The Baltimore area will be well-represented in the 63rd Big 33 Football Classic when Maryland plays Pennsylvania on May 25 at 2 p.m. in Lower Paxton Township, just outside of Hershey.
The Maryland roster for the annual high school all-star game was unveiled Sunday at a news conference at the Ravens’ headquarters in Owings Mills. Fifteen of the 38 Maryland players are from the metro area.
Peter Moore, an All-Metro punter from Calvert Hall who averaged 43 yards per punt and allowed just 23 return yards last season, was named to the team. Moore also can kick but is listed on the Big 33 roster as a punter and wants to show his skills in this contest.
“I’m really excited about this,” said Moore, who is headed to Virginia Tech to hopefully kick for the Hokies. “I just want to show I’m the best punter in the country.”
Mike Neubeiser is going to be the coach for Maryland. He’s the coach at Northwest High in Montgomery County and has one local assistant on his staff — Pete Hughes from Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion Mount Saint Joseph.
Neubeiser played in this game 30 years ago and knows what it’s all about.
“It’s a special event,” he said. “It’s really something you’re going to remember for the rest of your lives. I’m very excited about where this is going to go.”
Ravens tight end Nick Boyle spoke to the players who came to news conference and told them a story about how it took him a while to buy into football as his main sport. But now, he said, is the time for these players to really listen to their coaches and learn the lessons that can help them become better.
“You want to build your DNA, your foundation as a player,” Boyle said. “I’m known as a blocking tight end. I grew that foundation ... and now look at what I’m doing, playing in the NFL.”
Sinclair Broadcasting will again televise the game with Bruce Cunningham from Fox 45 on the call. The Big 33 also can boast an interesting fact — every Super Bowl has included at least one player who took part in this contest.
Here’s a list of the local players on the Maryland team:
- Towson WR Karon Ball (Notre Dame of Maryland)
- Concordia Prep DB Deonte’ Ferguson (Fork Union Military Academy)
- Lake Clifton WR Michael Gray (Wagner)
- Mount Saint Joseph DB Aamir Hall (Richmond)
- Franklin DL Montre Harris (Bowie State)
- Marriotts Ridge TE/DL Nick Harris (Connecticut)
- St. Frances DL Bryce Johnson-Maith (Buffalo)
- Mount Saint Joseph DL Tyler Leavy (Merrimack)
- Mervo DL Kamar Missouri (undecided)
- Calvert Hall P Peter Moore (Virginia Tech)
- Milford Mill LB Jordan Morant (Frostburg State)
- St. Frances OL Tyler Thomas (Kent State)
- St. Frances DL Jonathan Wallace (undecided)
- Mount Saint Joseph RB/LB Marlowe Wax Jr. (Syracuse)