Blog LIVE Game Blog: Maury 20, Wise (MD) 14 - FINAL

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Greetings from Powhatan Field in Norfolk, the site of tonight's matchup between a defending Maryland State Champ against a reigning Virginia State Champ.

The Wise Pumas invade the Commonwealth to take on the Maury Commodores, who ride a 15-game winning streak.

It's another outstanding night from a weather perspective for football at 76 degrees with a sun that is about to set in a few mnutes. Couldn't ask for better conditions.

We'll have updates here on the Blog + via Twitter or 'X' as it is now known @hatfieldsports

Before we kick off, check out our Preview from earlier...


Wise (MD) at Maury . . . Last year when these two eventual State Champions squared off on September 1 in Upper Marlboro, the games was deadlocked at 14-all past the midway point of the third period. That’s where the Maury defense and special teams unit took control, getting a game-changing interception and late using a blocked punt as they outscored the Pumas 20-0 the rest of the way for a 34-14 win to begin an undefeated campaign.

Coach Dyrri McCain’s Commodores return a wealth of talent, headed up by six D-1 commits in DE Ari Watford (Clemson), LB Carlton ‘C.J.’ Smith (Maryland), WR LeBron Bond (Indiana) and FS Kendall Daniels (South Carolina) to go with a couple of William & Mary commits in RB Leon ‘Fatman’ Clark and DB Trevon ‘Speedy’ Cannon. Wise, has a new Head Coach in Steve Rapp, the program’s offensive coordinator since 2013 under DaLawn Parrish, who left to take over at Westlake High in Waldforf, Maryland.

The Pumas aren’t hurting for talent with a trio of highly rated prospects dotting their roster in 3-Star RB De’Carlos Young (Temple commit), 4-Star DT Trent Wilson (Oklahoma) and 3-Star DE Taylor Brown (West Virginia). Wilson rated the No. 84 prospect in the country by Rivals.

For Maury, this game comes down to a couple of factors in my opinion. Can the Commodores offensive line block that fierce front headed up by Brown and Wilson? They don’t want the pocket collapsing on their dual-threat star QB Au’Tori Newkirk, the VHSL Class 5 State Offensive Player of the Year from 2023 who produced over 4400 yards and 57 TD’s as a junior. Secondly, can the Commodores establish a consistent ground attack so that the pressure doesn’t fall exclusively on the passing game?

It’ll be a fascinating battle in the trenches, and being at home at Powhatan Field in Norfolk should put the Commodores in a comfort zone as they have won their last 15 games at that venue.

Matt Hatfield Says – Maury 21-13
Coach Ed Young Says – Maury 28-14

 

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Maury begins with the football at their own 26 after Eli Moss with the opening kickoff return gains about 10 or 11 yards. The Commodores begin out of '10' personnel.

The first three passes by Au'Tori Newkirk are completed for 20 yards - with two going to Moss and one going to tailback Cam SImmons.

Simmons converts a key 3rd & 2 at midfield, running to the left. Wise is coming up quickly though and tackling well, not giving much room to budge for the Maury playmakers on the perimeter. They have certainly done their homework on this offense.

The drive ends up stalling for Maury with a sack from Daesean Jackson, and then on 4th & 12 from the Wise 35, it's Bryce Whitik bringing Newkirk down short of the marker on his scramble.

 

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Wise begins with the football at their own 30 with 8:26 to go in the opening period. Well, it becomes 1st & 15 after a delay of game penalty. Those don't help the drive being initated whatsoever. Isaiah 'Ike' Simmons makes a strong stuff vs. the run and the 2026 LB continues to get more and more attention - including offers - from Power 5 schools.

On 3rd & 14, it's QB Eric Wedge being sacked by MarQuaveon Morris, who came through up the middle untouched. That's a 3 & out for the Pumas.

Maury Coach Dyrri McCain and his d-coordinator, Mike Privott, have to be thrilled with how the they responded defensively after seeing the offense move the ball, then come up short from scoring.

 

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Starting their second series at their own 35 with 6:28 to go in the first quarter after a holding penalty on the punt return, Maury loses a couple of yards with William & Mary commit Leon 'Fatman' Clark getting his first touch of the night in the run game. Following an incomplete pass, Maury is able to convert the 3rd & 12 with QB Au'Tori Newkirk finding South Carolina commit Kendall Daniels - who has played some QB effectively in the past for the Commodores - moving the chains.

