After a long fall with lots of surprises, the state finals at M&T Bank Stadium are here. Local fans anticipate the matchups between No. 6 Franklin and No. 9 Wilde Lake in the Class 3A final Thursday at 7 p.m., and between No. 12 Dunbar and Havre de Grace in the Class 1A final Saturday at noon, as well as undefeated Urbana vs. Wise in Class 4A Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Middletown vs.McDonough in Class 2A, the tournament finale Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Here are some numbers that stand out from the state semifinals, the Turkey Bowl and the state tournament record book:

0
Time left after Mark Venable scored the game-winning touchdown in Franklin’s 15-14 win over Huntingtown Friday.

0
Defending champions returning to the finals after last year’s Class 2A champ Eastern Tech fell to Middletown Friday.

1
State finalist back from last year – Wise in Class 4A.

1
No. 4 seed left among the state finalists – Wilde Lake, which knocked off the No. 1 team in the state as ranked by MDVarsity .com, undefeated Damascus, 21-14, Friday.

2 I
Interceptions for Wilde Lake’s Nick Pelletier in the win over Damascus.

3
State finalists that have never won a championship – Franklin, Middletown and Wise.

5
Turnovers for Damascus – two converted by Wilde Lake in the victory.

5:43
Time needed for Franklin to score 15 points and come from 14 points down to nip Huntingtown on a buzzer-beating touchdown run.

6
Least number of points allowed by any team in the playoffs since the three-game playoff system began in 1985 – by Wilde Lake in 1997.

12
Longest winning streak among the state finalists by Urbana and Wise. No. 12 Dunbar has won 11 in a row.

12
Record for most state championships held by Seneca Valley, which won its last title in 2002.

21
Total state championships won by this season’s finalists – Dunbar, six; Wilde Lake, five; Urbana, four; Havre de Grace and McDonough, three each.

24
Straight years the team scoring first has won the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl until No. 1 Calvert Hall ended the run last week, coming from 6-0 down to beat Loyola, 41-13.

28
Years since MIAA A Conference champ Calvert Hall has won a league title. The Cardinals won the MSA A Conference in 1982.

35
State playoff wins in the history of Dunbar’s program – the most by any team in the finals. Wilde Lake is second with 24 and Havre de Grace, third with 22. Seneca Valley has a state-record 41.

41
Consecutive points scored by Calvert Hall in the 41-13 Turkey Bowl romp over Loyola.

66
Offensive plays run by Eastern Tech Friday night – 27 more than Middletown – but the Mavericks scored their only points with four seconds left in a 20-6 Knights victory.

92
Most points ever scored by two teams in a state championship game – Dunbar’s 58-34 win over Allegany in 2007.

186
Most points ever scored by one team in postseason – by Dunbar in 2007.

289
Yards gained by Havre de Grace’s Michael Kelly, who scored three touchdowns in the 34-14 win over Brunswick.

1997
The only year all four state champions were undefeated – Seneca Valley, Wilde Lake, Fort Hill and Hereford.

10,967
Fans at this year's Turkey Bowl at M&T Bank Stadium.

• Many thanks to Sheldon Shealer, who compiles state records for the MPSSAA, for the state tournament records listed here. For more state football records, go to MPSSAA.org and click on Record Book.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

After 13 weeks, the state football championship matchups are finally set. Only eight teams remain to play at M&T Bank Stadium Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Frederick County is the only jurisdiction with two representatives -- Urbana and Middletown. One each hail from Baltimore City (Dunbar), Baltimore County (Franklin), Harford County (Havre de Grace), Howard County (Wilde Lake), Charles County (McDonough) and Prince George's County (Wise).

Franklin, Middletown and Wise are seeking their first state titles while the other five finalists aim to add to some already impressive trophy cases. Here are the number of state crowns won by each with the year of the most recent title:

Dunbar, six, 2008
Wilde Lake, five, 1997
Urbana, four, 2001
Havre de Grace, three, 1986
McDonough, three, 1990

Here is the schedule for the state finals:
Class 3A
Franklin vs. Wilde Lake, Thursday, 7 p.m.

Class 4A
Urbana vs. Wise, Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Class 1A
Dunbar vs. Havre de Grace, Saturday, noon

Class 2A
Middletown vs. McDonough, Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

There's no need to wait to buy tickets at the stadium. State officials are urging fans to buy their tickets in advance online. Last year, 45 percent of those attending the four finals bought their tickets online, according to Ned Sparks, executive director of the MPSSAA. Click here to go to the MPSSAA web site for more information and to buy tickets.

If you can't make it, the games will be televised live on WNUV-TV 54.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

On the hardwood at Old Mill, guard Mike Holley was known for his ability to shoot and dish — earning second-team All-Metro honors last year after leading the Patriots to the Class 4A state semifinals. He's doing the same at Millersville (Pa.) University, where he opened his college career earning Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Divisoin Freshman of the Week honors. In his first two games, Holley averaged 15 points and four assists — including a 19-point, five-assist debut in a season-opening win against Lock Haven. Holley averaged 17 points and five assists in his senior year at Old Mill.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Maryland Christian’s football team wasted little time asserting itself at the National Homeschool Football Association’s national championship last week as the Saints went up 26-0 in the first quarter of their opening game and 28-0 by halftime of the final.

The quick starts helped the Saints, a team of home-schooled students based in Harford County, defeat defending national champion Lighthouse Christian from Missouri, 38-6 in Thursday’s semifinal, and undefeated North Georgia, 35-2 in Saturday’s title game. Not only did the Saints emerge with the national championship, but they finished the season with a 13-0 record.

“It was actually a dream at the beginning of the season to win the national championship,” junior quarterback Christian DiPaola said, “but we weren’t sure we could do it. Our goal was to win the championship. We weren’t worried about being undefeated but it all worked out that way. It was very special for the seniors.”

In the two games played in Panama City Beach, Fla., DiPaola threw for nine touchdowns and wide receiver Jed Yousefi caught seven of them.

“We just went out there and executed very well,” Yousefi, a senior, said. “We all have one heartbeat. We work together very well. Everyone came together as a team and we have great coaches, so it was a really awesome feeling.”

The Saints landed nine players on the 22-man All-Tournament Team. Joining DiPaola and Yousefi were Will Carlton, Johnny Lewis, Alex Dowling, Brian Wilt, Caleb Gordon, Austin Lee and Evan Chase.

One key to winning the national title was bouncing back to play the championship game just two days after the semifinal – an extremely quick turnaround for football players.

“I’m pretty sore right now,” Yousefi said Sunday on the ride home from Florida. “It was very tiring and after running so much and getting hit, a body can only take so much, but we did what we had to do.”

The Saints emptied the ice machine at their hotel, especially between games when coach Tony DiPaola made sure they rested as much as possible. The Saints had actually played three games in seven days, including their Mid-Atlantic Christian Conference championship game the previous Saturday.

Still, bringing home the huge team trophy and all the individual accolades was plenty reward for the Saints and the entourage of parents and cheerleaders who made the trip. Many of them plan to go back next year when DiPaola said they’ve been urged by the other four teams in the tournament to come back to defend their title.

