Defense

Player of the Year

Danny Bayron, Wilde Lake, senior, back: The 5-foot-10, 210-pound strong safety made 75 solo tackles, 52 assists, three sacks, eight tackles behind the line, broken up 12 passes and had one interception. A first-team All-Metro selection last season at defensive back, Bayron was the heart of the county champion Wilde Lake defense. On offense, the punishing runner and two-year captain rushed 125 times for 837 yards and 14 touchdowns, and threw key blocks for teammate Jimmie Levins. Bayron, who scored 88 points, also returned 15 punts for 201 yards. He is looking at Towson and James Madison.

Team at a glance

Sean Aaron, Atholton, senior, linebacker: He made 68 solo tackles and 52 assists. He also recovered three fumbles, registered four sacks and intercepted one pass.

Jake Adams, River Hill, senior, linebacker: er: One of the most hardnosed players in the league, Adams made 46 tackles, six for a loss. He had three sacks, three fumble recoveries and three interceptions.

Paul Brooks, Glenelg, junior, punter: He punted 44 times for a 39.8 average and placed six of them inside the opponent's 5-yard line. On offense he made 13 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns.

Devin Conwell, Long Reach, junior, linebacker: backer: He made 60 solo tackles and 44 assists. Conwell had seven sacks as well as one interception and he broke up four passes. On offense he rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Joey Ellis, Oakland Mills, senior, back: The most versatile player in the league, Ellis made 52 solo tackles, 65 assists and intercepted eight passes, returning two for touchdowns. He had six sacks. On offense he rushed 90 times for 825 yards and one touchdown.

Jason Fawcett, River Hill, senior, linebacker: backer: He made 89 tackles and was a key reason the Hawks went from 1-9 to 7-3. On offense the fullback rushed for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns.

Luis George, Long Reach, junior, defensive back: He played cornerback, displayed excellent cover technique and was a ferocious tackler. He intercepted six passes.

Steve Glasgow, River Hill, senior, back: He made 34 solo tackles, caused three fumbles and intercepted two passes. At quarterback, he completed 77 passes for 948 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Vinnie Rubbo, Oakland Mills, senior, linebacker: backer: A repeat first-team selection, Rubbo made 56 solo tackles and 34 assists. The hardnosed leader also recovered two fumbles and had three interceptions. On offense he rushed 112 times for 698 yards and seven touchdowns while battling ankle and knee sprains. He was a second-team All-Metro pick his junior year when he set a school record with 1,873 yards rushing.

Nick Service, Wilde Lake, senior, linebacker: er: At 5-9, 175 pounds, he made 78 solo tackles and 55 assists. He had 25 tackles for a loss and four sacks. He also had nine pass deflections and two fumble recoveries. A versatile player, he could cover backs on pass defense and pressure the quarterback on the blitz.

Luke Vanderwagon, Wilde Lake, senior, lineman: A knee injury sidelined this former first-team All-Metro player for almost half the season. The team captain still managed 35 tackles, 25 assists, seven sacks and 15 tackles for a loss. He's interested in the Naval Academy.

Mike Von Paris, Centennial, senior, lineman: man: A three-year starter, Von Paris was Centennial's best lineman. What success we had fell on his shoulders," said coach Ed Holshue. Defensively, Von Paris made 43 tackles and had one fumble recovery.

Tally White, Long Reach, junior, lineman: A 6-foot-2, 225-pounder, White made 69 tackles and had seven sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Chris Yetter, Wilde Lake, senior, back: He made 50 solo tackles and had 49 assists and 10 pass deflections. He intercepted one pass and returned it for a touchdown, and recovered two fumbles.

Offense

Player of the Year

T. J. Welsh, Oakland Mills, senior, quarterback: The 6-foot-4, 205-pound passer completed 119 of 229 attempts for a county-record 1,943 yards. The strong-armed Welsh threw 15 touchdown passes, eight interceptions and had at least 100 yards passing in 12 of 13 games. The Scorpions won 12 games -- a school record -- and won their first state title. Welsh threw a season-high four touchdown passes against Glenelg and three against Elkton. Welsh also ran for five touchdowns. He saved perhaps his best and most-poised performance for the state Class 1A championship game at College Park, where he completed 17 of 25 for 193 yards, ran for one touchdown and helped his team rally from a 12-0 third-quarter deficit to defeat favored Forestville, 15-12. A gutsy player, Welsh popped out his throwing shoulder when tackled by two players in the first series of the state quarterfinals, but he never missed a series despite playing the entire playoffs in pain. For his career, he passed for 3,210 yards, just missing the county record of 3,351 yards set by Wilde Lake's Jim Traber, who played quarterback for Oklahoma State and major-league baseball for the Orioles.

