It’s Week 13 of The Next Level, and that means a lot teams have played their last games of the season. That, in turn, means it’s time to bid adieu to some local players, at least on the college stage, as they have concluded their senior seasons. But who knows, perhaps we’ll see some of these players with pro potential at — you guessed it — the next level.

Syracuse’s Alec Lemon (Arundel) finished his freshman year with a 56-31 road loss to Connecticut, but the wide receiver gave Orange fans plenty to look forward to for next season. Though he didn’t start, Lemon had a huge day, catching nine passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Greg Paulus was connecting with Lemon all day, and their 3-yard hook-up with just more than a minute left in the third quarter pulled Syracuse with four points at 21-17. Lemon’s longest reception of the game, a gain of 33 yards, brought the ball down to the Huskies’ 10-yard line in the fourth quarter, and the Orange scored a touchdown on the next play to make the score 42-31 in UConn’s favor. That was as close as Syracuse would get the rest of the way, however. Lemon also had catches of 30, 20, 17 and 16 yards in the contest. Sophomore Nick Speller (Edmondson) started at left tackle for the Orange, and senior tight end made Andrew Robinson (Calvert Hall) made one solo tackle on punt coverage in his final college game. Redshirt freshman starting safety Jerome Junior (Archbishop Curley) made seven tackles (three solo, four assists) for the Huskies in the victory.

Baltimore native Matt Brown continues to tear it up in Temple’s backfield. The Owls lost to host Ohio, 35-17 — ending a nine-game winning streak — but Brown had his second straight 100-plus-yard rushing game and scored his fourth touchdown in the past three contests. The freshman enjoyed his most productive game of the season on the ground, running for 172 yards on 25 carries. Brown’s 9-yard touchdown run in the third quarter brought Temple within 26-17. His longest rush of the day was a gain of 26 yards on second-and-seven in the third quarter, and he also had runs of 24 and 23 yards in the game. Notably, Brown did not lose yardage on a single carry. He added an 11-yard kickoff return. Sophomore offensive lineman Sean Boyle (Calvert Hall) contributed a solo tackle on punt coverage, and fellow sophomore offensive lineman Pat Boyle (Calvert Hall) played, recording no statistics.

It was a disappointing Senior Day for Maryland’s Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) and Hakeem Sule (McDonogh), as the Terps fell to Boston College, 19-17, to end their season and those two players’ college careers. The loss was Maryland’s 10th of the season, the most in school history. McCollough, Maryland’s starting strong safety, made five tackles (two solo, three assists), including teaming with linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield to stop Eagles running back Montel Harris after a gain of just 1 yard on first-and-goal from the Terps’ 9 in the first quarter. The Terps held Boston College to a field goal on that drive, despite an offside penalty on Severn native and starting redshirt freshman nose tackle A.J. Francis (who made one solo tackle in the game). Sule, a linebacker, played in the game but recorded no stats. Freshman defensive back Eric Franklin (Archbishop Curley) assisted on one tackle, and junior wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) played but had no stats.

On the flip side, Buffalo seniors Mike Newton and Dane Robinson, both Calvert Hall graduates, closed out their college careers on a positive note, as the visiting Bulls beat Kent State, 9-6, on Friday. Newton, the starting free safety, made four tackles (three solo, one assist), including pairing with defensive lineman Anel Montanez to stop Golden Flashes running back Jacquise Terry after a gain of just 1 yard on third-and-26 in the second quarter. Robinson, a defensive tackle, assisted on three tackles. He and defensive back Sherrod Lott stopped Terry for no gain on second-and-11 in the fourth quarter.

Utah tried to get junior Shaky Smithson (Douglass) involved in a number of ways during its 26-23 road loss to Brigham Young in the Holy War. Smithson returned five punts for 67 yards (with a long of 40 in the fourth quarter), caught one pass for 24 yards on third-and-10 in the third quarter, rushed twice for minus-2 yards, and attempted four passes, completing one for 3 yards. Smithson’s 40-yard punt return set the Utes up with good field position in the final period, and the ensuing drive ended with a touchdown and two-point conversion that brought them within three points at 20-17.

Sophomore linebacker Zach Brown (Wilde Lake) recorded three tackles (two solo, one assist) in North Carolina’s 28-27 loss to host North Carolina State. Brown was in on a stop of Wolfpack running back Toney Baker for a loss of 4 yards on second-and-seven in the fourth quarter.

Tavon Austin (Dunbar) started at wide receiver in West Virginia’s 19-16 home victory over Pittsburgh on Friday. The freshman caught three passes for 12 yards, including a long of 9 on first-and-10 from the Panthers’ 24 in the first quarter. Austin also returned two kickoffs for 39 yards (long of 21). Freshman defensive back Terence Garvin (Loyola) assisted on two tackles on kickoff coverage for the Mountaineers.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Joey Ehrmann (Gilman) broke up one pass and recorded a quarterback hurry in Wake Forest’s 45-34 win over host Duke, the final game of the season for both teams. Junior wide receiver Sheldon Bell (City) played but recorded no stats for the Blue Devils, who needed a victory to become bowl eligible but instead closed their year with their fourth straight defeat.

Senior Andrew DePaola (Hereford) played his final college game in visiting Rutgers’ 34-14 rout of Louisville. The wide receiver didn’t record any stats. Neither did Cardinals freshman linebacker Horace Miller (Dunbar). Louisville fired coach Steve Kragthorpe after the loss, which ended their season at 4-8.

Senior Greg Zingler (Severna Park) served as holder in Navy’s 24-17 road defeat at the hands of Hawaii late Saturday night.

Posted by Steve Gould at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

As we head into the final days of the football season, here's a look at some of the significant numbers from the last week -- the state semifinals and the annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl.

1 Baltimore-area undefeated team left in the state finals – Joppatowne.

2 Of eight state finalists that have previously won a state title – Joppatowne in 1975 and 2003 and Linganore in 1989, 1991, 1995 and 2003.

3 Touchdowns scored by Eastern Tech in the final eight minutes of the first half in the Mavericks’ 27-12 win over Douglass, of Prince George’s County.

14 Straight playoff wins for Dunbar before Friday’s loss to Catoctin. The Poets string of titles ends at three straight, one shy of the state record.

24 Straight Turkey Bowls won by the team that scores first. This time, Calvert Hall got the jump on Loyola en route to a 47-28 victory.

40 The final count on River Hill’s winning streak, which ended Friday night in a 10-7 loss at Huntingtown.

75 Points scored in the Turkey Bowl – the most in the 90-year history of the Calvert Hall-Loyola rivalry.

117 Rushing yards for Joppatowne’s Epe Henriques – of his total 148 – in the second half of the 20-13 win over Allegany.

137 Total tackles this season by Joppatowne’s Jake McGinnis, including 11 against Allegany.

615 Rushing yards by Old Mill’s Josh Furman in the last two weeks – including 201 in the 20-13 semifinal victory Saturday over Sherwood. He has run for 2,272 yards this season.

11,898 Fans at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving Day to watch the annual Turkey Bowl clash between Calvert Hall and Loyola.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The annual Baltimore City vs. Baltimore County all-star football game will be held Monday at 6 p.m. at Poly's Lumsden Scott Stadium. Admission is $5.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The times and dates for the state football championship games have been set. All we need now are the teams.

State football finals at M&T Bank Stadium

Friday, Dec. 4

Class 4 A, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 5

Class 1A, noon
Class 2A, 3:30 p.m.
Class 3A, 7 p.m.

Also, Old Mill will play its state Class 4A semifinal game at Sherwood on Saturday night at 7 p.m. rather than Friday night as originally scheduled.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Arundel senior quarterback Billy Cosh closed out his high school career Friday night, a couple weeks sooner than he would have liked, but that didn’t stop him from adding a few more pages to the state record book he has been rewriting for two years.

In Friday night’s double-overtime loss to Old Mill in the Class 3A East region final, Cosh set two more state career records, bringing his career total to 13 as he threw for four touchdowns and completed 32 of 60 passes for 443 yards. He broke the record for most passing yards in a career and most pass attempts in a career.

Cosh, who is headed for Kansas State, has 7,433 passing yards, breaking the record of 7,371 set by Friendly’s Joe Haden in 2006. He passed the ball 909 times, bettering the 902 by North County’s Mike Pfisterer set in 2000.

One of the most remarkable things about Cosh’s four state career records is that he set them in a little over two seasons. He played in only 30 games – just five as a sophomore.

Here’s a quick look at the final edition of the Cosh record book. The * indicates an overall state record. The others are public school marks.

Game

• Most passing yards: 475
• Most passes attempted: 64*
• Most passes completed: 39*
• Most touchdown passes: 7 (tied)*

Season

• Most total offensive yards: 4,074*
• Most passing yards: 3,913*
• Most passes attempted: 448*
• Most passes completed: 292*
• Most touchdown passes: 56*

Career

• Most passing yards: 7,433
• Most passes attempted: 909
• Most passes completed: 594
• Most touchdown passes: 112

(My thanks to Sean Asbury for supplying the Arundel stats every week and also to Mike Loveday and Sheldon Shealer of ESPN Rise/MDVarsity.com for their knowledge of the state records.)

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

One night during the 2006-2007 basketball season, I remember covering a Fallston girls basketball game and talking with coach Vernon Brown about his players and how proud he was of how hard they were working to improve.

Brown and I talked about that in great detail during the 30 minutes or so that it took me to write my story after the game. We were the athletic director's office, and it was around 9 p.m. It already had been a long day, but Brown never rushed me -- he definitely should have -- and took real pleasure in just sitting and talking about Jess Harlee and his other players.

It's a bit of a tired phrase, but Brown took real pride in and cared about those kids he worked with. Brown loved to point out all the good things his players did, no matter how small, if it showed that they were learning their craft that much better.

He was a coach who really knew how to teach, and that's one reason his teams did so well so often. That was no accident.

I knew that he'd been battling cancer and felt truly saddened when hearing of his death from the disease earlier this month. The fact that the girls soccer team won their state championship last week and dedicated it to him was, to me, both sad and truly fitting.

Here's a bet that Coach Brown is smiling somewhere.

-- Jeff Seidel

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

A couple of local players are really turning it on as the regular season nears it end. For the second week in a row, Utah’s Shaky Smithson (Douglass) and Temple’s Matt Brown, a Baltimore native, combined for three touchdowns.

This week it was Brown who scored twice, producing two TDs in the third quarter of Temple’s 47-13 rout of visiting Kent State. The first came on a run of 71 yards and increased the Owls’ lead to 19-10, while the freshman’s second touchdown, this one a 1-yard rush, upped Temple’s advantage to 33-10. Brown had a huge game overall, gaining 156 yards on the ground. Sophomore offensive linemen Pat and Sean Boyle (Calvert Hall) played for the Owls in the victory.

Smithson saw all kinds of duty as Utah rolled over San Diego State at home, 38-7. The junior carried nine times for 34 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown run on third-and-1 in the second quarter that gave the Utes a 21-0 lead. Smithson also returned five punts for 54 yards (long of 20) and two kickoffs for 41 yards, and even completed a 7-yard pass to wide receiver David Reed on second-and-3 in the first quarter.

