When I interview an athlete, I always want to know what got him or her started in the sport at which he or she excels. What piqued the interest in that particular sport?

When Amanda White Pagon ran for Dulaney, I wrote a few stories about her and watched her amazing success stories pile up one after another, but I never knew why she first started running. I asked her that when I talked with her a few weeks ago for today's Alumni Report.

She said she wanted to run to Australia.

“In elementary school, we had this gym teacher from Australia and she did this program to get kids interested in running. She said, ‘We’re going to run to Australia.’ We had these little cards, 50 miles on a card and they were broken into 50 squares and each square was broken into fours for a quarter mile. You could run at recess and the teacher could tally it for you or you could run at home and parents could initial them.

“What always worked with me was some motivational thing like that, trying to reach some goal, so this was very cool, because in our hallway, she had this big line and as the kids ran more and more on their cards, the line got longer and we started getting closer to Australia.”

Except for the occasional 5K, she didn’t run much after her sophomore year at Dulaney, concentrating mostly on swimming and playing a few other sports. Still, an elementary school teacher with an irresistible goal introduced her to the sport she still can't leave behind.

Oh, and by the way, it’s 9,785 miles from Baltimore to Sydney, Australia. Years later, Pagon raced in a triathlon there.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Andrew Wall, a former Annapolis High School wrestler who graduated in 2005, died this week. A funeral service will be held Saturday at St. Mary's Church, 113 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, at 9 a.m.

His life's story was short -- he just turned 23 last Saturday -- but over those limited years he seemed to have made lasting impressions on everyone he met. More than 22,000 messages from family and friends at his Caringbridge.org website attest to that.

Wall had been an active, healthy young man until one day about six months ago when he collapsed while working in a field at an organic farm in Makawao, Hawaii. He was rushed to the hospital and found to have a brain tumor. He was returned to Maryland and had been in the care of his family in Annapolis since.

"I heard and his former teammates, who were some of his best friends, heard when it happened," said Tom Sfakiyanudis, who coached wrestling for 10 years at Annapolis High, including those years when Wall competed. "It has hit everyone around here pretty hard. He had a lot of close friends on the team and they were all keeping in touch through the entire ordeal."

Sfakiyanudis described Wall as "a wonderful kid", who didn't start wrestling until high school but worked hard in practice to excel.

"Andrew worked his way up quickly," Sfakiyanudis said. "I remember he won us a big match his junior year when he was wrestling at 171 pounds. We were competing against Broadneck and it came down to his match. He pinned the guy to win us the whole match."

Messages at Caringbridge.org come from friends he had made at age 7, from ICU nurses who took care of him in Hawaii after he collapsed, from the Severn women's rugby organization, from Mount St. Mary's rugby captain and a classmate, from friends in California, Texas and Utah, from friends he made three years ago on a United Kingdom study trip. They come from his former teachers at the Mount, from families of his former wrestling teammates and from the family whose farm he lived and worked on in Hawaii, who say he made such an impression on them they are building a memorial on the farm to him.

All of those messengers, first expressing support for his recovery and then sympathy and compassion at his loss, all talk about a young man who was kind and caring, patient, thoughtful, genuine, and a "lover of all things food."

They talk about his huge smile, his king-sized hugs and his gentleness.

And all of them talk about the impression he made on their lives and how much they'll miss him.

A wonderful legacy for his family, now saddened by his loss, to remember.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Wrestling
        

The soccer teams at Fallston enjoyed a rarity last year when both made it to the state championship game, each falling just short of bringing home titles.

This year brings an even more impressive surprise: Both teams are right there again.

The Fallston boys brought back only three starters, but picked up where it left off with standout forward Mikey Antinozzi leading the way.

The girls team lost its entire front line and key players at midfield, but relied on defender McKenzie Hannahs and the back line while the new offense came together.

Saturday night at UMBC Stadium, the Fallston supporters will get a double dose of soccer as the team compete in the Class 2A state championship games.

The Fallston girls will take on Winters Mill at 5 p.m. with the boys game against Marriotts Ridge to follow at 7:30.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With Garrison Forest, Broadneck, Severna Park, Westminster and South River all huddled at or near the top of the Field Hockey Poll all season, Bryn Mawr, 18-3-1, may have been surprised to find itself at the top of heap in the final poll published in Tuesday’s Sun.

But while all those other teams got the attention during the season, the Mawrtians quietly set about building a resume that deserved the final nod.

“I was surprised when I heard,” said Bryn Mawr coach Jeanette Budzik, who noted Garrison Forest’s No. 1 ranking the last two years and Severna Park’s long domination before that. “But I think it was something our kids deserve and accomplished.

“It is an honor to be No. 1. Everyone works really hard to get to that spot and if you’re in that position you’re in such strong, great company. No. 1, the Top 10, 15 or Top 20, it’s a great place to be. And the kids appreciate being recognized this year. To be at the top, it’s really incredible.

“There’s a lot of excitement at our school.”

Westminster was headed for No. 1, going into the final game with an 18-0 record. But Severna Park, who knows how to win championships, stopped the Owls, 2-1, in the title game for a state record 19th 4A state crown.

The Falcons went into the championship game ranked No. 3 and finished 16-2. They made an argument for No. 1 with the victory over Westminster and with its semifinal and regular season wins over No. 5 South River. But the Falcons lost twice -- to unranked Severn, 1-0, and to No. 8 Broadneck, 3-0, when the Bruins were ranked No. 1.

But besides South River and Broadneck, who did Severna Park play? The Falcons played the hand they were dealt. Positioned in Anne Arundel County they have to play the other Anne Arundel County teams. And the Falcons played them hard, beating up on the competition -- 11 shutouts and 121 goals scored attest to that.

