Baltimore Touchdown Club's Super 22 team features Carroll County standouts
Players chosen are eligible to compete in the annual BTC All-Star Classic in December.
The first day of fall high school sports practice is fast approaching, and in most areas that means football takes center stage.
So, from the "It's Never Too Early to Talk About Football" department, let's break down the Carroll County contingent that in May was chosen to be a part of the Baltimore Touchdown Club's annual Super 22 Team.
The team is made up of rising seniors and was created by Maryland high school football coaches. Players were evaluated on their junior year stats, video highlights, performances at combines, and coaches reports.
The group picked 30 players on offense, 26 on defense, and 9 who are listed as "athlete."
Defense
Defensive line -- Ben Simmens, South Carroll: Simmens finished the fall with 89 tackles, second most for the Cavaliers, and also posted 9 sacks. He helped the Cavs' defense allow a mere 10.3 points per game.
Linebacker -- Andy Schneider, Westminster: Schneider was second on the Owls in tackles with 65.5, and he was part of a unit that gave up 17.1 points per game last fall as Westminster went 8-4.
Defensive back -- Carter Mazalewski, South Carroll: He led the county with 5 interceptions, and added 61 tackles (3 tackles for loss). Mazalewski was part of the Cavaliers' 12-1 season that ended in the Class 2A-1A state final.
Offense
Quarterback -- Jack Pellicciotti, Liberty: The Lions' signal caller finished second in the county last fall with 1.973 passing yards and he threw for 23 touchdowns, the most in Carroll. Pellicciotti completed 58.4 percent of his passes for Liberty (3-3 in the Carroll County Athletic League).
Running back -- AJ Rodrigues, South Carroll: Arguably the best all-around player in the county a year ago. Rodrigues led Carroll in touchdowns (18), total points (108), and rushing yards (1,182). He averaged 6.3 yards per carry and scored 14 TDs on the ground, including one in the 2A-1A state final.
Wide receiver -- Sam Evans, Liberty: The speedster tied for the county lead in receptions with 42, and collected 803 yards and 10 touchdowns. Evans averaged 19.1 yards per catch and created plenty of separation in the opponents' defensive backfield.
Wide receiver -- Mason Fisher, Westminster: Perhaps the fastest player in Carroll. Fisher tied Evans with 42 catches and posted 1,205 yards with 14 touchdowns. He averaged a whopping 28.7 yards per reception, and added a punt return for a TD and a pick-six in the Owls' postseason win over Bel Air.
The date and location of the 2022 BTC All-Star Classic will be announced at a later date.