Last year: 8-2; MVAL Piedmont champions Returning starters Offense: Defense: Intriguing matchup: Frederick at TJ, Nov. 8. This isn't just a rivalry game — it's an event. And both of these teams were among the area's best last season. What opposing scouts are saying: They are going to be experienced and very well coached. They should be pretty disciplined and should have some pretty good speed. They have a real good quarterback, who will have to be contained. Offensively against them, you are probably going to have to play really fundamental offense … They lost a really good kicker so I think their special teams may not be as good as they have been in previous years … Walker, the quarterback, has a pretty good arm. He’s got decent speed. You’ll have to keep him inside the pocket. You can’t let him run. Schedule Sept. 5: at Tuscarora, 7 Sept. 12: Winters Mill, 7 Sept. 19: at Century, 7 Sept. 26: Urbana, 7 Oct. 3: FSK, 7 Oct. 10: S. Hagerstown, 7 Oct. 16: at Middletown, 7 Oct. 24: Walkersville, 7 Oct. 31: at N. Hagerstown, 7 Nov. 8: at TJ, 1
	Coach: Vince Ahearn Seniors—Andrew Zimnik, QB-LB; Casey Briggs, WR-DB; Tyler Martin, RB-LB; Gilbert Kim, WR-LB; Josh Jackson, RB-LB; Tyler Luther, WR-DB; Danzel Ferguson, WR-DB; Stephon Morris, OL-DL; John-Matt Sienkowski, OL-DL; Aaron Gruber, OL-DL; Michael Morgan, OL-DL; Michael Hutchison, TE-LB; Hank Adams, TE-DB. Juniors—Deon Walker, QB-DB; Andrew Hartman, RB-DB; Alec Ahearn, WR-DB; Casey Guillen, WR-DB; Greg Ehabe, WR-DB; Patrick Navas, RB-LB; Jamar Thomas, WR-DB; Sam Lavala, WR-DB; Sean Abbasi, WR-DB; Christian Rodriguez, WR-DB; Mathew Corbett, WR-DB; Jamal Harris, WR-DB; Michael Brown, RB-LB; Tyler Kight, TE-LB; Dillon Clahar, OL-DL; Alfredo Turcios, OL-DL; Travis Gibb, OL-LB; Kevin McClellan, OL-LB; John Bukasa, OL-DL; Mac Stephen, OL-DL; Anthony Mackie-Harvey, OL-DL; Xavier Robertson, TE-LB; Glennis Hollingsworth, WR-DB.

You have a number of returning players. Is there a bitter taste in their mouths after playing so well last year and not getting a shot at the postseason?

I would say it’s a constant reminder.The bitter taste will be lifelong for the seniors from last year. It’s unfortunate.This group has worked extremely hard in the offseason and, believe me, they have been reminded over and over again about the situation and taking care of business … It was a roller coaster last year. The guys are well aware of that.

You referenced that your spread-gun was one of the first spread offenses in the county. You guys were sort of the pioneers. Now everyone is running a spread. How has your version of it kind of evolved now that all of these other schools have caught up to the trend?

Everybody has a difference with it. There are some wrinkles that we are putting in this year that we have seen in a couple of places. They are not drastic changes, but they are not small either. They’re noticeable … When you look at the complexity of what we started with (in 2002) and what we do now, it’s amazing. It’s almost like you don’t realize what you didn’t know. We were so basic.

What do you like the most about your new quarterback, 6-foot-3, 180-pound junior Deon Walker?

His potential. His frame. He’s young and has the prospect of being a two-year starter. If things work out, he’ll gain some valuable experience this year. He’s developing and we are already seeing some of that development. As coachable as he is, we think he has a real promising future.

You return a pair of key offensive weapons in running back Josh Jackson and wide receiver Danzel Ferguson. What will their roles be this year?

We’ll rely on them heavily along with our line, which has everyone back. Danzel could be a running back for us, too. They are both very talented kids. We also have a pair of promising freshman Mark Hoy, a receiver, and Jalen Gee, a running back. Rarely, have I put a freshman on the team, not to mention one that can contribute right away. We have two that have a chance to contribute right away. It’s going to be exciting. We brought these kids up because they can contribute and they should be competing on this level.

Last year, your defense made big strides, but Alex Cornish, the Defensive Player of the Year, graduated. Who will help lead the defense this year?

We may have someone emerge like Alex Cornish or Quentin Ferguson before him. We may be more solid on defense this year because of our depth. Our entire defensive line is back.

For the first time, Frederick has a feeder program. What benefits will this yield?

Well, that’s a whole other article. It absolutely exploded in its first year.We really didn’t know what to expect. It was unbelievable.We could have opened it up and expanded to more than just the Pony, JV and varsity levels, but we didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves.We’ll probably expand next year.We have over 90 kids enrolled in the program right now.The system is designed to be the same, whether it be this program or the high school teams.That way, we don’t have to teach stuff over and over again every year, which we were doing before. Our progression is called Cradle to College.The teaching curriculum is set up for you once you start in the program to the time you graduate from high school. So far, everything has been extremely successful.