AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

72-46 win over Eastern Michigan in Mid-American Conference tournament Wednesday: 2-for-5 from the field, 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, five points, two defensive rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block, two turnovers, two fouls in 21 minutes

81-49 loss to Bowling Green in MAC tournament Friday: 0-for-4 FG, 2-for-2 FT, two points, one defensive rebound, one assist, three turnovers, three fouls in 17 minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level - women's roundup for March 15" »

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Men’s basketball has wrapped up conference tournament play, and that means the end of the season for some of our local players. For those fortunate enough to continue their seasons, it’s on to the Big Dance (or one of the other three national postseason tournaments).

This week’s top five features many of the usual suspects. Massachusetts’ Ricky Harris (Calvert Hall) averaged 21.5 points and 3.5 rebounds over two games. Morgan State’s Reggie Holmes (St. Frances) and Kevin Thompson (Walbrook) both scored 15.0 points per game over three contests. Holmes added averages of 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists¸ and Thompson also contributed 11.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young (Du Bois) averaged 17.0 points and 4.7 assists in three games. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Kevin Palmer (Parkville) put up 20.5 points per game, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in a pair of contests.

Continue reading "The Next Level - men's hoops roundup for March 15" »

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As the regular season ended this weekend, we closed the book on the season for some our Baltimore-area basketball players, while others moved on to their conference tournaments. For those who have played their last game this year, we offer congratulations, and we bid adieu to the seniors who have taken the court for the last time on the college level. And to those for whom the season continues, we wish the best of luck.

This week’s top five men’s performers are a group of gentlemen who have produced consistently all season, all of them being recognized here at The Next Level multiple times.

Continue reading "The Next Level - men's hoops roundup for March 8" »

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AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

67-64 loss at Kent State on Wednesday: 6-for-10 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, 3-for-4 from the foul line, 16 points, five rebounds (two offensive), five assists, one steal, six turnovers, three fouls in 25 minutes

72-65 home win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday: 2-for-2 FG, four points, one steal, one turnover, two fouls in 19 minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's hoops roundup for March 1" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We’re hitting the home stretch at The Next Level, as some teams concluded regular-season play this past week. Of course, there are still conference and postseason tournaments, and we plan to keep on rolling until every player from the Baltimore area has played his or her last minute of the season.

This week’s men’s top five features three new faces and has a distinctly local flavor – even more so than usual – as those three are all from schools in Maryland. Here’s the list, in no particular order:

Continue reading "The Next Level -- men's hoops roundup for March 1" »

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AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

66-56 loss to visiting Bowling Green on Saturday: 3-for-4 from the field, 0-for-2 from the free-throw line, six points, four rebounds (two offensive), five turnovers, four fouls in 14 minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level - women's hoops roundup for Feb. 22" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Welcome back to another week of The Next Level, and quite the week it was for men’s players from the Baltimore area. In fact, it was the strongest week of the season in terms of overall performances by former local standouts.

Because of that, we’re going to depart from the norm today. There were so many notable performances that naming only a top five list would leave out some very deserving players. So, without further delay, here’s a top 10, in alphabetical order by college team.

Continue reading "The Next Level - men's hoops roundup for Feb. 22" »

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AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

74-68 loss at Toledo on Wednesday: 0-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 from 3-point range, 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, one point, two defensive rebounds, three turnovers, fouled out in nine minutes

63-57 road win over Buffalo on Saturday: 1-for-2 FG, two points, one defensive rebound in seven minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's hoops roundup for Feb. 15" »

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We’re back with another installment of The Next Level, and this week there are some changes to the starting lineup.

That is to say this week’s list of the top five men’s performers looks a little different than usual. Making his debut is UMBC guard Chauncey Gilliam (Hammond), who averaged 17.0 points and 5.3 rebounds over three games in a busy week for the Retrievers. Jimmy Conyers of Akron makes his second appearance, and his first since the inaugural top five. The Baltimore native scored 15.5 points per game and grabbed 9.5 rebounds in two contests. After a two-week absence, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Kevin Palmer (Parkville) also returns after averaging 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 36 minutes over two games.

