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Sports

Pallotti Prep Football Loses Three Key Players

Possible transfers, including quarterback Busick, leave program days before first game. Meanwhile, Laurel High begins the season Friday at High Point under new coach.

Last year was not a very good one for the varsity football teams at Laurel High and Pallotti Prep, which was then known as St. Vincent Pallotti High.

The Spartans had problems on the field while an off-field incident marred the year for Pallotti Prep.

But both teams have reason for optimism this season, in part to the addition of new varsity head coaches at both schools.

Find out what's happening in Laurelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Laurel, under new head coach Todd Sommerville, will begin the season on Friday night at 7 at High Point High in Beltsville, against a team that did not win a game in 2010.

The Panthers of Pallotti Prep will begin the season on Friday at 7 p.m. in Frederick against St. John's Catholic Prep under first-year head coach Ben Thompson, a 1993 graduate of the school.

Find out what's happening in Laurelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Pallotti had some drama over the weekend. The team tied Bishop Ireton, 14-14, in a scrimmage on Friday, Aug. 26 at Fairland in West Laurel. During this time, Rafi Correa was named the team's starting quarterback. 

On Monday, Thompson told Laurel Patch that Trey Busick, who played on the junior varsity last year at Mount St. Joseph's., no longer was going to play for the Panthers or attend the school. Thompson said Busick "was exploring other options."

In addition, brothers Michael and Demetrius Johnson, who played last year at North County in Anne Arundel County, also left the Pallotti Prep program prior to Monday's practice. Michael was slated to be a senior tight end while Demetrius is a rising sophomore who plays wideout and safety. Michael Johnson was an all-county player last year at North County.

Thompson was an assistant at Mount St. Joseph's while Busick played there and also knew the Johnson brothers since Thompson had coached at Old Mill High in Anne Arundel County. "I went to bat for those guys," Thompson said.

Laurel, meanwhile, finished a three-year run last year under head coach Brian Moore, who was 6-24 with the Spartans and did not have his contract renewed. Taking over is Sommerville, a former defensive coordinator at Parkdale High in Riverdale. Laurel was 1-9 last year.

"It feels pretty much as my first game as defensive coordinator," Sommerville said. "You want to make sure everything is done the way you want it to be done.

"The kids may take them lightly," he added of facing High Point. "In which case we put ourselves in a position to lose. We can't take anyone lightly."

The Pallotti Prep varsity is slated to have 27 players while the junior varsity program has 25, Thompson said.

At Laurel, the new coach expects to dress about 34 players on varsity. The Laurel JV team is slated to host Surrattsville on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Laurel High.

Laurel had its scrimmage with St. Mary's of Annapolis, slated for Saturday, canceled due to Hurricane Irene. The Spartans, in their only scrimmage of the year Aug. 20 against Meade, Oakland Mills and Parkdale, used three quarterbacks: seniors Joel Roberson and Tyler Harmon and junior Jarvis McClam.

"They all saw equal reps," Sommerville said. So who will get the start on Friday? "It is still up in the air," the new coach said before practice Wednesday.

Pallotti Prep was 6-4 on the field in 2010 but the Panthers had to forfeit a game to Baltimore Lutheran, scheduled for Sept. 16, after it was learned that some of the players had posted a video on YouTube that school administrators had deemed inappropriate.

That forfeit left the Panthers with a record of 6-5.

Pat Courtemanche, the head coach for five years and an assistant for five years prior, stepped down after the season due to personal reasons. He was replaced by Thompson, a friend and former high school teammate with Courtemanche.

Prep notes: Pallotti Prep opened the volleyball season Tuesday with a win over Maryvale, 25-11, 26-24 and 25-20. Victoria Johnson led the Panthers with 10 kills. Pallotti Prep is slated to play Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Laurel High in the crosstown showdown ... Laurel resident Randall Marshall of Pallotti Prep started for Division I Delaware State on Friday in a 0-0 tie with St. Peter's in women's soccer. Marshall is a junior for the Hornets and played in 14 games, with 11 starts, last year ... Laurel High grad Brandon Harvey is a senior linebacker for Delaware State in football. The Hornets begin the season Saturday at VMI in Lexington, VA. Harvey was among the league leaders in tackles year.

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