Parkdale Football Team Set for Exciting Season

Parkdale Panther football was less than remarkable in 2009, as last year's squad stumbled to a 4-6 record. Led by a pack of 16 seniors, few of whom coach Richard Holzer misses this season, Parkdale ultimately fell victim to the grueling schedule of the highly-competitive Prince George's 4A Conference.

The morning of August 15 marked day one of fully-suited practice for the 2010 Panthers, a team that Holzer expects to finish head and shoulders above last year's group. With senior Bejoe Mundit taking snaps at quarterback, Holzer has designed a high-octane offense unlike any other in the county.

"We want to throw the ball 50 or 60 times per game," Holzer told Patch on August 8. "If we only run the ball 10 times in a game then so be it."

Although the majority of the teams in the county employ a ground-heavy attack, often running the ball upwards of 40 times in a single game, Holzer remains confident that Mundit can helm the unconventional offense with poise.

"He's a pretty cool-headed kid," Holzer said Monday. "Not too much gets to him ever. His sophomore year there were only 18 kids on his JV team and they didn't have a lineman over 150 pounds. Literally they could have charged the other teams with assault with what they were doing to him. There's not too much that fazes him."

Regardless of Holzer's optimism concerning the potential of his offense, plenty of work is left to be done before the season opener. According to the coach, a portion of the playbook must still be put in place, the offensive line needs to learn to augment its physicality, and a number of players must improve their conditioning.

"Our first practice was okay," Mundit said Monday. "We're just trying to work hard but a lot of people are winded. I know I have to work harder. I liked the intensity though. The defense came at us hard."

The Panthers officially open their season on September 4 at home against Beltsville's High Point High School. While the focus is certainly on that game, as well as a pair of exhibition scrimmages against Chopticon and Huntingtown in the coming weeks, the team is also looking ahead to several make-or-break matchups later in the season.

"The biggest games of the year are against the big four in our league—Wise, Suitland, Roosevelt and Flowers," Holzer said. "But, we also have rivalries with Duvall and Bladensburg, so those games are high on our list. If we want to be a decent team, we have to show up against the big four, and we need to win our rivalry games."

Strong safety Michael Carter, who Holzer regards as "the best natural football player on the team," sat out Monday's practice as he recovered from knee surgery that he underwent in June. He is expected to be fully recuperated by the game against High Point.

While the Panthers await Carter's return, Mundit is focused on a trinity of tasks for his team to undertake.

The three-part to-do list, according to Mundit, is "putting in hard work, watching some tapes and praying to god."

Parkdale will play every Saturday at 2:00 p.m. from September 4 until November 6. The junior varsity team will play opener to Holzer's squad at 9:30 a.m. every Saturday as well.