Nothing came easy for Perry Hall tight end Dave Stinebaugh this season.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was well known throughout the area after earning Baltimore County player of the year honors as a junior and then making a commitment to Maryland over the summer.

“We got into games and right from the first snap, it was evident that he was going to be double-teamed,” Perry Hall coach Keith Robinson said. “Teams were going to try to take him away and make us go somewhere else. Our first play was specifically designed to figure out how they were going to defend him. So he didn’t sneak up on anyone this year.”

Despite all the extra attention from opposing defenses, Stinebaugh caught 45 passes for 632 yards and nine touchdowns at tight end. Playing linebacker and free safety on defense, Stinebaugh recorded 75 tackles, seven interceptions, seven pass breakups and five fumble recoveries. He returned two fumbles for touchdowns and one interception for a score. Stinebaugh was also “easily the best punter in the county,” Robinson said.

The Gators were 9-3 with a runner-up finish in the 4A North region. Stinebaugh, a team captain, essentially never left the field, according to Robinson. The future Terp showed off his nose for the ball on game days and in practice.

“He’d make one-handed catches in practice and just make things look so easy,” Robinson said. “The running joke on the team amongst the players was that he had magnets that he stashed in his gloves. In games whenever there was a fumble, he just always seemed to be around the ball. ... He had five fumble recoveries and seven interceptions. That’s 12 turnovers. In high school, that’s a pretty astounding number. He’s just in the right place at the right time. It just seemed to work out that way.”

Robinson said Stinebaugh, who also plays basketball and lacrosse for Perry Hall, will need some time in the weight room before making an impact for the Terrapins.

“Everybody’s in agreement that he’s going to have to put on some size. I expect he’ll be redshirted for that purpose,” Robinson said. “But according to what [the UM staff has said], he fits in nicely to their H-back or their tight end that usually goes in motion. They have two special types of tight ends -- a big blocking tight end and a receiving tight end and Dave is slotted for [the latter] position. Their offensive coordinator, after watching some of our film, was very impressed that he played on the defensive side as well. They’ve got big plans for him.”

Robinson said the Perry Hall community is excited to see Stinebaugh’s career in College Park unfold over the next five years.

“We’re all anxious here to kind of fast forward a couple years and see him out on the field and see him grow into a very good college football player,” Robinson said. “He’s a great kid, he’s smart, works hard, isn’t out for himself. He just plays to win. I think the people down there will be happy with what they’ve got.”