Friendship Collegiate’s blessing is also its curse. The team represents an independent charter school, meaning that it doesn’t compete for a championship. By the same token, it can play all the top schools in the area, and reap all the recruiting talent that comes from the chance to play against some of the best teams in the D.C. area.
And rest assured, Friendship Collegiate head coach Aazaar Rahim knows it.
“The caliber of the schedule we do play attract certain schools,” Rahim said. “Kids from smaller conferences – or even kids that may not get the chance to compete against bigger schools, like the DeMathas and Good Counsels – can come to our school and play a top notch schedule where the exposure is unlimited.”
With a schedule that features H.D. Woodson, DeMatha, Gonzaga, and Dunbar in it, it is almost as if Friendship Collegiate arranged for a personal DC-area football playoff, in which they could crown themselves nearly undisputed champion if they were to go undefeated.
Rahim, for his part, insists that the tough schedule was done for another reason.
“The thing though, honestly, is to get kids in school,” Rahim said. “The championships and winning at the high school level are secondary to me. It’s about making sure kids get to school. We have nine kids going to school this year, seven in the year before that. I think we have a lot of D1, D1AA kids this year, so we’ll continue that trend.”
The record supports this reasoning, as the team went 6-6 last year, scoring impressive wins over Riverdale Baptist, Dunbar and Ballou, while losing to Good Counsel and DeMatha in convincing fashion.
Don’t get it wrong, though, this team has no deficiency of talent. By the count of Rivals.com, their team could have as many as eight kids play Division I football by the end of their careers. To give some perspective, DeMatha has 17 such kids, and Good Counsel has 13.
So while Friendship Collegiate is certainly more talented than most teams, they might not be on the same level as those two WCAC elites.
But if you believe Rahim, this could be the year that Friendship Collegiate turns the tables on those schools and asserts itself as a powerhouse in the DC area.
“I think we’re a program on the rise,” Rahim said. “The experience you get from playing top teams – four out of our first five games, every team will be ranked. That has to be our selling point. We sell who we play, as opposed to a championship. We also feel like we have one of the best coaching staffs around.”
With two three-year starters at San Diego State, an ex-receivers coach at Howard, and the third-leading rusher in Richmond history, the staff is definitely replete with college experience and knowledge of the college game.
Now, it’s on to graduating some of these players to playing on Saturdays.
Players to Watch:
Earl Johnson, OT: Judging by the look of his size 17-inch shoe, it would be safe to say that Johnson (6-5, 233) has a big future ahead of him. An impressive showing at the Maryland camp, which won him a scholarship offer from Maryland that same day, further enforces those expectations.
“Earl is a big athletic kid,” Rahim said. “What’s most intriguing about him is his potential. He looks just like a basketball player. He could probably play tight end if we wanted him to.”
Charles Bailey, MLB: On a team stacked at linebacker, Charles Bailey's star shines the brightest. He returns as last year’s leading tackler, in his sophomore year, and Rahim expects more of the same from his middle linebacker.
“I think he has a lot of potential,” Rahim said. “He was our leading tackler as a sophomore, and North Carolina is really interested. He had a really good sophomore tape, too. With a size 14 shoe, he’s going to get bigger. As far as an inside linebacker, he’s really aggressive.”
Kennedy Ogbonna, OLB: Another linebacker to watch is the 6-foot, 200-pound Ogbonna. With his size and speed, it seems to have confused college coaches, as half are recruiting him at strong safety, with the other half recruiting him at his natural position of outside linebacker.
“Kennedy is aggressive to the tenth power,” Rahim said. “He’s just a terror on the field. He’s a high-energy player. He’s our hardest hitter, and runs about a 4.65."
Rahim thinks he’s better suited to be an outside linebacker, but with the blitzing scheme Friendship runs, it would be fairest to say Ogbonna is a kind of hybrid between a safety and linebacker. Minnesota is really high on him, with North Carolina, Illinois and New Mexico also showing interest.
Eddie Goldman, OT: If you’re into projecting the future, this rising junior projects to be the best collegiate prospect on the team. But leave it to Goldman to outgrow even that, as he was pushed up in Maryland’s camp from the freshman group all the way to the senior group last summer.
“I think (Goldman) could be our first four-star recruit,” Rahim said. “He’s a man among boys right now. He’s strong as I don’t know what. When you think of 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds in the ninth and tenth grades, you wouldn’t understand. He looks like a bull. He’s not fat. He’s just strong.”
Tyrone Armstrong, OLB: This St. John’s transfer was hurt most of the year last year, but in talking to Rahim, anyone could get the sense that he’s excited about Armstrong’s arrival – to say the least.
“I really think he’s going to do well and you will hear big things about him,” Rahim said. “He’s a big kid, 6-foot-1, 220. He’s going to be our mike linebacker next year. We’re going to run some different defenses to get all these guys on the field at the same time.”
Chris Griggs, QB: Griggs is hoping to build on last season’s 2,500-yard, 19 TD, 6 INT season. He’s off to a flying start, as he has been tearing up the 7-on-7s this year. However, part of that added effectiveness may come from the removal of the line, because quarterbacks of his stature (5-10) have the stereotype of struggling to see over the linemen’s helmets.
“He’s been excellent in 7-on-7s,” Rahim said. “He’s been outplaying some other quarterbacks – I won’t name any names – but he’s been outplaying quarterbacks with Division I scholarships.”
Stony Brook is interested in Griggs as a quarterback, but if he wants to chuck the pigskin in the FBS, he figures to need a big year in 2009.
Check back this fall as DCSportsFan will provide coverage of Friendship Collegiate football.