Continue reading "The Next Level - men's hoops roundup for Feb. 15" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

AKRON

Jasmine Mushington, sophomore forward (Baltimore native, went to Archbishop Carroll) –

62-55 win over visiting Central Michigan on Thursday: 5-for-9 from the field, 0-for-1 from 3-point range, 10 points, two rebounds (one offensive), one assist, one block, one turnover, two fouls in 21 minutes

57-39 home victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday: 0-for-2 FG, one offensive rebound, three assists, one foul in 13 minutes

Continue reading "The Next Level - women's hoops roundup for Feb. 8" »

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Welcome back to The Next Level. I hope you were able to dig yourselves out of the snow this past weekend and are nice and toasty today. Speaking of staying warm, some of our Baltimore-area men’s players certainly haven’t let their shots cool off.

Four of our top five performers might look familiar to you, as Massachusetts’ Ricky Harris (Calvert Hall), Morgan State’s Reggie Holmes (St. Frances), New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young (Du Bois) and Malcolm Delaney (Towson Catholic) of Virginia Tech experienced no drop-off in their lofty scoring numbers. On the season, Holmes (sixth, 22.8 points per game), Young (tied for 17th, 21.4 ppg) and Delaney (25th, 20.3 ppg) all rank in the top 25 in Division I in scoring average.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- men's hoops roundup for Feb. 8" »

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The Next Level is back, rounding up the performances of women's college basketball players from the Baltimore area for games played last Monday through Sunday.

Ball in:

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's roundup for Feb. 1" »

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Another week of college basketball is behind us, and the calendar now reads “February.” That, of course, means that March – the best month of the year if you’re a college hoops fan – is almost upon us. From the looks of things, there are some players from the Baltimore area who are warming up for when the Madness starts.

This past week’s top five men’s performers include some of the usual suspects, as Massachusetts’ Ricky Harris (Calvert Hall), Morgan State’s Reggie Holmes (St. Frances), New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young (Du Bois) and Virginia Tech’s Malcolm Delaney (Towson Catholic) repeated their tendency to score in bunches.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- men's basketball roundup for Feb. 1" »

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We’re back with the women’s roundup.

Loyola’s Miriam McKenzie (Oakland Mills) averaged 18.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 36.3 minutes played over three games. Kandice Green (St. Frances) of Seton Hall scored 18.5 points per game over two contests. Towson’s Haliena Snowden (Seton Keough) recorded averages of 16 points, eight rebounds and 34 minutes played in two games. Kim Carr (Woodlawn) of Northeastern averaged 14.5 points and 39 minutes over two games. Rider’s Caitlin Bopp (Institute of Notre Dame) rounded out the top five performers with 8.3 points per game and 10 rebounds per game in three contests.

The rest of the roundup follows:

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's roundup for Jan. 25" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We’re another week into the college basketball season, and what looked like it would be an impressive overall season for players from the Baltimore area has exceeded expectations, as there are numerous solid contributors for a variety of teams, and a few players who are putting up huge numbers.

On the men’s side, New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young (Du Bois) and Morgan State’s Reggie Holmes (St. Frances) continued to light up the scoreboard this week. Young averaged 30 points and 36.5 minutes played over two games. Holmes scored 25 points per game and got to the free-throw line an incredible 31 times over two contests, making 27 of those free throws.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Kevin Palmer (Parkville) turned in a standout performance this week, averaging 25 points, four steals and 34.5 minutes played in two games. Massachusetts’ Ricky Harris (Calvert Hall) scored an average of 18.5 points over two contests. Rounding out the top five, Maryland’s Sean Mosley (St. Frances) averaged 17 points, 5.5 rebounds and three assists in a pair of games.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- men's basketball roundup for Jan. 25" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Next Level is back with the women’s roundup for games last Monday through Sunday. As explained in the post below this, I scrapped my plan to list just the top 10 performers each week in favor of including all players from the Baltimore area.

And away we go:

Continue reading "The Next Level -- women's roundup for Jan. 18" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 1:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We’re only in the second week of basketball coverage here, and already the Next Level is calling a timeout and drawing up a new play.

I had said originally that I was planning to list only Division I’s top 10 men’s performers and top 10 women’s performers who hail from the Baltimore area and give their statistics. However, partially because of my desire not to shortchange anyone and partially because doing so isn’t really any more work for me, I’ll be giving the weekly statistics for every player in my first roundup. (That’s 55 men’s players and 38 women’s players, in case you were curious.)

Continue reading "The Next Level -- men's basketball roundup for Jan. 18" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

With the 2009-10 college football season in the books and basketball season beginning in earnest with conference play, it’s time to move The Next Level off the gridiron and onto the hardwood.