In the penultimate game of his college career, Buffalo starting safety Mike Newton (Calvert Hall) had perhaps his best performance of his season in the Bulls’ 42-17 victory over host Miami of Ohio on Wednesday. The senior recorded 10 tackles (five solo, five assist), intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. Both of Newton’s takeaways came when the RedHawks were driving deep into Buffalo territory and threatening to score. First, Newton picked off a pass from Miami quarterback Zac Dysert on the Bulls’ goal line and returned it 30 yards in the first quarter. Then, in the fourth quarter, with Buffalo holding a 28-10 advantage, the safety scooped up the ball after defensive back Domonic Cook forced wide receiver Brayden Coombs to cough it up on the Bulls’ 1. Newton returned the fumble 24 yards. He also broke up a pass in the game. Senior defensive tackle Dane Robinson (Calvert Hall) didn’t start for Buffalo, but he recorded three solo tackles, including a sack of Dysert for a loss of 13 yards in the third quarter. Robinson also took down running back Thomas Merriweather for a loss of 1 yard in the first quarter.

Freshman wide receiver Alec Lemon (Arundel) came down with three catches for 41 yards in Syracuse’s 31-13 home win over Rutgers, and all three resulted in first downs for the Orange. Lemon’s longest reception went for 21 yards. Sophomore Nick Speller (Edmondson) started at left tackle for Syracuse, and senior tight end Andrew Robinson (Calvert Hall) played but recorded no statistics. Scarlet Knights senior wide receiver Andrew DePaola (Hereford) also saw action and had no stats in the loss.

Wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) caught two passes for 29 yards in Maryland’s heartbreaking 29-26 road loss to Florida State. The junior’s longest catch was for a gain of 17 yards on third-and-13 in the fourth quarter and came on a drive that ended with a touchdown that gave the Terps a 19-14 lead. Starting senior strong safety Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) made two tackles (one solo, one assist) for the Terps. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle A.J. Francis, a Severn native, didn’t start – Maryland opened the game with five defensive backs on the field – but assisted on a tackle in the fourth quarter. Freshman defensive back Eric Franklin (Archbishop Curley) and senior linebacker Hakeem Sule (McDonogh) played for the Terps but didn’t record any stats.

Starting redshirt freshman safety Jerome Junior (Archbishop Curley) made six tackles (two solo, four assists) as visiting Connecticut edged Notre Dame, 33-30, in double overtime.

Sophomore linebacker Zach Brown (Wilde Lake) recorded four stops (three solo, one assist) in North Carolina’s 31-13 road triumph over Boston College.

Junior cornerback Shelton McCullough (Randallstown) contributed one solo tackle in Penn State’s 42-12 victory over host Michigan State.

Junior Jacob Bohn (Mount St. Joseph) played in visiting Army’s 17-13 win over North Texas, recording no stats.

Wide receiver Sheldon Bell (City) got onto the field in Duke’s 34-16 defeat at the hands of host Miami, but the junior had no stats.

Posted by Steve Gould at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Next Level returns after a week of vacation. Here’s what happened in an eventful Week 11 (the recap of Week 12 will be posted soon):

Utah might have been soundly beaten by visiting Texas Christian, 55-28, on Saturday, Nov. 14, but it was no fault of Shaky Smithson (Douglass), who Baltimore Shook his way to two rushing touchdowns. The junior bookended the scoring for the Utes, producing their first touchdown in the first quarter and their last in the fourth quarter. Both scores came on first-and-goal from the Horned Frogs’ 10-yard line. In total, Smithson had five carries for 23 yards and caught one pass for 2 yards. He also returned seven kickoffs for 167 yards.

Smithson wasn’t the only local player to visit the end zone, as Baltimore native Matt Brown ran for a touchdown on second-and-goal from the 5 in Temple’s 56-17 road rout of Akron on Friday, Nov. 13. Brown was a big part of the Owls’ offense, rushing 17 times for 67 yards in the victory. The freshman also returned two kickoffs for 40 yards. Sophomore offensive linemen Pat and Sean Boyle (Calvert Hall) and junior defensive back Kwame Johnson (Parkville) saw action for Temple, but none recorded any statistics.

Though host Maryland was defeated easily by Virginia Tech, 36-9, starting strong safety Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) turned in an impressive performance. The senior sacked Hokies quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the fourth quarter, forcing a fumble that the Terps’ Jared Harrell recovered in the end zone for Maryland’s only touchdown. McCollough also recorded a tackle for a loss of 1 yard in the final quarter. For the game, he had five tackles (three solo, two assists). Terps starting nose tackle A.J. Francis, a Severn native, recorded four tackles (one solo, three assists), and was a force in stuffing the run. The redshirt freshman brought down Hokies running back Josh Oglesby for no gain on first-and-10 in the first quarter and then teamed with linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield to stop running back Ryan Williams for no gain on another first-and-10 play later in the period. Francis and linebacker Alex Wujciak combined to tackle Williams for no gain on first-and-goal in the second quarter. Also for Maryland, junior wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) caught one pass for 5 yards, and freshman defensive back Eric Franklin (Archbishop Curley) assisted on a tackle on the game-opening kickoff.

Starting senior safety Mike Newton (Calvert Hall) had eight tackles (six solo, two assist) in Buffalo’s 27-24 home loss to Ohio University on Tuesday, Nov. 10, including a sack for a loss of 22 yards on third-and-6. Newton also forced a fumble by Bobcats quarterback Theo Scott on a second-and-goal rush in the first quarter. The fumble was recovered by the Bulls’ Josh Thomas in the end zone for a touchback. Starting senior defensive tackle Dane Robinson (Calvert Hall) assisted on a tackle of Ohio running back Chris Garrett for a loss of 1 yard on first-and-15 in the second quarter.

Starting freshman wide receiver Alec Lemon (Arundel) caught two passes for 23 yards in Syracuse’s 10-9 victory over visiting Louisville. Lemon’s longest reception was for a gain of 18 yards, and it came on a drive that ended with a field goal that put the Orange ahead 3-0 in the third quarter. Sophomore Nick Speller (Edmondson) returned to his starting left tackle position for Syracuse. Cardinals freshman linebacker Horace Miller (Dunbar) played, recording no stats.

Junior Jacob Bohn (Mount St. Joseph) continues to see action handling the ball for Army. Though he is listed as a linebacker on the Black Knights’ roster, Bohn returned the game-opening kickoff 11 yards and carried once for 4 yards in a 22-17 home win over VMI. The rush came on the Knights’ second possession of the game, a drive that ended with a touchdown that gave them a 7-0 lead.

Freshman Tavon Austin (Dunbar) rushed once for 6 yards and returned three kickoffs for 43 yards in West Virginia’s 24-21 defeat at the hands of visiting Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 13. Mountaineers freshman defensive back Terence Garvin (Loyola) made one tackle on kickoff coverage.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Joey Ehrmann (Gilman) made two solo tackles in Wake Forest’s 41-28 home loss to Florida State.

Sophomore linebacker Zach Brown (Wilde Lake) assisted on two stops in host North Carolina’s 33-24 victory over Miami.

Junior wide receiver Sheldon Bell (City) caught one pass for 5 yards on a third-and-3 play on the final drive of Duke’s 49-10 loss to host Georgia Tech.

Other local players who got onto the field but recorded no statistics included Navy senior holder Greg Zingler (Severna Park), Penn State junior cornerback Shelton McCullough (Randallstown) and Rutgers senior wide receiver Andrew DePaola (Hereford). Navy beat Delaware, 35-18, at home; Penn State triumphed over visiting Indiana, 31-20; and Rutgers prevailed, 31-0, over South Florida at home Thursday, Nov. 12.

Posted by Steve Gould at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

And then there were two ...

The regional finals claimed half of the area football teams that went into the weekend undefeated. Sixth-ranked Old Mill surprised No. 1 Arundel, 58-55 in double overtime, Friday in Class 3A East and No. 8 Dunbar, the three-time defending state Class 1A champ, cruised by Forest Park, 20-0, on Saturday in 1A North.

Only River Hill and Joppatowne remain perfect heading into the state semifinals. Both are 12-0.

Here’s a look at how they stayed undefeated and who’s next:

No. 2 River Hill
Class 3A
The Hawks won their 40th straight game Friday night, 30-3, over Howard County rival and No. 15 Atholton for the East title. In the regular season, the Hawks fell behind early and rallied for a 35-14 win, but Friday, they got the jump on the Raiders as Nick Bonhag and Brent Kluge scored in the first seven minutes for a 14-0 lead. Kluge finished with three touchdowns, quarterback Harry McLaughlin threw for two touchdowns and Thomas Erdman recovered a fumble that led to Kluge’s first score.

Next up: at Huntingtown (12-0) Friday at 7 p.m.
Six undefeated teams from around the state remain in contention, but this is the only semifinal that features two of them. The Hurricanes, in the final four for the first time, blew away defending champion Westlake, 46-0, in the South region. Greg Goodwin ran for four touchdowns for the Hurricanes, who got a tough battle from Westlake during the regular season but won 14-13. This one could be a slugfest at the line, because the Mariners and the Hurricanes boast uncharitable defensive units. The Hawks give up only 6.6 points per game while the Hurricanes allow 7.8. River Hill aims to advance to the state final for the fourth straight time. The Hawks won the last two Class 2A championships after reaching the 3A title game in 2006, which was the last time they lost.

No. 5 Joppatowne
Class 1A
Senior quarterback Dominic Harper had a big night Friday as the Mariners got past one of their toughest Harford County rivals, Havre de Grace, 22-14, in the East final. Havre de Grace led 8-0 and 14-8, but Harper’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Hawkins late in the third quarter was the game winner. Harper had a hand in all three touchdowns, running for one and passing for two. He gained 173 of his team’s 241 yards of total offense. The Mariners defense made up for allowing the early touchdowns by holding the Warriors to 14 yards of total offense in the final 30 minutes.

Next up: Allegany (9-3) at home Friday at 7 p.m.
One of the more storied programs in state tournament history, the Campers already have knocked off one undefeated team in the playoffs, upsetting their Cumberland neighbor Fort Hill, 35-14, in the West final. The Campers have won eight state championships, most recently in 2005. In the win over Fort Hill, which avenged a 17-7 loss two weeks earlier, J.D. Hook scored two touchdowns and Dustin Wharton scored on a 40-yard punt return. The Mariners have the stingier defense, allowing just 8 points a game while the Campers give up 12.75. The Campers, however, have scored 97 more points this fall than the Mariners, averaging 39.2 points to Joppatowne's 30.7. The Mariners won the last of their two state crowns in 2003 and are in the final four for the third straight year. The two last met in the 2007 state semifinals with the Campers taking a 27-21 victory. In 2004, Joppatowne won the semifinal, 30-0.

(A note to those who have e-mailed about the teams from other parts of the state that remain unbeaten. Yes, I am aware of them, but this blog, and the rest of our coverage, is about the teams in The Baltimore Sun’s coverage area: Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.)

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Football
        

Less than two weeks remain before high school football season wraps up at M&T Bank Stadium. Here’s a look at some of the numbers that stand out heading into this weekend's state semifinals:

0 Teams in the state Class 2A semifinals that have ever won a state championship in any classification.

1 More title needed for Dunbar to tie the record of four consecutive state football crowns set by Urbana in 2001.

2 Defending champions looking to repeat – Dunbar in 1A and Sherwood in 4A. River Hill won the last two 2A titles but is now in 3A.

6 Local teams in the state semifinals – Old Mill in 4A, River Hill and Hereford in 3A, Eastern Tech in 2A and Dunbar and Joppatowne in 1A.

11 Appearances for Hereford in the state semifinals with three state titles, the last in 2002.

20 Straight points scored by Eastern Tech in Friday's comeback 20-6 regional final win over Chesapeake-Baltimore County, avenging the Mavericks only loss of the season.