“It was just awesome, the whole thing,” Tony DiPaola said. “They were really tired, but they were all ecstatic – the players, the parents, everybody. To win a national championship at any level is just something that few players get to experience. This was the icing. We said let’s go get the cake at the MACC championship and then get the icing at the national championship.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

Since we posted the state football semifinal schedule with an explanation that the teams were reseeded for the semifinals, I've received several comments and questions about the process.

While the state semifinal matchups in other team sports are predetermined by a blind draw for the seedings -- this year, it's No. 1 West vs. No. 4 East and No. 2 South vs. No. 3 North -- football is different. The four teams that advance to the state semifinals are reseeded based on a complex points-averaging system that is also used to determined which four teams advance to the playoffs in each region.

This has nothing to do with how many points your team scores or how many it allows. It's a system designed by the MPSSAA to give more weight to wins over bigger schools and schools that have been more successful during the season.

For a complete explanation of how this system works, click here to go to the MPSSAA website.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Football
        

Only two weeks remain in the high school football season and only six Baltimore-area teams are still in the running for state championships. After Week 12, just No. 4 Broadneck, No. 12 Franklin, No. 14 Dunbar, Eastern Tech, Wilde Lake and Havre de Grace move on to the state semfinals.

Here are some numbers that stand out from this past weekend's games, the history of the state semifinals and the annual Turkey Bowl game coming up Thanksgiving morning between No. 1 Calvert Hall at Loyola at M&T Bank Stadium

1
Defending champion to reach the state semifinals – Eastern Tech in Class 2A.

2
Teams seeded fourth in their regions that reached the state semifinals – Broadneck and Huntingtown.

2
Straight years No. 8 Archbishop Spalding has avenged a regular-season loss to win the MIAA B Conference crown – this year over No. 13 Archbishop Curley and last year over Boys’ Latin.

4
Undefeated local teams to fall in the regional finals – No. 7 North Harford, No. 11 South Carroll, Western Tech and Forest Park. Only Maryland Christian and Annapolis Area Christian School finished off undefeated seasons in the Baltimore metro area.

5
Turnovers by No. 3 Arundel in falling to Broadneck, 39-28, in the Class 4A East region final.

5
Yards gained by Franklin quarterback Joey Dorsey on his four touchdown runs in the Indians’ 28-21 upset of North Harford for the Class 3A North title.

6
Sacks for Dunbar’s defense in the 32-12 victory over Forest Park for the Class 1A North title.

6:56
Time it took Broadneck to score 22 straight points to finish off Arundel in the region final.

7
Most state titles won by any team in this year’s semifinal field – by Damascus.

7
State semifinalists who have never won a title – Broadneck, Franklin, Wise, Huntingtown, Middletown, Queen Anne’s and Brunswick.

8
Teams seeded No. 1 in their regions still alive in the state semifinals, including two locals -- Eastern Tech and Havre de Grace.

8
Straight regional championships for Dunbar, which went on to win the state Class 1A title four times between 2004 and 2008.

8
Years since Wilde Lake defeated River Hill before the Wildecats’ 13-7 overtime victory Friday in the Class 3A East regional final.

9
Touchdown passes by Christian DiPaola, of Maryland Christian, in winning two games -- and the championships -- at the National Homeschool Football Association finals.

12
Most combined state titles won by the four semifinalists in any one classification – Damascus (7), Wilde Lake (5), Franklin (0) and Huntingtown (0) in Class 3A.

13
Wins for undefeated Maryland Christian – the most of any local team this season.

24
Straight times the team scoring first has won the Calvert Hall-Loyola Turkey Bowl game.

33.5
Margin of victory in points for Maryland Christian in winning the National Homeschool Football Association championship as the Saints allowed just 8 total points in the semifinal and final games.

91
Years of the Calvert Hall-Loyola football rivalry.

154
Seconds left in the game when Eastern Tech scored a touchdown and then hit the extra point to take a final 7-6 lead over City in the Class 2A North final.

11,898
Fans on hand for last year’s Turkey Bowl at M&T Bank Stadium.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Football
        

The dates and times for next weekend's state high school football semifinals have been set after the teams were reseeded according to their regular-season points averages to determined the matchups and home teams.

Class 4A
No. 4 seed Broadneck at No. 1 Wise, Saturday, 1 p.m.
No. 3 Urbana at No. 2 Gaithersburg, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 3A
No. 4 Wilde Lake at No. 1 Damascus, Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Huntingtown at No. 2 Franklin, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 2A
No. 4 Eastern Tech at No. 1 Middletown, Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 3 McDonough at No. 2 Queen Anne's, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 1A
No. 4 Fort Hill vs. No. 1 Dunbar at Poly, Saturday, 1 p.m.
No, 3 Brunswick at No. 2 Havre de Grace, Friday, 7 p.m.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Football
        

The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference coaches have named the following players to their All-Conference team:

Calvert Hall: Thomas Stuart, Ben Curtis, Trevor Williams, Joe Carroll, Dan Yarborough, Emmanuel Holder, Stefan Janik, John Casparriello, Adrian Amos and Daquan Davis.

Gilman: Darius Jennings, Cyrus Jones, Hunter Goodwin, Brian Gaia, Henry Poggi, Chris McMaster, Kenneth Goins, Linn Worthington and Micah Kiser.

Loyola: Demmer Class, Mike Fafaul, Jimmy Holder, Jeff Jenkins, Jordan Floyd, Jordan Horne, Jamie Dubyoski and Ryan Young.

McDonogh: Denzell Walker, Evan Grant, Joel Jorgensen, Allen Jackson, Roman Braglio and E.J. Conway.

Mount St. Joseph: Angelo DeShields, Samuel Benjamin, Thomas Demetriou, Jeff Robinson, Mike Dahl and Hunter Eubanks.

Georgetown Prep: Bobby Gribbin, Scott Mergner, Alex Skarzinski, Bob Rutland, Joel Blockowicz, Mike Boland and Dominic Bryan.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference coaches have named the following players totheir All Conference team:

Archbishop Curley: Luke Stidham, Joe Evans, Anthony Williams, Eric Price, Demonya Womack, Avery Williams, Matt Zelechowski and D.J. Sartori.

Archbishop Spalding: K.K. Smith, J.D. Izon, Nick Allen, Matt Wicklein, Shelley White, Zach Waller, Julian Washington and Malik Johnson.

Boy's Latin: Greg Pyke, Brandon Barnes, Marco Jones, Mike Turner, Jeff Chase, Joey Weidner, Taylor Stothoff and Ben Kellar.

John Carroll: Kyle Miele, Denzel Varner, D.TJ. Owens, Alex Gambrell, Brian Hunt and Tyler Ray.

St. John's-CP: Lamont Wims, Deshawn Weaver, Nick Peiffer and Ryan Grimes.

St. Mary's: John Gonos, Horace Chalstrom and Connor Crowley.

St. Paul's: Taylor Michel, Jay Carlson, Gunnar Waldt, A.J. Koikoi, London Fitzhugh and Dale Harris.