Here’s the deal: Today, I’ll present a list (compiled by me and my fellow assistant sports editor, the ever-helpful Matt Bracken of The Sun’s Recruiting Report) of all the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball players from the Baltimore area, and give their season statistics so far. Each successive Monday, check back here to find lists of the previous week’s top 10 men’s performers and top 10 women’s performers. (Disclaimer: I’ll be choosing these lists myself, and the process won’t exactly be scientific, as I won’t have had a chance to actually see many of the players in action. Results will be based largely on statistical performance. However, if you feel I’ve left off a deserving player or have any other comments, please feel free to, well, comment on the entry.

That sums up pre-game warm-ups. Let’s tip off and get right into the players we’ll be following this season. As always, thanks for reading.

Continue reading "The Next Level takes the court" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

After a month off, largely because a relatively small number of games were played between Nov. 28 and today, The Next Level makes its return -- and also says its farewell to this college football season.

With this eventful and exciting season rapidly coming to a close, and with no local players expected to take part in the few remaining bowl games, let’s wrap up this first volume with the final statistics for every former area high school player who made it onto the field for a Football Bowl Division program this year.

But first, let’s tie up some loose ends by recapping the performances of some of these players in games played since Nov. 28:

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Season wrap-up and final stats" »

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It’s Week 13 of The Next Level, and that means a lot teams have played their last games of the season. That, in turn, means it’s time to bid adieu to some local players, at least on the college stage, as they have concluded their senior seasons. But who knows, perhaps we’ll see some of these players with pro potential at — you guessed it — the next level.

Syracuse’s Alec Lemon (Arundel) finished his freshman year with a 56-31 road loss to Connecticut, but the wide receiver gave Orange fans plenty to look forward to for next season. Though he didn’t start, Lemon had a huge day, catching nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Greg Paulus was connecting with Lemon all day, and their 3-yard hook-up with just more than a minute left in the third quarter pulled Syracuse with four points at 21-17. Lemon’s longest reception of the game, a gain of 33 yards, brought the ball down to the Huskies’ 10-yard line in the fourth quarter, and the Orange scored a touchdown on the next play to make the score 42-31 in UConn’s favor. That was as close as Syracuse would get the rest of the way, however. Lemon also had catches of 30, 20, 17 and 16 yards in the contest. Sophomore Nick Speller (Edmondson) started at left tackle for the Orange, and senior tight end made Andrew Robinson (Calvert Hall) made one solo tackle on punt coverage in his final college game. Redshirt freshman starting safety Jerome Junior (Archbishop Curley) made seven tackles (three solo, four assists) for the Huskies in the victory.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 13" »

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A couple of local players are really turning it on as the regular season nears it end. For the second week in a row, Utah’s Shaky Smithson (Douglass) and Temple’s Matt Brown, a Baltimore native, combined for three touchdowns.

This week it was Brown who scored twice, producing two TDs in the third quarter of Temple’s 47-13 rout of visiting Kent State. The first came on a run of 71 yards and increased the Owls’ lead to 19-10, while the freshman’s second touchdown, this one a 1-yard rush, upped Temple’s advantage to 33-10. Brown had a huge game overall, gaining 156 yards on the ground. Sophomore offensive linemen Pat and Sean Boyle (Calvert Hall) played for the Owls in the victory.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 12" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Next Level returns after a week of vacation. Here’s what happened in an eventful Week 11 (the recap of Week 12 will be posted soon):

Utah might have been soundly beaten by visiting Texas Christian, 55-28, on Saturday, Nov. 14, but it was no fault of Shaky Smithson (Douglass), who Baltimore Shook his way to two rushing touchdowns. The junior bookended the scoring for the Utes, producing their first touchdown in the first quarter and their last in the fourth quarter. Both scores came on first-and-goal from the Horned Frogs’ 10-yard line. In total, Smithson had five carries for 23 yards and caught one pass for 2 yards. He also returned seven kickoffs for 167 yards.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 11" »

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Hey there folks. I'm out of town this week, so there will be no edition of The Next Level today.

Don't fret though: I'll return next Monday with a double helping to catch you up on everything that went on this past weekend.

Thanks for reading.

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Hard to believe we’re already through 10 weeks of the college football season. Seems like it has flown by. It won’t be long now until we’re checking out how some local players fare come bowl time.

One player who looks like he’s ready for anything is West Virginia freshman Tavon Austin. The former Dunbar star got only one touch in the Mountaineers’ 17-9 home victory over Louisville, but talk about capitalizing. Austin, who started at wide receiver, rushed 9 yards for a touchdown on second-and-goal in the third quarter. The score, Austin’s third of the season, extended West Virginia’s lead to 14-6. Austin’s former Dunbar teammate, Horace Miller, got his first start of the season at linebacker for the Cardinals. The freshman recorded two tackles (one solo, one assist).

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 10" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Byes and injury combined to make for a lighter week than usual in terms of play by former area football standouts. There will still, however, some dynamic performances.

Redshirt freshman Joey Ehrmann got his second straight start (and the second of his career) at strong-side linebacker in Wake Forest’s 28-27 home loss to Miami. Though the Hurricanes rallied late for a dramatic victory, the Gilman alum made quite an impact – especially on Miami quarterback Jacory Harris. Ehrmann was credited with five tackles (four solo, one assist), including 2.5 sacks of Harris for total losses of 21 yards, and a forced fumble. On a first-and-10 play from the Hurricanes’ 20-yard line in the second quarter, Ehrmann brought down Harris for a loss of 8 yards, knocking the ball loose in the process (Harris was able to recover it). In the third quarter, Ehrmann combined with defensive tackle John Russell to sack Harris for a loss of 14 yards. Ehrmann also took down Harris on his own for a loss of 6 yards in the fourth quarter.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 9" »

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Week 8 was a big one for several former local high school football standouts, including a couple of true freshmen who found the end zone.

Three-time Baltimore Sun All-Metro Player of the Year Tavon Austin (Dunbar) wasted no time in scoring his second touchdown of the season for West Virginia. The freshman took the opening kickoff of the Mountaineers’ home game against Connecticut 98 yards to the house. It was West Virginia’s longest play of the season, and the Mountaineers went on to win, 28-24. Freshman defensive back Terence Garvin (Loyola) assisted on a tackle on kickoff coverage for West Virginia in the first quarter. Huskies starting safety Jerome Junior (Archbishop Curley) was playing in his first game since fellow defensive back Jasper Howard was stabbed to death early Oct. 18 on Connecticut’s campus in Storrs. The redshirt freshman made five tackles (three solo, two assists).

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 8" »

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Let’s jump right into things:

A week after breaking up three passes in Buffalo’s 40-3 home victory over Gardner-Webb, starting free safety Mike Newton (Calvert Hall) was back making big plays in the Bulls’ 21-17 win over visiting Akron. The senior came up with two takeaways, recovering a fumble in the first quarter after Buffalo defensive lineman Anel Montanez forced Zips running back DeVoe Torrence to cough up the ball, and intercepting Akron quarterback Patrick Nicely in the second quarter. Newton also made eight tackles (two solo, six assists). Bulls senior Dane Robinson (Calvert Hall) started at defensive tackle, recording no statistics.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 7" »

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Categories: Football, The Next Level
        

We’re nearing the halfway point of the college football season, and, as expected, some local players showed their stuff in Week 6.

West Virginia-Syracuse featured a reunion of sorts, as three of the game’s players were teammates in last year’s Crab Bowl, a high school all-star game that pits a team of Baltimore-area standouts against a squad of those from the Washington area. West Virginia’s Tavon Austin (Dunbar) and Terence Garvin (Loyola) and Syracuse’s Alec Lemon (Arundel) played for the Baltimore team in that game, which featured an 81-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Lemon to Austin, who are good friends off the field.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 6" »

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Week 5 of the college football season has come and gone. By now you guys know the drill, so let's get down to it.

Maryland got a couple of strong defensive performances from players with local ties in its 24-21 upset victory over visiting Clemson on Saturday. Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) returned to his starting spot at strong safety and came up big, intercepting Tigers quarterback Kyle Parker in the end zone with 31 seconds left in the first half. Clemson had driven into the red zone, and McCollough's pick allowed the Terps to preserve a 17-13 halftime lead. The senior also assisted on a tackle.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 5" »

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Week 4 of the college football season featured some stunning upsets and shake-ups among the nation’s top teams – and of course some standout performances from local players.