24 Wins between River Hill and Huntingtown, the only state semifinal matchup of undefeated teams.

32 Playoff wins for Dunbar, third best in state history, and a number that includes six championships.

40 Consecutive wins for River Hill with Friday's 30-3 region final win over Atholton. The state record is 54 straight set by City in 1941. Urbana made it to 50 in 2001.

60 Passes thrown by Arundel quarterback Billy Cosh in Friday’s regional final 58-55 overtime loss to Old Mill. The threw for 443 yards and six touchdowns.

72 Percentage of Joppatowne’s total offense (173 of 241 yards) gained by quarterback Dominic Harper in Friday’s 22-14 regional championship win over Havre de Grace. He ran for a touchdown and passed for two more.

414 Yards gained by Old Mill’s Josh Furman on 42 carries with six touchdowns in Friday’s 58-55 overtime upset of No. 1 Arundel.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The schedule for this weekend's state semifinal football games has been set. The winners will advance to the state championships Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 at M&T Bank Stadium.

The remaining field includes two defending champions: Dunbar, which has won three straight crowns in Class 1A, and Sherwood in 4A. River Hill won the 2A title the last two years, but is in 3A now. None of the 2A semifinalists has ever won a state title.

The field includes six undefeated teams, including River Hill and Joppatowne. Huntingtown, Linganore, Queen Anne's and Catoctin also remain unbeaten.

Class 4A
Old Mill at Sherwood, Friday, 7
Thomas Johnson at Wise, Saturday, 1

Class 3A
River Hill at Huntingtown, Friday, 7
Hereford vs. Linganore at Oakdale High, Friday, 7

Class 2A
Eastern Tech vs. Douglass-PG at CCBC-Essex, Friday, 7
Middletown at Queen Anne's. Friday, 7

Class 1A
Allegany at Joppatowne, Friday, 7
Dunbar at Catoctin, Friday, 7

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

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.

Positioned at No. 2 after winning the IAAM championship 2-1 in double overtime against Garrison Forest, the Mawrtians could have stayed at No. 2 or, if The Sun allowed co-No.1’s, could have found themselves in a tie for first.

But ties aren't allowed. And after a review of the Mawrtians' schedule and performance record they were impossible to ignore.

They didn't have 121 goals, but they did have 14 shutouts before knocking off the then No. 1 Garrison Forest Grizzlies in the playoff final. Bryn Mawr also had victories over previously ranked St. Mary's, 2A champion Fallston, No. 11 and 2A semifinalist Glenelg, No. 9 Notre Dame Prep, No. 13 and 4A North regional finalist Dulaney and Archbishop Spalding three times -- twice when it was ranked.

Bryn Mawr had one tie, 0-0 with Garrison. The Mawrtians did lose to No. 9 Century, 2-1, to Garrison, 3-2 in overtime, and to South River, 3-0. But the Mawrtians beat Severn, the one other opponent it had in common with Severna Park, twice, 3-0 and 4-0.

“We have to play everyone in our league twice and to make it to the finals, we may have to beat a team for a third time,” said Budzik, who has coached at Bryn Mawr for 25 years. “That alone is really intense. And then, when other schools are willing to play us, we try to add them to our schedule.

“I think it is good for everyone for teams to play comparable teams. I think it helps both sides to get better. And I think it helps improve hockey in the state of Maryland.”

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.”

Waibel, whose team plays Havre de Grace for the region title Friday, has been coaching football for 24 years and has been the Mariners' head coach for six. He is the son of the late Poly coach Augie Waibel, a legend in prep football circles who retired with a record of 280-75 and 11 Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference crowns. Augie Waibel was the Ravens' first High School Coach of the Year in 1997, the year he retired.

“First of all, there’s not a coach in the state that had a better mentor than me - as a high school coach and as a father. Not only did I learn a lot about football, with regard to X’s and O’s, but I learned how to treat kids, respect my opponents, love football and give back to the game,” said Waibel in the news release.

Waibel is eighth Baltimore coach to be honored this season by the Ravens, following Patterson's Corey Johnson, Atholton's Kyle Schmitt, Dunbar's Lawrence Smith, Calvert Hall's Donald Davis, Chesapeake-Baltimore County's Mark Junker, River Hill's Brian Van Deusen and Broadneck's Jeff Herrick. North Carolina's James McCormick and Linganore's Rick Conner also have been honored. Each winner receives a $2,000 donation for his school's football program.

One coach will be named the Coach of the Year at the Ravens' Dec. 13 game against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium.

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:

--The student athlete must have completed two years on the varsity team.

--The student athlete must have graduated from the same BCL school.

--The student athlete must have exhibited a high degree of community commitment and
citizenship qualities up to and including the present.

--Student athletes will be eligible for induction five years after their respective graduation.

--The point of emphasis for selection will focus on the quality of the student athlete during his high school career -- college/professional accomplishments will not be considered.

--Inductions will take place annually, beginning in 2010.

After the inaugural induction, the maximum number of inductees thereafter will be five.
The number of first-year inductees is to be determined by the number of nominated candidates and is still to be determined.

The selection of inductees will be made by the BCL Hall of Fame committee, which presently consists of former coaches and commissioners.

There is no limit to the number of student athletes who can be nominated each year.

The committee will consider each nominee based on individual accomplishments in the BCL before voting for induction.

An awards dinner will initiate the first induction of student athletes.

The BCL currently consists of Archbishop Spalding, Calvert Hall, Cardinal Gibbons, Loyola Blakefield, Mount St. Joseph, St. Frances Academy and St. Maria Goretti. Archbishop Curley and Towson Catholic were charter members, but do not currently compete in the league.

The Hall of Fame committee includes former coaches Mark Amatucci (Calvert Hall), Dan Popera (Archbishop Curley), Cokey Robertson (St. Maria Goretti), Jerry Savage (Loyola Blakefield) and William Wells (St. Frances Academy) and commissioners Degele (Current) and Jim "Snuffy" Smith (Former).

Additional information about the league and Hall of Fame nominations can be found by logging onto http://www.baltimorecatholicleague.com/ or by contacting Degele at (410) 719-7526. Details about the banquet and tickets will be announced in January 2010.

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

There’s more than one state record setter on Arundel’s No. 1 football team.

R.J. Harris can sometimes get overshadowed by quarterback Billy Cosh, who breaks his own state passing records every game. Harris, however, is setting some records of his own. He’s the one catching most of those passes.

The senior wide receiver scored one touchdown in Friday’s regional semifinal win over Annapolis to boost a couple of his own state records. He has 25 receiving touchdowns this season, breaking the old mark of 23 shared by two of his former Wildcats teammates, Brandon Johnson-Farrell in 2007 and Alec Lemon in 2008.

He also holds the state career mark for most receiving touchdowns with 45, which also broke a two-year old Johnson-Farrell record of 40.

When asked recently about the state records, Harris said he didn't even know he was getting close to any state records.

"To tell you the truth, I had no idea about it. My dad told me about it (after he broke the first one), but I had no idea. It felt great, because I worked hard, but that wasn't my goal. My goal wasn't to set records. Of course, it's fun and all, but our main goal is to win a state title."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Add yet another state record to Arundel quarterback Billy Cosh’s resume.

With 14 completed passes in Friday night’s 18-6 regional semifinal win over Annapolis, the senior raised his career total to 562. That breaks the record of 548 set by North County’s Mike Pfisterer in 2000, a record Cosh tied the previous week.

Cosh now holds 11 state records -- 10 outright and one shared. Eight of those records, including the shared mark of seven touchdown passes in a game, are overall state records. The other two are public school records. With 108 career touchdown passes, Cosh needs six more to break the state overall record of 113.

Cosh, who is headed to Kansas State, is creeping up on one more Pfisterer record. He has 849 career pass attempts behind Pfisterer’s 902.

Time is winding down on Cosh’s high school career with only three more weeks left to play if the No. 1 Wildcats make it all the way to the state Class 4A final. Of course, he will be playing in the Maryland Crab Bowl on Dec. 19 at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium, but those stats won't count toward his high school totals.

Here’s a quick look at the Cosh record book. The * indicates an overall state record. The others are public school marks.
Game
Most passing yards: 475
Most passes attempted: 64*
Most passes completed: 39*
Most touchdown passes: 7 (tied)*

Season
Most total offensive yards: 4,074*
Most passing yards: 3,913*
Most passes attempted: 448*
Most passes completed: 292*
Most touchdown passes: 56*

Career
Most passes completed: 562
Most touchdown passes: 108

State passing records Cosh does not hold:
Season
Best completion percentage: .694 Ryan Fleetwood, Cambridge-South Dorchester 1993
Career
Most total offensive yards: 9,258 Tavon Austin, Dunbar, 2008
Most passing yards: 7,371 Joe Haden, Friendly, 2006
Most passes attempted: 902 Mike Pfisterer, North County, 2000
Best completion percentage: .674 Sam Tucker, Central, 1991

(My thanks again to Mike Loveday and Sheldon Shealer of ESPN Rise/MDvarsity.com for their help.)

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

And then there were four...

Five football teams went into last week's action with perfect records, but only four made it through. Arundel, River Hill, Joppatowne and Forest Park all won their regional semifinal playoff openers.

Boys' Latin, however, ran into revenge-minded Archbishop Spalding and fell 12-0 in the MIAA B Conference championship. The Lakers won the first meeting 20-0, but saw their season end at 10-1.

Arundel, River Hill and Joppatowne move into the regional finals at 11-0 while Forest Park moves on at 10-0.

Here’s a look at how these teams advanced and who’s next:

No. 1 Arundel
The Wildcats had one of their tightest margins of victory this fall in getting past Anne Arundel County rival Annapolis, 18-6. It was their 21st straight win over a county opponent. All-Metro quarterback Billy Cosh completed 14 of 21 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Joseph Blackwell had 21 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Michael Coombs had three interceptions and Bobby Partilla made 13 tackles.
Next up: No. 6 Old Mill (9-2) at home Friday at 7 p.m. for the Class 4A East crown. Coach Chuck Markiewicz’s Wildcats aim to end their top county rival’s season the same way it started – with a loss to Arundel. On Sept. 5, Arundel won the opener, 34-27, and that remains their closest game this season. The teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and Cosh was 29-for-45 for 347yards with four touchdowns. Blackwell, in his Wildcats’ debut after transferring from Spalding, ran for 174 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown but also caught three touchdown passes from Cosh. R.J. Harris caught 13 passes for 206 yards. For Old Mill, which knocked off previously unbeaten North Point Saturday, Josh Furman gained 219 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns in that first meeting while Jason Clements gained 143 yards on 24 carries.

No. 2 River Hill
The Hawks, who moved to Class 3A after winning back-to-back state 2A titles, are posting some impressive numbers, including a school record 70 points scored in Friday night’s shutout of James M. Bennett. That was their 39th straight win and the 100th career victory for head coach Brian Van Deusen. It was also the fifth shutout for a defense that allows only 6.5 points per game. In rolling over the Clippers, Kevin Johnson scored three touchdowns and Nick Bonhag had three as seven different Hawks scored touchdowns.
Next up: No. 15 Atholton (10-1) at home Friday at 7 p.m. in the Class 3A East regional final. The Hawks were the only team to beat the much-improved Raiders this season, coming from behind for a 35-14 decision three weeks ago. The Raiders got the jump on River Hill when Kalvin Seamonson threw 90- and 80-yard touchdown passes to Matt Robinson to take a 14-7 lead into halftime. River Hill quarterback Harry McLaughlin turned that around with a 13-yard touchdown pass to John Michael on the opening drive of the second half. The Hawks kept rolling with 212 of their 393 yards of offense in the second half while the defense stopped the Raiders, who managed to gain just 38 yards in the half. Johnson and Brent Kluge each scored a Hawks touchdown.