Severn: Bart Repasky and Adam Blaszcak.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C Conference coaches have named the following players to their All-Conference team:

Annapolis Area Christian: Chris Chick, James Anderson, Chandler Edmonds, Alpha Jalloh, Jon Hunter, Travis Cole, Galen Evans, Malik Dorsey, Jamarie Spencer, Benjamin Milburn, Malique Johnson, Tony Paige and Ryan Slenk.

Lutheran: Aaron Armes, Jay Davis, John Nunes and Matt Brause.

St. Vincent Pallotti: A.J. Bright, Tyler Drew, Derek Pittman, Justin Clatworthy, Brandon Manning, Rafi Correa and Allen Hall.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Football
        

The No. 4 Resevoir girls team did its part Thursday night, coming away with a thrilling 1-0 win over Huntingtown to capture its first Class 3A state championship. Today, it's the boys' turn.

The No. 3 Gators will take on Northern-Calvert in a bid to bring home their first title and complete a soccer sweep for the Howard County school. Game time at UMBC is set for 5 p.m.

Both Reservoir teams had incredible playoff journeys.

The girls pitched four straight shutouts to close things out, including a 1-0 win over defending champ Tuscarora that took the sting out of last year's 3-2 loss to the Titans in the championship game.

They used last year's championship game experience this time around, taking charge in the first half last night, getting a goal from senior midfielder Katlyn Axenfeld and then proving sturdy on defense in a hectic final 10 minutes with the Hurricanes desperate.

Tonight, the boys won't have the luxury of having played in a state title game before, but they have shown themselves plenty resilient. They knocked off then-No.1 Wilde Lake in the semifinal round of the region playoffs. Then visited perennial state power River Hill and advanced with better aim on penalty kicks to claim their first region title.

Having been tested game after game throughout the season in Howard County, the Gators overwhelmed Linganore in the state semifinals for a comfortable 3-0 win.

Going into tonight's state final against Northern, which also will be making its first state title game, the Gators would be wise to get some tips from the state champions Reservoir girls, who made sure to stay focused, played their game and didn't get caught up in the moment.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

Bragging rights are up for grabs this weekend when the state's eight NCAA Division III men's basketball teams travel to Stevenson University to compete in the Pride of Maryland Tournament.

The tournament, which kicked off earlier this week, continues on Friday night with semifinal-round play and then the championship game set for Saturday.

Friday's semifinal schedule has Frostburg taking on tournament host Stevenson at 6:30, followed by Hood vs. defending tournament champion St. Mary's at 8:30. In the consolation round, McDaniel and Washington College will open Friday's action at 2, followed by Goucher vs. Johns Hopkins at 4:15.

Saturday's championship game is set for 8:30 p.m. with the first of three consolation games starting at 2.

In addition to seeing some fine college basketball, the tournament also offers a chance to catch up with a number of former area high school standouts. St. Mary's features preseason Div. III All-American Alex Franz (Cardinal Gibbons) and Devin Spencer (Towson Catholic) while Hood counters with Cameron Cook (Calvert Hall).

Danny Murphy (Glen Burnie) and Greg Woody (Mount St. Joseph) are starters for Stevenson with Tyler Rudd (Glen Burnie) and Devon Lesniak (Winters Mill) playing at McDaniel.

For tickets or more information, please call 443-352-4251

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

John Carroll junior soccer goalie Gina Maiorana, who led the No. 7 Patriots (13-3-3) to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinals this season, has made a verbal commitment to Seton Hall University.

Maiorana, who has started every game since her freshman year, finished with 73 saves this season, yielding nine goals and posting 13 shutouts. The captain was named to the IAAM A Conference All-Star team.

"Gina has developed every year and really blossomed this year. She directed well and was the big leader for us this season. Losing 75 percent of our defense, she kept us in a lot of games," John Carroll coach Gary Lynch said.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Wrestling season is coming and to get ready we're passing along a little information found in last season's Winters Mill wrestling program informing new viewers of the sport about how a match is run.

Veteran fans, of course, know all this, but if a person is knew to the sport, it's not always so easy to follow what's going on. As the Winters Mill program says, this if for "rookie" fans:

How are the athletes matched up?

By weight class. The athletes weigh-in before the match, and must be under the prescribed weight classes: 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215 and heavyweight (285 max).

How is the match order determined?

A weight class is drawn from a hat as the starting point. Then the match order goes from there (as listed above), For example, the drawn weight class is 171 lbs. The next match will be 189, then 215, then 285, 103, 112, etc.

How do you know who's winning?

Two ways — by score or by fall (pin). Check the scoreboard for the points. Green is generally listed as the "home team". Red is generally the visitors, although occasionally, if team colors prevail, an official may change that.

In high school pins must be a two-count, with scapula (shoulders & Upper back) flat for two seconds.

How are individual match points scored?

By takedown — 2 points are awarded when a wrestler shows control by getting behind his opponent, from standing position to the mat.

By reversal — 2 points are scored when a person in the bottom (defensive) position reverses his opponent and gets on top or in control (offensive.

By escape — 1 point is scored when a wrestler on the bottom gets out into the neutral (standing) position, causing his opponent a loss of control.

By near fall — 3 points are awarded when a wrestler turns his opponent's back at a 45-degree angle and holds it there for 5 seconds. Two points are awarded when a wrestler turns his opponent and holds it for 2 to 4 seconds.

By pin — 6 points are awarded when a wrestler holds his opponents shoulders (upper back) to the mat for 2 seconds.

By penalty points — Most penalties begin at one point, which include violations such as misconduct, locked hands on top, illegal holds and so on. Stalling is given a warning (fist held in the air) first, then has infraction points of 1, 1, 2 and default if continued. False Starts get two cautions before awarding similar infraction points.

How does the team score work?

For each decision by a 7 point margin or less, a team receives 3 team points. For a major decision, an 8 to 14 point margin, a team receives 4 points. A technical fall, wrestlings's "slaughter rule" of a 15 point margin, the match is stopped and the team receives 5 points. For pins, forfeits or defaults A team receives 6 points.

If the score is tied at the end, a tie-breaking system will determine a winner based on the individuals' performances.

How is the match broken up?

There are three two-minute periods, and if necessary up to 4 periods of overtime. Wrestlers begin in the neutral (standing) position. After that, each wrestler is given a choice of one of three positions — standing, knelling top or bottom — in one of the final two periods.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

If you have never heard of the Maryland Christian football team, you had plenty of company until the Saints defeated Archbishop Curley, 30-22, on Oct. 30.

That put the six-year-old Saints program for home-schooled students on the local football radar and helped boost them to an 11-0 season that concludes this week at the National Homeschool Football Association's national tournament in Panama City Beach, Fla.

The Saints, who are based in Harford County and play their home games in Kingsville, started as an outlet for home-schooled students to play football and they "had some humble beginnings," said Tony DiPaola, head coach and one of the team founders.

That year, the Saints were 1-10, but they improved over the years to 10-3 last season and 11-0 this season against a schedule of homeschool teams in Maryland and Virginia, as well as a few private or parochial schools such as Friends and Curley.

The transformation has the Saints on a collision course with the NHFA's defending national champion -- Lighthouse Christian from Springfield, Mo. -- in the opening round of the tournament Thursday. The championship game is on Saturday.

