FOOTBALL PREVIEW: DOES RESPECT STILL ELUDE EDMONDSON?

The Red Storm return six offensive and five defensive starters from a team that won last year's Class 2A state title game, the first in the program's history.

Edmondson Red Storm

Coach: Dante Jones, third year (17-7 career)

Last year's record: 13-1 overall, 7-1 Baltimore City's Division I

Offense: West Coast

Defense: 4-3

Returning starters: Offensive 6; Defensive 5

Top players: Carroll Washington, Jr., QB, 6-1, 175; Christopher Green, Jr., DB, 5-10, 170; Anthony Rice, Jr., DE, 6-3, 220; Terrance Wilson, Jr., RB, 6-2, 185; Jamal Fields, Sr., RB, 6-0, 225; Quinton Lyons, Sr., DT, 6-4, 255; Nicholaus Speller, Sr., OL-DL,6-5, 305; Stanley Savoy, Sr., OL, 6-4, 305; Darius Morris, Sr., OL-DL, 6-4, 295; Ralph Todd, Sr., wR, 6-0, 170; Joshua Kitrell, Sr., OL-DL, 6-2, 260; Allen Booker, Jr., OL-DL, 6-2, 255.

	Outlook: Jones returns after having more than reversed a 4-6 record suffered during his initial season. Jones has added defensive backs' coach Gary Smith, who, like, Jones and assistants Dwyane Green (offensive coordinator) and Antar Sims (defensive line), was a member of the Dunbar team, which, in 1994, became Baltimore City's first state title-winning program when it defeated Fort Hill of Cumberland, 30-15, for the Class 2A crown. "The kids have worked hard," said Jones, 31, who, last year,became the first man to have both coached and played for state title-winning Baltimore City teams. "It's all the result of a lot of time dedicated to the goal of gaining statewide respect, but we still feel like we're the underdogs."
Carroll Washington

Last year's championship game berth was the second for the Red Storm, which was a Class 2A state runner-up to Urbana of Frederick County under then-coach Pete Pompey in 1999.

Jones has scheduled defending Class 3A state champion, Friendly of Prince George's County, for the Red Storm's first game, to be played at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8 at Poly's Stadium.

Jones returns Morris, Speller and Savoy from an offensive line that cleared the way for graduated RB Tariq Jones's career-high 308 yards in last year's 37-9, Class 2A state title-game rout of McDonough of Charles County. Behind them, Tariq Jones totaled 1,951 rushing yards scored 16 TDs on the year.

The shifty Washington is back after having passed for 10 TDs and rushed for six more scores last season, as are Wilson and Fields, after having combined for 10 rushing TDs a year ago.

Winners of 11 straight games dating back to a 16-6 loss to Baltimore City College on Sept. 23 of 2006, the Red Storm also return Todd, who made his fifth scoring reception in last year's title game.

"I've been working on pro-agility, getting my speed up," said Washington, who rushed for and passed for seperate two-point conversions in last year's title game. "It's been a tiring, brutal offseason for me, but I know it was worth it."

Lyons, Rice, Kitrell and Green return from a defense which prevented McDonough QB Christian Ward from throwing his 22nd scoring pass, and limited McDonough's 6-5 University of Maryland WR prospect Derek Drummond to 22 receiving yards despite having entered the game with 11 scoring receptions.