No. 5 Joppatowne
The Mariners had a little trouble holding onto the ball early in Friday’s game leading to three Bohemia Manor touchdowns, but their stingy defense continued to play well and Jake McGinnis had 15 tackles en route to a 49-30 victory. Epe Henriques ran for four touchdowns, gaining 292 yards on 25 carries as the Mariners made up for allowing more points than they had allowed in a game all season.
Next up: Havre de Grace (7-4) at home Friday at 7 p.m. in the Class 1A East region final. The Mariners rolled over their Harford County rival, 35-0, three weeks ago, and coach Bill Waibel said the hardest part of coaching toward this week’s game is convincing his players that the Warriors are capable of beating them. He said his team played particularly well in their first meeting with Henriques and Chris Wright combining for almost 300 yards rushing. The Warriors like to throw the ball and they rebounded with a 45-24 win over Fallston and then a 12-6 win over Snow Hill Saturday in terrible field conditions on the Eastern Shore.

Forest Park
The Foresters have won some close, exciting games this season, but perhaps none tighter than Friday night’s 19-18 win over Carver. Delron Dantzler scored the game-winning touchdown late in the first half after Travis Fonseca’s long pass to Andrew Allen set up the short run. The Foresters held on and got a big defensive play when Carver pulled within 19-18 and went for the conversion to win. Facing a quarterback sweep to the outside, Forresters Allen, James Queen and Abel Hill got through the line and smothered the ball.
Next up: No. 8 Dunbar (10-1) at Poly Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Class 1A North regional final. The competition gets a whole lot tougher for the Baltimore City Division II champion Foresters when they meet the co-Division I champion Poets, who have won three straight state 1A titles and seven straight regional crowns. Foresters coach Damon Bomar said his players were disappointed that the Poets were not on their regular-season schedule, but as the team continued to win, he told the Foresters they might get to play them in the playoffs. “If they want to be the champions, they’ve got to beat the champions,” said Bomar. “I think it could be a good game, but it’s a great opportunity for Forest Park.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Sportsmanship at the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Assocation's state field hockey championships over the past three weeks has been first class on and off the field.

Along the way teams have won by the slimmest of margins — take Severna Park's 4-3 strokes victory over South River in the 4A East Regional final. While others have been blown away. Some teams played in good weather, others in the worst, with heavy rain, cold and swirling winds.

But in all cases fans and players took the weather, the refs' calls and the outcome of games with grace.

Paint Branch lost to Westminster, 4-0, in the state semifinals, and its fans earned the MPSSAA sportsmanship award for the tournament.

But my on own personal sportsmanship nod goes to the young boy who was hanging over the grandstand railing Saturday after his previously undefeated Westminster Owls had lost in the 4A title game.

Most of the young women who had seen their undefeated dream ended by Severna Park, 2-1, at Washington College were in tears as they crossed the playing field to cheers from fans for both teams. As they stood waiting to receive their second-place tournament awards, this young boy shouted:

"No matter what," he yelled, "you'll always be good."

It was so purely from the heart it had to bring a smile. And one of the nicest things about it is that it could have been directed at any of this year's tournament teams in appreciation of jobs well done.

Sandra McKee

Posted by Sandra McKee at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

There have been plenty of standout performances in the girls soccer playoffs so far, but Reservoir senior forward Stephanie Zaycer stood out in the crowd this weekend as she helped the Gators advance to their first Class 3A state championship game.

In the team's 2-0 semifinal win over Hereford, Zaycer battled hard to win a ball in the right corner before sending a perfect pass in front that led to the game-winning goal early in the second half. Later in the half, she headed home a header in front for insurance.

What's special about Zaycer's performance was the work she put in long before the second half of Saturday's win. The senior barely saw playing time in the beginning of the season at midfield, but when coach Josh Sullivan was looking for some help at striker midway through, Zaycer jumped at the chance.

"In the middle of the season, I was working my butt off at practice and I started getting more playing time as the season went on. And then finally near the end of the season, I really picked it up and for the playoffs I've started," she said.

After creating some fine scoring chances in the first half only to see shots go off the post or stopped by Hereford goalie Kelsey Wirtz, Zaycer stayed with it in the second half to find a big reward at the end of the day.

"Steph is a great story because she didn't play a whole lot at the beginning of the year and about halfway through I was searching for another striker," Sullivan said. "The last six or seven games, she's been unbelievable. She's the workhorse."

The Gators will play Tuscarora in Thursday's state final set for 5 p.m. at UMBC. The teams met in a season-opening tournament and the Gators came away with a 2-1 win. Zaycer didn't see any time in that game, but she will certainly be a factor this time around.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls soccer
        

Hey there folks. I'm out of town this week, so there will be no edition of The Next Level today.

Don't fret though: I'll return next Monday with a double helping to catch you up on everything that went on this past weekend.

Thanks for reading.

Posted by Steve Gould at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The first week of regional playoff action has come and gone with three weeks left until the crowning of the state champions. Here’s a look at some of the big numbers from the regional semifinals:

0: Teams currently in Class 2A that have ever won a state Class 2A championship.

3: Interceptions by Arundel’s Michael Coombs in the Wildcats’ 18-6 win over Annapolis Friday.

4: Unbeaten teams still rolling. Arundel, River Hill and Joppatowne are 11-0. Forest Park is 10-0.

5: Unanswered touchdowns scored by Pikesville in rallying to beat Sparrows Point Friday for a second week in a row.

6: Different Eastern Tech players who scored touchdowns in the 50-12 win over Lake Clifton Friday.

10: Games in which Joseph Blackwell has led Arundel in rushing yardage.

13: Tackles recorded by Arundel’s Bobby Partilla in the win over Annapolis Friday.

31: State playoff games won by Dunbar since its first appearance in 1993. The Poets have won six titles.

34: Yard field goal by Franklin’s Jake Gibson with six minutes to go to edge Poly, 10-8, Friday night.

37: Points scored by Patterson in less than eight minutes of Friday’s 37-0 win over Woodlawn.

49: Most points scored this season by Joppatowne in its Friday night win over Bohemia Manor – and the Mariners needed them, because they also gave up a season-high 39 points.

70: School record points scored in a game by River Hill in Friday night’s shutout of James M. Bennett.

100: Career wins for River Hill coach Brian van Duesen with Friday’s victory.

340: Yards rushing for Dunbar’s Nathan Ayers Jr., a career high, in the Poets’ come-from-behind win over Forestville Saturday.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

Next weekend's regional football championship schedule has been set. Here's a look at the local teams first with the rest of the draws to follow.

4A North
Patterson vs. Thomas Johnson at Poly, Friday, 7 p.m.

4A East
Old Mill at Arundel, Friday, 7 p.m.

3A North
Franklin at Hereford, Friday, 7 p.m.

3A East
Atholton at River Hill, Friday, 7 p.m.

2A West
Middletown at South Carroll, Friday, 7 p.m.

2A North
Chesapeake-BC vs. Eastern Tech at CCBC-Dundalk, Friday, 7 p.m.

1A North
Pikesville at Catoctin, Friday, 7 p.m.

1A South
Dunbar vs. Forest Park at Poly, Saturday, 1 p.m.

1A East
Havre de Grace at Joppatowne, Friday, 7 p.m.

The rest of the bracket:
4A West
Paint Branch at Sherwood, Friday, 7 p.m.

4A South
Flowers at Wise, Saturday, 1 p.m.

3A West
Linganore at Quince Orchard, Friday, 7 p.m.

3A South
Westlake at Huntingtown, Friday, 7 p.m.

2A South
Gwynn Park vs. Douglass-PG OR
Douglass-PG vs. McDonough
(depending on the winner of the Gwynn Park-McDonough semifinal Monday)

2A East
Kent Island at Queen Anne's, Friday, 7 p.m.

1A West
Allegany at Fort Hill, Friday, 7 p.m.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The final rosters have been announced for The Maryland Crab Bowl, the high school football senior all-star game, to be held Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The game pits the best seniors in the Baltimore area against the best in the Washington, D.C. area. Click here to check out the rosters.

If you're wondering why a couple of Baltimore quarterbacks -- McDonogh's Rudy Johnson and Edmondson's Jerry Lovelocke -- show up on the Washington roster, it's because Bowl officials determined that there were no Division I-caliber senior quarterbacks in the Washington area while there were six on the Baltimore side (including Cambridge-South Dorchester's Taylor Henry). They split them up to get the best players into the game.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Three area schools -- Fallston, Loch Raven and Hereford -- will certainly have their fill of soccer this weekend as the boys and girls soccer teams in each school qualified for the state tournament.

For a second straight year, Fallston had both its teams advance. The boys team will travel to Washington College to take on Dundalk in a Class 2A semifinal game tonight, while the Fallston girls play Eastern Tech at Harford Tech. Both games, unfortunately, start at 7:30, so I'm sure there will be plenty of phone calls and texting from Cougar supporters to see how each team is doing.

The two Hereford teams will be part of a Class 3A state semifinal doubleheader on Saturday at CBCC-Essex. The girls will take on Reservoir at 2:30 p.m., with the Hereford boys following against Atholton at 5.

At Loch Raven, some traveling will be in order to catch both games on Saturday as the Raiders compete in Class 1A action. The girls will be at North County to take on Mountain Ridge at noon before the boys got to North Hagerstown to take on Mountain Ridge at 7:30 p.m.

With the inclement weather, please be sure to call your schools to make sure the games are still being played at their scheduled times.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Poly’s football team suffered a devastating blow to its offense when quarterback Antoine Goodson and running back Gabriel Ali-El suffered shoulder separations that will keep them out of Friday's 7 p.m. regional semifinal at Franklin. Both injuries came in Saturday's game against City at M&T Bank Stadium.

The No. 11 Engineers were able to defeat City, 26-20, in overtime after Goodson left the game early in the second half. Ali-El managed to stay on the field and score the game-winning touchdown. Goodson ran for two touchdowns before injuring his right shoulder (his throwing arm) for the second time this season.

Goodson, a senior who orchestrates Poly’s triple-option offense, is now out for the season, Wrenn said, and Ali-El, a junior, will miss Friday night’s game, which would be the last game for the Engineers if they don’t win.

“It’s bad news for us,” said Wrenn, whose team is 9-1. “We’ve lost two 1,000-yard rushers and a whole bunch of touchdowns scored and about three-fourths of our offense. We’re going to limp into the Franklin game a little bit, but we’ll do our best.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Arundel quarterback Billy Cosh continued his record-setting pace last week as he tied the state public school mark for most completed passes in a career. With 33 completions each of the last two weeks, the All-Metro senior has reached 548. That ties him with North County’s Mike Pfisterer, who set the mark in 2000.

Sharing that mark brings Cosh’s total state public school records to 11. He holds nine outright and shares two. Eight of them are overall state records. The other three are state public school records. He needs to add only eight more touchdown passes to his 106 to break the state overall record for touchdown passes in a season.

It appeared that Cosh, who is headed to Kansas State, had reached yet another public school milestone when his career passing yardage hit 6,718 Friday, eclipsing Pfisterer’s mark of 6,522. That is an Anne Arundel County record. However, Friendly’s Joe Haden bettered that mark in 2006 and now holds the record of 7,371.

In Friday night’s regular-season finale, a 69-28 romp over Southern, Cosh was 33-for-44 for 380 yards and six touchdowns. He has thrown 49 touchdowns this season as the No. 1 Wildcats improved to 10-0 and advanced to the state Class 3A East regional playoffs. He threw for 56, a state overall record, last season and he has up to four more games to play.