"We've been doing better every year," DiPaola, who has 44 players, said. "I attribute it to more home school kids and just the kids that come to our program. Some of them have never played football before, but our coaches work really hard with the boys and they're really buying into it. We've also got some experienced kids coming from the rec leagues. It's just another avenue for the people to be able to get high school sports without sending their kids to high schools."

Last weekend, the Saints won the Mid-Atlantic Christian Conference for the third time in four years, beating a Richmond, Va. homeschool team, 28-20, at Redskins Park.

Senior wide receiver Jed Yousefi had 235 yards receiving and three touchdowns in the game. Quarterback Christian DiPaola was 12-for-20 passing for 366 yards and four touchdowns -- three passing to Yousefi and one rushing.

The Saints also have gotten key performances through the season from fullback/linebacker Evan Chase, lineman Will Carlton and receiver/linebacker Austin Lee.

Tony DiPaola said there is a simple formula for the Saints success this season: "The kids are dedicated. They practice hard and they've really bought into the system.

"We're really trying to put homeschooling sports on the map as far as football goes. Our first team we called the trail blazers, because we knew they were blazing a trail for others to follow and after last year's 10-3 season, we really felt like it was time to step up, so we're trying to play better teams."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The final field hockey poll will delight some, disappoint some and, perhaps, bewilder others.

Westminster, who completed its season with a perfect 19-0 record, winds up at No. 1 after winning a very tough, 5-4 overtime game against Dulaney, in the 4A MPSSAA state final. A week ago, the Owls were No. 3.

Meanwhile Glenelg, last week’s No. 1, slips to No. 2 despite winning the 2A title and completing the season, 19-1.

So, how did that happen?

Westminster was stuck outside the Top 3 for much of the season as Severna Park, South River and Glenelg exchanged the top three spots, losing only to each other. Severna Park ended the regular season as No. 1, but then lost the District V championship game to Glenelg, 2-1, which had lost to South River early in the season.

South River went to No. 1, Glenelg to No. 2 and Severna Park to No. 3. But then South River lost to Severna Park, costing it the No. 1 spot. Glenelg moved up to No. 1. Severna Park moved up to No. 2. Westminster, which had been No. 4 finally, broke into the Top 3.

Then came this week. Westminster beat No. 2 Severna Park, a team Glenelg had just gotten by, with a dominating 4-1 margin. Glenelg beat No. 6 Century, 2-1. That was the same score Westminster had beaten Century by a month ago.

Glenelg had done nothing to lose the top spot. Westminster had done everything it possibly could to earn it. What could be looked at to determine who should be No. 1?

The answer, besides watching both teams play – and there was little to separate them – was the result of their individual games against common opponents: Century and Severna Park. Westminster was the more dominant team against both those opponents, and much more dominant against Severna Park, which Westminster and Glenelg played within two weeks of each other.

Severna Park may not have been overly enthusiastic about playing the Glenelg game, but Glenelg was psyched to beat No. 1 and a team that had 19 state championships already in its back pocket. Even so, the Gladiators could only manage a 1-goal victory.

Westminster, meanwhile, with the same inspiration as Glenelg, played Severna Park, whose players were nothing if not inspired to win the quarterfinal confrontation as they sought to stay on track to win the Falcons’ sixth straight title and 20th overall. And yet Westminster won, 4-1.

Given all that, Westminster gets the nod, the tiniest nod. Either team would be a terrific choice.

Both were strong defensively, with Westminster producing a remarkable 11 shutouts with senior Emily Colliflower in goal, to Glenelg’s eight with senior goalie Christy Bishop playing most of the time.

Glenelg held the advantage in goal scoring, out-producing its opponents by an impressive, 132-14, with junior Alyssa Parker (38 goals, 38 assists) and Kayleigh Hinkle (34 goals, 17 assists) doing the heaviest lifting. Westminster outscored its opponents 70-13, with senior Meghan Macera (23 goals, 10 assists) leading the way.

And each gave up more than one goal in a game just twice.

So have at it. Consider the year-ending No. 1 ranking a starting point for a good argument about who should have been No. 1. But don’t forget to appreciate all the teams and the tremendous seasons each one of them had, doing their best and giving it their all no matter at what school they played.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Field hockey
        

Franklin coach Anthony Burgos was named Ravens High School Coach of the Week on Monday after his Indians rolled over No. 9 Hereford, 47-14, in the opening round of the Class 3A North regional playoffs Friday night in Hereford.

The Indians avenged a 14-6 loss to the Bulls on Oct. 22, largely by forcing five turnovers and converting all of them. It was their first win over the Bulls since 1994.

"It was tremendous to kind of get that monkey off our back," Burgos said in a news release. "All of our athletic teams have had a tough time with Hereford. It was a great win for the whole student body and the community."

A key player on both sides of the ball, Mark Venable had 14 tackles, forced two fumbles and ran a fumble recovery in for a touchdown. He finished with three touchdowns, including two rushing. He gained 162 yards on 16 carries and caught one pass for 21 yards.

Other Indians who contributed big numbers to the win:

Ian Thomas: four catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns.
Joey Dorsey: 10-for-15 passing for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
Navassa Brown: three catches for 52 yards and one touchdown, five tackles.
Anthony Taylor: 11 carries for 79 yards.
Erik Pasternack: 13 tackles.
Ryan Bacote: nine tackles.
Josh Sherer: nine tackles.
Logan Wyley: seven tackles.

"We felt that back in October, we didn't make the big plays," Burgos said. "We focused on trying to get our big-time players to make big plays, and this time that's what happened. I think all of our guys were on the same page this game."

The Indians will travel to meet No. 7 and undefeated North Harford for the regional title Friday night at 7 p.m.

Burgos is the final Coach of the Week for the 2010 season. He joins Hereford's Steve Turnbaugh, Gilman's Biff Poggi, the Howard High coaching staff; Atholton's Kyle Schmitt, North Harford's Ken Brinkman; South Carroll's Steve Luette; Forest Park's Damon Bomar, Thomas Johnson's Ben Wright and Southern's Russ Meyers as coaches of the week. Each received a $2,000 donation to the school's football program.

The Ravens' High School Coach of the Year will be selected from the 10 finalists and announced on Dec. 19 at the Ravens game vs. the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints at M&T Bank Stadium.

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

The first week of playoffs saw its share of upsets as five ranked teams went down — No. 4 Old Mill, No. 9 Hereford, No. 10 Southern, No. 11 Boys' Latin and No. 12 Atholton. There were lots of key performances, too, so here are some of the numbers that stand out after the regional semifinals:

0 Points allowed by Dunbar's defense since Oct. 1. While the defense has shut out six straight opponents, the offense has rolled up 254 points.

1 Playoff victory in No. 14 Hammond’s football history — Friday’s 26-21 win over No. 10 Southern, which had upset then-No. 1 Arundel the previous week.

1 Defending state champion still alive — Eastern Tech in Class 2A.

2 Teams left in the running for the MIAA A Conference title — No. 1 Calvert Hall and No. 2 Gilman. Loyola beat Georgetown Prep Saturday to drop the Little Hoyas from contention.

