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Sports

Upper Marlboro Standout to Play For James Madison Next Year

DeAndre Smith signs to play football at James Madison; Upper Marlboro products aid surging George Mason University basketball team.

DeAndre Smith, a standout senior at Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, played quarterback, defensive back and punter during his high school football career. But when his bio was placed on the athletic website at James Madison University last week, he was listed as a defensive back after he signed to attend the Harrisonburg, Va., school.

"He is a great kid and very mature. That maturity comes from how he was raised," Ulrick Edmonds, a running backs coach at JMU who recruits in Maryland and Washington, D.C., told Patch on Tuesday. "He is a very bright kid and very articulate. But he is very quiet until he gets to know you."

Edmonds said Smith will play either defensive back or wide receiver for the Dukes. "We were fortunate that we got him. He is extremely fast," Edmonds said of Smith, who had some offers from larger programs. "He is a winner."

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Smith led Wise to three Class 4A South Region titles in a row.

DaLawn Parrish, the head coach at Wise, certainly knows a little bit about playing in the defensive backfield at the college level. A graduate of Howard High in Howard County, he was a standout at Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 1990s.

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Other Wise players to sign with college football teams last week included Kevin Staton, a fullback and linebacker, and defensive back Ryan Smith with North Carolina Central and Giovani Francois, a defensive end with Florida International, located southwest of Miami. Florida Internatinal won its first-ever Bowl game this past December, beating Toledo.

JMU is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, considered one of the top Division I-AA football leagues in the country. CAA schools Richmond (2008) and Villanova (2009) have won national titles and Delaware, also from the CAA, lost in the title game last month to Eastern Washington.

The Dukes won the national title in 2004. Last season JMU posted a huge upset at Virginia Tech, which ended the year ranked among the top 25 in Division I-A.

Anthony McDaniel, a product of Wise who was all-state in high school, was a freshman defensive tackle for JMU last season. He was a redshirt last season and has a bright future, Edmonds said.

Local players aid George Mason

The George Mason University men's basketball won its ninth game in a row at home on Saturday against ODU, the pre-season favorite in the Colonial Athletic Association. Mason's streak began after a loss at ODU earlier this year. Two players from Upper Marlboro have aided Mason this season: freshman guard Bryon Allen (St. Thomas More) and senior guard Isaiah Tate (DeMatha Catholic).

Tate played in the first 23 games, with two starts, and averaged 19.5 minutes and 6.5 points per contest. Allen came off the bench in 20 of the first 23 games and averaged 6.7 minutes and 1.4 points per outing. Mason hosts in-state rival James Madison on Saturday in Fairfax, Va.

"They are really working hard to get better," Mason head coach Jim Larranaga said of Allen and fellow freshman Jonathan Arledge, a former Meade High student and product of the Laurel Boys and Girls Club. "They both have a great attitude. They are working hard to develop their offensive and defensive game."

Wise wins in overtime

The Wise High boys basketball team beat High Point, 81-70, in overtime on Friday while the Largo boys beat Potomac, 67-46. The Douglass boys lost to Surrattsville, 57-51.

The Largo girls beat Potomac, 69-23, while the Wise girls won, 58-23, against High Point. The Douglass girls lost to Surrattsville, 51-41. Jessica Lyons is averaging about 20 points per game for Largo after she scored 15 on Friday.

Hankton headed to Southern Connecticut

Mariah Hankton, a resident of Upper Marlboro, is a senior guard for the girls basketball team at St. Vincent Pallotti High in Laurel. A former student at Bishop McNamara in Forestville and Princeton Day in Lanham, she signed with Division II Southern Connecticut in November. "I am glad I am with this team," Hankton said of Pallotti, which nearly upset Baltimore power Seton Keough at home Feb. 2 before falling in overtime.

Largo grad stars with Hampton

Kwame Morgan (Largo High) had a team-high 14 points Saturday as host Hampton beat South Carolina in men's college basketball. Morgan averaged 15.3 points per outing, second best on the team, in the first 23 games.

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