He now holds all of the state single-game and single-season passing records except best completion percentage in a season, .694 held by Ryan Fleetwood of Cambridge-South Dorchester since 1993. Cosh’s percentage this fall is .689.

Here’s a look at how close Cosh is to three state public school career marks:

Most passing yards: Haden 7,371, Cosh 6,498.
Most passes attempted: Pfisterer 902, Cosh 832.
Most passes completed: Pfisterer 548, Cosh 548.

(Thanks again to Mike Loveday and Sheldon Shealer of ESPN Rise for helping me keep up-to-date.)

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

C. Milton Wright senior pitcher Bradley Markey will sign a national letter of intent today to play baseball at Georgia Tech, Mustangs coach Tony Blackburn said.

Posted by Kevin Eck at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baseball
        

And then there were still five...

Week 10 – the final week of league action – did nothing to thin the ranks of the undefeated as Arundel, River Hill, Joppatowne, Boys’ Latin and Forest Park all polished off perfect regular seasons. The first four are 10-0. Forest Park is 9-0.

Now the quest to stay unbeaten becomes more difficult as each team heads into post-season play. Staying perfect now means winning a state – or in Boys’ Latin’s case an MIAA – championship. At least one of the five must fall, because Joppatowne and Forest Park are both in Class 1A.

Here’s a look at how they got here and who’s next:

No. 1 Arundel
The Wildcats won their 20th straight game and the Anne Arundel County championship with Friday’s 69-28 victory over Southern. In sweeping through the league, they have scored 492 points and allowed just 123. All-Metro quarterback Billy Cosh has completed 239 of 347 passes for 2,805 yards and 49 touchdowns. His favorite receiver, R.J. Harris, has caught 88 of those passes for 1,313 yards and 24 touchdowns. Joseph Blackwell has run for 1,014 yards and nine touchdowns on 165 carries.
Next up: Annapolis (8-2) at home Friday at 7 p.m. in a Class 4A East region semifinal. In the fifth game of the season, Cosh threw for four touchdowns – three of them to Harris – to beat the Panthers, 38-7. Coach Chuck Markiewicz’s Wildcats are looking for their first state championship since 1975 after reaching the state semifinals last season and the title game in 2007.

No. 2 River Hill
After posting a fourth straight unbeaten season in Howard County with Friday’s 41-21 win over Centennial, the Hawks move back up to the Class 3A playoffs after winning two state Class 2A titles. Three years ago, the Hawks were runners up to Friendly in Class 3A. In Friday night’s win, Nick Bonhag had two touchdowns as the Eagles were the first team to score more than 15 points on a stellar Hawks’ defense that allows just 7.2 points per game.
Next up: James M. Bennett (6-4) at home Friday at 7 p.m. in the Class 2A East regional semifinals. The Clippers, from Salisbury, are in the playoffs for the first time since 1990. The last time coach Brian van Deusen’s Hawks lost a playoff game was that state 3A final, 37-18 to Friendly, on Dec. 9, 2006. Since then, they have won 38 games in a row.

5 Joppatowne
Coach Bill Waibel’s Mariners are harder to score on than any other Baltimore-area team. They allow just 5.2 points a game and finished off a perfect run through UCBAC Chesapeake Division with Friday’s 28-7 win over C. Milton Wright. They have four shutouts. This was their 17th straight win over a UCBAC opponent as Chris Wright ran for two touchdowns.
Next up: Bohemia Manor (7-3) Friday at home at 7 p.m. in the Class 1A East region semifinal. A UCBAC team from Chesapeake City in Cecil County, the Eagles are in a different division and did not play the Mariners during the regular season. They won the state 1A crown in 2002 and the Mariners took it a year later. Joppatowne has not lost a game on the field to a UCBAC opponent since September 2006 (although they forfeited some for an ineligible player in 2007 and 2008).

No. 8 Boys’ Latin
The Lakers finished off their first unbeaten regular season in 32 years with Friday’s 40-27 win at St. Paul’s. A strong defense and the running of Patrick Steele continue to power the Lakers. Steele rushed for 203 yards and five touchdowns in the game, bringing his season total to 29 touchdowns – many of them running behind his personal plowman, fullback Drew White.
Next up: No. 14 Archbishop Spalding (9-1) for the MIAA B Conference championship Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mount St. Joseph. The Lakers dominated the last meeting, 20-0, as Steele scored three times. But the Cavaliers will be out to avenge their only loss and take the trophy. Coach Ritchie Schell’s Lakers last won a B Conference title in 2002, when the conference was divided in half and they took the Silver Division. They shared C Conference titles in 2003 and 2004.

Forest Park
Lake Clifton gave the Foresters quite a run for the Baltimore City Division II championship Friday, but quarterback Travis Fonseca’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Arraheem Dedmon and some late-game defensive heroics gave the Foresters a 6-0 win and the title. Sean Patterson forced a fumble and Patrick Makell recovered it with about a minute to go to end a Lakers drive that had reached the Foresters 4-yard line. In his first season as head coach, Damon Bomar and his staff have turned the team around from 2-8 last fall
Next up: Carver (6-4) in the Class 1A North region semifinal Friday at 7 p.m. at Poly. The Foresters, who have won five games by a touchdown or less, edged the Bears, 20-14 in the regular season. Each team is looking for its first playoff victory.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Broadneck football coach Jeff Herrick was named Ravens' High School Coach of the Week after guiding the Bruins to one of the biggest upsets of the fall season, a 44-38 win over No. 4 Old Mill.

The win was bittersweet, because it was not enough to get the Bruins (8-2) into the regional playoffs. Annapolis (8-2) edged them out for the fourth and final berth in the Class 4A East region, because the Panthers won the regular-season meeting, 28-25.

Against Old Mill, two big defensive plays made the difference -- Brian Hanratty's 28-yard interception return and Domenick Johnson's 87-yard fumble return, both for Bruins touchdowns.

Herrick began his coaching career at Meade and has been head coach at Broadneck since 1989.

Herrick is the seventh Baltimore coach to be honored this season by the Ravens, following Patterson's Corey Johnson, Atholton's Kyle Schmitt, Dunbar's Lawrence Smith, Calvert Hall's Donald Davis, Chesapeake-Baltimore County's Mark Junker and River Hill's Brian Van Deusen. North Carolina's James McCormick and Linganore's Rick Conner have also been honored. Each winner receives a $2,000 donation for his school's football program.

One coach will be named the Ravens' High School Coach of the Year at the Ravens' Dec. 13 game against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Hard to believe we’re already through 10 weeks of the college football season. Seems like it has flown by. It won’t be long now until we’re checking out how some local players fare come bowl time.

One player who looks like he’s ready for anything is West Virginia freshman Tavon Austin. The former Dunbar star got only one touch in the Mountaineers’ 17-9 home victory over Louisville, but talk about capitalizing. Austin, who started at wide receiver, rushed 9 yards for a touchdown on second-and-goal in the third quarter. The score, Austin’s third of the season, extended West Virginia’s lead to 14-6. Austin’s former Dunbar teammate, Horace Miller, got his first start of the season at linebacker for the Cardinals. The freshman recorded two tackles (one solo, one assist).

A few familiar faces saw action for Temple in the Owls’ dramatic 34-32 win over visiting Miami of Ohio on Thursday, which came on kicker Brandon McManus’ 18-yard field goal with three seconds remaining. Baltimore native Matt Brown, a freshman, returned five kickoffs for a total of 107 yards (long of 26) and rushed twice for a total of 10 yards (his longest was a 7-yard run on first-and-10 in the second quarter). Sophomore offensive linemen Pat and Sean Boyle (Calvert Hall) got onto the field, and junior defensive back Kwame Johnson (Parkville) played but recorded no statistics.

Buffalo suffered a disappointing nationally televised loss to Bowling Green on Tuesday night, squandering a 29-16 fourth-quarter lead to fall, 30-29, at home. Starting free safety Mike Newton (Calvert Hall) made five tackles (one solo, four assists) for the Bulls, including teaming with defensive end Steven Means to bring down Falcons running back Willie Geter for no gain on a second-and-three rush in the third quarter. The Bulls recorded a sack on the next play, forcing Bowling Green to settle for a field goal that made the score 21-16 Buffalo. Newton, a senior, also broke up a pass. Senior Dane Robinson (Calvert Hall) started at defensive tackle for the Bulls, recording no statistics.

It hasn’t been easy to take away positives from Maryland’s disappointing season, but it has been nice watching several former local standouts do some good things for the Terps, particularly on defense. Severn native A.J. Francis returned to his starting nose tackle spot in Maryland’s 38-31 road loss to North Carolina State. The redshirt freshman assisted on two tackles, teaming with linebacker Drew Gloster to stop Wolfpack running back Toney Baker on consecutive rushes in the first quarter (on the first play, Baker was brought down after only 1 yard on first-and-10; he gained 4 yards on the next carry). Senior starting strong safety Jamari McCollough (Randallstown) assisted on four tackles, two of which came on runs for no gain and one on a 1-yard rush. Junior wide receiver LaQuan Williams (Poly) was targeted on two passes by Terps quarterback Jamarr Robinson, who was filling in for the injured Chris Turner, but both throws were incomplete. Williams also attempted a pass of his own to fellow wide receiver Adrian Cannon in the second quarter, but the two failed to connect. Willams contributed a solo tackle on kickoff coverage in the first quarter. Similarly, freshman defensive back Eric Franklin (Archbishop Curley) made a solo stop on a kickoff return in the opening period. Senior linebacker Hakeem Sule (McDonogh) played but recorded no stats.

Freshman wide receiver Alec Lemon (Arundel) made two catches for a total of 9 yards in visiting Syracuse’s 37-10 loss to Pittsburgh. In the fourth quarter, he drew a defensive pass-interference penalty and then made a 5-yard reception on the next play, taking the ball to the Panthers’ 2-yard line. The drive resulted in the Orange’s only touchdown. Senior tight Andrew Robinson (Calvert Hall) played for Syracuse but didn’t record any stats.

Army was crushed by host Air Force, 35-7, but the rout gave junior Jacob Bohn (Mount St. Joseph), who normally plays linebacker, a chance in the fourth quarter to show what he can do with the ball in his hands. Bohn carried twice for a total of 10 yards and returned a kickoff for 13 yards. Freshman slotback Lonnie Liggins (Hereford) had one run for 8 yards in the final period.

Redshirt freshman Joey Ehrmann (Gilman) started at strong-side linebacker in Wake Forest’s 30-27 overtime loss to host Georgia Tech and assisted on three tackles, two of which resulted in a loss of 1 yard. Ehrmann, however, was also flagged for a personal foul.

In Utah’s 45-14 home win over New Mexico, junior Shaky Smithson (Douglass) returned to action after missing three games with an ankle injury. The running back-wide receiver carried three times for 5 yards (long of 2) and attempted a pass, which was incomplete.

Sophomore linebacker Zach Brown (Wilde Lake) made one solo tackle in North Carolina’s 19-6 victory over visiting Duke. Blue Devils junior wide receiver Sheldon Bell (City) caught one pass for 6 yards on a first-and-10 play in the third quarter.

Starting safety Jerome Junior (Archbishop Curley), a redshirt freshman, assisted on one tackle in Connecticut’s 47-45 home loss to Cincinnati.

Senior quarterback Greg Zingler (Severna Park) served as holder in Navy’s 23-21 triumph against host Notre Dame, the Midshipmen’s second victory over the Irish in the past three seasons.

Junior running back Raynard Horne (Overlea) played in Virginia’s 52-17 defeat at the hands of host Miami but did not record any statistics.