Team at a glance

Anthony Aceves, Howard, senior, tight end: He caught 17 passes for seven touchdowns and was a key blocker for Gerald Smith. On defense the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder made 60 tackles, notched four sacks and intercepted three passes.

Tom Browne, Oakland Mills, senior, wide receiver: After catching just two passes last season, Browne exploded onto the county football scene with 48 catches for 982 yards and nine touchdowns. He has great hands, can catch in traffic and is great at adjusting to wherever the pass is thrown.

Matt Deuchler, Centennial, senior, running back: He rushed for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns and was the key to Centennial's offense. The Eagles lost to River Hill and Mount Hebron when he was injured. He also caught 14 passes and led his team in receiving. Defensively, he made 77 tackles, two sacks and blocked an extra-point attempt and a field goal.

Jay Frizzelle, Oakland Mills, senior, guard: A repeat first-team All-County selection, this 5-11, 240-pounder could block for the pass or the run, but excelled at trap-blocking. He was one of the most hard-nosed players in the league, and made more than 100 tackles.

Justin Havrilla, Long Reach, junior, place-kicker: He kicked five field goals and converted 24 of 28 extra-point attempts. He also landed 10 kickoffs in the end zone and punted 31 times for a 40-yard average.

Jerry Hicks, Mount Hebron, senior, running back: ning back: He rushed 193 times for 1,237 yards and 19 touchdowns. Hicks gained 212 yards against Oakland Mills, including touchdown runs of 64 and 61 yards -- the only runner to have a big day against the Scorpions this season. "He's the only reason we won four games," said coach Larry Luthe.

Steven Jefferson, Wilde Lake, junior, tackle: le: At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he was Wilde Lake's best offensive lineman. He was especially adept at making pick blocks on quick pitches.

Jimmie Levins, Wilde Lake, senior, running back: ning back: A potent outside running force with outstanding speed, the 6-foot, 200-pound Levins rushed 168 times for 1,541 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also caught three touchdown passes. On defense, he intercepted two passes.

Zach McQuigg, Glenelg, junior, quarterback: back: The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder completed 104 passes in 211 attempts for 1,594 yards and 11 touchdowns. He threw six interceptions. McQuigg threw for 292 yards against Mount Hebron and 300 against Atholton. He has 2,718 career passing yards and will try to break the county record of 3,351 next season.

Matt Nelson, Hammond, senior, tackle: A repeat first-team All-County pick, this 6-foot-3, 260-pound heavyweight wrestler was Hammond's best inside player. He's considering playing at Richmond or Connecticut.

Kwasi Osei-Wusu, Mount Hebron, senior, wide receiver: An imposing 6-foot-3, he caught 22 passes for 460 yards and four touchdowns.

Russell Popkin, River Hill, senior, guard: A three-year starter, Popkin was quick to the outside at pulling guard, and was an excellent trapping guard as well.

Gerald Smith, Howard, junior, running back: A repeat All-County selection, he rushed for 1,167 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also scored on an 85-yard kickoff return and passed for two touchdowns. His biggest game was against Wilde Lake when he rushed for 225 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Alex Stanley, Wilde Lake, senior, center: This 6-foot-2, 258-pound two-year starter anchored the line and made no bad snaps. He's going to Morgan State.

Calvin Wilmer, Hammond, senior, running back: He rushed for 1,200 yards, including 237 yards and four touchdowns against Atholton.

Coach of the Year

Ken Hovet, Oakland Mills: Failure to win a state football championship has haunted former Scorpion players like Hovet and most of his assistant coaches. So has a propensity to take a back seat to Wilde Lake as the county's No. 1 program. With its state Class 1A title this season, Oakland Mills enters the off-season with bragging rights. Hovet, in his sixth season, has a 46-19 career record and has grown into his job well. He has a knack for knowing what's important and what's not, and for motivating his players to maximum performances in crucial situations. The Scorpions won all six of their games decided by a touchdown or less. For most teams, the loss of an offensive threat like Vinnie Rubbo to injuries would have proved critical. Instead, Hovet expanded the role of Joey Ellis and gave young running back J. T. Rembert a chance. Both came through. Hovet benefited from a strong senior nucleus of superior all-round athletes, and from an unexpected passing attack featuring quarterback T. J. Welsh and receiver Tom Browne. Hovet allowed the Scorpions to be an emotional team, but they were NTC disciplined enough to have a turnover ratio of 39-14. He and his staff also developed a 4-4 defensive system that shut down eight 1,000-yard rushers.

Team selection The Baltimore Sun 1998 All-Howard County football teams were selected by Rick Belz after consultation with The Sun staff and area coaches.

Pub Date: 11/29/98