Congratulations to all Montgomery County seniors who participated in the 2014 Maryland National Guard Crab Bowl on December 21st, at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. Each one made notable contributions to the exciting game, putting in all the hard effort, while demonstrating their ample talents and passion for football. Among the many highlights were 3 TD’s run in by Bullis Devonte Williams and a stunning TD reception and run by Good Counsel’s Keon Paye. It may have seemed strange to hear the announcer praise Gaithersburg’s Kamonte Carter for numerous stops he made on behalf of Team Baltimore. He explained that due to uncertainty over which Bowl games he would participate in, and while he was temporarily hindered by injury, his Crab Bowl commitment was delayed. He contentedly smiled amongst his teammates in all white uniforms,”By then, the Washington roster was full. But they had a spot for me on the Baltimore roster.” Carter made the most of his Crab Bowl experience, basking in the glow of being honored with a select group of athletes while doing a fine job of making Team Washington’s offense work harder to secure their victory.
Lilian, the proud mother of Avalon’s Grant Ibeh expressed boundless appreciation for her son’s coaches and teammates, for his school, for the college recruiting coaches that have recently visited her home, and for all the opportunities to shine that football has provided for her son. She whispered, “My son has a story.” His story has many twists and turns that led him to the moment when he sat amongst all 2014 Crab Bowl players from both sides, paying rapt attention to National Guardsmen before the awards table. Being a Crab Bowl player was the culmination of a dream for Grant. He was not alone, surrounded by around 100 young men with dreams and stories of their own. And being there together at the Crab Bowl should always be one of their best stories to tell.
Montgomery County players on Team Washington:
Avalon: Brian Castillo and Grant Ibeh, Bullis: Jonathan Holland and Devonte Williams (3 TD) Clarksburg: Tavis Holland, Einstein: Gil Reynolds, Georgetown Prep: David Forney, Good Counsel: Andrew Ashley, Keon Paye (1 TD), Roger Richardson and Myles Robinson, Poolesville: Jon Bateky
Montgomery County player on Team Baltimore:
Gaithersburg: Kamonte Carter (one sack and two tackles-for-loss)
Final Crab Bowl 2014 Score: Team Washington 31, Team Baltimore 21
Story and Photos by Lisa Levenbach
All photos from the game can be viewed and purchased at https://mocodaily.smugmug.com/High-School-Sports/20142015-High-School-Sports/Football/12-21-2014-Maryland-National/