3 Touchdowns each for Loyola’s Mike Fafaul and Ryan Black in the 49-24 win over Georgetown Prep.

4 Touchdown passes from Eastern Tech’s Brad Hager to Chris Pomory in Friday’s 42-0 win over Dundalk.

4 Fumbles recovered by Forest Park en route to its 32-14 win Friday over Forestville.

6 Undefeated teams remaining in the metro area as No. 7 North Harford, No. 15 South Carroll, Western Tech, Forest Park and Maryland Christian won their games to improve to 11-0 while Annapolis Area Christian has completed a 10-0 season.

7 State championships between No. 6 River Hill (2) and Wilde Lake (5), who meet in the Class 3A East region final.

14 Points down for No. 13 Patterson, which rallied to beat Thomas Johnson 30-27 Friday.

16 Years since Franklin beat No. 9 Hereford before Friday night’s 47-14 win.

19 Minutes left — enough time for No. 5 Broadneck’s quarterback James Mullis to hit Darnell Solomon for two touchdown passes and a comeback 16-14 win over No. 4 Old Mill.

220 Yards rushing for Hammond’s Devon Paye in the victory over Southern.

270 Yards passing for Havre de Grace quarterback Darin Washington in Friday's 41-21 win over Cambridge-South Dorchester. He was 11-12 with three touchdown passes.

450 Yards of total offense for Franklin in the win over Hereford.

2004 The last time Archbishop Curley won an MIAA B Conference football championship. The Friars meet defending champion and No. 8 Archbishop Spalding for this year's title on Saturday.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The schedule for this weekend's regional football championships has been set with all but one local matchup coming Friday night at 7. Dunbar and Forest Park will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Poly.

Here is the schedule for the Baltimore-area teams:

Class 4A North
Patterson at Urbana, Friday 7

Class 4A East
Broadneck at Arundel, Friday, 7

Class 3A North
Franklin at North Harford, Friday, 7

Class 3A East
Wilde Lake at River Hill, Friday, 7

Class 2A North
City vs. Eastern Tech at CCBC-Essex, Friday, 7

Class 2A South
Hammond at McDonough, Friday, 7

Class 2A East
Fallston at Queen Anne’s, Friday, 7

Class 2A West
South Carroll at Middletown, Friday, 7

Class 1A North
Brunswick vs. Western Tech at CCBC-Catonsville, Friday, 7

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

Class 1A East
Bohemia Manor at Havre de Grace, Friday, 7

For the rest of the statewide schedule, click here.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

Five local athletes are finalists for the Army Iron Man of the Year as Maryland's top two-way high school football player.

Winters Mills' Mike Jones, Archbishop Spalding's K.K. Smith, Franklin's Ian Thomas, North Harford's Cody Turner and Annapolis' Tajuan Watson remain in the running for the award, and you can vote for your favorite at www.TheSportsFlash.com beginning at midnight Monday and through midnight Nov. 28. On Nov. 29, the winner will be announced.

Also in the running are Kent Island's Matt Baxter, North Point's Conner Crowell and Ja'wan Poole, and Paint Branch's Bene't Willis.

According to a news release about the award, "Playing and excelling on both offense and defense, the Army Iron Man must demonstrate physical and emotional strength, as well as strength of character. The Army Iron Man embodies the qualities of Army STRONG. High school football fans selected the finalists throughout the season by voting online at www.TheSportsFlash.com."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

St. Mary's football coach Brad Best, who led the Saints to four league championships and was The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro Coach of the Year in 1996, resigned yesterday.

Best, who teaches physical education at the Annapolis school, guided the Saints to the MIAA A Conference championship and the No. 1 ranking in 1996 when they were also The Baltimore Touchdown Club Team of the Year.

His teams were also A Conference co-champs in 1995, B Conference champs in 2008 and MSA C Conference champs in 1990.

“I would like to thank every player who has worn a St. Mary’s Saints jersey and played, and all the great men who helped me coach,” said Best in a news release. “I have loved every second of it.”

St. Mary's principal Rick Bayhan said, “I am grateful that Coach Best stepped in to take the team for the past three years and I know that, as a member of the faculty, he’ll continue to be a voice of encouragement and positive spirit for all of our student athletes and an integral part of our PE program."

A search for a new coach will start immediately. Qualified applicants may contact the school at 410-263-3294.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Donovan Smith, a senior lineman from Owings Mills, has been selected to play in the US Army All-American Bowl January 8 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

The 6-foot-6, 260-pound offensive tackle is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 4 senior recruit in Maryland and No. 199 in the country. He told The Baltimore Sun's Matt Bracken that he is considering Maryland, Michigan State, UCLA, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Penn State and Connecticut.

Click here to read more about Smith's college recruiting process on Matt Bracken's Recruiting Report.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Bryn Mawr junior midfielder Riley Barger, who led the No. 12 Mawrtians (17-1-1) to their second straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference championship, has made a verbal commitment to play at Maryland.

In her third year as a starter, Barger scored 12 goals and added 20 assists -- providing the championship-clinching goal in the latter stages of the Mawrtians' 2-1 win over Roland Park in Saturday's title game.

"Riley has been a difference-maker in our program," Bryn Mawr coach Tina Steck said. "She brings such a high level of technical ability with the ball and she's always pushing herself and teammates in a positive way. She raises the level of everybody's game and is a great asset to have."

Barger, who has been offered a full athletic scholarship to play at Maryland, also received offers from Wake Forest, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Florida and Georgetown. This season, the Terrapins earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA women's soccer tournament for the first time in program history as they will host High Point on Friday.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Two weeks ago, a quote in the Annapolis Capital attributed to Severna Park coach Lil Shelton sent shock waves through the field hockey community and should be considered a cautionary tale for all high school coaches.

Shelton was quoted as saying the District V game -- in which her previously undefeated team lost to Glenelg, 2-1 -- was "meaningless." Shelton was quoted as saying this in the Capital:

"'This is just an insignificant game. It's nice to win: Whoopee. We're better than Howard County. But that's all it's good for, really, and another feather in our hat. But who needs feathers? I told the girls, 'We don't have room for that trophy in our trophy case anyway.' "

Was Shelton a bad loser? Was she trying to inspire her team to something better?

Asked about the remark this week the longtime coach, whose team plays in Wednesday's 4A state semifinal at Franklin (5 p.m.) against the undefeated Westminster Owls, explained.

"What I said to my girls wasn't for the public," Shelton said. "It was after the game, and they were so down. I gathered them together, and I told them the game was meaningless. That we were getting ready for the state playoffs. As a coach, I'm trying to pump my girls up. And I had them all perked up when one of the Glenelg girls carrying the trophy happened to walk by and I told my team, 'We don't have room for that trophy anyway.'

"You talk to your team like that. It does not get past that for print. It's not something you'd ever say to the other team or on the record. I would never demean another team like that."

Shelton said the reporter had overheard her conversation with her team and later asked her what she had said. She said she told him, but didn't think she was on the record.

She said she was stunned to read her remarks in the next day's paper.

"I wrote an apology to the coach. I was upset for her girls. Ginger [Kincaid] and I have been friends for 30 years. And Ginger wrote me a very nice, understanding letter in reply. But now my credibility has been lost, hasn't it?"