The whole concept right now of Wise's defense is not to let Maury utilize its screen game to then attack with the big play down the field. They're tackling well on the edge, especially DeCarlos Young, the Temple commit. It's Young making the stop of WR Elijah Moss-Williams on a pass to the near sideline area on 3rd & 7 around midfield. They also did a good job of not letting LeBron Bond, the Indiana commit, break away on a screen that picked up just four yards.

Earlier that series, Maury shifted to '20' personnel and they couldn't get the run game to develop out of it as they have been held to 23 yards on 7 attempts with one of those gaining 17 via Cam Simmons.

Wise fair catches the punt at their own 15 with 3:40 to go in the first period.

 

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Maury is shooting itself in the foot with careless penalties, including a targeting when it looked like the Commodores were getting off the field on 3rd & 11 when Kendall Daniels made a big hit on DeCarlos Young on a pass in the flat area.

An offsides penalty as well as a pass interference penalty, with a run of 8 by Young mixed in, have the Pumas now on track offensively. They're at the Commodores 41-yard line.

 

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Big-time takeaway for the Maury defense, headed up by their Rivals150 talent Ari Watford, who will be in the conversation for Class 5 State Defensive Player of the Year we believe.

Now Maury will look to get its mojo back offensively before the end of the opening period.

 

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Those receptions by both Kendall Daniels and Damon McDaniel Jr. were much-needed. Right before the end of the first quarter, Daniels nearly caught a TD in the back of the end zone from QB Au'Tori Newkirk as he laid out and just couldn't grab on the diving attempt.

Nice opening period for Newkirk to go 9 of 11 for 66 yards without any turnovers while he saw some pressure in his face.

 

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Beautiful job by the Maury offense, designed by Coach Dyrri McCain, to get Au'Tori Newkirk on a rollout and finding their most explosive weapon, LeBron Bond, in space where even this alert Wise defense couldn't keep pace with him.

The PAT is no good / blocked.

A holding penalty on the return by Wise backs them up to their own 10 with 11:40 to go in the half. Before that, though, it was junior LB Isaiah 'Ike' Simmons absolutely laying out the return man with a vicious hit.

 

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Eric Wedge, the junior QB for Wise, scrambles for just enough yards on 2nd & 8 to move the sticks. However, the Wise offense has been very basic / vanilla from my perspective. They could be a bit more aggressive and try to attack these corners down the field, especially considering they've drawn a couple of pass interference penalties. Of course, the blocking up front has to be there and right now it has been just so-so for the visitors from Maryland.

Furthermore, the body language is not that great looking for Wise as things have changed dramatically for them since that pitch out that was fumbled by Kamron Parker.

The Maury defense forces a punt on 4th & 4 from the 26 with 10:10 to go in the half. It goes out of bounds and the Commodores have it at the Wise 48 with 10:00 exactly on the clock.

Is this where Dyrri McCain takes a big shot down the field?

 

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The tempo is picking up for Maury as it's Au'Tori Newkirk finding Damon McDaniel Jr. on a solid 8-yard completion. On 2nd & 2, Newkirk does a splendid job of keeping it on the option read, where the defense bits down on the back - Leon 'Fatman' Clark. As a result, Newkirk gains 11 to move the chains.

Tyvon Callaway - who has 6 total tackles by my count so far (5 solo) - and DeCarlos Young do a nice job of keeping Newkirk short of the first down on 3rd & 5. On 4th & 1 from the Wise 20, Maury leaves the offense on the field, but makes a QB switch with Kendall Daniels in there instead of Newkirk, presumably for more wiggle / size to try to plow forward. But before it can happen, Wise gets called for encroachment.

Oh my!

 

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Tell you what, the Wise defense made it difficult with Tyvon Callaway, Taylor Brown (who had a tackle for loss) and company not budging one bit against the run. So what does Maury do?

They go to the sprint out on 4th & Goal from the 2, giving QB Au'Tori Newkirk more room to operate out of the gun and hit the talented speedster LeBron Bond on the near side for a TD. Flawless execution.

 

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That kickoff return breathed life into Wise, big-time.

Now we have ourselves a tight ballgame.

Maury has it at their own 24 with 3:50 to go and they are looking to go with rapid speed here before the break to try to re-extend their lead to a pair of scores.

 

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On the first play, it's Au'Tori Newkirk held to a gain of 1 on a run. They then go to the air, where Elijah Moss-Williams gets 6 yards, nearly fumbling it away. On 3rd & 5, the Commodores bring Cam Simmons back into the equation and he powers forward for a gain of 7 to the 38.

