MLB Bose anchors Hurricane defense

Andrew Bose has a permanent smile etched on his face. Whether he's in the hallways at school, out with friends or on the football field, Huntingtown's junior linebacker seems perpetually happy. Especially when he's on the football field.

"You can just tell how much he enjoys practice and the games," said Huntingtown coach Jerry Franks. "He doesn't say a whole lot, but the smile never goes away."

Bose had every reason to smile last season. The third-year varsity stud recorded a Southern Maryland Athletic Conference-high 175 tackles to go along with five sacks, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

Despite being an underclassman, Bose helped guide the surprising Hurricanes (13-1) to the 3A state title game (where they were trounced by Lingnaore) and earned honorable mention All-State honors.

"It was a pretty special year," Bose said. "I think I did pretty well, and we beat River Hill and went to States. Not bad."

Not bad at all considering Huntingtown had never made it that deep in the playoffs before. While running back Greg Goodwin carried the offense, it was Bose who led the way on defense. Bose played middle linebacker, which is typically the "position of power" on any unit. He called out the signals and was practically involved in every key stop.

"A lot of kids look up to me," Bose said. "When the team's down or the game's late and they're getting tired, I try to pick up the pace and get the momentum going. I'm there to get everyone fired up."

Bose did just that in the playoffs against River Hill, a team that was carrying a 40-game winning streak. In a dogfight that was tied at 7 in the third quarter, River Hill moved in for the go-ahead score. They had the ball inside the Huntingtown 5-yard line but were stuffed on three-straight plays.

On fourth-and-goal from the 1, River Hill tried one last plunge. Bose knifed into the backfield, met the running back and stood him up. Meanwhile, the rest of the Hurricanes' defense enveloped the 'back behind the line of scrimmage.

"He had big plays in big moments throughout the season," Franks said. "That's something you look for in your best prospects - critical plays in key situations."

In a tense Week 4 battle with rival Westlake, the Wolverines had the ball and the lead (7-0). But Bose changed the momentum when he sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble, leading to the tying score. Huntingtonwn went on to win 14-13.

"We needed a stop, so I told the team 'We can do this, we can beat these guys,'" Bose said. "I put it on myself to make the plays."

Physically, at 6-feet-2 and 215 pounds, Bose is a prototypical middle linebacker. Better yet, he runs the 40-yard dash in under 4.7 seconds, cleans 315 pounds and benches 320 pounds.

"He's very strong - he lives in the weight room - he's got the speed and he's very aggressive," Franks said. "He has a nose for the ball and he's got that motor colleges are looking for."

Franks recalls an early-season play where the opposition ran a reverse and Bose was on the other side of the field. He stopped, changed directions, raced back across the field and tackled the ball carrier at the line.

"He can cover sideline-to-sideline," Franks said. "He's just always around the ball."

Based on his career trajectory, Bose should continue to improve. In his freshman year, when he played jayvee, he dominated and forced his way onto varsity. Then he started his sophomore year and recorded 120 tackles. As an underclassman captain in 2009, Bose became one of the best linebackers in the SMAC.

"My numbers have gone up every year so next year I expect it to happen again," Bose said. "I'm bulking up some more and I'm trying to get even faster, so I'm looking forward to having am even better season next year."

He'll even get the chance to put up some offensive numbers, too. With Goodwin gone, Bose will move into the backfield and become one of the team's top running backs.

"He's definitely a runner," Franks said. "He's a load to bring down."

But Bose is a linebacker first and foremost, and that's where he's projected to play in college. So far he's gotten nibbles from Division I schools, although he doesn't have an offer yet. Maryland and Connecticut invited him to their junior days and he's confident an offer could be coming soon.

"I think some schools might be close [to offering]," Bose said. "I know I can play at the Division I level. I can take on the challenges and I don't back down."

He certainly proved that on the field last year.

And he did it all with a smile on his face.