It's an unfortunate incident, but the reporter did ask Shelton what she had said to her team. She knew he was a reporter, and she repeated it. At that point, it is on the record.

Even before that point, however, coaches should understand and be aware anything they say on the field is usually fair game.

Reporters are there to be the eyes and ears of the fans. If coaches want to say something they don't want anyone else to know, they'd be wise to say it in the locker room, behind closed doors.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Field hockey
        

Century quarterback Ryan Throndset and wide receiver Brandon Soderstrom ended their high school careers Friday night by adding their names to a couple of record books.

In the 53-20 win over Francis Scott Key, Throndset tied a state record with seven touchdown passes while Soderstrom broke a Monocacy Valley Athletic League record for most receptions in a season with 59.

Century coach Jim Holzman said all season you could see the connection between the two, who worked hard in the offseason to improve their individual skills as well as their timing.

“They did a lot of work in 7-on-7s and football camps and Ryan went to the Quarterback Factory,” Holzman said. “They took it on themselves to be better players. Brandon did a lot of work on his speed and he got his 40 down to about a 4.5. He always had really good hands and he and Ryan, they were real good friends and that connection showed on the field this year.”

Soderstom said he and Throndset played against each other until they got to high school.

“Back in middle school, we were kind of enemies,” Soderstrom said with a laugh. “He played on South Carroll and I played on the Sykesville Raiders. In ninth grade and sophomore year with freshmen and JV football, we had a connection there. I was his No. 1 receiver and we built a lot of chemistry together and ever since then, we’ve always been on the same page. His arm, it was perfect for my speed and it’s always seemed to click.”

The two spent a lot of time last spring and summer perfecting their timing on the pass.

“That was a huge part of it," Soderstrom said. “We have our timing down and when he’s pressured, he knows where I’m going to go, he knows how I’m going to adjust my route and that was a big part of our plays this year. When he would roll out and be pressured, I would break off my route I was supposed to run and get open and he always somehow knew what I was going to do.”

This season, Throndset took over for All-Metro quarterback Josh Bordner, now at Boston College, but Holzman said he was ready.

“As the year progressed, Ryan did a real nice job of checking down and hitting the shorter routes and taking what the defense was giving him. He really came into his own. He’s had some big shoes to fill this year, as far as Josh is concerned, but I think he always had confidence in himself. He never doubted his abilities,” Holzman said.

Friday night, Throndset threw his seven touchdown passes in 2 1/2 quarters – and he hit seven different receivers. He tied the record for touchdown passes in a game set by Kennedy’s Melvin Harris in 2006 and tied by Arundel’s Billy Cosh last season.

Soderstrom, usually Throndset’s favorite target, caught one of those touchdowns – and eight other passes to bring his season total to 59, breaking the MVAL record of 58 set by Frederick’s Jalen Gee last season.

Holzman said Throndset was so focused Friday on helping Soderstrom break the MVAL record that he didn’t know how many touchdown passes he had thrown. The coach said both players were quick to share the credit for both records.

“It’s great to have the record, but it’s not all me,” Soderstrom said. “Ryan had to put the ball there for me to get it and the line had to give him time. They’re the whole team's records, not just mine, not just his. I can’t just be one person. Everyone contributed to it, but it’s great to have.”

For the season, Soderstrom caught 13 touchdown passes for 840 yards. Throndset finished with 25 touchdown passes and 2,010 yards passing as the Knights finished 6-4 and just missed the playoffs.

“You never want to not make the playoffs,” Soderstrom said, “but it was a good game to end on. Everyone got in. Everyone was happy. Everyone contributed. It would have been great to be in the playoffs, but if not, you can’t end on a much better note than we ended on.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The Gilman boys soccer team is Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champions for the first time since 1995, thanks to a thrilling 1-0 win over McDonogh with gutsy performances all over the field in Sunday's title game.

For the McDonogh girls, who had never won an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference crown despite being constantly close, the irony in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over two-time defending league champ Spalding came on the game's last play when Casey Martinez had a wide open net to score in.

Both winning teams had uphill climbs going into their respective championship games and each found a way to persevere.

The Greyhounds were up against a poised McDonogh boys team that had been there plenty — making their 12th MIAA title game in the past 13 years. For the McDonogh girls, the challenge was getting past a Spalding team that had a knack for winning when it counted the most — league champs three of the last four years.

In Gilman's victory, it took midfielder Cotter Brown getting a little higher than everyone else to head home a goal; a brilliant 10-save performance from goalie Andrew Harris; and a heads-up defensive play in the second half from Joey Cahalan, who cleared a McDonogh shot off the goal line to protect the lead.

For the McDonogh girls, it could have been easy to think 'Here we go again' after surrendering a tying goal by the Cavaliers All-Metro forward Maggie Morrison in the closing minutes of the second half. It was vintage Spalding, which has proven to be resilient time and again in its recent run.

Instead the Eagles dug in deeper in overtime. All-Metro midfielder Ashley Spivey, who was spent after dominating the middle for good chunks of the game, fended off a number of defenders down the right side before sending an ideal cross to the middle.

Taylor Cummings charged hard, getting to the ball just as Spalding All-Metro goalie Jocelyn McCoy did, forcing the ball to roll free to the far post. With Martinez exactly where she was supposed to be, the hard part was over with an easy chance from 8yards all that was left as the Eagles won their first championship since 1998 when they played in the old Catholic League.

Today, the Gilman boys and McDonogh girls are deservedly ranked No. 1 in this week's area polls.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Southern coach Russ Meyers was named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week on Monday after leading the unranked Bulldogs to one of the biggest upsets of the football season -- a 30-19 victory over undefeated and No. 1 Arundel.

The Bulldogs needed a win to clinch a playoff berth in Class 2A South. Trailing by five going into the fourth quarter against the Wildcats, they rallied with 16 straight points.

"We tried to prepare our kids like it was a playoff game, really," Meyers said in a news release. "Really, the playoffs started this past week for us. I said, 'Listen, we can play with these guys. You just have to be willing to stand in there and go toe-to-toe with them.'"

The Bulldogs gained 348 yards of offense -- all on the ground. Davonte Burke ran for 168 yards and scored two touchdowns. The defense forced five turnovers -- four of them interceptions.

"I think this was a testament to the fact that these guys were not going to give up," Meyers said. "As a coach, that's what you want to see -- kids step in there and take advantage of the opportunities in front of them."

Meyers joins Hereford's Steve Turnbaugh, Gilman's Biff Poggi, the Howard High coaching staff, Atholton's Kyle Schmitt, North Harford's Ken Brinkman, South Carroll's Steve Luett, Forest Park's Damon Bomar and Thomas Johnson's Ben Wright as Ravens' Coaches of the Week this fall. Each received a $2,000 donation for his school's football program.

One will be announced as the Ravens High School Coach of the Year on Dec. 19 at the Ravens game against the New Orleans Saints at M&T Bank Stadium.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Football
        

Football's regular season ended with some surprising results, most notably Southern upsetting No. 1 Arundel. Here are some of those surprising -- and not-so surprising -- numbers from the final weekend of the regular season with a look toward the playoffs:

2 Interceptions for Southern’s Andrew Harris -- one run back for a touchdown -- in the Bulldogs’ 30-19 upset of top-ranked Arundel.

