2009 Maryland Crab Bowl Press Conference

The inaugural Maryland Crab Bowl last year was a huge success, especially for a brand new state all-star game. Scout.com was in attendance Wednesday at Towson University for a press conference for the 2009 Maryland Crab Bowl. Take a look at the first 60 athletes to be selected to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. teams.

One of the most impressive statistics to come out of last year’s game was that eighty-three of the eighty-eight student-athletes on the roster went on to receive scholarships to play at the college level. Not all of those scholarships were Division-I, however to have only five out of eighty-eight kids not be given a free ride to play ball in college is outstanding.

Another impressive fact about last year’s game is that heading into the game, fifty-six kids on the roster had already received at least one scholarship offer. Says Crab Bowl co-founder Chuck Harmon, “I was hoping that as a result of last year’s game that somehow five to seven kids who did not have any offers heading into the game would receive a scholarship. When it was all said and done, twenty-seven guys who did not have one offer heading into the game ended up being offered! That is one of the things I was most happy about. Sean (O’Connor) and I really had that goal of seven guys in mind. When twenty more kids than that seven we had in mind ended up with college scholarships we were completely thrilled.”

“Like last year’s game,” says Harmon, “there are certain criteria the kids must meet to be considered for the Crab Bowl. Number one, we are looking for good students. If a kid is a knucklehead than there is no reason for him to be considered for the game. Grades are of the utmost importance. I stress to kids all the time the true meaning of student-athlete. I also tell every kid that they can have all the talent in the world, but if they don’t have the grades to qualify and be admitted into the colleges they’re looking at, than it’s all a waste.”

“The second criterion potential student-athletes must meet is that they have to be in great standing in their community. A kid who has had problems in school or run ins with the law should not get the chance to represent their school and their state in a game like this. The final thing I look for is a role model. I want each and every kid on this roster to be able to be the cover-boy for the game. Playing in the Crab Bowl is a privilege, and for every kid that makes the roster, there are twenty more guys who would do anything to be in their shoes. This year we will be reaching out to the community doing various events, including things like visiting sick kids in hospitals. I want these guys to realize that they are looked up to and because of that celebrity, they need to do something to give back to their communities.”

The three student athletes who attended the press conference on Wednesday certainly set the bar high for the rest of their Crab Bowl teammates. Adrian Coxson, Nick Forbes, and Bisi Ezekoye are all terrific kids. Not only are all three the cream of the crop in terms of athletic ability on the field, they also set the bar very high in terms of their character. All three give a “yes sir” or “no sir” after every question they are asked and Adrian, Nick, and Bisi can all be looked up to by their teammates and their communities to do the right thing.



Nick Forbes and Adrian Coxson talk with Crab Bowl Founders Chuck Harmon and Sean O’Connor



Take a look at the Super 60 below, listed in alphabetical order and broken down into the Baltimore and Washington D.C. teams.

Baltimore

Josh Alaeze DL Parkville

Nathan Ayres DB Dunbar

Hansen Barrick OL Tuscarora

Josh Bordner QB Century

Conner Bruns QB Loyola

Tyrek Cheeseboro WR Millford Mill

Devin Clark OL Dunbar

Tuswani Copeland WR Meade

Billy Cosh QB Arundel

Adrian Coxson WR City

Ryan Dixon WR Linganore

Anthony Ferguson DE Gilman

J.R. Ferguson DE Hargrave

Nick Forbes OLB Thomas Johnson

Kyle Fuller CB MSJ

Josh Furman DB/RB Old Mill

Emmanuel Gbor ATH Eastern Tech

Jeremy Grove LB Thomas Johnson

R.J. Harris WR Arundel

Robby Haverstein OL Linganore

Kevin Johnson DB River Hill

Nick Marth DL Linganore

Jake McGinnis LB Joppatowne

Hussam Ouri OL Broadneck

Bobby Partilla LB Arundel

Mike Pitz OL Hereford

Jim Poggi OLB Gilman

Matt Robinson ATH Atholton

Delonte Tate DB Stephen Decatur

Kyle Tucker OL Linganore

Willie Williams RB Hereford

Zach Zwinak FB Linganore

Washington D.C.

Marcus Anderson ILB Westlake

Antonio Belt WR Forestville

Brian Blue LB Gwynn Park

Marcus Coker RB DeMatha

Brandon Coleman WR McNamara

Michael Coley S DeMatha

Malik Cross LB Oxon Hill

Bisi Ezekoye ATH Kennedy

Troy Gloster LB Good Counsel

Devin Goode WR Riverdale Baptist

Jordan Haden LB Friendly

Taylor Henry QB Cambridge SD

Shane Johnson OL DeMatha

Jerome June DE Gwynn Park

Jeff Knox DB DeMatha

Arie Kovandijo OL DeMatha

Axel Ofori DB Gaithersburg

Paul Phillips TE Georgetown Prep

Chris Pitsenberger LB Good Counsel

Mitchell Pollard ATH/WR Springbrook

E.J. Scott DB Good Counsel

Arlando Scott RB North Point

Khalek Shepherd RB Gwynn Park

Devonte Stamps LB McDonough

Devonta Tabannah WR Potomac

Frank Tamakloe S Good Counsel

Titus Till DB Wise

Oswaldo Velasquez OL Magruder

Lorenzo Waters S DeMatha

Louis Young DB Good Counsel

Please note that this roster is the initial Super 60, in the coming months the rest of the roster will be filled out entirely.









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Dan Hilbert covers football recruiting in Virginia. He can be reached at [e-mail]. If you are submitting a recruit, please include players name, high school, primary position and the best way to get in contact with the player.