Pallotti Prep Grad Excels in New Hampshire

Keith Charles, during his football career at Pallotti Prep, looked into the college programs of Division I-AA schools such as Towson, Rhode Island, Wagner, Marist, Richmond and Delaware State.

"I had a few offers but not the [financial] package I was looking for," said Charles, who attended Eisenhower Middle School in Laurel before heading to Pallotti Prep.

Towson, Rhode Island and Richmond are members of the Colonial Athletic Association, considered the top Division I-AA league in the country.

But while the Laurel resident hoped to play at the Division I-AA level, his best scholarship offer came from Saint Anselm College, a small Division II school in Manchester, NH that was founded in 1889.

"It would have been good to play Division I, but Saint Anselm is a good fit for me," said Charles, a 2010 graduate of Pallotti Prep. "St. Anselm has a great education."

On the field Charles, who is majoring in philosophy, led Saint Anselm in rushing last year as a freshman for head coach Patrick Murphy. He carried the ball 152 times for 565 yards and a team-best six touchdowns as the team was 2-8 overall.

"I was very surprised," Charles said of getting to be a key starter right away as a freshman.

Charles began his sophomore year with a bang in early September as he ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in a 56-30 loss at home to Kutztown (PA).

But he was then held in check with just eight yards on 16 carries in a 59-34 loss at Southern Connecticut State on Sept. 17.

In the third game of the year, at Bentley on Sept. 23, he had 36 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown in a 43-16 loss.

Charles said he enjoys the small feel of Saint Anselm, which is about 10 hours by car from Laurel. Charles can also take a direct flight from Manchester to Baltimore to come home a lot quicker.

"It has that homey feel," Charles said of Saint Anselm. "It was not that big of an adjustment for me since Pallotti is also small."

On the field Saint Anselm allowed 158 points in its first three games. The Hawks have scored 80 points in those games.

"We like to pass to slot receivers. That opens up the ground game," said Charles, while watching the school's field hockey team on a recent Saturday afternoon following a rare Friday night football game.

One of the teammates with Charles at Saint Anselm is freshman linebacker Alphonzo White, who is from Landover and went to Eleanor Roosevelt High in Greenbelt before transferring to Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C.

The Hawks have struggled on defense this year. But the running game, thanks to Charles, appears to be in good hands with the standout from Laurel.