3 Defending state champions back in the regional playoffs – Old Mill in Class 4A, Linganore in Class 3A and Eastern Tech in Class 2A. Defending 1A champ Catoctin missed the cut by four tenths of a point.

3 Rushing touchdowns scored by No. 10 Hereford’s Vince DePaola in the first quarter of Friday’s 49-14 win over Perry Hall.

5 Straight shutouts for Dunbar, which has outscored those five opponents 194-0.

6 Undefeated teams remaining in the metro area – No. 7 North Harford, No. 15 South Carroll, Forest Park, Western Tech, Annapolis Area Christian and Maryland Christian. All are 10-0.

7 Touchdown passes thrown by Century’s Ryan Throndset in Friday’s 53-20 win over Francis Scott Key – tying a state record.

7 Local teams seeded No. 1 in their regions – No. 5 Old Mill, North Harford, No. 6 River Hill, Eastern Tech, Western Tech, Havre de Grace and Forest Park.

9 Straight wins for Old Mill after dropping its season opener to Arundel.

17 The area’s longest active winning streak by Annapolis Area Christian School, which completed its first perfect season with Friday’s 44-0 win over Friends.

59 Receptions this season for Century wide receiver Brandon Soderstrom – a Monocacy Valley Athletic League record.

61 Wins for Poly in the 122 years of the City-Poly rivalry with Saturday’s 14-6 victory. City has 55 wins and there have been six ties.

310 Yards rushing for Demond Brown and Rob Chesson in Old Mill’s 31-7 win over No. 4 Broadneck.

527 Total yards gained by No. 8 Archbishop Spalding in its 57-36 win over St. John’s-College Prep on Friday.

2004 The last time the home team won the Gilman-McDonogh game until No. 3 Gilman won Saturday, 42-6.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

In a coin-flip tie breaker, No. 8 Archbishop Spalding received a bye into the MIAA B Conference championship football game on Nov. 20 while No. 11 Boys’ Latin and Archbishop Curley will meet Saturday to determine the second finalist.

The coin flip took place Sunday afternoon at Archbishop Spalding, which is the defending B Conference champion. Each school’s athletic director flipped a coin at the same time and the odd man out received the bye into the final. Spalding AD Lee Dove flipped tails while the others flipped heads.

Cavaliers coach Mike Whittles, who as there with his counterparts Boys' Latin coach Ritchie Schell and Curley coach Sean Murphy, was pleased with the result.

"I think it's that time of the year where people might be a little nicked up here and there and it gives everybody time to get a little healthier," Whittles said. "There's going to be a lot at stake in that game and if we were in it, we knew we'd have to give it everything we had and they're both going to have to give it everything they have. I'm excited for everybody. If we were playing, we'd be excited about playing."

Saturday at noon, Boys' Latin will host Curley for the right to advance. The Lakers got the home-field advantage because they beat the Friars, 21-7, during the regular season.

"Ideally, we'd love to have the bye," Lakers coach Ritchie Schell said, "but to play at home, that's the second-best option. Both teams are very strong obviously. We match up pretty well against Curley. They've got a little revenge factor, because we beat them the first time, but it's better for our kids to play than to sit around for another week."

All three teams finished the season 7-1, forcing the tie-breaking procedure, because Spalding lost to Curley, Curley lost to Boys’ Latin and Boys’ Latin lost to Spalding, so there had to be a playoff game to determine one of the finalists. The B Conference is the only one of the three MIAA conferences that has a title game.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

After scoring four touchdowns to lead Gilman to a 42-6 win over archrival McDonogh Saturday, Darius Jennings may not make his next big move until January.

Now that the high school season has ended for the Greyhounds, Jennings' priority will be to choose one school from among his top six colleges: Maryland, Ohio State, UCLA, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

Jennings said in August that he would put the decision aside to concentrate on his senior season as the Greyhounds' All-Metro quarterback. He now plans to take his official visits, including one to UCLA, the only school on his list that he has not visited.

"I'll be out there in December or January. I don't know yet," Jennings said Saturday. "Now that the season is over, I can focus more on making officials and everything. I'm taking all five official visits."

After receiving 30 initial offers, Jennings settled on a top ten, but he dropped Penn State, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Connecticut to bring his list down to six.

"It was really tough to get down to six," Jennings said. "The six that I chose, I guess I had more of a comfort level with the coaching staff and the guys who were recruiting me."

It won't be any easier to whittle his list down to one. He started with 30 initial offers and was rated No. 2 in the nation in the athlete category by Scout.com. Rivals.com rated him No. 18 as an athlete and No. 175 overall, which put him in the top 1 percent of recruits.

Jennings, who also plays basketball and runs track for the Greyhounds, will make one other football stop in January to play in the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. He is the only Baltimore athlete invited to the game, which will be telecast live on ESPN at 7 p.m.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The schedule for the first round of football regional playoffs has been set for next weekends with most local teams playing on Friday night although a few will see action on Saturday.

Seven local teams received top-seed spots: defending Class 4A champion Old Mill, defending Class 2A champ Eastern Tech, North Harford, River Hill, Western Tech, Forest Park and Havre de Grace.

Here is the schedule for the Baltimore-area teams.

Class 4A North

Perry Hall at Urbana, Friday, 7 p.m.
Patterson vs. Thomas Johnson at Poly, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 4A East

Broadneck at Old Mill, Friday, 7 p.m.
North Point at Arundel, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 3A North

Catonsville at North Harford, Friday, 7 p.m.
Franklin at Hereford, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 3A East

Stephen Decatur at River Hill, Friday, 7 p.m.
Wilde Lake at Atholton, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 2A North

Dundalk vs. Eastern Tech at CCBC-Essex, Friday, 7 p.m.
City vs. Douglass at Poly, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Class 2A South

Southern-AA at Hammond, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 2A East

Fallston at Kent Island, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 2A West

Rockville at South Carroll, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 1A North

Western Tech vs. Sparrows Point at CCBC-Catonsville, Friday, 7 p.m.
New Town at Brunswick, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 1A South

Forest Park vs. Forestville at Poly, Saturday, 6 p.m.
Dunbar vs. Southside at Mervo, Friday, 7 p.m.

Class 1A East

Cambridge-SD at Havre de Grace, Friday, 7 p.m.
Patterson Mill at Bo Manor, Friday, 7 p.m.

For the rest of the statewide schedule, click here

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The IAAM Field Hockey championship games are set for Saturday and Sunday at Goucher College. Matchups and times follow:

C Conference: 3 p.m., Saturday, Top-seeded Annapolis Area Christian School vs Key.

B Conference: 10 a.m., Sunday, John Carroll vs Glenelg Country School.

A Conference: Noon, Sunday, Top-seeded Notre Dame Prep vs Garrison Forest.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Baltimore City Cross Country Championships

The Edmondson boys and Western girls won the Baltimore City team championships at the title meet last week at Herring Run Park.

