Diggs, Green Represent MVSA Football Alums in Postseason Bowls

The Montgomery Village Sports Association has produced scores of talented players who have gone on to further their gridiron careers at the high school and collegiate level.

In fact, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety and Germantown native Tanard Jackson is even a product of the youth league.

Axel Ofori, a former standout at Gaithersburg High, is now a redshirt freshman defensive back at the University of Maine.

Quince Orchard graduate and Delaware cornerback Travis Hawkins, a second team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection this year, also played MVSA youth football as well as former Watkins Mill standout Josh Pleasant who recently completed his senior campaign at Kent State in Ohio and will pursue a career in the NFL next year.

Pleasant, a defensive back, earned second team All-Mid American Conference honors this season.

This year a number of former MVSA players helped lead their high school teams to postseason berths including Good Counsel wide receiver Stefon Diggs and Quince Orchard running back Mark Green along with Seneca Valley standouts Kevin “Twos” Joppy and James Jones-Williams and Gaithersburg running back Solomon Vault.

Diggs, a highly regarded Division I prospect, helped lead Good Counsel to its third consecutive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title last month.

As a youth league player Diggs was coached by his father, Aron Diggs, who passed away three years ago.

“He always yelled at me a lot,” recalled Diggs, who described his father as a “hard coach.”

“He wasn’t too much of a congratulator,” Diggs added, “he always told me what I did wrong to shape my game.”

The four-year varsity player is scheduled to play in the Chesapeake Bowl on Dec. 30 at South River High in Edgewater, Maryland and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl next month in San Antonio, Texas.

“I look forward to it,” Diggs said about the nationally televised U.S. Army All-American game, scheduled to be broadcast Jan. 7 on NBC.

Meanwhile, Green, who holds a scholarship offer from Delaware State, received an invitation to play in the fourth annual Maryland Crab Bowl on Dec. 17 at Bowie State University. Green rushed for more than 2,000 yards and scored 28 touchdowns during his senior campaign this year.

He said he was grateful for the opportunity to play for the Montgomery Village Chiefs youth league program.

“They always strived for excellence just like the coaches here [at Quince Orchard],” said Green, who will graduate as the Cougars’ all-time leading rusher. “I’m really, really, really thankful for that coaching staff and that great program to build me into where I am right now. I really give it up to the MV Chiefs program and the coaches that led me to where I am today.”