FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Cody Blue
Wilde Lake, lineman
Blue was a standout on both sides of the football for the No. 12 Wildecats (10-3), who advanced to the Class 3A state semifinals. Committed to the University of Maryland, the 6-foot-5, 280-pound senior two-way tackle nearly was immovable. He clogged up running lanes on the defensive front and laid out foes to clear the way for his running backs. Blue, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds and was a three-year starter, opened lanes and cleared out linemen and linebackers with his brute strength. He can pull, trap and drive block, and played a major role in the Wildecats having two 1,000-yard rushers in Ashton Hayes and Jerrel Epps.
Jeff Braun
Winters Mill, lineman
A three-year, two-way starting center-defensive lineman for the Falcons, the 6-5, 315-pound senior was a monster in pads. Braun, who has committed orally to play at West Virginia, has been an All-Carroll County and All-Monocacy Valley Athletic League selection for the past three years. According to coach Ken Johnson, Braun can play on either side of the ball at the next level. With his size, 5.5-time in the 40-yard dash and strength (he set a record for most bench reps at the 2007 Nike Baltimore combine), Braun is very imposing at center. On defense, Braun, ranked No. 44 at his position by Rivals.com, made 57 tackles.
River Hill, running back
A second-team pick a year ago, Campanaro emerged as one of the metro area's most feared runners this season as a junior. Campanaro, 5-10 and 175 pounds, is fast (4.4 in the 40), strong and elusive. Campanaro led the top-ranked Hawks (14-0) to a state championship game for a second straight season, and they beat No. 6 Eastern Tech in the final. A threat to score from anywhere on the field, Campanaro ran for 1,884 yards with four 200-yard games to pace a spread offense that totaled more than 4,300 rushing yards. He already has received scholarship offers from Maryland, Akron and Northwestern.
James Carmon
City, lineman
Carmon, a repeat first-team selection, had another stellar season for the Knights (8-3), according to coach George Petrides. Undecided on a college, Carmon, 6-7 and 330 pounds, is mulling over several offers. The senior is projected to be a prospect on both sides. This season, the intimidating interior lineman improved his technique on power-blocking and pass-blocking. On defense, Carmon, a menacing pass rusher, had 53 tackles, nine sacks and three fumble recoveries. He played especially well at the end of the season.
Lane Clelland
McDonogh, lineman
Clelland, a 6-5, 275-pound senior, is ranked by Rivals.com as Maryland's premier lineman and No. 2 prospect overall behind Ohio State-bound Lamaar Thomas of Friendly in Prince George's County. A three-year starter for the No. 8 Eagles (6-4), Clelland has a football scholarship to Notre Dame. He has wonderful technique with great first-step acceleration and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds. Clelland, who had 20 scholarship offers before settling on Notre Dame, was projected by Rivals.com as "an elite prospect with pro potential." Clelland, one of the area's most physical players, is fundamentally sound run- and pass-blocking.
Nick Elko
Arundel, quarterback-punter
Anne Arundel County's Offensive Player of the Year, Elko broke several county and state records with his prolific passing in the Wildcats' no-huddle spread offense, and also was the team's leading rusher. Elko, a 6-2, 190-pound senior, completed 260 of 430 passes for 3,091 yards and a state public school-record 43 touchdown passes, while being intercepted nine times. Elko was 34-for-52 for 299 yards and three touchdowns in the No. 4 Wildcats' 36-30 loss to Quince Orchard in the Class 4A state final. He finished with a state-record 3,993 yards of total offense.
Brandon Johnson-Farrell
Arundel, wide receiver
Johnson-Farrell had a record-setting season and three-year career as Elko's favorite target in the Wildcats' no-huddle spread offense. The speedy 5-10, 185-pound senior playmaker with great hands and acrobatic moves set state single-season records for receptions (103), yards (1,394) and touchdown catches (23). In addition, Johnson-Farrell owns state career records for receptions (174) and touchdown receptions (40). This season, Johnson-Farrell scored 27 touchdowns, including two on kickoffs and two on punt returns.
Lonnie Liggins
Hereford, running back
The speedy Liggins led a Bulls offense that produced more than 600 points out of its wing T. A 5-9, 185-pound senior, Liggins ran for 1,321 yards and 23 touchdowns. He scored 26 times overall. His three non-rushing touchdowns came via two kickoffs, one for a team-record 99 yards, and an interception. Liggins, who plays in the secondary when he is not running the football, finished with three interceptions.
