According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term “ball hawk” is defined as “a player skillful in taking the ball away from opponents.”
Maybe they should consider using Angelo Ross’s photo next to the entry.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder from Baltimore, MD, certainly established himself as a “ball hawk” during his junior season at Mount Joseph High School. Ross led the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association of private schools in 2023 with seven interceptions, a figure that also ranked second among all the state’s high schools.
“Some guys just have a knack for turning it over,” Mount Saint Joseph coach Donald Davis said. “You can’t really explain it. Some guys just have that knack, and Angleo is a guy who has that ability to take the ball away from the other team.”
That skill caught the attention of East Carolina’s wide receivers coach Dyrell Roberts and cornerback coach Jules Montinar, whose interest resulted in a scholarship offer April 24. An official visit to Greenville followed on June 13 and Ross offered his verbal commitment to the Pirates five days later.
The pledge came after Ross also considered offers from Akron, Buffalo, Fordham, Holy Cross, Howard, Miami of Ohio, Monmouth, Morgan State, Southern New Hampshire and Towson.
Davis was escorting several Mount Saint Joseph players for visits to North Carolina schools in June when a chance for Ross developed to make an official stop at East Carolina. The trip proved a turning point in Ross’s recruitment, according to Davis.
“I would say that (official visit) was one of the things that really got him there,” Davis said. “He and I, and a couple of our other guys, had been in North Carolina unofficially visiting some schools and other stuff. They had scheduled it (official visit) not long before we hit the road. I was like, ‘We’re going to be in North Carolina during X, Y and Z, so it won’t be difficult to get him there.’ So, he got there and got his parents there that weekend. I would say he was excited about the possibility of going to visit, and once he got there, we were pretty sure that was going to be it.”
Ross’s commitment to the Pirates marked the second time one of Davis’s players has chosen to play for ECU. While head coach at Cardinal Gibbons in Baltimore, he mentored future East Carolina linebacker Derrell Johnson. Johnson was a four-year starter for the Pirates who amassed 221 tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 19 sacks between 2010 and 2013.
A junior varsity player as a freshman at Mount Saint Joseph, Ross earned a spot on the varsity as a sophomore. But at 5-10, 150 pounds he saw little action during the 2022 season. A growth spurt over that summer saw him grow almost three inches and add 20 pounds.
It was in February 2023 that Davis arrived as head coach at Mount Saint Joseph in the midst of Ross’s physical transformation.
“Prior to me taking the job, coaches (from Mount Saint Joseph) were saying, ‘Hey, there’s a young kid who plays basketball and football who is really athletic,”’ Davis said. “He was still a young kid then. But people spoke highly of him.
“Early on, before we got to the football stuff, you could tell he had really smooth movement. Some guys, when they run or get up to speed, they’re struggling and fighting. He just moves fluid. Then, once we got to football, he takes the ball away. Before we even played games, in every practice he was finding a way to step in front of a guy and take the ball away.”
Ross quickly adapted those talents to games, earning him first-team All-MIAA and second-team all-state honors.
When asked to describe a play Ross made last season that’s a good example of his skill as a secondary player, Davis recalled one made during a 24-21 setback against Loyola Blakefield.
“This sounds weird because they called him out (of bounds), but he wasn’t,” Davis said. “He was covering one guy but came off to help out on another. He went up in the end zone to intercept a ball against Loyola. That was one of the better plays for him to make the read and go vertically and get the ball really displayed his athleticism.”
Ross isn’t expected to leave the field often as a senior at Mount Saint Joseph, which is scheduled to open its 2024 season August 24 against Bishop McDevitt. Davis said he’ll use Ross at receiver, in the secondary and as a kick returner. “We want to put the ball in his hands,” Davis said.
The Pirates are expected to play Ross at cornerback. Davis isn’t sure when Ross will begin his ECU career, but said an early graduation “is possible.”
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