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He would spend a night here or there before games or practices. So knowing nothing more than that, he reached out to the kid's mother to see if he could play.Īs time passed, Clowney would begin to travel with the Allison family on road trips to tournaments. He caught word of a fifth-grader-the same age as his son, Austin-who was already capable of dunking a basketball. Chuck Allison, a volunteer coach, was putting together an AAU basketball team, and he needed talent.
BIFF POGGI WIKIPEDIA FULL
There was something inside her telling her she needed to do more-to ensure that Demon would be able to realize his full potential. Either I go in here, or I end up in there."īut for everything she could tell Demon, she never felt it was enough when he was growing up. "He's got to come out every day and face that," she says. There's another part of her that realizes the message it embodies. There's a part of this that Shamea despises-knowing her son has to see this.
BIFF POGGI WIKIPEDIA WINDOWS
The cells are empty, but students still see the bars over windows and the abandoned barbed wire sitting atop fences when they begin and end their day. Frances sits directly across from the now-defunct Baltimore City Detention Center. "Because I have seen a lot of young men fall victim to the street. Which is why Shamea knew that just having a famous relative with a similar body type wasn't enough to keep Demon on the right track. He does have a clear wealth of ability, though. He hasn't yet become the can't-miss player he was billed as-at least not yet. Back then, he would Google his own name and see articles pop up on an almost weekly basis.Īfter football games, opposing players and fans would often ask for photos. The buzz surrounding Demon started in eighth grade. They knew exactly what his last name represents. Frances coaches shared the same curiosity that so many others in the profession do.
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When he made the decision to transfer, the St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. Frances following his freshman football season, after spending much of that year at St.
BIFF POGGI WIKIPEDIA SERIES
He's also one of the primary reasons Demon hasn't been playing more than a handful of series per game early in the season on an undefeated team.ĭemon transferred to St. 4 player in the country, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. Frances football team-led by head coaches Henry Russell and Biff Poggi, the latter of whom spent a year on Jim Harbaugh's Michigan staff in 2016 before returning to coach high school football-has become one the nation's elite football programs.įuture Division I football players are scattered across the field, including Alabama commit Eyabi Anoma.
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Frances Academy doesn't have its own stadium.
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The practice is being held at Dunbar High School in the heart of downtown Baltimore, largely because St. It's clear that he's by no means close to what he will ultimately grow into-in body or ability-which somehow makes it that much more intriguing. His movements are calculated but still raw. He's quick off the ball, and his long arms come in handy as he navigates through the line of scrimmage. 85, Demon and his teammates prepare for a playoff game two days away. Wearing a black and gold jersey emblazoned with the No. It takes no more than a few seconds to spot him on a windy, chilly Friday morning in early November. If he is to become the next Clowney to achieve greatness, Demon will have a network of support to thank for it that far exceeds his family name. That expectation has become part of the foundation on which this high school sophomore is building his future. They can't help seeing a young man who could one day deliver a Hit like his cousin's. "He walks into a room, and he immediately catches everyone's attention." "They look alike, and athletically they're very similar. "If you hear his last name and you see him, that's all you need to know," says Sam Poggi, Demon's position coach at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, already 6'4" and 210 pounds with a body that is begging for more weight, already getting hype two years ahead of his national signing day. He does now.įive years later, Demon has become a sophomore defensive end at St. The Hit also changed the life of a sixth-grader who shared that now-household last name.ĭemon (pronounced Da-Mon) Clowney didn't know the impact his cousin's Hit would have on him back then.
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