At first glance, River Hill boys soccer coach Matt Shagogue had some concerns when he saw his No. 2 Hawks set to open the season against No. 5 Bel Air on Monday with Howard County rival Mount Hebron do up the very next day.

It all worked out favorably though. The Hawks played exceptionally well in a 4-0 win, got every player on the field and each left without injury. After the game, Shagogue said it turned out beneficial to get the positive effort from his Hawks and enter today's big game against the Vikings feeling good about themselves.

There's another side to the argument, however. Would it be more beneficial to have a light practice to prepare for a big county or league foe? How tired are the legs after playing an actual game? And what about the emotional factor as far as having to get up for big games on consecutive days.

The Archbishop Spalding girls soccer team ran into a similar situation on two occasions last year. Midway through the season, the Cavaliers, then ranked No. 1, took a long ride to McLean, Va., to take on Potomac, winning comfortably, 5-0, before having to get right back on the bus the next day to face IAAM A Conference foe Pallotti -- settling for a 1-1 overtime tie that put the team's mark at 9-0-1.

Later in the season, the Cavaliers traveled to Frederick to take on Thomas Johnson, getting another win, and then had to take the long jaunt to Bel Air to face fellow IAAM power John Carroll. In a gutty effort, the Cavaliers fell, 1-0, to end their 37-game unbeaten streak and lose out on the regular-season league title and the top seed.

Spalding coach Bob Dieterle likes the steady flow of challenges, but sometimes they could simply be better timed. Had the Cavs not had games the previous night before the important conference contests, he would have had light practices with more tactical work. Spalding will find itself in the same spot later this month when it hosts state power Good Counsel Sept. 22 and then has to come right back and play top-ranked McDonogh. Fortunately for the Cavs, that is a home game so this time they won't have to travel.

- Glenn Graham