Ward, Skinner to walk on

By Dave Fawcett

Published: June 27, 2008

Neither Nelson Ward and Eugene Skinner will begin their Division I football careers on an athletic scholarship, but they will have the chance to possibly earn one down the road.
The two have been invited to walk on at Virginia Tech and Maryland, respectively.
Although Ward only played one season of high school football for Osbourn Park, he caught the eye of area Hokie recruiter Torrian Gray after Gray saw him on film.
“They saw he could run and catch a bit,” Yellow Jacket head coach Brian Beaty said. “It’s a projected learning process, but he enjoys playing.”
Ward was known more as a basketball player, where he spent two years on the varsity, including starting at center and being the leading rebounder this season on Osbourn Park’s basketball team that finished 18-9 and won the Cedar Run District title.
In 2007, the 6-foot-7 Ward played tight end for the Yellow Jackets and caught 16 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
This is the second straight year an Osbourn Park player has been invited to walk on at Virginia Tech.
Richard Becker, a 2007 graduate, went the same route as Ward last season, but hurt his back prior to the start of two a days. He was invited back out for the spring. The 6-3, 240-pound Becker started two years at defensive end for the Yellow Jackets.
Skinner had attended Maryland camps and attracted interest for his athleticism. A first-year starter for Woodbridge last fall, Skinner earned all-Cardinal District honors as a defensive end. He totaled 60 tackles with six sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
“He has good potential, but they were out of scholarships,” Woodbridge head coach Keith King said. “Academically, he’s sound so he could earn a scholarship.”
King said that the key will be to find the right position for Skinner.
“He’s a work in progress,” King said.
EAGLES MOVE ON
Osbourn head coach Steve Schultze said that two 2007 graduates, Ray Evans and David Robinette, will play college football in the fall.
A linebacker, Evans signed with Division III Carroll College in Wisconsin, while Robinette, a lineman, signed with Division III Averett University in Danville. Both players had been attending Northern Virginia Community College. Evans began at Gannon University before going to NOVA.
Both players were members of the Eagles’ 2006 Division 6 state championship team.
John Carter, a 2008 Osbourn graduate, is still deciding between attending either Hargrave Military Academy or Fork Union Military Academy.
HEADING SOUTH
Potomac High School will attend a 7-on-7 tournament next month in Duncan, South Carolina. The Panthers were invited to participate in the tournament by host Byrnes High School, which went 15-0 in 2007 and won its sixth state title in the last seven years . The tournament will be made up primarily of teams from the South, including the host state as well as teams from Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.