The big moment for the defense comes when Newkirk is sacked, and I mean drilled, by Oklahoma commit and 4-Star Trent Wilson for a loss of 7. That brings up 3rd & 14, where Newkirk nearly finds Jaiden Avery for a completion into Wise territory. However, the officials rule incomplete.

Maury punts it away on 4th & 14 from their own 24 with 1:20 till intermission. Wise will burn their first time-out before the punt.

A backwards pass to DeCarlos Young ends up resulting in a loss of 8 yards as it's Maryland Terps commit Carlton 'C.J.' Smith at linebacker getting to him. The Pumas get a nice 9-yard catch by Dien Jones to make it 3rd & 9. They then get just enough to move the sticks with QB Eric Wedge running for that exact amount.

Sergio Terrico makes a splendid catch worth 27 yards on 2nd & 10 down to the Maury 31 with 11 seconds to go in the half. Wedge has miscommunication with his receiver on the next pass, but they still have time for one more shot in the end zone with 6 seconds remaining.

Young makes the catch from Wedge, but Smith strings him out of bounds as time expires to reach half-time.

 

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Stats at the Half:
Maury (VA) 13:
Au'Tori Newkirk - 15-19 for 112Yds. 2-0 TD/Int. ratio; 8Car. 24Yds.
Cam Simmons - 5Car. 33Yds; 1Rec. 5Yds.
LeBron Bond - 4Rec. 35Yds. 2 TD's
Elijah Moss - 4Rec. 23Yds.
Kendall Daniels - 2Rec. 31Yds; 3 Tackles
Damon McDaniel Jr. - 2Rec. 19Yds.
Carlton 'CJ' Smith - 5 Tackles

Commodores - 37 plays for 173 total yards (15-19 for 112 yards passing; 18 rushes for 61 yards); 4 penalties for 45 yards; 0 turnovers

Wise (MD) 7:
Eric Wedge - 4-9 for 44Yds; 6Car. 13Yds. TD
DeCarlos Young - 8Car. 13Yds; 2Rec. 8Yds; 4 Tackles, 0.5 TFL
Sergio Terrico - 1Rec. 27Yds.
Dien Jones - 1Rec. 9Yds.
Tyvon Callaway - 8 Tackles (6 Solo)
Trent Wilson - 1.5 TFL

Pumas - 24 plays for 66 total yards (4-9 for 44 yards passing; 15 rushes for 22 yards, 1 lost fumble); 2 penalties for 10 yards; 1 turnover

 

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Charlie McCoy is ready to kick it away for Maury to begin this 2nd half as Wise has a chance to potentially tie or take the lead here with this possession.

The kickoff is squibbed, where DeCarlos Young fields it at his own 26 with 11:56 to go in this 3rd period.

 

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Just two plays into the half, it's a strip-sack where Clemson commit Ari Watford knocks it away from QB Eric Wedge and it's recovered by Terps commit Carlton 'CJ' Smith.

However, Maury gives it right back because on 3rd & 10 from the 12, Kendall Daniels comes in at QB and is not ready for the snap. The fumble is recovered by John Paul Methodus of the Pumas.

Wise is now in the midst of a lengthy drive that began at their own 23 with 10:23 to go in the third period. A great steady diet of run and pass on this series, using some tempo and then also getting methodical when needed.

 

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This has been a marvelous, time-consuming drive by Wise as they have run it nine times and throw six, completing five of them. Peyton Nelson and Elijah Pedro have started clicking at the receiver position. Pedro got a couple of 8-yard grabs on out patterns, while Nelson made a clutch 16-yard reception on 4th & 12 to extend the drive.

Maury had two monster hits, including one by LB Carlton Smith, who has been everywhere tonight. But the defense is not as in sync as earlier in the contest.

 

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Worse news for Maury is that 4-Star DE/OLB Ari Watford just got carted off the field. So we may not see him return in this one. Watford had that big strip-sack earlier in the half that the Commodores failed to cash in on and Wise made them pay with a takeaway of their own.

 

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On this second possession of the half for Maury that begins at theit own 35 with 4:02 to go in the third period, we've seen the Commodores go to a few different personnel packages. They went with 10 personnel, 20 personnel and 12 personnel. They used the latter to get in the end zone and re-claim the lead.

Two big plays were 3rd & 1 and 3rd & 2 conversions. Au'Tori Newkirk used his legs to run for 24 yards into Wise teritory. On the other one, he found Eli Moss for a 9-yard gain on a comeback route.