Struggling Maryland suffered another disheartening home loss, this one a 34-13 defeat at the hands of Rutgers on Saturday, but a couple of Terps from the Baltimore area did their part to try to keep the game close. Junior wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) scored his first touchdown of the season – and Maryland’s only one of the game – catching a 24-yard pass from Chris Turner in the second quarter. The touchdown tied the score at 10. Starting nose tackle and Severn native A.J. Francis made three tackles (one solo, two assists). On one of Maryland’s biggest defensive plays of the game, the redshirt freshman sacked Scarlet Knights quarterback Domenic Natale for a loss of 8 yards on third-and-5 in the fourth quarter, forcing a fumble. Rutgers recovered but was forced to punt. Terps senior strong safety Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) returned from a foot injury, coming off the bench to make one tackle. Senior linebacker Hakeem Sule (McDonogh) played but did not record any statistics. Scarlet Knights senior wide receiver Andrew DePaola (Hereford) played in the win but didn’t make the stat sheet.

Continue reading "The Next Level -- Week 4" »

Posted by Steve Gould at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Next Level rolls on with a recap of Week 3 action.

Former Archbishop Curley standout Jerome Junior showed his big-play capability in Connecticut’s 30-22 road win over Baylor. A week after recording seven tackles against North Carolina, the redshirt freshman safety intercepted a wide receiver pass from the Bears’ Kendall Wright in the third quarter and returned it 14 yards. Junior also made two tackles (one solo, one assist).

Severn native A.J. Francis had an eventful second quarter in Maryland’s stunning 32-31 loss to visiting Middle Tennessee State. The starting nose tackle, a redshirt freshman, blocked an extra-point attempt and stopped Blue Raiders quarterback Dwight Dasher for no gain on a first-and-goal run from the Terps’ 7-yard line, but he was also called for an offside penalty in the period. For the game, Francis recorded two tackles (one solo, one assist). Maryland senior linebacker Hakeem Sule (McDonogh) assisted on two tackles on kickoff coverage. Junior wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) also had an assist on a special teams tackle. On offense, Chris Turner threw to Williams twice, but both passes were incomplete. Terps senior safety Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) missed the game while recovering from a foot injury he suffered against California in Week 1.

Starting free safety Mike Newton (Calvert Hall) led Buffalo in tackles for the second straight week. The senior made nine stops (six solo, three assists) in the Bulls’ 23-17 defeat at the hands of host Central Florida. In the first quarter, he stuffed a third-and-1 rush by Golden Knights running back Brynn Harvey for no gain. Newton was injured making a tackle in the fourth quarter, but he returned to the game. Fellow Calvert Hall product Dane Robinson made one solo tackle for Buffalo. The senior defensive lineman stopped Harvey for no gain on a second-and-1 rush.

Shaky Smithson (Douglass) made an impact as both a receiver and a returner in visiting Utah’s 31-24 loss to Oregon. The junior caught five passes for 33 yards, his longest an 11-yard reception on a second-and-2 play in the second quarter. Smithson also returned six kickoffs for 140 yards (a 23.3-yard average), with a long of 29.

Wake Forest linebacker Joey Ehrmann (Gilman) turned in a notable performance in the Demon Deacons’ 35-7 home rout of Elon. The redshirt freshman made seven tackles (two solo, five assists) and was credited with a half sack for a loss of 4 yards.

Starting weak-side linebacker Zach Brown (Wilde Lake), a sophomore, assisted on four tackles including two for losses as host North Carolina beat East Carolina, 31-17.

Junior wide receiver Sheldon Bell (City) caught two passes for 15 yards in visiting Duke’s 44-16 loss to No. 22 Kansas. His longest, a 13-yard reception, came on second-and-8 in the fourth quarter.

A week after scoring his first college touchdown, freshman Tavon Austin (Dunbar) was held to one reception for 5 yards as visiting West Virginia fell to Auburn, 41-30. Freshman defensive back Terence Garvin (Loyola) played but did not record any statistics.

Former local standouts Sean Boyle (Calvert Hall), a sophomore offensive lineman, and Kwame Johnson (Parkville), a freshman wide receiver, played for Temple in the Owls’ 31-6 loss to Penn State in State College, but neither recorded any statistics. Baltimore native Matt Brown, a freshman wide-out who played his high school ball at Peddie School in New Jersey before prepping at New York’s Milford Academy, was thrown to twice, but both passes were incomplete. Brown also called for a fair catch on the one punt he fielded.

Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus targeted freshman wide receiver Alec Lemon (Arundel) on a deep pass in the Orange’s 37-34 win over visiting Northwestern, but the throw wasn’t completed. Senior tight end Andrew Robinson (Calvert Hall) got onto the field for Syracuse, recording no stats.