Posted by Steve Gould at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

After the Gilman football team upset McDonogh Saturday, one online media outlet reported that Greyhounds’ coach Biff Poggi might not be back on the sidelines next fall, but when asked about the report Monday, Poggi said he had no plans to leave.

“I’ve got another son who’s pretty good. He played as a freshman, so I’m not going anywhere,” said Poggi of his younger son Henry, who played on the Gilman varsity team along with big brother Jim, a senior.

Coach Poggi said he was asked Saturday about Jim moving on to play for Iowa next year but said he didn’t mean to give the impression that dad was moving along too.

“I said I’m really interested in him getting settled, and I want to get out to see him as much as I can, and I think [the reporter] might have taken that to mean that I wouldn’t be here, but you can do both.”

Poggi, whose team won its ninth Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship since 1998 with the 37-24 win over McDonogh, said he expects to stick with the team at least through Henry’s final three years.

“Then I may go off gracefully into that sunset,” Poggi said with a laugh, “but who knows?”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

The regular season came to an end this weekend with many teams looking forward to playoffs. Here's a look back at some of the key numbers from the action-packed regular-season finales:

1 Minute to play when Forest Park’s Patrick Makell smothered a Lake Clifton fumble on his own 6-yard line, sealing a 6-0 victory, an unbeaten regular season and the Baltimore City Division II title for the Foresters.

2 City fumbles inside No. 11 Poly’s 10-yard line late in the game, one setting up Gabriel Ali-El’s decisive 9-yard touchdown run in Poly’s 26-20 overtime victory in the 121st meeting Saturday between the two schools.

4 Straight undefeated regular seasons for No. 3 River Hill, which won its 40th consecutive Howard County game, 41-21, over Centennial Friday night.

5 Undefeated teams remaining: Arundel, River Hill, Joppatowne, Boys’ Latin and Forest Park. The first four are 10-0; the Foresters are 9-0.

6 Touchdowns – four passing and two rushing – for Century quarterback Josh Bordner as the Knights defeated Francis Scott Key, 63-12, Friday to finish off their second straight unbeaten season in Carroll County.

9 MIAA A Conference championships for No. 5 Gilman since 1998.

17 Consecutive Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference victories for No. 6 Joppatowne with Friday’s 28-7 win over C. Milton Wright.

32 Years since No. 8 Boys’ Latin posted its last undefeated regular season, securing this one with Friday's 40-27 win over St. Paul’s.

37 Average margin of victory for No. 1 Arundel, which completed its season with a 69-28 win over Southern as quarterback Billy Cosh and wide receiver R.J. Harris continued to update the state record book.

80 Yards that Broadneck’s Domenick Johnson ran after recoving a fumble for a touchdown, giving the Bruins a 44-38 upset over No. 4 Old Mill Friday night.

252 Yards rushing on 35 carries for Gilman quarterback Darius Jennings, who scored three touchdowns in the Greyhounds’ 34-27 win at No. 2 McDonogh Saturday to clinch the MIAA A Conference crown.

14,168 Approximate combined attendance for the City-Poly and Gilman-McDonogh games on Saturday afternoon. The announced crowd for City-Poly at M&T Bank Stadium was 8,168. There was no official gate at McDonogh, where the estimated crowd was 6,000 -- standing-room only in the 5,000-seat capacity stands and at least 1,000 more around the fence.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The schedule for the regional football playoffs is set. Here's the lineup.

Class 4A
East
Annapolis at Arundel, Friday, 7
Old Mill at North Point, Saturday, 1
North
Patterson at Woodlawn, Friday, 7
Thomas Johnson at Urbana, Saturday, 1
South
Roosevelt at Wise, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Suitland at Flowers, Saturday, 1
West
Springbrook at Sherwood, Friday, 7
Paint Branch at Whitman, Friday, 7

Class 3A
East
J.M. Bennett at River Hill, Friday, 7
Wilde Lake at Atholton, Friday, 7
North
North Harford at Hereford, Friday, 7
Poly at Franklin, Friday, 7
South
Lackey at Huntingtown, Friday, 7
Potomac at Westlake, Friday, 7
West
Damascus vs. Linganore at Oakdale, Friday, 7
Tuscarora at Quince Orchard, Friday, 7

Class 2A
North
Dundalk vs. Chesapeake-BC at CCBC-Dundalk, Friday, 7
Eastern Tech vs. Lake Clifton at CCBC-Essex, Friday, 7

East
North Caroline at Kent Island, Friday, 7
Wicomico at Queen Anne's, Friday, 7
South
Douglass-PG at Glenelg, Friday, 7
McDonough at Gwynn Park, Saturday, 1
West
Century at South Carroll, Friday, 7
Middletown at Rockville, Friday, 7

Class 1A
East
Bohemia Manor at Joppatowne, Friday, 7
Havre de Grace at Snow Hill, Friday, 7
North
Sparrows Point at Pikesville, Friday, 7
New Town at Catoctin, Friday, 7
South
Carver vs. Forest Park at Poly, Friday, 7
Forestville vs. Dunbar at Poly, Saturday, 1
West
Fort Hill vs. Smithsburg at Greenway Avenue Stadium, Friday, 7
Allegany vs. Boonsboro at Greenway Avenue Stadium, Saturday, 1

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Here’s a quick summary of what happened at Thursday’s MPSSAA cross country regional meets. The state meet for all four classes is next Saturday at Hereford.

Class 2A North: Kenneth Johnson won for Edmondson, which also took the team title. Regina Summerville did the same for Digital Harbor.

Class 2A South: Robby Creese of Glenelg sparked the Gladiators’ victory. Oakland Mills won for the girls.

Class 3A East: Mount Hebron won for the boys after taking the Howard County title last week. Atholton’s Matthew Pacheco captured first place. River Hill also won after earning the county crown -- and Mount Hebron’s Becky Yep did the same thing.

Class 3A North: Hereford didn’t have any problems with rules violations this time, beating Towson by eight points. Mason Rivera won for the Bulls, who also took the girls’ title. Hereford’s Lauren Kennedy captured that race.

Class 4A East: Severna Park swept both championships and got a victory from Chris Patrick on the girls’ side. Chesapeake’s Will Neal won the other race.

Class 4A North: Dulaney and Westminster’s boys tied for first with 43 points, but the Baltimore County school got the title on the tie-breaker (who got the better sixth-place finisher).

-- Jeff Seidel

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cross country
        

At the end of the field hockey season, Mercy's team will go to the home of its leading scorer and captain Jenna Parr and celebrate this season's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland C Conference Championship with a team dinner.

But the Magic aren't waiting to celebrate their third C Conference crown in four years -- this one won Oct. 31, by a 2-1 margin over Annapolis Area Christian. Eagles goalie E. Ferguson had five saves, while Mercy's Abby Baker made two.

K. Latney scored the initial goal in the game for Annapolis, but then Jenna Benje scored off an assist from Parr, who would also go on to score the winning goal.

"It was so exciting," Parr said. "Oh my gosh!. We played Annapolis twice in the regular season and they beat us both times. After losing those two games, to win this one, to come back from a goal down, it was unbelievable."

For Parr it was the exclamation point at the end of an amazing career. The senior has insulin-dependent diabetes and Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome type 2, which means she is susceptible to many autoimmune diseases. But nothing has stopped her from being at the top of her game. Over four seasons she has scored 52 goals and recorded 25 assists.

This year, her tally was 17 goals and 12 assists. She had one goal and one assist against AACS, despite the fact that her blood sugar levels swung from a dangerous morning low of 45 to an undesirable high of more than 400 by the end of the game.

Mercy coach Alex Chambers was impressed by the effort of her entire team.

"We really turned it on," said Chambers, whose team finished the season 13-2-1. "It was amazing to see the transformation in our team from one half to the next. The chemistry. The continuity.

"I think Annapolis thought they had it won when they scored that first goal."

But Saturday's game did not go the way the first two meetings between these two did.

AACS was playing its third game in about 36 hours because of weather and religious issues, but also found itself playing against an inspired Mercy team that would not give up.

"It was a beautiful way to end the season," Chambers said. "I think if we had lost I wouldn't have minded because my team used everything they had."

Posted by Sandra McKee at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Field hockey
        

From a news release:

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) has been selected as the recipient of proceeds from the 10th Annual Paul Sherry Shootout Basketball Tournament to be played at The Bryn Mawr School on Saturday, December 12, 2009. The women’s varsity basketball team from Bryn Mawr will match up against Roland Park Country School at 1:00 P.M.; and Mt. de Sales Academy will play the varsity women of Pope John Paul the Great High School from Dumfries, Virginia at 3:00 P.M.

The Sherry Shootout Benefit Basketball Tournament honors the memory of Paul Sherry, a longtime leader within the Towson Recreational Council. Mrs. Jan Sherry, her three daughters and son have helped to carry forward Paul Sherry’s significant legacy through this tournament. The Sherry Shootout Benefit Basketball Tournament is sponsored by The Collaborative Group and other generous sponsors with all proceeds from the event being donated to the selected charity. The Sherry Shootout has raised nearly $75,000 for local charitable organizations.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Thursday's first of its kind soccer game at Calvert Hall -- the first athletic event ever played under the lights in school history -- lived up to its billing and then some with visiting Mount St. Joseph taking on the lead role in a Hollywood-like script.

The Gaels came away with a win in penalty kicks to advance to Monday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship against defending league champion McDonogh.

How they made it was nothing short of incredible with a number of heroes taking turns on center stage. First to step up was JV goalie Dominic Ruggiero, who was unexpectedly pressed into action when starter Brad Benzing was not available due to what coach Mike St. Martin called school-related issues.

Playing in front of an estimated 2,700 fans, Ruggiero was able to keep the Gaels close, enabling Jalen Robinson to tie the game at 2 with just 15 seconds left in regulation as the Calvert Hall student body was ready to spill onto the field.

Then, senior forward David Arnold stole the show when the game went into penalty kicks. As penalty kicks approached, St.Martin asked Arnold, tall and athletic, to not only take a penalty kick, but also stop some. So after making good on his penalty kick to get the Gaels off to a strong start, he made saves on the last three Calvert Hall attempts to give the Gaels a 3-2 win.

It was the first time Arnold, a team captain, had been in goal since he was 11 years old.

Mount St. Joseph will take on McDonogh at 7 p.m. Monday at Johns Hopkins. The Gaels upset the Eagles, 2-1, in early October. It was the Eagles' first loss of the season and came the same week they were named the No. 1-ranked team in the country for the first time ever.

Monday's game also will be a rematch of last year's title game, a 6-1 win by McDonogh.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 2:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

The Patterson boys soccer team, which went undefeated in the regular season and repeated as Baltimore City champs, had their season end with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Urbana in Thursday's Class 4A North region playoffs.

The Clippers, whose roster had players from 12 different countries across five continents, finished with a 14-1 mark. They took a 2-0 lead early on goals from Bash Kamara and James Tarra, but Urbana, from Frederick County, got both goals back in the first half and then scored the game-winner with five minutes left in regulation to advance.

"I am very proud of our guys for leaving everything on the field," Patterson coach Harry Martin said. "They played with a tremendous amount of pride and energy for the whole game."

- Glenn Graham

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

For about three hours a year, Adrian Coxson and Antoine Goodson have to think of each other as rivals, not friends.

As the quarterbacks for the City and Poly football teams, they line up on opposite sides of the area’s longest-running rivalry, an intense annual encounter that draws thousands of raucous, partisan fans to M&T Bank Stadium. When they square off at noon Saturday in the 121st meeting of their programs, the seniors won’t let friendship get in the way of the game. They won’t let the game get in the way of their friendship either.

