Aug. 15, 2012
CUMBERLAND — The fourth annual Queen City Quad Preseason High School Football Classic will kick off Saturday, 3 p.m., at Greenway Avenue Stadium. The host Fort Hill Sentinels will welcome a new opponent this year in Morgantown High School, marking the first time a team from the state of West Virginia has attended.
Morgantown lost in the West Virginia state semifinals last year to eventual champion Martinsburg but the Mohigans are considered a favorite to play for the Class AAA title in 2012 due to a large array of skill position talent returning. Six players on this year’s roster have been named to the Charleston Daily Mail Preseason All-State Team including 6-3 senior quarterback Mark Johnson, 6-3 senior receiver Blaine Stewart, 285-pound tackle Adam White, running back Chazzy Thomas and 225-pound linebacker Jalen Thomas.
Since 2006, the Mohigans have lost in the playoffs to the eventual state champion four times. Prior to 2006 Morgantown was the dominant force in Class AAA winning state titles in 2000, ’02, ’04 and ’05.
T.C. Williams will make its third straight appearance in the Quad. Most people will recognize the name of this school from the Hollywood movie “Remember The Titans,” which was based on a true story in which Denzel Washington played the lead role of football coach Herman Boone. The current-day Titans from Alexandria, Va., will be the largest school represented at the Quad with 3,161 students.
The Queen City Quad has always been a four-team scrimmage. This year, however, there will be three teams as Dunbar of Baltimore had to cancel due to the new heat acclimatization guidelines set forth by the state. Most of the counties in Maryland, including Baltimore City, were forced to push the date they could scrimmage back to Aug. 20, two days after the Quad. Organizers of the Quad were notified of this decision just three weeks ago, leaving no time to find a replacement. Dunbar head coach Lawrence Smith expressed disappointment in the Poets not being able to take part in this year’s event.
What makes this preseason tune-up important to all the coaches involved is the ability for their players to compete against different personnel and strategies. Each school will get to perform against the other two while using first-down chains and referees in a true game setting.
On the sidelines this year will be members of the Navy Seal *SWCC Scout Team from Virginia Beach. The Seal Team will have on display some of the equipment used in the field. They will be located on the track at the bottom of the steps leading to Fort Hill.
Allegany will host a varsity scrimmage at the stadium with Musselman starting at 10 a.m. The Queen City Quad will follow at 3 p.m. with both the junior varsity and varsity teams competing on the main field. Over 400 players and coaches took part in last year’s event.
Admission to the Queen City Quad is free but donations will be accepted at the gate with all proceeds going to the Queen City Football Foundation to help support the Quad. For information, go to FortHillFootball.net.
Todd Helmick is a former Fort Hill High School and Florida State University football player. He is the owner of the college football Web site NationalChamps.net and his radio show can be heard on Baltimore FOX Sports 1370.