The Cougars 2014 run ended in utter heartbreak. They were so close.
Six yards.
That was the differential needed to send them into overtime with Northwest in the 4A West region championship. They were down 28-21 at the time.
The eighteen feet that separated Quince Orchard and a chance at extending their season came crashing down after quarterback Carson Knight lost his footing and stumbled to the turf on the final play with time winding down.
All that head coach John Kelley could do was watch a nightmare unfold from the sidelines. To come that close, just six yards, is painfully agonizing. For nine months, the Quince Orchard returning players and coaching staff had to sleep on what could have been. Which leads us up to now – the avidity for redemption.
Before last season, Quince Orchard was led by one of the best prep coaches in Maryland history, Dave Mencarini. In his 10 year tenure, Mencarini posted a 107-18 record with three state championship appearances – converting one of those in 2007.
In the spring of 2014, Mencarini took up the head coaching opportunity at Urbana High School in Frederick County, to be closer to his family since he had already lived close by. The departure took many by surprise, but Quince Orchard had the perfect man to fill the vacancy: defensive coordinator John Kelley.
Though Kelley has never held a head coaching position before, he spent six years as a college football coach at schools like Towson and University of Maryland. He stepped right in and took over the organization – leading the Cougars to a 9-1 regular season record and a region championship appearance, that ended in nightmarish fashion.
It’s a new season. A fresh slate. The Cougars once again have abundant talent, but the region championship loss still burns in the back of their minds.
With the first year under his belt, Kelley returns for his second year at the helm. Since 2005, Quince Orchard has accumulated 109 wins and hasn’t had lower than nine wins over that period. In other terms, just pure dominance.
The Cougars have everything in-line to be juggernaut status once again in 2015. They have a young, savvy quarterback – transfer from Gonzaga with a Hollywood-like name, Doc Bonner.
The ammunition of offensive weapons are enough to dismantle teams by halftime with the likes of running back Marvin Beander and receivers Nick Moon and Foffie Bazzie. Offensive line wise, they are probably the best in the state behind four year varsity starter, center Zeph Titus.
On defense, they are scary and can do practically anything imaginable that makes up a stout defensive unit.
The Cougars don’t have anything to hide. They are loaded from top to bottom and will give it yet another run at the big dance this season.
Here is what you can expect from the Quince Orchard Cougars in 2015:
Head Coach: John Kelley, 2nd year, 10-2 record
2014 record: 10-2, (Lost to Northwest in the 4A West region championship)
2015 projected record: 10-2, (Lose to Northwest in the 4A West region championship)
Style of play: Run first offense / 3-4 defense
DOC UNDER CENTER, ABUNDANT TALENT SURROUNDS
QB, #10 Doc Bonner (SO.)
This year, Quince Orchard will have a sophomore under center. From the blind eye, you would never know this kid is only a year removed from being a freshman.
Meet Doc Bonner – a transfer from Gonzaga Preparatory School. At his time there he played on the freshman football team – leading the ninth grade Eagles to a 6-2 record while throwing for 10 touchdowns.
Now he finds himself in charge of an illustrious football program at the varsity level. Doc brings a lot to the table: good mechanics for an underclassman with great release on his passes and good pocket presence.
He is a pocket quarterback first, but can tuck the ball in and pick up yards on the ground if the opportunity presents itself. In the Cougars first scrimmage against Seneca Valley, Bonner went 7 for 10 while tossing 101 yards and one touchdown.
He is young and has never taken a snap in a varsity game before, but one thing that is irreplaceable is the solid supporting cast around him.
The Cougars won’t have to rely on Bonner much throwing the ball because of the run game Marvin Beander brings. The offensive line should give him practically all day to throw the football and he has depth in the receiver position.
Expect Bonner to start out the season as a game manager, throwing no more than 12 to 13 passes a game. But as the season progresses, don’t be surprised if Bonner blossoms and Coach Kelley starts to lean on him a bit more for this Quince Orchard team.
Projected stats: 1,350 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 450 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
RB, #23 Marvin Beander (JR.)
Last season Marvin Beander shared carries with senior back Kyle Green. With Green graduated and gone, Beander will now take the bulk of the carries.
And with an inexperienced quarterback under center, you can almost guarantee his workload will be hefty. In 2014, Quince Orchard ran the ball roughly 80 percent of the time with Beander only taking a quarter of the touches.
In his 100 carries, he almost hit 800 yards rushing and scored 14 touchdowns. We should expect about 20 carries a game from Beander this season. As a running back he brings elite shiftiness – literally breaking defenders ankles and making his opponents look dumbfounded.
Though he saw limited playing time last season, Beander already has offers from N.C. State and Eastern Carolina University.
He will be a workhorse. The cap should explode off of the talented Beander this year.
Projected stats: 1,800 rushing yards, 28 rushing touchdowns
WR, #2 Nick Moon (SR.)
Supposedly Doc Bonner’s favorite target, Nick Moon should be a top receiving threat this year.
His coaches and teammates praise him for his superb route running as he beats his defender more likely than not. Though he stands at 5’9″, his speed gives him good separation off opposing corner backs and his hands are as good as they come.
The run game should me more utilized than the pass game this year, but if Bonner gets in a groove, look for Moon to be his go-to guy in the receiving corps.
Projected stats: 550 receiving yards, 6 reception touchdowns
WR, #13 Foffie Bazzie (JR.)
Another big target for Doc Bonner is the 5’11” 175 pound athletic specimen of Foffie Bazzie.
