Team Maryland holds first practice for Big 33 Classic

Recent Archbishop Spalding grad Evan Fochtman will be one of the quarterbacks for Team Maryland when it faces Pennsylvania in the Big 33 Classic.

The fifth edition of Team Maryland has begun its onfield preparations for the 60th annually Big 33 Classic, where Maryland will challenge Pennsylvania on June 17th at Landis Field in Harrisburg.

Head coach Chuck Markiewicz of Arundel put his team through its first paces Sunday evening at Archbishop Spalding High School as Maryland seeks to claim just its second win since returning to the game in 2013.

“Each year we are gaining more and more interest from the top players in the state, wanting to play in the game and represent Maryland,” said Team Maryland Director Scott Ripley. “We feel like we have a very talented squad with the ability to compete and win.”

The squad is very representative of the state. Nine players come from the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, seven from Prince George’s County, five from Baltimore County, four from Anne Arundel County and two each from Howard, Frederick and Montgomery  Counties, as well as two from Baltimore City.

The Army/Navy rivalry will have to wait for Maryland quarterbacks Evan Fochtman and Jabari Laws. Fochtman, a future Naval Academy Midshipman, is one of three players from Archbishop Spalding on the roster, while Laws, on his way to West Point, is one of three members of PG power Wise High School, winners of the last two 4A state championships, on the roster.

St. Frances running back Gary Brightwell, who will play at the University of Arizona, is one of three members of the MIAA A Conference champion Panthers on the team.

Maryland won the 2014 game, 31-24, in double overtime, but lost in 2013, 2015 and 2016.

The team will practice once per week for the next month before heading to PA the week before the contest, where they will practice daily.

Here is the complete 2017 Big 33 Team Maryland Roster.