On Monday Night, the 2nd Annual Crab Bowl took place on a frosty cold night at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium. Once again it was a great display of the best football players in the state of Maryland, with the squad from DC holding to a 24-21 victory over Baltimore, taking a 2-0 series lead. After watching the game and evaluating the tape, I am going to take a look at some of the players that turned in impressive performances.

Most Outstanding Player

In a game full of offensive stars such as Billy Cosh, Adrian Coxson, and Marcus Coker, the most impressive performance was turned in by a cornerback. That cornerback was Good Counsel's Louis Young, and it was quite a night for Young, as he pledged his commitment to Stanford, helped seal a victory for DC, and took home his team's MVP award.

Let's face it, as a cornerback, many good performances go unnoticed, and that's what makes Young's night so impressive. Young returned a 1st quarter INT 72 yards for a TD, and somehow got underneath his receiver to pick off a third quarter sideline pass; impressively making the catch and getting a foot in-bounds. You be the judge of what play was more impressive. Along with some great coverage all night, Young, with great positioning, broke up a last minute pass in the endzone with his team holding on to a 3 point lead.

Even if you are a fan of Maryland like myself, you can't get upset when a player such as Louis Young decides to play for Stanford. Stanford is one of the best academic schools in the country, and surely looks to be a BCS contender in the upcoming years with QB Andrew Luck already in place, and Jim Harbaugh's stacked recruiting classes year after year. There is no doubt Stanford is getting a special player that will compete early for playing time.

Offensive MVP

Amazingly in a contest that just may have the best crop of QB's to ever play in the state of Maryland, and Spread offenses galore, the most impressive player was none other than Baltimore's Linganore Fullback, Zach Zwiniak. Zwiniak, showed great speed, cut backs, power, and the ability to break tackles and drag defenders all night long. Zach really showed his versatility by seamlessly fitting into Baltimore's spread attack, adding 38 receiving yards to go along with his 68 rushing yards. Zwiniak also picked up many pass rushers in the backfield and made some great down field blocks. If Zach would have gotten a couple carries when Baltimore had a 1st and goal from the 6, we would probably be talking about a different result.

Zwiniak to no surprise is listed as the #1 Fullback in the country by Rivals.com. Zwiniak in 6' 2", 230lbs, with a 4.5 Forty time. Zach will most likely have the opportunity to play Linebacker or Fullback at Penn State; and many feel Linebacker would be the wise choice. Let's face it, playing LB at Happy Valley can be a pretty direct route to the NFL, but I certainly feel Zach brings a unique set of skills to the RB/FB position. Zach has shown, power, speed, pass catching ability, great lateral movement, and all that to go with his 230lb pound frame. Zach could bring Penn State a powerful weapon they are currently without.

Although it seems like small speedy running backs are becoming all the rage in the NFL, let's take a closer look. Ray Rice is accompanied by Le'ron McClain, Cedric Benson is accompanied by Brian Leonard, Chris Johnson is accompanied by Lendale White, and Darren McFadden is struggling to find the field in Oakland behind power backs Justin Fargas and Michael Bush. So before you call the power back a thing of the past, take another look.

Play of the Game

There were two plays in this game that still have me amazed, so it's a tie.

The first play was DC's Damascus Running Back, Brian Lucas's 65 yard TD run in the 2nd Quarter.. Brian shed 4 tackles, including two at once, and then burned the entire Baltimore Defense. There was not much to say after that run than Wow! There were several other times in the game, when a loud pop was heard, and Brian Lucas was the player delivering the pop. Brian Currently holds offers from Army and Monmouth; my recommendation to local division 1 programs, get involved,this kid is a football player!

The other play was the red zone interception by DC's Good Counsel DL, AJ Bowman. Up 3 in the 4th quarter, and looking to keep Baltimore out of the endzone, AJ dropped back into coverage, reached out and got a hand on one of Billy Cosh's laser throws, tipped it back to himself, and came up with a game saving INT. One heck of a play, especially if you have ever seen Billy throw the ball.

Other Players who caught my Eye

Joshua Aleaze, DE, Dunbar, Baltimore

Josh was just unblockable in this game. He caused a 4th quarter fumble inside DC's 20 yard line, as well as a 4th quarter sack. Baltimore held DC to just 25 second half yards, and Josh was a big reason why. Josh is waiting on some Division 1 offers to go with Akron and New Mexico, and after this performance, they are likely to come.

Ryan Dixon, WR, Linganore, Baltimore

Ryan showed it all as a Receiver; great hands, great routes, great speed, great footwork, great ability after the catch, and great knowledge of the first down markers and sidelines. JMU is getting a great reciever

Matt Robinson, WR, Atholton, Baltimore

Matt has flown under the radar as a star receiver from Atholton, but after his week of practice and his Crab Bowl performance, many other than Maryland should be wishing they offered this receiver. Matt is big, fast, powerful, and a huge down field threat. Nice find Maryland

Hussam Ouri, C, Broadneck, Baltimore

The Baltimore offensive line gave their QB's good protection all night, and they were anchored by Broadneck's Husame Ouri. Working from the shotgun all night, Hussam probably snapped 100 perfect snaps, and mauled defenders in his way. Hussam shut down the middle of the defensive line for Baltimore with great pass blocking and rush blocking. Hussam has an offer from Navy, and I suspect this performance and his freakish strength will garner him more attention.

Michael Coley, S, DeMatha, Washington

Michael had a great night, he joined Nick Forbes with a Cal commitment, and made the hit of the night. On a 4th quarter pass to the endzone, Coley delivered a devastating hit that popped the ball into the air and out of bounds. Coley showed great speed all night by closing in on many ball carriers.

Andre Monroe, DT, St. John's, Baltimore

Maryland has another great player from their backyard, in St. John's DT Andre Monroe. The Baltimore Defense played great all night, and at the bottom of every pile was usually Andre Monroe. Monroe was around the ball at all times, and shed blocks well and showed great quickness.

Crab Bowl from Kevin Lynch on Vimeo.