He isn’t as polished as Nick Moon, but all of the intangibles are there for Bazzie to be a prominent weapon. He’s one of the most athletic kids on this Cougar team with burning speed and great hands.
He’ll be a another key guy in the receiving party.
Projected stats: 250 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns
C, #77 Zeph Titus (SR.)
The anchor of the Quince Orchard offensive line is four year varsity starter Zeph Titus. He has great penetration from the snap, driving defenders to their rear ends and opening up running lanes while protecting his quarterback superbly.
Offensive spin: This offense will be lethal. They averaged just over 35 points per game last season and they are returning four of the five offensive linemen and majority of their weapons while picking up the savvy Doc Bonner under center. Though the Cougars won’t need to rely on Bonner much throughout the year – due to the potent rushing attack they have with Beander and the forceful offensive line, but don’t be surprised if they open up the playbook more in Bonner’s favor as the season goes along. Marvin Beander will be a workhorse for the Cougar offense and should have gigantic holes to run through courtesy of his offensive line. One of the few seniors on the offense, fullback and captain Eisley Kim, will also play a vital role with his lead blocking ability his smash-mouth style of running. The receiving corps is deep with the likes of Nick Moon, Foffie Bazzie, Abdul Khan and Sean Barlow. Tight end Greg Williams will also be utilized whether it’s his blocking ability or being a receiver. Overall, Quince Orchard will shove their run game down defenses throats while having their pass game in the back pocket. They’ll have a pick-your-poison type offense in 2015.
THIS DEFENSE HAS IT ALL
DL, #7 Sean Green (SR.)
This guy is freaky good. Last year, he was a quarterback’s worst nightmare piling up 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
He was dubbed first team All-State for his performance last season and claims he has gotten quicker off the snap going into this year, which is quite scary.
Green is in for yet another monster season as opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks should be aware of this dude at all times.
Projected stats: 55 tackles, 14 sacks
DL, #19 Khalil Sewell (SR.)
This is when opposing offensive lines now say “this isn’t fair.” Just when you thought Sean Green was going to be headache to contain, you have Khalil Sewell.
Like Green, Sewell has an incredible jump at the line of scrimmage. He is extremely athletic for his size (6’0″, 265 pounds) and very fundamentally sound.
Good luck to whomever has to play against the Green-Sewell duo, you’re going to need it.
Projected stats: 40 tackles, 7 sacks
LB, #15 Noah Pagley (JR.)
Last year, Noah Pagley played on the junior varsity unit as a sophomore before being moved up to varsity towards the end of the year.
His short stint on varsity saw mainly reps on special teams. This year, he’s asked to fill a void at the linebacker position that as left by tackling machine, Jason Heyn. Pagley has good instincts for a linebacker and is rarely caught out of position.
He gives a nice back-end presence to the Cougars front seven.
Projected stats: 65 tackles, 1 sack
CB, #1 Sean Barlow (SR.)
The front seven is already loaded enough, now there’s the secondary.
As a sophomore, Sean Barlow was asked to carry a lead role at the running back position. Last year, he was converted to a corner back and absolutely flourished. He is your typical shutdown corner – basically not giving up an inch of breathing room to whoever he is covering – which is usually the opponents top receiving option.
Barlow is a ball-hawk and play-maker in the secondary.
Projected stats: 30 tackles, 7 interceptions
Defensive spin: If opposing teams don’t have solid protection upfront, then you are really going to have a tough time stopping the Cougars front seven. The duo of defensive linemen Sean Green and Khalil Sewell will be one of the best in the state. Another threat on the defensive line is Greg Williams who solidifies an athletic front line. Noah Pagley will be a centerpiece in the linebacking crew and the secondary can ball-hawk with the likes of Sean Barlow and Marvin Beander. The 2014 Cougers defensive unit only allowed on average of 13.5 points per game. And most of that defense is coming back. We should expect a championship caliber defensive unit out of Quince Orchard in 2015.
Toughest matchups
Week 1, at Damascus
Week 4, Clarksburg
Week 7, Northwest
Week 10, at Paint Branch
The Bottom Line
This Quince Orchard team is extremely intriguing with tons of upside. And here is why: head coach John Kelley has experienced his first full season and is getting back the majority of his core players.
Sophomore quarterback Doc Bonner may not be fully ready to make a huge splash in the offense, at least not yet, but his upside is promising. He has all the intangibles a team needs to make a championship run – the arm strength, accuracy, decision making, mechanics and football IQ are all there. And he’s only a sophomore.
Kelley will have the luxury of easing Bonner into the offense with the potent rushing attack behind the forceful offensive line and the dynamic Marvin Beander.
As the season goes along, expect Quince Orchard to give Bonner more leeway in the offensive system, but for now Beander will see a mighty large workload in the backfield.
The offense is chock filled with weapons and so is the defense. The front seven will be stingy and the secondary can ball-hawk at will.
This Quince Orchard team has a lot going for them. Week 1 is no easy feat, with a trip to Damascus. Their lone loss in the regular season last year.
But the one game everyone needs to circle on their calendars is the Week 7 match-up against Northwest. Just like last years playoff game, it will be a barn-burner.
Six yards was all they needed to extend their season last year. And I can guarantee you that if this Cougars team translates the vision they have had the entire off-season to the field, another state championship could very well be won when it’s all said and done.
You can follow me on Twitter at @k_fadd and Maryland Sports Access @MDSportsAccess.
