Positions of Strength

For the past several years the Commodores'

strength has been their skill guys on the outside, whether it was James Butts

and Dyrii McCain (both at Hampton University) or most recently Ricky Nichols

(Old Dominion).  That once again will

be the case in 2008 with Laroy Reynolds (6-2,

207) leading the way.  Reynolds, an

All-Eastern District 1^st Team selection a season ago, snagged 18

passes for 527 yards and scored four touchdowns, all of which were a minimum of

30 yards.  He added 73 tackles on

defense, proving to be a consistent playmaker on that side of the ball as well.

 

"Laroy has all the tools to become one of

the top players in Virginia this year," Quinerly firmly believes. 

Junior Daryl Waters (6-3,

215), who transfers in from Oscar Smith where he was the backup quarterback, has

the upper hand to win the starting job.  In

case he falters they have Keenan Lambert (5-11,

170), a junior that produced three touchdowns last year as a reserve. 

Receiving targets for them in addition to Reynolds include seniors Vision

Jackson (5-9, 165), tight end Nigel

Mack (6-0, 180) and Kreighton Lambert

(5-9, 165), a member of the basketball team who caught a 16-yard touchdown

pass against Norcom.

 

Defensively, the Commodores are expected to

start nine or ten seniors to go with junior linebacker Dazmine

Capel (5-11, 195).  "Our

strength on defense consists of fast, strong athletes that will play very smart

football because of their experience on the varsity level," Quinerly adds. 

Junior punter normal">Orion Hall (5-11, 205) was a 1^st Team All-Eastern

District selection as a sophomore and ought to be an asset when it comes to

field position.

Maury Commodores

Laroy

Reynolds steps in as the Commodores leader this season and looks to take them

back to the postseason

Question Marks

After ranking in the Top Ten regionally in

three of the four main defensive categories, Maury placed 25^th or

lower in three of those categories in 2007. 

Cutting down on penalties will be important; they committed more than any

other team during the regular season last year (84) that qualified for

postseason play, so returning to the playoffs could require them reducing that

total.

 

Halik (6-4, 307), a senior guard that had 18 pancake blocks last season,

will lead a "young, but hungry offensive line," according to Quinerly. 

Halik doubles as a defensive lineman where he will play alongside Eddie

Verrett (6-2, 220) and London

Williams (5-10, 190), who recorded a 26-yard interception return for a

touchdown in the team's 28-21 win over Churchland last fall. 

On the o-line, senior Eric Evans (6-0,

225) and junior Mike Inman (5-11,

223) are going to be counted upon to perform well. 

Likewise for normal">Brandon Doman (5-10, 220) at the linebacker spot.

 

Defending the pass was a bit of a problem

since they didn't hold an opponent under 100 yards through the air until game

number eight.  A threat back there is

normal">Ruben Hale (5-11, 170), a senior that made two interceptions and had

16 pass deflections during his junior campaign.

Keep An Eye On

The ground game ought to have big-play

capabilities.  Maury ranked 26^th

in the region in rushing, but they were better than the numbers indicate against

most opponents; it's just they were limited to 33 yards on 49 carries against

Lake Taylor and Phoebus combined, two of the very best defenses around.

 

Senior

Charles Humphrey (5-11, 191) rushed

for 10 touchdowns and 700 yards last season. 

Humphrey has some help in the backfield, too as Deonte

Wright (5-7, 165) transfers in from Norview, where he posted a 94-yard

touchdown reception in a game against Gloucester.

Recruiting

Buzz

Reynolds has committed to Virginia, where he

will either play free safety or wide receiver for the Cavaliers. 

That commitment was a bit different from previous ones here since

Virginia Tech has had quite a bit of success landing players from Maury,

including offensive tackle Vinston Painter from the Class of 2008 and defensive

back Kam Chancellor from the Class of 2006. 

Halik has received considerable Division I-A attention from such schools

as Virginia Tech,

Virginia

, NC State and

Connecticut

.

Rivalry Game

in the city of Norfolk and for the Commodores has been Granby. 

That one always is an intensified battle. 

Also, don't forget about the rivalry brewing between Lake Taylor and

Maury over the past few years.  Maury

shutout the Titans 13-0 in 2006, but Lake Taylor answered that with a 62-0

thrashing last year.

Season Outlook

About 30 seniors are back at Maury and

that's great news for the new Head Coach. 

The Commodores are two years removed from reaching the D-5 region title

game, a year where they beat both

Lake

Taylor

and

Hampton

, so they've shown the ability to be dangerous.

 

Quninerly is confident that they "will be

able to have a balanced, explosive attack," on offense while the defense

relies on veteran leadership.  If the

offensive and defensive line perform solidly, then Maury may be in the hunt

again for the Eastern District title.  Regardless,

they have enough talent, particularly at the skill positions, to grab one of the

final postseason spots in Division 6 and reach the playoffs for a fourth

straight year.

2008 Eastern Region Schedule: