A Transfer of Power for Pallotti football?

There is a lot excitement at St. Vincent Pallotti High about its new-look football program.

But the optimism is not just about first-year head coach Ben Thompson, a 1993 Pallotti grad.

Thompson will have several transfers on the varsity team and all of them should be key players for the Panthers, who host Bishop Ireton of Alexandria, VA on Friday in their final scrimmage of the year.

The list of transfers includes sophomore quarterback Trey Busick, who could press returning starter Rafi Correa for the starting spot this season.

Busick was a freshman last year at Mount St. Joseph's and played on the junior varsity team. He said Thompson, the defensive coordinator last year at Mount St. Joseph's, was one of the main reasons that he transferred.

"I think we will work well together," Busick said of Correa. "I know he is an athlete as well. I don't think there will be any problems between us."

Another transfer is junior running back/defensive back Julian Mealy, who was with the powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High program last year. "He had back-to-back touchdowns" in a scrimmage on Saturday, Busick said. "He cuts real nice. He is an overall good player, and fast."

“He opened my eyes,” Thompson said of Mealy, who played well as a running back in a scrimmage on Saturday against Wheaton and Howard high schools. “We have to figure out how he fits into our offense.”

The Panthers' Allen Bright and Allen Hall were top running backs last year and both return. Hall gained an honor this summer at a camp in Florida filled with top prospects.

But perhaps the top transfer is Michael Johnson, a two-time all-Anne Arundel County tight end at North County High. Johnson will be a senior tight end and linebacker for the Panthers. "He is a big guy. He is fast and has good hands," Busick said.

His brother, Demetruis, will also join the Pallotti program as a sophomore wide receiver/safety after seeing time on varsity last year at North County.

Bright, the returning senior running back for Pallotti, said the offense can only be better with the new players. "I think it brings the offense more opportunities to move the ball up and down the field," said Bright, who will also play defensive back. "And the offensive line is working together. All together we should do big things."

Bright, a resident of Howard County, has made visits to Wake Forest, Maryland and Towson and has met with coaches at Maryland and Wake Forest. He also hopes to visit Robert Morris and Stony Brook.

The older brother of the Johnsons, Marlon, is a junior defensive end on the pre-season roster at Villanova. He played in high school at St. Mary’s of Annapolis.

Other transfers and possible starters include former Laurel High player Mike Ezirike, a senior defensive end; Coi Cottone, a junior linebacker who transferred from Aberdeen High; and Chaz Pittman, a junior wideout who attended Oakland Mills High in Columbia last year. Bright has been impressed with the speed of Pittman.

Ezirike attended Pallotti as a freshman before transferring to Laurel. Thompson said every transfer could be a starter this season.

Thompson said the first-team offense of both Pallotti and Howard scored a touchdown in the scrimmage at Wheaton. The Panthers had an easy time with host Wheaton in the scrimmage.

“Hopefully it was an eye opener for the kids,” Thompson said, “that we can compete with anyone. Our skills players are as good as anyone. We need to pick up the intensity and tempo in practice.”

Pallotti will host Ireton at Fairland Regional Park in West Laurel on Friday. That will be the last scrimmage before the season opener in Frederick against St. John's Catholic on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. The first home game for Pallotti will be Sept. 9 against the Severn School, also at Fairland.

"I feel we have a lot of work to do," said Busick, who also plans to play lacrosse at Pallotti. "Our team was starting to show a few signs of life" on Saturday. Thompson takes over for Pat Courtemanche, who stepped down at the end of last year due to personal reasons following a five-year stint as head coach.

The Panthers will play in the B conference of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association.