Submitted photo Westlake High School graduate De’Andre McCoy inked his letter of intent to Glenville State College (W.Va.) to play football. Seated, from left, are Demetria McCoy, De’Andre’s mother, De’Andre McCoy, and John Void, De’Andre’s stepfather. In the back row are Westlake athletic director Dominic Zaccarelli, left, Joseph Grant Jr., De’Andre’s brother and Westlake Principal Chrystal Benson.

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Westlake High School graduate signs with Glenville State football program

By AJ MASONStaff writer

De’Andre McCoy only played two years of high school football and he made the most of it.

McCoy attended Suitland High School in Prince George’s County for his first two years of high school, but did not play due to some adversity with his academics, so it was time for a change.

“I needed a fresh start, so me and my family moved to Waldorf,” McCoy said. “It was like a transformation for me to make a change.”

From there, the journey continued as McCoy transferred to Westlake where he was a standout at the wide receiver and defensive back positions and was a kick return specialist for his junior and senior seasons under former head coach Dominic Zaccarelli.

Last fall, in his final campaign as a Wolverine, McCoy scored four total touchdowns, had an interception and had more than 700 all-purpose yards. He recently signed to NCAA Division II’s Glenville State College in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“This moment was really special, it’s a blessing to get a scholarship to play football,” said McCoy, who started playing football at age 9, while growing up in Washington D.C., before moving to Suitland in his middle school years. “Not everyone has the chance to take their talents to the next level and I’m thankful to have the opportunity. This was the best thing that happen to me.”

McCoy, 19, said that Glenville State became interested after the football coaches saw his highlight tape right after the season ended last fall.

“When I went to Westlake, everything just turned around for me and if it wasn’t for the coaches and teachers I couldn’t have made it this far,” McCoy said.

When McCoy visited Glenville State, located in Glenville, W.Va., in April, he knew that the school was the right fit for him.

“They were the only school that was interested in me,” said McCoy, who currently is undecided on his major. “Being in the DMV all my life, Glenville gives me the opportunity to get away and meet new people. I will be able to focus on school and academics.”

Perhaps the biggest game of McCoy’s career was versus then-defending Class 4A state champion Urbana of Frederick County in the I-95 Kickoff Classic last fall at Morgan State University.

On that day, McCoy heralded the Wolverines to a 21-20 double overtime victory with a leaping catch over two defenders on fourth down and 18 in the left corner of the end zone on a pass from quarterback Marquel Lee.

McCoy also showed his game-breaking ability on special teams, bursting for an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

“De’Andre has a big upside and he stepped up, he has a big heart and he just has god-given talent,” said Westlake head football coach Marlon Curtis, the former defensive line coach who took over the reins recently in replacing Zaccarelli. “He still has a lot of room to grow and he just has to get better at doing the little things at the college level.”

The little things that Curtis was referring to are studying the game and being aware of everything on the field.

“He has to continue to get better at running his routes and overall being a productive receiver,” Curtis said. “He has to become an adamant film watcher and improve on his football IQ.”

Curtis added on what he and the Westlake program will miss about McCoy, “He always had a calm demeanor, he wasn’t very loud, he was under the radar and you knew what to expect every night from him. ... When he did say something, he backed it up on the field.”

Westlake finished 8-4 overall and a fourth-place 6-2 in SMAC in McCoy’s final campaign last fall. He will step into a Glenville State club that finished 5-6 overall and 5-3 in the WVIAC.

Glenville State is headed in the coaching ranks by David Hutchinson.

“I got to bring it,” McCoy said. “There will be bigger and stronger players, but I’m going to work hard every day. ... I never got a chance to play at Suitland, but I will miss a lot [of] my friends there and at Westlake. I will never forget playing high school.”

ajmason@somdnews.com