But through the regular season and playoffs they faced only three ranked teams, Broadneck, South River, a team they beat by a goal in the regular season and by strokes in the playoffs, and Westminster.

Then there was Bryn Mawr.

Continue reading "Why Bryn Mawr deserves to be ranked No. 1" »

Posted by Sandra McKee at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

When Loch Raven boys soccer coach Joe Fielder was asked back in August how many starters he had back from last year's team, he didn't need any time to consider or any extra fingers or toes to help count. The answer was one.

So the Raiders' impressive run to Saturday's Class 1A state title game -- against four-time defending champ Pocomoke -- is particularly rewarding. The Raiders (14-4-1) hope to have one more win left in them to bring home a state title. Game time at UMBC Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

"We've overachieved all year. Whether we're playing good or bad, we seem to find ways to score a goal here and there to stay in games," said Fielder, whose only returning starter is junior defender Kevin Moyer.

Strong two-way play from center midfielder Seth Moses has been a big key to the team's success. Along with leading the team in scoring with 10 goals, Moses has dominated the middle of the field with gifted skills and a high work rate.

-- Glenn Graham

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Joppatowne football coach Bill Waibel was named the Ravens' High School Coach of the Week after guiding the No. 5 Mariners to a 49-30 regional semifinal victory over Bohemia Manor Friday night.

The Mariners (11-0) had not allowed that many points all season, but Waibel said the defense, which came into the game giving up an average of 5.2 points and had not allowed more than 14, played well.

“We had three turnovers in the first half, and it gave them a short field,” Waibel said in a news release. “But we were able to take care of the football in the second half and make adjustments on the offensive line, as far as blocking schemes go. We challenged our team to go out and play to our ability.”

Continue reading "Joppatowne's Waibel is Ravens' Coach of the Week" »

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Football
        

In last weekend’s regional football semifinal, Pikesville probably faced the most highly-motivated team in the entire state tournament bracket – Sparrows Point.

A week earlier, the Pointers had a chance to beat Pikesville on the last play of the regular-season finale, but Panthers linebacker Nolan Hart tipped the ball away from a Sparrows Point player in the end zone to seal a 35-28 Pikesville win and the top spot among Baltimore County’s Class 1A teams.

That brought up Part Two for the rivals: the Class 1A North region opener.

“We knew Sparrows Point was going to come out and be excited, because the week before they lost on the last play of the game, so they knew they could beat us and our kids knew that too,” said Panthers coach Jamie Willis. “I told them they’re going to come out on top of their game, especially emotionally, and they did. They jumped on us. They threw the ball down two series in a row and went up 14-0.”

The Panthers didn’t fold.

Shortly after Sparrows Point's second touchdown, quarterback Jeremy Downing wanted to pass on third-and-12, but the Pointers covered his receivers, so he scrambled for a first down that led to Pikesville’s first touchdown.

“He makes plays,” Willis said. “He’s that kind of kid, so it got us moving a little bit and got us into the game emotionally and from that point on, we played probably our best football.”

The Panthers reeled off five unanswered touchdowns to take the lead for good, led offensively by Downing, Bradley Garfield, Daniel Shear, Kion Wright and DeVohn Gilmore. They went on to win, 42-20, and earn a trip to Thurmont to meet Catoctin (10-0) for the regional crown Friday night.

That was the eighth straight win for Pikesville, which started the season 0-2. Willis said the leadership of his 21 seniors played a key role in their success in a season in which they matched a program-best 8-2 record.

“We started the year 0-2 with a bunch of turnovers and then we got a bye week,” Willis said. “We knew we had to get better and they just continued to lead us. Right now we're playing our best football, so they led us to where we are today.”

Willis, a second-year head coach who took the Panthers to the regional final last season after they had gone through five losing seasons, also noted the defensive play of linemen Robert Gibson, Pat Murdock, Brent Hiken and Jaron McQueen, defensive ends Shear and Taymar Davenport, linebackers Hart and Tim Bailey, corners David Johnson and Shawn Markow and safeties Gilmore and Corey Cutler.

Next up for the Panthers, who had never gone past the first round of playoffs until last season, is another familiar foe: Catoctin. They fell to the Cougars, 50-13, a year ago at home.

“We played them last year in the same game,” said Willis, “so we know who they are. I think they expected us to be here again and we knew they were going to be here again. My kids are looking forward to it. We’re going to have to play a flawless game to beat them. They’re a very good team.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Lake Clifton's new point guard Josh Selby is on the front of the Sports section in Tuesday's USA Today. The story that goes with the photo is about the hotbed of point guards in the Baltimore/D.C. area that will be on display in the coming season. Selby, who transferred from DeMatha, is the second-ranked point guard and No. 4 overall by Rivals.com.

Mount St. Joseph senior guard Eric Atkins, last year's Baltimore Catholic League Player of the Year, also was mentioned in the article. He is the No. 14 rated point guard in the country.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Jack Degele, Commissioner, Baltimore Catholic League (BCL), a highly competitive high school boys’ basketball league currently comprising seven private schools, has announced the establishment of the Baltimore Catholic League Hall of Fame to honor past players, coaches and administrators beginning with the first year of the league in 1971-72.

Fans of the BCL can nominate candidates for the inaugural class of 15 inductees from Nov. 13 through Dec.31 by logging onto http://www.baltimorecatholicleague.com/. The class will be announced at the annual BCL luncheon on Feb. 24, and will be honored at a banquet on March 13.

Criteria for nomination includes:

Continue reading "BCL to establish Hall of Fame" »

Posted by Glenn Graham at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)