Also playing but not recording any statistics in their team’s respective games were Army junior linebacker Jacob Bohn (Mount St. Joseph), Louisville freshman linebacker Horace Miller (Dunbar), Navy senior quarterback Greg Zingler (Severna Park) and Rutgers senior wide receiver Andrew DePaola (Hereford). Army beat visiting Ball State, 24-17; Louisville lost to host Kentucky, 31-27; Navy was defeated by host Pittsburgh, 27-14; and Rutgers beat visiting Florida International, 23-15.

Posted by Steve Gould at 6:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football, The Next Level
        

Welcome back to The Next Level. It was another exciting week of college football, featuring some notable performances from former Baltimore-area standouts.

It didn’t take Tavon Austin long to make a big impact in the college game. The former Dunbar star, a true freshman, started at wide receiver for West Virginia against East Carolina on Saturday and made two catches for 59 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jarrett Brown that extended the host Mountaineers’ lead to 28-20 in the third quarter. The touchdown was West Virginia’s longest scoring play of the game. The Mountaineers went on to add another touchdown, and ended up winning, 35-20.

Navy reserve quarterback Greg Zingler (Severna Park) also put points on the board Saturday. After Midshipmen starting quarterback Ricky Dobbs rushed for a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter against Louisiana Tech, Zingler took the field for the point-after attempt, ostensibly as the holder. When the snap came however, the senior picked up the ball and ran it for a 2-point conversion, pushing Navy ahead 18-10 in the second quarter. The host Mids rolled on to 32-14 victory. Navy senior linebacker Jerry Hauburger (Eastern Tech) played in the game but did not record any statistics.

Maryland starting nose tackle A.J. Francis had a big game as the host Terps edged Football Championship Subdivision opponent James Madison, 38-35, in overtime. Though the Dukes rushed for 268 yards against Maryland, the redshirt freshman, a Severn native who attended Georgetown Prep in Washington, made five tackles (two solo, three assists). That included two stops for no gain and his being credited for a half-tackle that resulted in a loss of 2 yards for JMU. Terps junior wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) recorded one catch for 7 yards in the game, and senior linebacker Hakeem Sule (McDonogh) played but did not record any statistics. Senior safety Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) missed the game because a foot injury. The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Barker reported that coach Ralph Friedgen said he does not expect McCollough, a second-team All-Metro selection as a high school junior, to be ready to play when Maryland hosts Middle Tennessee State on Saturday.

Starting free safety Mike Newton (Calvert Hall) continues to be a factor on the back line of Buffalo’s defense. A week after making six tackles against Texas-El Paso, the senior led the Bulls with 11 tackles (six solo, five assists) in their 54-27 home loss to Pittsburgh. Newton, who was in on six consecutive tackles on the Panthers’ first drive, also broke up a pass.

A pair of defenders made their presence felt in visiting North Carolina’s wild win over Connecticut (the Tar Heels came back to prevail, 12-10, after Huskies offensive tackle Dan Ryan was called for holding in the end zone with 1:32 remaining, resulting in a safety). UNC sophomore linebacker Zach Brown (Wilde Lake) made five tackles (three solo, two assists), and UConn safety Jerome Junior (Archbishop Curley), a redshirt freshman, recorded seven stops (three solo, four assists).

Wide receiver Shaky Smith (Douglass) made one catch for 9 yards on a first-and-10 play in the third quarter of Utah’s 24-14 win at San Jose State. The junior also returned a pair of kickoffs for 26 and 25 yards.

Syracuse didn’t have many highlights in falling, 28-7, to Penn State in Happy Valley. Freshman wide receiver Alec Lemon (Arundel), however, did make two catches for 10 yards, including one for a gain of 11. Orange senior tight end Andrew Robinson (Calvert Hall) and Nittany Lions junior cornerback Shelton McCullough (Randallstown) both played, but neither recorded any statistics.

Wake Forest freshman linebacker Joey Ehrmann (Gilman) assisted on the tackle on the opening kickoff in the Demon Deacons’ 24-17 win over visiting Stanford.

Duke junior wide receiver Sheldon Bell (City) and Army junior linebacker Jacob Bohn (Mount St. Joseph) got onto the field in the Blue Devils’ 35-19 victory over the host Black Knights, but neither recorded any statistics.

Raynard Horne (Overlea) played in Virginia’s 30-14 home loss to Texas Christian, but the junior running back recorded no statistics.