Fittingly, City's Coxson met Poly's Goodson met at a football camp at Poly. Friends since the ninth grade, they have never had a problem keeping the big game in perspective.

“I don’t know how to explain how it works,” Goodson said. “We’re friends and we understand that while we’re on the field. We both try to win the game because it’s a big game. We understand that we both want to win, but even when you lose, after the game, you congratulate each other, say, ‘Good game,” and say, ‘I’ll see you later at the Victory Dance.’”

That doesn’t mean they haven’t been working each other via cell phone this week.

“He was just telling me the other day about how he might go for 200 yards,” Goodson said, “and I said the same thing, ‘I might just go for 200 yards.’ It makes it kind of fun, though.”

Coxson's perspective is about the same: “I was just talking to him and we laugh about how we’re going to beat each other, stuff like that -- how much we’re going to score. I play corner too, so me and him talk about me hitting him, me tackling him. We just laugh about it.”

The two have had a lot in common this season with Coxson taking over as City’s quarterback although he has committed to Penn State as a wide receiver. Goodson, who is being recruited by Georgia Tech, runs No. 11 Poly’s triple-option offense. They are the guys in charge on the field.

“Both are like the air traffic controller of their team,” said Poly coach Roger Wrenn. “They keep all the planes flying and make it all work. They’re both veteran players, they’re terrific guys and they’re terrific leaders.”

Earlier this season they shared an unfortunate coincidence, each suffering a shoulder injury in a game on the same day, Sept. 25. Goodson separated his right shoulder and Coxson sustained a small ligament tear in his left shoulder. Each missed only one game and both are now 100-percent recovered.

That’s good, because a lot more is riding on Saturday's game than bragging rights and the adulation of their devoted classmates and alumni.

Poly, which won last year ending a three-year string of Knights’ victories, is favored, but City almost certainly needs a win to clinch a berth in the Class 2A North region playoffs. Poly is already in the Class 3A North region playoffs, but the Engineers can sew up at least a share of the Baltimore City Division I championship, which will be decided by Friday and Saturday’s final regular-season games.

That’s more than a little added incentive to a rivalry that has been very close historically. Poly leads the series, but only 59-55-6.

Coxson and Goodson are ready for Saturday, which for them, as for all seniors, will be a bittersweet day. It’s their final City-Poly game, so they want to make the most of a day they will never forget.

“I just enjoy the feeling you get playing in front of all those people,” Coxson said, “how important the game is to you and how important it is to them. It’s historic and it’s just a fun game. At the same time, you have to be serious because both teams need this win, but it's still fun. Even after we get out of high school, me and Antoine are going to be friends. We both know how important this game is.”

Even though Coxson and Goodson play on opposite sides of the rivalry, they agree that being part of such a storied tradition bonds guys across the line of scrimmage. Theirs isn’t the first friendship that grew out of the City-Poly rivalry and it won’t be the last.

“As intense as the rivalry is,” Wrenn said, “it makes for enduring friendships, too.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Football
        

There's plenty of chatter in the hallways today at Calvert Hall, where the anticipation is high as the school's boys soccer team prepares to make history tonight in its Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference semifinal game against Mount St. Joseph. Game time is set for 6:30. The key word above is "night" as the school will host its first-ever athletic event under portable lights.

"It's pretty exciting around here -- there's a lot of buzz right now on campus," said Calvert Hall coach Andy Moore.

Calvert Hall's stadium can hold 2,700, and Moore said he wouldn't be surprised to see tonight's game played in front of a capacity crowd.

The administration thought it would be a good idea to play the game at night to allow more fans to support the game. Moore said if all things go well, it may lead to some lacrosse games being played under lights in the spring and perhaps permanent lights being put in.

As for the game itself, it should be a great one. Both teams have creative playmakers on offense and sturdy defenses. Geaton Caltabiano and David Arnold lead the visitors, while Pete Caringi Jr. and Zach Wenger are two of the focal points for the Cardinals. The teams split two games during the regular season with Calvert hall coming away with a 3-1 home win. The winner will meet No. 1 and defending league champ McDonogh on Monday for the championship.

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

I'll start by saying the chances of this plot actually playing out are just about impossible.

That said, some pretty strange things have happened this football season. Let's see if they happen in Baltimore City's crowded Division I race.

Here’s what could happen: It could end up in a four-way tie for first place. Poly, Dunbar, City and Patterson are all within a game of each another going into this weekend’s regular-season finales. Poly and Dunbar are 6-1 in the Division. City and Patterson are 5-2.

Here's what would have to happen to give all four a share of the title.

• City must beat No. 11 Poly

• Digital Harbor must upset No. 9 Dunbar

• Patterson must beat Northwestern.

Highly unlikely all three will happen. Two, maybe.

Still, it’s an interesting scenario to contemplate. There are no tiebreakers in the city league, so co-champs are not uncommon, but four would be quite a crowd at the top.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The fall season is still in full swing for most athletes, but here's a look forward to one of the top annual basketball events: the Basketball Academy.

The lineup for the 14th Annual Basketball Academy at Morgan State Jan. 14 through Jan. 16 features some of the area's top boys and girls teams. Make your plans now.

Thursday, Jan. 14
Digital Harbor girls vs. Milford Mill, 3:30 p.m.
Mervo boys vs. Randallstown, 5 p.m.
City girls vs. Perry Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Dunbar boys vs. Woodlawn, 9:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 15
City girls vs. Milford Mill, 3:30 p.m.
Digital Harbor boys vs. KIMA (DC), 5 p.m.
Western girls vs. Riverdale Baptist, 6:30 p.m.
Lake Clifton boys vs. Ballou (DC), 8
City boys vs. Longwood (NY), 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 16
Woodlawn boys vs. Mervo, 10:30 a.m.
Perry Hall girls vs. Archbishop Spalding, noon
Randallstown boys vs. Digital Harbor, 1:30
Digital Harbor girls vs. Riverdale Baptist, 3
Douglass boys vs. KIMA, 4:30
Parkville boys vs. Dunbar, 6
City boys vs. Ballou, 7:30
Lake Clifton boys vs. Longwood, 9

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys basketball, Girls basketball
        

More than just bragging rights will be decided Saturday in two of Baltimore’s longest-running football rivalries: City-Poly and Gilman-McDonogh.

When City and Poly meet for the 121st time at noon Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, the No.11 Engineers (8-1, 6-1 division) will be looking to clinch at least a share of the Baltimore City Division I title.

On the other hand, the Knights (7-2, 5-2) probably need a win to seal a berth in the Class 2A North regional playoffs. If City loses, Dundalk could knock the Knights out of the fourth and final playoff spot with a win Friday over Owings Mills. And in the city, if the Knights win and No. 9 Dunbar suffers an unlikely loss to Digital Harbor on Friday, City would sneak into a share of the Division I title.

In the longest-running public high school rivalry in the country, Poly holds the series edge 59-55-6. Last season’s 16-13 Poly win broke a three-year City reign.

Gilman and McDonogh have not been playing quite as long. Saturday’s 2 p.m. matchup will be the 94th edition. The No. 2 Eagles host the regular-season finale which has turned into the MIAA A Conference championship game. The Eagles (8-1) stand alone in first place in the conference at 4-0, but No. 5 Gilman (6-3) is 3-1. A Greyhounds win would give them the title outright because the head-to-head result breaks the tie.

The Greyhounds lead the series, 55-33-5, but the teams have traded wins for the past four years with the visiting team taking the victory each time. Last year, McDonogh won, 22-14, and the past three games have been decided by an average of seven points.

As for the other big rivalry, No.10 Calvert Hall and No.12 Loyola extend their series to its 90th year when they meet in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day at M&T Bank Stadium. Loyola leads that one 48-33-8. We'll have more about that closer to game day.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen was asked what he did when not worrying about his current football team during the Terps' bye week. The coach said he went to a football game last weekend (he was spied at Gilman) and while there he got a big surprise that had nothing to do with football.

It was senior day and the owner of one of his favorite Italian restaurants - Da Mimmo's - was at the game supporting her son. She saw the coach and came over to him to say hello.

"She said she was looking forward to seeing me at her restaurant that night," Friedgen said. "I said, 'Tonight?' And she said yes, 'Your wife made reservations for the whole family, didn't you know?'

"No. I wasn't told.

"I mean, would your wife do that to you? She must of wanted to keep me on my diet," said the coach, who has been on a diet since before the season.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The Mercy girls soccer team battled through adversity all through the year but still managed to be playing on the season’s final day — losing valiantly to defending champ and No. 1 Archbishop Spalding in Sunday’s Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship game.

The No. 3 Magic (12-5-3) learned two standout players had transferred just before the start of the season and then overcame various injuries and illnesses along the way. One thing that was never missing from the team was leadership, thanks to senior center midfielder and captain Jordan Stenger.

Over the summer, Stenger’s father got a job in San Diego, but instead of moving away immediately, she and her mother, who had a baby a few weeks ago, stayed in Baltimore so she could play her last season at Mercy. Stenger played a pivotal role in the Magic’s playoff run, helping control the middle of the field in a 1-0 upset of then-No. 2 McDonogh in the quarterfinals before doing the same in a 1-0 shootout win over Notre Dame Prep in the semifinals. After giving 100 percent in a 2-0 loss to Spalding on Sunday, she was packed and ready to go to San Diego, leaving Tuesday.

“The family separated so Jordan could play the season for the team. She led us all season long, and it was unbelievable to watch,” Mercy coach Albert Oni said.

-- Glenn Graham

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 6:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls soccer
        

Here is this week’s attempt to keep up with record-setting Arundel quarterback Billy Cosh. It's not an easy job.

The All-Metro senior keeps breaking his own record for passing touchdowns in a career. Six more in Friday night’s win over Meade gives him 100. That’s 20 more than the record coming into the season. Cosh broke that in Week 6.

The biggest news is that Cosh hasn’t wiped anyone else’s name out of the record book – at least not yet. His 326 yards passing Friday bring his career total to 6,498, just 24 yards shy of the state mark set by North County’s Mike Pfisterer in 2000. Cosh should get there in Friday’s regular-season final against Southern.

He also has an outside chance to get Pfisterer's record for most completed passes. He will need 33, but that's exactly what he had against Meade, going 33 for 46.

If – or I should say when – Cosh gets those marks, they will be his 11th and 12th state records (he shares one of those). He now holds all of the state single-game and single-season passing records except best completion percentage in a season, .694 held by Ryan Fleetwood of Cambridge-South Dorchester since 1993. Cosh’s percentage this fall is .68.

Cosh, who is headed to Kansas State, has thrown 43 touchdowns this season as the No. 1 Wildcats improved to 9-0. He threw for 56 last season.

With one regular-season game remaining and up to four more in the playoffs, Cosh is closing in on three Pfisterer records, all state public school career marks:
Most passing yards: Pfisterer 6,522, Cosh 6,498.
Most passes attempted: Pfisterer 902, Cosh 777.
Most passes completed: Pfisterer 548, Cosh 515.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

River Hill football coach Brian Van Deusen has been named Ravens High School Coach of the Week after leading the No. 3 Hawks to a 35-14 victory Friday over then-No. 14 Atholton to remain undefeated and clinch their seventh straight Howard County championship.

Van Deusen has been a Ravens Coach of the Week four times during his 10-year tenure as the Hawks head coach, a run that includes the last two state Class 2A titles. The Hawks have won 37 straight games and have not lost a regular-season game since 2005.