The Commodores have seen him use his mobility quite well throughout portions of this game, and even went with a QB counter call.

Until that TD run to cap it by Cam Simmons, the Wise defense was wrapping up very well. Simmons bounced off multiple tacklers to give Maury the lead back.

 

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We might have ourselves a barn-burner ...

That run by Nelson was an end around type that really had him covered up well, going from one side to the other to move the chains.

Some really good adjustments by the Wise coaching staff offensively to create ways to move the ball after being bottled up for most of the first half.

 

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Forget what we said earlier about Ari Watford being carted off the field. That's because either it wasn't him or he's put on the Superman cape and is back, making a tackle for loss to bring up 2nd & 14 for the Pumas early in the fourth quarter at their own 44.

Moments later, Kendall Daniels nearly makes a twisting interception. However, when the play was over, an unsportsmanlike conduct 15-yard penalty on the Commodores is going to push the visiting Pumas across the 50. It puts them at the Maury 46.

Right after Maury saw two of their steady linebackers - Isaiah 'Ike' Simmons and Dylan Goad - make a stop on 3rd & 4 to bring up 4th & 2, the Commodores get a sideline warning.

Wise goes to a fake punt at the perfect time and right spot on the field on 4th & 2. Avery Cade converts the fake punt with a 6-yard run to the 38 of the Commodores.

 

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Maury has dropped not one, but TWO interceptions as Kendall Daniels had it right in his hands and couldn't complete a crucial takeaway with 8:16 to go as Wise is knocking on the red zone door.

Another Eric Wedge incomplete pass brings up 3rd & 10 from the Maury 27. Most of this drive has been the running of Temple pledge DeCarlos Young, mixing in a catch from WR Eliajh Pedro, who is doing some damage east / west style.

Enormous catch on 3rd & 10 by Young in the flat down to the Maury 16. Young is a load to bring down as it takes three or four Maury defenders to get him to the turf.

Using the far sideline, Wedge almost gets it to Peyton Nelson for a TD. He actually hauled it in, but the refs say he was out of bounds. Giant 3rd & 8 from the 14 with 7:08 to go forthcoming...

 

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Talk about an important decision for the first-year Head Coach, who previously was in the role of offensive coordinator during those state title runs.

Maury will call a time-out to get their defense organized here and it's a good move by Coach Dyrri McCain and his staff.

 

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Out of the time-out, the pass is right on the button by Eric Wedge. However, it goes right through the hands of Peyton Nelson, who might've heard footsteps.

Maury takes over at their own 14 with 6:51 to go, trying to ice this one.

 

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Maury's running game out of 20 personnel (that's 2 backs, 0 tight ends, 3 receivers) is generating some solid gainers. It's QB Au'Tori Newkirk on the keeper for +9, followed by rushes of +2 and +7 from William & Mary commit Leon 'Fatman' Clark.

A false start will back Maury up to their own 32 with 4:28 to go. Another false start pushes them back to their own 27. Now that changes things immensely. It's penalty No. 7 for 70 yards on the night for the Commodores.

Taylor Brown drops Newkirk for a loss of 3 to make it 2nd & 23.

 

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LeBron Bond gets 3 yards back on a run with a shift / audible during the play. That makes it 3rd & 20 for Maury from their own 27. That's where 4-Star and Oklahoma commit Trent Wilson sacks Au'Tori Newkirk for a loss of 7.

A time-out is burned with 1:59 to go and the Pumas have a chance to get the ball back as the Commodores will be punting on 4th & 27.

 

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Wise has it at the Maury 40-yard line with 1:49 to go, trailing the reigning VHSL Class 5 State Champs with 20-14.

Here comes the barn-burner finish... and the 2-minute drill.

Good punt return by Peyton Nelson by the way of 14 yards.

 

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Pass over the middle is dropped by Elijah Pedro. Will Maury and DC Mike Privott dial up a blitz here on 2nd & 10? If they do and get to QB Eric Wedge, it can pay major dividends.

The Pumas get called for an ineligible receiver downfield penalty with 1:39 to play. Maury actually declines the penalty - because the pass was incomplete - to bring up 3rd & 10 from the Commodores 40.

Another incomplete pass, this one intended for DeCarlos Young, brings up 4th & 10 with 1:35 left. Both teams have two time-outs.

 

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Cannon stayed with the receiver hip for hip and did not get overly aggressive as it fell harmlessly in the end zone.

