainly did not help the Warriors, but he has a very capable staff so that was not an excuse. 

The Warriors turned it over on downs.  Then the “Pile Driver” Pierce got it moving again with a 15 yard run.  Excitement in a Bottle Williams and Ibrahim started moving the chains on the smaller Warriors defense.  Just as it appeared as though the line was taking over, the kid Wilburn struck again.  Trent Jackson laid one up for him.  It was good coverage down the right numbers and the ball was to the inside just a bit.  Wilburn leaped up and reached over the DB and snagged it in while twisting to the ground.  Prior to this GYFL season, we knew that Wilburn could play, but we missed the boat on him at the FBU tryouts last year.  This kid can flat out ball and is proving every week that he is one of the best receivers in the DMV. 

What many of you don’t know is that at the end of the season, all of the Grassroots coaches and staffs are going to put together a list of the top players by position in the DMV and their performance in Grassroots is going to be a major contributing factor.  Trust me, Wilburn may not have been on that list prior to the season, but he has a firm spot on it right now.  It is just a matter of how many WRs is he going to be able to pass during the rest of the season.  Riverdale Baptist is getting a GOOD ONE right here and he is why the GYFL was born.  It would have been unfair for me to not write about this kid because I was upset.  Summer, the boy is doing his thing.  The first half ended with the score Stars 20, Warriors 0.

Deon Jones started the 3rd quarter making plays for the Warriors.  As the rain came down, the “EIB” Williams slipped into the slot and caught a quick hitch that he almost turned into another score.  Williams fumbled on the next play and Henry Thompson showed us his quickness on 2 consecutive running plays.  Sumpter made a nice QB sneak but fumbled the ball and the Stars recovered.  As the rain began to pummel the camera, Ibrahim kept running behind the big offensive line and running all the way down to the 5 yard line.  Then he capped it off with a 5 yard run.  The Voyce calls Ibrahim “All I do is Score.”  The Warriors continued to try to pass the ball, but it was virtually impossible with this rain and as the 3rd quarter came to an end, the score was 26 – 0.

Somehow or another, the Stars passing game didn’t seem to be as affected by the weather.  They didn’t pass it nearly as much, but when they did, it was right on the money.  They ran a pop pass over the middle to Wilburn and Jackson hit him right on the money for the 33 yard TD pass, that pushed the score up to 32 – 0 with 8 minutes left in the game.   A fumble on the ensuing kickoff gave it right back to the Stars inside the Warriors 10 as the rain hammered the camera.  The Pile Driver Pierce scored on a short run to make the score 38 – 0 and that is how the game ended.

Players of the Game:
District of Columbia Warriors: Deon Jones
Howard County Stars:  Brayden Pierce

HC Stars Game Statistics

Offense

HC Stars Game Statistics

Defense 

 
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