At Wednesday morning’s news conference announcing the 2011 I-95 Kickoff Classic, Patterson football coach Corey Johnson offered up an interesting tidbit about his backfield for the upcoming season.

It turns out that the Clippers’ season-opener against Archbishop Curley could double as the gridiron debut of star basketball player Aquille Carr, The Sun’s 2011 boys' basketball Player of the Year.

“Everyone’s probably excited to see Aquille Carr transition from the basketball court to the football field,” Johnson said Wednesday at Glory Days in Bowie. “He’s played [football] before, but he hasn’t played high school football. People will be excited to see what he’s going to bring to the table.”

On the basketball court, Carr is a known commodity. The 5-foot-7 sophomore guard averaged 32 points, six assists and five rebounds as the Clippers won the Baltimore City and Class 4A North region titles.

Carr is one of the highest-ranked prep players in the Class of 2013, and Johnson hopes his skills on the court will translate well for the 2010 Division 1 Baltimore City football champions and Class 4A semifinalists.

“He’ll probably play a little slot-back for me,” Johnson said. “Get him out catching some balls, trying to get him in some one-and-one situations. He’s just so dynamic and so fast, so that’ll be exciting.”

-- Jon Meoli