Scanning my e-mails a couple weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to come across one from the former boys soccer coach at Francis Scott Key, Granville 'G' Hibberd.

When I first started at The Baltimore Sun in the early 1990s, I was assigned to Carroll County and had the chance to cover some of his games each year.

Back then, Francis Scott Key was the smallest of the five public schools in the county (now there are seven and Key still remains one of the smallest) and, thus, the Eagles always seemed to take on the role of underdog against the bigger schools in the county. From Hibberd's teams, I always saw a group that played hard to the very end with a lot of character. And there also were some characters.

Hibberd, who coached from the 1980s through the 1990s, has recently written a book, The Final Score: It's About the Team, about his time spent as coach at Francis Scott Key. The book consists of 55 or so anectdotal stories talking about the team's two state title years; various players who made sacrifices for the benefit of the team; and other interesting experiences Hibberd had with being a high school coach.

It's a must read for any alumni of Francis Scott Key and it's a good read for anybody who has had any involvement in small-town high school sports. The book can be found in Westminster at Curves and the Locust Book Store.

-- Glenn Graham