Liggins, who bench-presses a team-high 315 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds and has a vertical leap of 35 inches, has drawn interest from several Division I schools. He appears to be leaning toward Army, according to coach Steve Turnbaugh.
Doug Shaw
Loyola, lineman
Shaw, a 6-foot, 230-pound junior two-way tackle for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference co-champions, was considered by the coaching staff to be the top offensive lineman for the No. 3 Dons (9-1). Strong and quick with superb lateral movement, Shaw is a power-blocker who can pull out if necessary and has good technique as a pass-blocker to keep foes off junior quarterback Leon Kinnard. Shaw's work on the interior line allowed the Dons to get 31.7 points a game in one of the most competitive schedules in the state. On defense, Shaw made 12 of his 40 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Dave Stinebaugh
Perry Hall, tight end
The multi-talented junior and two-year starter led the No. 10 Gators to a 10-2 playoff season as a tight end, running back, linebacker, corner and safety. His versatile play earned him a promotion to first-team All-Metro. Stinebaugh, who is a solid 6-5 and 205 pounds, caught 55 passes for 1,035 yards and 13 of his 16 total touchdowns. He ran the ball three times for 42 yards and a score and was 2-for-4 passing for 63 yards and a TD. His touchdown pass came on a hitch route behind the line of scrimmage, as he took Dan Deitz's lateral and threw downfield to Matt Wood to complete a 51-yard touchdown with 1:08 left for a 25-20 win over Franklin.
Adam Yates
Hereford, kicker
Yates consistently boomed his kickoffs into the end zone, denying returns by his opponents. The 5-11 senior converted 78 of 79 extra-point kicks, which was one shy of the state record. Possessing a potent offense, the Bulls only attempted 10 field goals, and Yates converted six, four inside the 30- to 39-yard range. His longest field goal was 39 yards.
FIRST TEAM
DEFENSE
Kirk Brooks
Mount St. Joseph, linebacker
Brooks anchored a defense that yielded only 7.6 points per game in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, as the No. 7 Gaels shared the league title with No. 3 Loyola. The Gaels dealt Loyola (9-1) its only loss, 24-7, with Brooks helping to slow outstanding Dons quarterback Leon Kinnard and running back Terence Garvin. The Gaels' only loss was to McDonogh, 14-7. Overall, the Brooks-led defense gave up 12.3 points per game. Brooks, a 6-foot, 220-pound senior, roamed from sideline to sideline, making 98 tackles. He also had 16 sacks.
Chris Burnette
Gilman, lineman
Burnette, a solid 6-4, 250-pound senior, was a three-year starter for the Greyhounds. Hard-nosed and physical with good instincts, Burnette moved from second-team All-Metro as a junior last season to first team this year. He and All-Metro linebacker Joey Ehrmann were bright spots in the worst season the Greyhounds (4-5) have had under coach Biff Poggi in the past decade. Burnette made 73 tackles, 20 behind the line of scrimmage, and had eight sacks. Despite the team's losing season, Burnette and the defense held MIAA A Conference foes to 76 points in five games. Penn State, Rutgers and Stanford are interested in Burnette.
Teddy Dargan
Milford Mill, lineman
Dargan was one of the area's top two-way linemen. Defense was his specialty, and it'ss where he likely will play at the University of Maryland. The 6-3, 290-pound senior is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the state by Rivals.com. On defense for the Millers (5-5), Dargan made 57 tackles, had five sacks and forced two fumbles coming off a junior season in which he had 78 tackles, 19 in the backfield, and 12 sacks. He started this season coming off an ankle injury and had to deal with being double-teamed. The injury affected him early on, but by midseason he was on his game. Milford Mill lost five games by a total of 20 points.