He is the sixth Baltimore area coach in eight weeks to be honored by the Ravens this season along with Patterson's Corey Johnson, Atholton's Kyle Schmitt, Dunbar's Lawrence Smith, Calvert Hall's Donald Davis and Chesapeake-Baltimore County's Mark Junker. Also named were North Caroline's James McCormick and Linganore's Rick Conner.

The Ravens will named their High School Coach of the Year on Dec. 13 at the Ravens-Lions game.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Byes and injury combined to make for a lighter week than usual in terms of play by former area football standouts. There will still, however, some dynamic performances.

Redshirt freshman Joey Ehrmann got his second straight start (and the second of his career) at strong-side linebacker in Wake Forest’s 28-27 home loss to Miami. Though the Hurricanes rallied late for a dramatic victory, the Gilman alum made quite an impact – especially on Miami quarterback Jacory Harris. Ehrmann was credited with five tackles (four solo, one assist), including 2.5 sacks of Harris for total losses of 21 yards, and a forced fumble. On a first-and-10 play from the Hurricanes’ 20-yard line in the second quarter, Ehrmann brought down Harris for a loss of 8 yards, knocking the ball loose in the process (Harris was able to recover it). In the third quarter, Ehrmann combined with defensive tackle John Russell to sack Harris for a loss of 14 yards. Ehrmann also took down Harris on his own for a loss of 6 yards in the fourth quarter.

West Virginia freshman Tavon Austin (Dunbar) continues to show he’s a big-play threat as a rusher, receiver and returner. In the No. 19 Mountaineers’ 30-19 loss to host South Florida on Friday, Austin carried once for 19 yards, made one catch for 13 yards and returned two kickoffs for a total of 47 yards (long of 31). His 19-yard rush came on second-and-10 on the opening drive of the game and took West Virginia down to the Bulls’ 5-yard line. The Mountaineers scored two plays later to take a 7-0 lead. Austin’s reception also resulted in a first down, coming on third-and-four in the fourth quarter. Additionally, West Virginia freshman defensive back Terence Garvin (Loyola) assisted on a tackle on the second-half-opening kickoff.

Freshman wide receiver Matt Brown, a Baltimore native, rushed twice for 13 yards and returned two kickoffs for a total of 48 yards in Temple’s 27-24 win over Navy in Annapolis. Brown’s longest run went for a gain of 11 yards on first-and-10 in the fourth quarter, and the drive resulted in a field goal that cut the Midshipmen’s lead to 24-20. Earlier, Brown had returned the opening kickoff of the second half 30 yards, and the ensuing drive ended with a field goal that gave the Owls a 17-10 advantage. Temple sophomore offensive lineman Sean Boyle (Calvert Hall) saw action in the game, as did Navy senior holder and reserve quarterback Greg Zingler (Severna Park).

Starting safety Jerome Junior (Archbishop Curley), a redshirt freshman, made four tackles in Connecticut’s 28-24 defeat at the hands of visiting Rutgers. Scarlet Knights senior wide receiver Andrew DePaola (Hereford) assisted on one tackle on punt coverage in the fourth quarter.

Senior tight end Andrew Robinson (Calvert Hall), a former starting quarterback, made one catch for 17 yards in Syracuse’s 28-7 home loss to Cincinnati. The reception came on second-and-12 in the third quarter.

Raynard Horne (Overlea), a junior running back, assisted on one tackle on kickoff coverage in the second quarter of Virginia’s 28-17 loss to visiting Duke. Blue Devils junior wide receiver Sheldon Bell (City) played but recorded no statistics.

Freshman linebacker Horace Miller (Dunbar) played but didn’t record any stats in Louisville’s 21-13 road victory over Arkansas State.

Utah junior Shaky Smithson (Douglass) missed his third consecutive game while recovering from an ankle injury. The Utes beat visiting Wyoming, 22-10.

Posted by Steve Gould at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The seedings for the eight-team MD/DC Private Schools Volleyball Tournament were announced Sunday night, and three local teams will participate. Top-ranked and Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A conference champion Mount de Sales is the top seed.

The tournament quarterfinals will open tonight, when No. 10 and sixth-seeded Covenant Community School plays at third-seed Holy Cross of Montgomery County at 6 p.m.

The other quarterfinals are all tomorrow. Mount de Sales will host eighth-seeded St. Johns (D.C.) at 6:30 p.m., IAAM A conference runner-up Seton Keough, the fifth seed, will play at fourth-seeded Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick at 6 p.m. The other half of the bracket features second-seeded Good Counsel hosting Model School, the seventh seed, at 6 p.m., and the Covenant-Holy Cross game.

The semifinals will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, while the finals will be on Thursday, Nov. 12. Both the semifinals and finals will be held at Mount de Sales.

If the seeds hold, undefeated Mount de Sales (17-0) would face Good Counsel in the final. The Falcons are ranked 10th in the Washington area, according to The Washington Post, and they have a 20-2 record.

"I’m already thinking about Good Counsel," said Mount de Sales coach Monica Owensby on Saturday after the Sailors won the A conference title. "We’ve never won this tournament before, and it would be a great way for us to end a great season."

-- Mike Frainie

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Volleyball
        

And then there were five...

The ranks of unbeaten football teams dwindled by nearly half this week as Poly, Atholton and Chesapeake-Baltimore County suffered their first marks in the loss column.

That leaves Arundel, River Hill, Joppatowne, Boys’ Latin and Forest Park. Each is 9-0 and each can claim an undefeated regular-season title with a win this weekend.

Here’s a look at how they remained perfect and who they must beat to stay that way.

No. 1 Arundel

All-Metro quarterback Billy Cosh threw for six touchdowns in a 62-21 route of Meade to boost his state career record for passing TDs to 100. He has 43 for the season. R.J. Harris caught two of those passes Friday night boosting his career total to 41 and setting a new state public school record. The Wildcats have scored 423 points this season, outscoring the opposition by an average of 47-11.

Next up: Southern (6-3) at home Friday at 6:45. If coach Chuck Markiewicz’s Wildcats can get past the Bulldogs, they will clinch the Anne Arundel County title outright. A win would give the Wildcats 20 straight victories over county opponents. Their last loss came to Old Mill, 34-19 on Sept. 12, 2008. Old Mill’s only loss this season has been to the Wildcats 34-27 in Week 1. No other team has come closer than within 22 points of Arundel.

No. 3 River Hill

The Hawks won their 37th straight game and clinched a seventh straight Howard County championship with Friday’s 35-14 win over No. 14 and previously-unbeaten Atholton. Kevin Johnson ran 19 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, but the defense gets most of the credit for this one. The Hawks shut out the Raiders in the second half, holding them to just 38 yards of offense. Thomas Erdman had eight tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble while Johnson had three tackles. The Hawks defense has allowed an average of just 5.6 points this season.

Next up: at Centennial (4-5) Friday at 7 p.m. A win would give coach Brian van Deusen’s Hawks a 43rd straight win against Howard County opponents and their fourth straight unbeaten season in the county. It would also give them great momentum going into the state playoffs, where they will go for a Class 3A crown after winning the last two in 2A.

No. 6 Joppatowne
The Mariners’ defense allows just 5 points per game and no team has scored more than 10 on them his fall. Friday’s 35-0 win over Havre de Grace was their fourth shutout and wrapped up the UCBAC Chesapeake Division championship. A 12-7 win over North Harford in Week 7 determined the title. Friday night Joel Scott ran eight times for 100 yards and one touchdown and returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown. David Miller had four sacks. Three-year starter Jake McGinnis is the team’s leading tackler.

Next up: At C. Milton Wright (3-6), Friday at 7 p.m. The Mariners hit the road for the first time in six weeks as they go for their 17th straight win against a UCBAC opponent (It would be many more if not for several forfeits for an ineligible player in 2007 and 2008). They haven’t lost a game on the field to a UCBAC opponent since September 2006 to North Harford.

No. 9 Boys’ Latin

The Lakers had already earned a spot in the MIAA B Conference championship with their overwhelming performance against Archbishop Spalding a week earlier, but they were just as dominant in their 34-15 win over Archbishop Curley Friday. Patrick Steele ran for four touchdowns, carrying 20 times for 188 yards. Running behind blocking fullback Drew White and a punishing offensive line, Steele has 24 TDs for the season.

Next up: At St. Paul’s Friday at 2:30 p.m. The Lakers last won a B Conference title in 2002, when the conference was divided in half and they took the Silver Division title. They shared C Conference titles in 2003 and 2004 but they will have to stop perhaps their fiercest rival (ala Calvert Hall-Loyola) to stay unbeaten. Coach Ritchie Schell’s team has won four of the last five meetings, but St. Paul’s won, 19-17, in the final 35 seconds a year ago.

Forest Park

Quarterback Travis Fonseca threw for four touchdowns and Andrew Allen had three sacks Friday as the Foresters beat Douglass, 43-14, in their highest offensive output of the season. Forest Park, which has no big stars and relies on a complete team approach, has won three games by a touchdown or less. Their average margin of victory has been 12.6 points, but in the five games before Douglass, it was 7. That’s been enough to turn the program around from last season’s 2-8 finish.

Next up: Lake Clifton (7-2) at home Friday at 2 p.m. Coach Damon Bomar’s Foresters can win the Baltimore City Division II championship outright with a win over the Lakers. A tie would make them co-champs, because the Lakers’ loss to Southside has them coming into the game at 6-1 in the division.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

A by-the-numbers look at this weekend’s football action:

1 Touchdown separating McDonogh from the MIAA A Conference pack. The No. 2 Eagles’ 7-0 win over No. 11 Calvert Hall gives them sole possession of the top spot at 4-0 and a chance to win the conference title outright in Saturday’s season finale against No. 5 Gilman (3-1). A Calvert Hall upset would have left all three tied for first at 3-1.

3 Wins this season for Owings Mills, which has won two in a row after banishing a 53-game losing streak earlier this fall.

4 Passing touchdowns for Forest Park quarterback Travis Fonseca, his season high, in beating Douglass, 43-14, Friday, helping his team remain unbeaten.

5 Undefeated teams left – No. 1 Arundel, No. 3 River Hill, No. 6 Joppatowne, No. 8 Boys’ Latin and Forest Park. Three teams dropped from the ranks this weekend – No. 8 Poly, No. 14 Atholton and No. 15 Chesapeake-Baltimore County.

6 Straight wins for Century, which opened the season 0-3 against Frederick County foes but has swept its Carroll County opposition. After Friday’s 14-8 win over Westminster, the Knights are in first place in the Monocacy Valley Blue Ridge division, one game ahead of South Carroll. They finish the season Friday with 1-8 Francis Scott Key.

7 Straight Howard County championships for River Hill, which clinched the title with Friday’s 35-14 win over Atholton. The victory was the 37th straight for the Hawks, including two state Class 2A crowns.

8 Points after touchdown for Arundel kicker Tyler Young in Friday’s 62-21 win over Meade. Young was 8-for-9 in the game and is 42-for-49 this season.

19 Minutes of possession for Archbishop Spalding in the second half of Friday’s 30-29 win over John Carroll that clinched a rematch with Boys’ Latin for the MIAA B Conference championship Nov. 14.

38 Yards allowed to Atholton by River Hill’s defense in a shutout, second-half performance in Friday’s win.

100 Career passing touchdowns for Arundel quarterback Billy Cosh, who added six in Friday's win over Meade. That's 20 more than the previous state record, which he broke earlier this season.

240 Yards gained by No. 13 Dunbar’s Nathan Ayres Jr. on 18 carries, including a 96-yard run for the winning touchdown, in Friday’s 22-18 upset of Poly.

438 Yards of offense gained by Poly in the 22-18 loss to Dunbar.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football