Senior wide receiver Andrew DePaola (Hereford) saw action in Rutgers’ 45-7 romp over visiting Howard, recording no statistics.

Posted by Steve Gould at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football, The Next Level
        

First things first, I’m Steve Gould, an assistant sports editor for The Baltimore Sun. Welcome to The Next Level, a weekly feature on Varsity Letters where you can find out how former standouts from local high schools who now play for NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams fared in their games. Check back each Monday for a recap of their statistics and standout plays. (The list of players I’m working off isn’t comprehensive, so if I’m leaving someone out please leave a comment below or e-mail me, and I’ll make sure to include him.)

Well, with that stuff out of the way, let’s get down to it:

Three-time Baltimore Sun All-Metro Player of the Year Tavon Austin made his college debut in West Virginia’s 33-20 home win over Liberty. Austin, who starred at Dunbar, came off the bench to rush once for 4 yards and catch one pass for 3 yards. He also returned a kickoff for 14 yards. Freshman defensive back Terence Garvin, who also played running back while at Loyola, made one solo tackle for the Mountaineers.

There wasn’t much for Maryland fans to cheer as California rolled over the visiting Terps, 52-13, but a pair of former local standouts started on defense for UM. A.J. Francis, a redshirt freshman, lined up at nose tackle and recorded three total tackles (one solo and two assists). Francis played his high school ball at Gonzaga Prep in Washington, D.C., but is from Severn. Senior Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) started at cornerback and logged one tackle for a loss of 2 yards. His contributions, however, were overshadowed by his leaving with a foot injury. Sun reporter Jeff Barker reported that McCollough was seen on crutches on the Maryland sideline. Terps junior wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) also played in the game but did not record any statistics.

Connecticut redshirt freshman strong safety Jerome Junior (Archbishop Curley) got the start in his first college game and turned in a notable performance, making five tackles (two solo, three assists) in the Huskies’ 23-16 win over host Ohio.

Former Arundel standout Alec Lemon was a favorite target of quarterback Greg Paulus in host Syracuse’s 23-20 overtime loss to Minnesota. The wide receiver, a true freshman, caught five passes — the second most for the Orange — for 17 yards, his longest a 10-yard reception. Senior tight end Andrew Robinson (Calvert Hall), who threw for 2,192 yards and 13 touchdown passes while playing quarterback for Syracuse in 2007, did not play.

Starting senior free safety Mike Newton (Calvert Hall) made six tackles (four solo, two assists) in visiting Buffalo’s 23-17 win over Texas-El Paso.

Freshman defensive back Kwame Johnson (Parkville) came off the bench to make three solo tackles as Temple fell to Villanova, 27-24, at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

Virginia’s Raynard Horne (Overlea), a junior running back, caught one pass for 13 yards in the Cavaliers’ 26-14 home loss to Football Championship Subdivision opponent William and Mary.

Junior wide receiver Shaky Smithson, who played at Douglass in high school before attending East Los Angeles Community College and transferring to Utah, returned one kickoff for 21 yards in the Utes’ 35-17 victory over visiting Utah State.

Freshman linebacker Joey Ehrmann (Gilman) got some playing time for Wake Forest in the host Demon Deacons’ 24-21 loss to Baylor, but his only tackle was negated by a holding penalty on the Bears. Wake freshman running back Michael Campanaro, The Sun’s 2008 Howard County Player of the Year after rushing for 1,848 yards and 29 touchdowns for River Hill, did not play.

Junior linebacker Jacob Bohn (Mount St. Joseph) made one tackle on special teams in Army’s 27-14 road win over Eastern Michigan.

Senior quarterback Greg Zingler (Severna Park) and senior linebacker Jerry Hauburger (Eastern Tech) saw the field as visiting Navy gave No. 6 Ohio State a scare before falling, 31-27, but neither player recorded any statistics.

Louisville’s Horace Miller (Dunbar), a freshman linebacker, played in the host Cardinals’ 30-10 rout of Indiana State but did not record any statistics.

I’m not listing some of the numerous players — many of them freshmen — who didn’t see game time this week, but if you have a question about a specific player who wasn’t mentioned, please comment below and I’ll respond.

Thanks for stopping by, and keep checking in Mondays for more updates. If all goes well, we’ll look to have a similar feature when basketball season comes around.

Posted by Steve Gould at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Football, The Next Level