Crab Bowl announces new selection process
Baltimore All-Stars, including Dunbar's Tavon Austin (No. 9) and Franklin's Carl Fleming (No. 24) celebrate a touchdown during the first-ever Maryland Crab Bowl in 2008. The format for selecting players will be different for this year's event. (Baltimore Sun photo by Chiaki Kawajiri)
Tony Kennedy acknowledges that worthy players have been missed in the selection process for the annual Crab Bowl senior all-star football game.
So the director of football operations for the Mid-Atlantic Football Foundation has announced a new format geared toward making the game a true state-wide showcase.
Starting this year, the Crab Bowl will divide the state into 11 districts and put a coach from each in charge of picking players from that area.
"It's all about making sure you have representation from all across the state," Kennedy said. "If you call yourself a state game, you can't just have people from Prince George's County and Baltimore County. You've got to pick from all across the state.
"I know we've missed kids."
Previously, Kennedy said, the teams were selected by the coaching associations based largely on word of mouth.
The fourth-annual Crab Bowl -- which pits player from the Baltimore area against those from Washington -- is scheduled for Dec. 17 at Bowie State. Seniors from public and private high schools in Maryland are eligible.
Baltimore won last year's game 21-17 after losing the first two.
Loyola's Brian Abbott will coach the Baltimore all-stars in this year's game, while Huntington's Jerry Franks will coach Washington.
Following is a list of the coaches selected to choose players from each of the 11 districts:
District 1: (Garret, Allegany, Washington, Carroll, Frederick) Richard Conner – Linganore High School
District 2: (Montgomery) David Mencarini Quince Orchard High School
District 3: (Prince George's) Tom Green – Eleanor Roosevelt High School
District 4: (Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's) Dominic Zaccarelli – Westlake High School
District 5: (Howard, Anne Arundel) Chuck Markiewicz – Arundel High School
District 6: (Baltimore County) Anthony Burgos Franklin High School
District 7: (Harford, Cecil) Ken Brinkman – North Hartford High School
District 8: (Kent, Queen Anne, Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worchester, Somerset) Brandon Riley – Parkside High School
District 9: (Baltimore City) Lawrence Smith – Dunbar High School
District 10: (Big Private Schools) Bob Milloy – Good Counsel High School
District 11: (Small Private Schools) Bob Shields – Riverdale Baptist High School
Kennedy also mentioned that the Crab Bowl and the Chesapeake Bowl -- a regional all-star game -- are now nonprofits, which he expects to make it easier to raise money for the events.
"It's just a process of making it better," he said.