Joey Ehrmann
Gilman, linebacker
Ehrmann, the son of former Baltimore Colt Joe Ehrmann, now an assistant coach at Gilman, had three excellent seasons for the Greyhounds and will play at Wake Forest. A 6-3, 200-pound linebacker, Ehrmann was a senior leader and anchored a defensive unit that gave up just 76 points in five games in MIAA A Conference action. Ehrmann, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds, had a team-leading 117 tackles (87 unassisted), 31 for losses, and 16 sacks and picked off three passes. Also a tight end, Ehrmann was the key blocker on the corner and had nine receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
Jason Fischer
Hereford, defensive back
Fischer's versatility was an asset for the No. 5 Bulls (13-1) in their run to the Class 3A state championship game against Damascus. Fischer played defensive back, quarterback (when starter Tyler Brown was injured late in the season) and receiver and was a return specialist. A 5-11, 195-pound senior with quickness and excellent field vision, Fischer had three interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. He also ran back two punts for touchdowns and averaged 14.4 yards on 22 returns. Fischer had a receiving touchdown and threw four touchdown passes among his five completions in 12 attempts.
J.J. Hicks
Broadneck, defensive back
Hicks, one of the metro area's top athletes, was a four-year varsity player for the No. 9 Bruins (9-3) and was a standout in the secondary and as a wide receiver and occasional kick returner. The 6-2, 200-pound senior, who also is one of the area's top basketball players, led Anne Arundel County in interceptions with seven and was as good a cover man on deep balls as anyone in the area because of his speed and athleticism. Hicks had 40 receptions for 911 yards and 16 touchdowns, including an 81-yard pass from Kyle Colleran with 55 seconds left to beat Old Mill, 31-28, and prevent the Bruins from falling to 0-2.
FIRST TEAM
DEFENSE
John Holland
Arundel, defensive back
A repeat first-team selection, Holland had another sterling season in the secondary for the Class 4A state runner-up Wildcats (13-1). The 5-9, 170-pound senior tied the Anne Arundel County record for interceptions (12) last season and had four this season. The drop in interceptions was because opponents learned not to throw in his area. Holland broke up 22 passes this season and was in on 50 tackles, 31 unassisted. Arundel coach Chuck Markiewicz (who has spent seven of his 20 seasons at Arundel) said Holland is as good a defensive back as he has coached.
Marlon Johnson
St. Mary's, lineman
Johnson, a powerful, 6-4, 225-pound senior defensive end, was a key player for the No. 15 Saints (8-3) in their MIAA B Conference championship season. Going 8-1 in league play, including the 26-20 title win over two-time defending champion Archbishop Spalding, the Johnson-led defense gave up only 61 points. Adept at rushing the quarterback or stopping the run on his corner, Johnson has excellent first-step acceleration, which he used to invade the backfield of opponents and record a team-best 13 sacks. Johnson also led the Saints in tackles (95), with 21 for losses. He plans to visit Toledo and Liberty, his main college choices.
Zach Martin
River Hill, linebacker
Martin, a repeat first-team All-Metro choice, led a defense that posted a state-record 11 shutouts and gave up only 21 points total in its other three games. Martin led the 2A champion Hawks in tackles (146, 101 unassisted) for the third straight year, and 21 of his tackles were behind the line. The senior also had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. In three seasons at linebacker, Martin, 5-10 and 180 pounds, amassed nearly 450 tackles and had 60 tackles for losses. On offense, he ran for more than 1,300 yards and had 13 touchdowns. Schools interested in Martin include Maryland, Richmond, and William and Mary.
Keon Redhead
Dunbar, linebacker
He was the uncontested leader of the No. 2 Poets' defense, which gave up just 11.3 points per game overall and 8.4 in nine league games on the way to a second straight Class 1A state title. Redhead, a muscular 5-9, 220-pound senior and three-year starter, led the Poets (14-0) in unassisted tackles (88) and total tackles (170) while forcing four fumbles and recovering four. An inspirational player, Redhead roamed from sideline to sideline stalking ball carriers with reckless abandon. His teammates rallied around him as he constantly reminded them of their main goal - to win a state title for their late coach Ben Eaton, who died in August.
Ryan Schlothauer
Eastern Tech, lineman
He was a senior leader for the No. 6 Mavericks' defense that gave up just six points in six league games to win the Baltimore County 3A-2A League. Schlothauer's play at defensive end led the team to a 13-1 record and a berth in the Class 2A state final, which the Mavericks lost to No. 1 River Hill, 14-7. Schlothauer, 6-5 and 220 pounds, had 75 tackles, with 41 of them unassisted, and racked up a team-leading 11 sacks. He also had three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in the state final. Schlothauer, also a tight end, caught eight passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns. He also was a skilled blocker for a wing T offense that gained more than 3,200 yards rushing and outscored foes, 497-73.