Seneca Valley: Eagles have quarterback question ... again

Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo file photo Shawn Perry is back after rushing for 1,399 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior last year.

Junior Antonio Jones (5-foot-11, 165 pounds), who started a handful of games last season (392 yards passing, 3 TDs), was penciled in as the No. 1 guy this year. But Jones has tendonitis in his throwing elbow and hasn’t been able to prepare for the regular season. His status for Friday’s opener and the rest of the season is up in the air. Enter sophomore George Lerch (5-11, 165), the junior-varsity starter a year ago, who has the makings of a terrific thrower, but is, well, a sophomore with no varsity experience. So for the seventh time in seven years, the Eagles start the season with a brand-new signal caller and questions about the team’s ability to throw the football in an era of growing versatility.

‘‘It’s a concern,” said Seneca head coach Fred Kim about the quarterbacks, ‘‘but we hope to get Antonio back and George Lerch will be a great football player here.”

That said, this is Seneca Valley, and nobody’s feeling sorry for the Eagles, especially not themselves.

‘‘As always, expectations at Seneca are very high — nothing less than a state championship,” Kim said. ‘‘The pressure’s always on. We do have very good players. We have a lot of guys who we think will make a significant impact this year. So our expectations are to be right back in the championship hunt.”

Among those players are six legitimate Division-I college prospects, led by senior lineman Donald Langley (6-foot-2, 288 pounds) and senior fullback⁄defensive end Jourdan Brooks (6-1, 245). Both are serious Division I-A prospects with multiple scholarships offers — Langley has 37, Brooks, too, is in double-digits.

Also coveted by colleges are speedy senior running back Shawn Perry (5-9, 165, 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash), who rushed for 1,399 yards and 21 touchdowns last year, defensive back David Purvis (5-11, 175, 4.4 speed), linebacker Fred Branch (6-2, 205, 4.5 speed), and lineman Malinda Weeramunda (6-3, 305).

Defense should be a strength. Though he’ll play both ways, Langley is being recruited as a defensive tackle, Brooks is a beast on the end, while Purvis, Branch and Perry provide plenty of speed at the secondary levels. Add in short, stout senior lineman Marcus Turks (5-7, 220), senior end Sam Neal (6-3, 220), senior linebacker Anthony Chase (5-11, 220), and junior defensive backs Aron MacDonald (5-8, 160) and Jamaal Martin (5-11, 190) and the Eagles have a righteous combination of size and speed that should make them very difficult to score on.

On offense, Perry is one of the best backs in the state, and barring injury should post huge numbers again this year. The line is a little bit of a concern. Yes, there’s Langley and Weeramunda, but there’s also three new starters in senior center Ben Luke (5-10, 280), junior Kenny Traylor (5-10, 205) and either junior Tommy Rothert (5-10, 230) or senior Siddique Jarr-Koroma (5-9, 185). Tight end is in good hands with the return of Branch and junior Alex Betancourt.

McDonald is a playmaker at wide receiver and the kick-return game.

Eagle eggs

Head coach: Fred Kim, 3rd year (19-4 record); 5th overall (30-14)

League affilaition: Montgomery 3A

Last year’s record: 10-2

Last playoff appearance: 2005 (22nd)

Last state title: 2002 (12th)

Players to watch: DL⁄OL Donald Langley, DE⁄FB Jourdan Brooks, RB Shawn Perry, LB Fred Branch, DB David Purvis

2005 results

Sept. 9 — Wheaton (W), 35-7Sept. 16 —Northwest (W), 14-7Sept. 23 —Churchill (W), 7-0Sept. 30 —Kennedy (W), 50-0Oct. 7 — Sherwood (L), 21-6Oct. 14 —Einstein (W), 41-7Oct. 21 — Gaithersburg (W), 29-21Oct. 28 — B-CC (W), 42-17Nov. 4 — Paint Branch (W), 22-13Nov. 11 —Blake (W), 30-6Nov. 18 — Urbana (W), 45-39 (3 OT)*Nov. 25 — Westminster (L), 38-20** playoff game

2006 schedule

Sept. 8 — Wheaton, 6:30 p.m.Sept. 15 — at Northwest, 6:30 p.m.Sept. 21 — at Churchill, 6:30 p.m.Sept. 29 — Kennedy, 6:30 p.m.Oct. 6 — at Sherwood, 6:30 p.m.Oct. 13 — at Einstein, 6:30 p.m.Oct. 20 — Gaithersburg, 6:30 p.m.Oct. 27 — at B-CC, 6:30 p.m.Nov. 3 — Paint Branch, 6:30 p.m.Nov. 10 — Blake, 6:30 p.m.