2009 Maryland Crab Bowl Staff Announced

It is clear that the inaugural Maryland Crab Bowl in December was a huge success, with over eighty percent of the ninety kids on the roster receiving college scholarships. Scout.com spoke with President/ Founder Chuck Harmon last night and learned that the coaching staff for the 2009 game has been assembled.

2009 Crab Bowl Coaching Staff

Washington team

Head Coach:

Al Thomas (Sherwood)

Assistant Coaches:

Jerry Franks (Huntingtown)

Steve Crounse (Patuxent)

Danny Hayes (Gwynn Park)

J. C. Pinkney (Douglass -Prince George)

Kreg Kephart (Gaithersburg)

Mike Bonevia (Einstein)

Chuck Oswald (Sherwood)

Mark Thomas (Sherwood)

Baltimore Team

Head Coach:

Rick Conner (Linganore)

Assistant Coaches:

Steve Turnbaugh (Hereford)

Chuck Markewicz (Arundel)

Brian Abbott (Loyola Blakefield)

Ken Hovet (Marriotts Ridge)

Bob Knox (Stephen Decatur)

Bill Waibel (Joppatowne)

Andy Brown (Linganore)

Chris O’Connor (Linganore)

Things are starting to come together a little easier this year for President/Founder Chuck Harmon in preparation for the 2009 Crab Bowl. With last year being the first year the game was played many were hesitant to jump on board right away. However with the overwhelming success of the game the process is going a bit smoother this time around.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” says Chuck Harmon, “putting the game together last year was very stressful. Thankfully though, the game was a success and this year I can already tell the difference. We already have both coaching staffs put together, and it’s February! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be able to put that behind us and start worrying about other things. We are light years ahead of where we were at this point last year.”

“I am most excited that Al Thomas is coming out of retirement to coach the Washington team. He is one of the best in Maryland football history and I cannot wait to see him on the sideline. Jerry Franks is another legend. He has been at this a long time, over thirty years I believe. To have two guys like that who have been so important to football in this state is tremendous. We wanted to be balanced when building the staff for each team. We just wanted to maintain a nice mix of offensive and defensive minded guys, and the list just goes on and on. Steve Crounse from Patuxent is one of the top up and coming coaches out there. J. C. Pinkney from Douglass sees a ton of talent every year; he even coached Maryland legend Shawne Merriman. Danny Hayes from Gwynn Park was the only coach in the past three years to beat Dunbar. Also, Coach Thomas gets to bring two coaches along from his staff, his son Mark and line coach Chuck Oswald. These guys are all big time coaches from big time programs.”

“The Head Coach of the Baltimore team is Rick Connor, the architect of the great Urbana defenses that won four consecutive state championships. Rick then moved over to Linganore to become the head coach of that program. I am thrilled to have him along, he really works well with the young men he coaches. I had the opportunity to coach alongside Steve Turnbaugh at Hereford for nine years so I know what kind of coach he is. In fourteen years his team has made the state playoffs twelve times. Chuck Markewicz is the architect of the Run & Shoot in Maryland; he also worked as an assistant to the late Jerry Mears, who brought the Wing-T to Maryland in the 1970’s. Loyola’s Brian Abbott went undefeated last year and coaches the number one team in the Baltimore area. Ken Hovet has been known to win wherever he goes. He won at Oakland Mills in the late 90’s and is now winning in Howard County. The Baltimore team also has the active wins leader from the eastern shore in Bob Knox.”

“I think we have put together two very strong, very diverse staffs. We wanted to get as many coaches from all across the region as we could. I am optimistic that we are going to build upon the success of last year’s game and make the game this year just as good if not better. The two coaches will get together next month and begin to decide what positions they are going to be in charge of.”

“Now the fun part begins, finding the players for the game. We will be going at that pretty hard from this point forward. I am looking forward to watching as much tape as I possibly can. I am thrilled that Scout.com has just invited me to attend the upcoming combine in Pittsburgh and I will also be in attendance at the Baltimore combine looking for talent for the 2009 Crab Bowl roster.”