Sideline Report This Week in Prince George's High School Football

By Matthew Stanmyre
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, October 11, 2007

When Eteyen Edet strolled over to a Friendly practice this summer, the coaching staff took one look at him and thought he was an adult taking in the action.

"From a distance, we thought he was another parent," laughed Friendly assistant coach Ray Thorpe.

Edet introduced himself to the staff and told them he was 17 years old, even though he was 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds. He had recently moved to Fort Washington, heard a lot about Friendly football and wanted to join the team.

About two months later, Edet has become one of the most dominating players in Prince George's County. In four games with the Patriots, he's racked up 48 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions -- becoming the cornerstone of a defense that boasts three straight shutouts.

"He's the best linebacker I've ever coached -- by far," Friendly Coach George Earley said. "He just brought our defense to another level. He's that good."

Recruiters have taken notice. Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen and seven assistants took in Friendly's 32-12 victory over Forestville last month specifically to recruit Patriots standout Lamaar Thomas. Instead, they left enamored of Edet.

North Carolina, North Carolina State and Illinois are also pursuing him.

Friedgen "came up to me after the game and said, 'Where did [Edet] come from?' " Thorpe said. "I told him, 'Coach, he came from out of the sky.' "

Well, not exactly. Edet was raised in Staten Island, N.Y., and transferred to Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy for his junior year of high school to receive better academic attention.

Earley said he left Fork Union after one year because of financial reasons. Edet then moved in with an aunt in Fort Washington this summer.

"He just walked over to practice one day and said he wanted to play," Earley said.

Edet's statistics during a 40-0 victory over McDonough last month illustrate his versatility: 10 tackles, one sack, one interception and a fumble recovery. He also has the intensity part down: "We wanted to swallow these dudes," Edet said after Friday's 40-0 victory over Douglass. "We didn't want to show no mercy."

Friendly's coaches call Edet, who Earley said has a 3.4 grade-point average, a consummate student of the game. Thorpe gives him game film each Saturday of the upcoming opponent, and Edet devours it.

Before Friendly's game against Douglass, Edet rushed up to Thorpe: "He said, 'Coach, they only have four plays. I'm going to have a big game this week,' " Thorpe said. Edet responded with 14 tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery.

"This kid's just on another level than most of the players in this area," Earley said. "Right now, I don't see anyone close to him in Maryland."

Surrattsville on a Roll

Surrattsville Coach Tom Green examined his roster before the season -- he saw 28 seniors out of 35 players -- and expected to be competitive. But even Green is mildly surprised by just how dominant the Hornets have been.

Surrattsville (5-0) has won its games by an average of 38 points; its closest contest was a 35-8 victory over Potomac last month. The Hornets have scored more than 40 points four times, including a 55-point outburst against Forestville.

"We thought Forestville and Potomac would be two of our toughest games," Green said, "and we put a running clock on both of them."

The Hornets, who went 4-6 last season, have never won a Prince George's County title, and Green can't recall the last time the team made the playoffs. However, if Surrattsville can win its last five games -- its toughest test is tomorrow against Douglass (3-2) -- the Hornets would be guaranteed a playoff trip, as well as at least a share of the county title.

Leading the way has been running back Davin Meggett, who has rushed for 726 yards with 15 touchdowns and has committed to Maryland. Junior quarterback Andre Johnson has passed for eight touchdowns and rushed for 10 more scores.

Watch the Crusaders

Riverdale Baptist (4-2) is off to one of its best starts in school history following a 38-7 victory over Bullis on Saturday. The key for the Crusaders -- 2-7 a year ago -- is the team's newfound commitment to strength training.

"We're much stronger this year than we were last year across the board," Riverdale Baptist Coach Bob Shields said. "We just spent the entire offseason in the weight room, trying to get stronger, trying to get in condition."

Shields said roughly half of his players squat more than 400 pounds. That strength helped the Crusaders knock off Maryland 4A foe C.M. Wright, 25-14, last month.

It doesn't hurt that Riverdale Baptist has an infusion of talent. Senior running back D'Ante Smith, who rushed for 172 yards on three carries against Bullis, and wideout Anthony Howze are both division I-A prospects.