Maury can now take a knee and potentially run the clock out here, although Wise does have 2 time-outs left.

 

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After taking a knee, losing a yard, Maury watches Wise burn one of its two remaining time-outs. They then decide to run it with Cam Simmons for +6 and it will cost the Pumas their last time-out with 1:16 to play.

QB Au'Tori Newkirk fakes the toss left and runs up the middle for a gain of 4 to the 49.

Tyvon Callaway, one of the Wise defenders, is down with an injury. That stops the clock with 58 seconds to go before a 4th & 1 from the 49-yard line.

 

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Out of the injury time-out, there is now 28 seconds to go and Maury uses one of its last two time-outs remaining before 4th & 1 from their own 49.

Leading 20-14, does Commodores Coach Dyrri McCain dare go for it here? Ya never know...

 

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With Kendall Daniels back there, he ends up pooch punting it to the Wise 21-yard line with 16 seconds to go.

Do the Pumas have a miracle finish left in them?

 

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Holy smokes - - with 6 seconds to go, Eric Wedge watches his pass get deflected and caught off the deflection y Kamron Parker for a 51-yard completion down to the Commodores 29. The last pass is heaved towards the end zone and incomplete as time runs out.

Maury survives and wins their 16th in a row in one heck of a battle between two defending State Champions.

 

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More to come later...

 

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Final Stats:

Maury, VA 20: (1-0 Overall)
Au'Tori Newkirk - 17-22 for 124Yds. 2-0 TD/Int. ratio; 14Car. 52Yds.
Cam Simmons - 10Car. 62Yds; 1Rec. 5Yds.
Leon 'Fatman' Clark - 8Car. 20Yds.
LeBron Bond - 5Rec. 38Yds. 2 TD's
Eli Moss - 5Rec. 32Yds.
Kendall Daniels - 2Rec. 31Yds; 6 Tackles (3 Solo), 2 PBU
Damon McDaniel Jr. - 2Rec. 19Yds.
Carlton Smith - 11 Tackles (6 Solo), 1.5 TFL, Fumble Recovery
Matt Williams - 8 Tackles (5 Solo)
Leslile Hines - 6 Tackles (3 Solo), 1.5 TFL, Sack, PBU
Corey Jacobs - 6 Tackles
Ari Watford - 4 Tackles, 1.5 TFL, Forced Fumble, Fumble Recovery

Commodores - 57 plays for 248 total yards (17-22 for 124 yards passing; 35 rushes for 124 yards, 1 fumble lost); 7 penalties for 70 yards; 1 turnover; 3 defensive sacks


Wise, MD 14: (0-1 Overall)
Eric Wedge - 12-27 for 154Yds. 1-0 TD/Int. ratio; TD rushing
DeCarlos Young - 16Car. 50Yds; 4Rec. 22Yds. TD; 6 Tackles (4 Solo), 1.5 TFL
Elijah Pedro - 3Rec. 23Yds.
Peyton Nelson - 2Rec. 22Yds; 2Car. 14Yds.
Sergio Terrico - 1Rec. 27Yds.
Tyvon Callaway - 9 Tackles (7 Solo)
John Paul Methodus - 6 Tackles (5 Solo), TFL, Fumble Recovery
Daesean Jackson - 6 Tackles (5 Solo)
Trent Wilson - 4 TFL, 2 Sacks
Taylor Brown - 2 TFL, Sack

Pumas - 12-27 for 154 yards passing; 64 yards rushing, 2 fumbles lost); 3 penalties for 15 yards; 2 turnovers; 3 defensive sacks

 

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Video Interview with Maury Head Football Coach Dyrri McCain:



Maury Head Football Coach Dyrri McCain chats with VirginiaPreps.com's Matthew Hatfield following his team's 20-14 win over Wise (MD) at Powhatan Field in Norfolk on Friday, September 6, 2024.

McCain's Commodores, the reigning VHSL Class 5 State Champs, have now won 16 straight and also 16 in a row at Powhatan Field.They next travel to Highland Springs on September 13th.

 

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Video Interview with Maury's LeBron and Carlton Smith:



Maury's LeBron Bond and Carlton Smith chat after their 20-14 victory over Wise, MD at Powhatan Field in Norfolk on Friday, September 6, 2024.

Bond, an All-State wide receiver, is committed to play his College Football in the Big Ten at Indiana.

Smith, a linebacker new to the Commodores after previously playing for Saint Frances in Baltimore, has given a pledge to play his College Football in the Big Ten at Maryland.