Nov. 5: Manny Iheanacho, Georgetown Prep

photo courtesy georgetown prep

As a high school freshman, when Manny Iheanacho first visited the Georgetown Prep campus he still thought of himself as a basketball player. He was tall and strong and figured his future in athletics was on the hardwood.

It did not take long, however, for the light bulb to go off: There was a very bright future for Iheanacho on the football field.

Now a senior, Iheanacho is considered one of the nation’s top high school football prospects. He is 6 feet 7 and 353 pounds, a prized recruit as an offensive tackle who has accepted a football scholarship to play at Oregon.

At Georgetown Prep, Iheanacho also plays on the defensive line. This past Saturday – with Oregon Coach Dan Lanning in attendance -- against visiting Episcopal as usual he made his presence known on both sides of the ball of a 36-15 victory for Georgetown Prep.

“They ran pretty heavy power, but you put him at nose guard in the middle and he fills the space and makes plays on top of it,” Georgetown Prep Coach Dan Paro said. “We jumped on them pretty quickly. Manny played well, with emotion. You’ll never coach a kid like that again probably. He’s uniquely large and he can run.”

For his efforts, Iheanacho was named the Military Bowl Touchdown Club High School Football Player of the Week.

Paro notes that Iheanacho has blossomed during his time at Georgetown Prep. He has learned from teammates how to work hard in the classroom. He has learned to work hard. He has gotten tougher. And yet, Paro said, Iheanacho is one of the most welcoming students at the North Bethesda school, eating lunch with a wide variety of students throughout the week.

Considering it all, Paro said, he compares Iheanacho to former St. Albans star Jonathan Ogden, who went on to play at UCLA, was the fourth overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft and then played 12 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and was selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times.

“He’s just a big, athletic strong body and has unbelievable feet,” Paro said. “And on top of it, he’s very bright and he’s a great kid.”

This week’s DC Touchdown Club Honor Roll:

ANNE ARUNDEL
South River QB Benjamin Raines completed 10 of 13 passes for 260 yards and five touchdowns as the Seahawks beat Northeast, 57-6.

DC
Bell QB Will Hewitt completed 14 of 18 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns as the Griffins beat Ron Brown, 48-0 

FREDERICK
Linganore QB David Doy completed 9 of 16 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns and rushed nine times for 110 yards as the Lancers completed an undefeated regular season with a 28-6 win over Urbana to claim the I-70 trophy.

HOWARD
Atholton QB Tyler Bell completed 14 of 23 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns and rushed six times for 68 yards and another score as the Raiders beat Glenelg, 40-28.

LOUDOUN
Loudoun Valley RB/DB Ethan LaFollette rushed 18 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns and intercepted two passes on defense, returning one for another touchdown, as the Vikings beat Tuscarora, 47-0, to clinch the Dulles District title, its first outright district title in 20 years.

MONTGOMERY
Wheaton RB/CB Omari Hinds-Madden had touchdown runs of 71 and 60 yards and intercepted two passes, returning one 70 yards for a touchdown – all in the second half -- as the 7-2 Knights capped their best regular season since 2001 with a 40-6 win over Einstein.

NORTHERN REGION
Centreville QB Will Shields completed 20 of 28 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two more scores as the Wildcats beat South Lakes, 49-35.

PRINCE GEORGE’S
Central WR/RB Cameron Jefferson rushed 11 times for 155 yards and one touchdown and caught five passes for 104 yards and another score as the Falcons beat Fairmont Heights, 38-30.

PRINCE WILLIAM
Woodbridge QR James Shaw III caught seven passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings beat Potomac (Va.), 47-6.

PRIVATE
Spalding RB Antonio Ledbetter rushed 14 times for 246 yards and four touchdowns as the Cavaliers earned their seventh consecutive win, 56-20 over Mount St. Joseph.

SOUTHERN MARYLAND
Northern QB Blake Pasik completed 10 of 18 passes for 119 yards and three touchdowns and rushed five times for 45 yards and another score as the Patriots beat Leonardtown, 35-14.

WCAC
St. John’s RB Dajon Talley Rhodes rushed 29 times for 198 yards and one touchdown as the Cadets beat Bishop McNamara, 28-7.