For Western, there wasn’t much trouble as the Doves got a win from Syrita Hunt and took five of the top seven spots to finish with 19 points. Kenneth Johnson won to lead Edmondson to its title as its 58 points was just enough to beat out Digital Harbor (63).

Boys

1. Edmondson, 58
2. Digital Harbor, 63
3. Northwestern, 88
4. Carver, 93
5. Mervo, 104

Individuals

1. K. Johnson (ED), 17:12
2. Brown (DH), 17:16
3. Westbrook (DUN), 17:20
4. Lucas (ED), 17:27
5. Braxton (DH), 17:50
6. Burks (CAR), 18:14
7. Miranda (NW), 18:20
8. Idris (NW), 18:22
9. Eugene (MER), 18:43
10. Palmer (POL), 18:54.

Girls

1. Western, 19
2. Digital Harbor, 57
3. Northwestern, 81
4. City, 100
5. Poly, 121.

Individuals

1. Hunt (WES), 21:33
2. Clifton (WES), 21:36
3. Summerville (DH), 21:43
4. Johnson (WES), 21:47
5. Myers (WES), 22:03
6. Daye (NW), 22:23
7. Geter-Jackson (WES), 22:41
8. Robinson (WES), 23:11
9. Medlock (CIT), 23:17
10. Barbyebwa (WES), 24:01

Carroll County Championships

The Winters Mill boys and Century girls won the team championships in last week’s Carroll County cross country title race at South Carroll. Both teams also won last year’s titles.

James Beachem of Westminster won the race easily, but No. 10 Winters Mill placed three runners in the top 10 to finish with 39 points and edge Westminster (44). Hannah Oneda of Winters Mill rolled to an easy victory on the girls’ side. Century also had three runners in the top 10 and scored 41 for a 20-point win over Winters Mill.

Boys

1. Winters Mill, 39
2. Westminster, 44
3. Century, 67
4. Liberty, 71
5. South Carroll, 143

Individuals

1. Beacham (WES), 17:06.63
2. Hopkins (WM), 17:23.87
3. Rinehart (LIB), 17:46.00
4. Pezza (CEN), 17:49.31
5. Cox (WM), 17:52.29
6. Cooke (WES), 17:56.04
7. Filomena (LIB), 17:59.07
8. Fenton (CEN), 18:08.08
9. Carvalho (WM), 18:16.71
10. March (WES), 18:24.06.

Girls

1. Century, 41
2. Winters Mill, 61
3. South Carroll, 82
4. Liberty, 84
5. Manchester Valley, 111

Individuals

1. Oneda (WM), 19:46.44
2. Linde (CEN), 20:37.21
3. Sullivan (LIB), 20:57.94
4. Bingaman (SC), 21:15.23
5. Rutherford (WM), 21:25.97
6. Todd (CEN), 21:45.03
7. Graf (SC), 21:47.18
8. Larkin (CEN), 21:55.14
9. Eastwood (WES), 22:25.38
10. Shanks (MV), 22:28.83

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cross country
        

This afternoon's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference girls soccer semifinal game between McDonogh and Mercy -- originally set for 3:45 at McDonogh -- has been moved to 6 p.m. at Archbishop Spalding in Severn. As scheduled, John Carroll will visit Spalding at 3:45 p.m. in the other semifinal game.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Gilman All-Metro quarterback Darius Jennings has narrowed his college list to six schools: Ohio State, UCLA, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

The senior, who had 30 initial offers, dropped Penn State, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Connecticut from his top ten. Jennings, who will play in the Under Armour All-America Game in January, is so versatile that he was listed as an athlete. Although he could play many positions in college, he was recruited primarily as a running back or cornerback.

With his skills and a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, Jennings was rated No. 2 in the nation in the athlete category by Scout.com and No. 18 by Rivals.com. Overall, Rivals.com ranks him No. 175, which is in the top 1 percent.

Jennings, who has compiled 1,733 yards and scored 20 touchdowns for the No. 3 Greyhounds, will complete his senior year Saturday when the Greyhounds host the 95th Gilman-McDonogh game at 2:30 p.m. He has run for 1,395 yards on 148 carries and scored 17 rushing touchdowns this season. He also has completed 20 of 40 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Football
        

The North County High School softball program is sponsoring two four-week softball clinics in January and February for girls ages 7 to 14. The clinics are structured for all skill levels and will take place in North County High's old gym located on 10 E. 1st Avenue in Glen Burnie. The January clinic will cover all aspects of hitting and takes place on Saturdays from 4 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29. The February clinic covers fielding and takes place on Saturdays from 4 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26. Cost is $115 per clinic or $225 for both with a $15 discount per clinic if registered before Dec. 15. Each clinic is limited to 25 girls. For more information, call North County softball coach Tom Thompson at 410-294-1091 or e-mail him at tthompsondesco@verizon.net. For registration forms, go to www.knightssoftball.com

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Eight student-athletes from Baltimore-area schools are among the 20 finalists for the 2010 Maryland Wendy's High School Heisman Award, which recognizes high school seniors for excellence in sports, academics and community service. One male and one female will be named state winners Friday.

The local finalists:
Alexander Cartron, Meade
Lauren Douglas, Carroll Christian
Selena Guerrero-Martin, Poly
Danielle Hayden, Severna Park
Kendra Jacobs, Cristo Rey Jesuit
Corey Koller, Southern
Seth Miller, Howard
Alyssa Semones, Westminster

From all the state winners, 12 national finalists will be selected to compete for the national awards -- one male and one female -- which will be presented Dec. 10 in New York. The ceremony will be televised on ESPN on Dec. 11. All finalists will receive a $2,000 donation to their schools, while the two overall national winners will receive $10,000 donations to their schools.

Other state semifinalists:
William Bishop III, Stephen Decatur
Matthew Blair, Clear Spring
Bridget Hawvermale, Blake
Katherine Huber, LaPlata
Zachary Griffitt, St. Mary's-Ryken
Matthew Goldberg, Queen Anne's
Maureen Leavy, Washington County Tech
Andrew Mlynarski, Saints Peter & Paul
Jennifer Schroeder, Kennedy
Kasey Tapman, Pocomoke
Devonte Thomas, North Point
Joseph Watson, Perryville

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Another topsy-turvy Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A conference soccer season is down to four teams. Here’s a rundown of what should be two competitive semifinals Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

No. 14 Loyola (9-8-1) at No. 2 Gilman (15-2-3)

The Dons offense exploded for three first-half goals against No. 8 Calvert Hall in the quarterfinals and will look to keep their season rolling against the Greyhounds’ stingy defense. Gilman earned the top seed and a first-round bye in the tournament by winning six of its last seven regular-season games. The Greyhounds also swept Loyola during the regular season. However, Loyola appears to have found its scoring touch and is led by forward Jamie Dubyoski, who had two goals against the Cardinals. Gilman has one of the top goalies in the area in Andrew Harris and is searching for its first conference crown since sharing the title with Archbishop Curley in 1995. Loyola last shared a title with Mount St. Joseph in 2005.

No. 6 McDonogh (17-5-1) at No. 7 Mount St. Joseph (13-3-2)

This semifinal is a rematch of last season’s title game won by the Gaels in a shootout, ending the Eagles two-year reign as champions. The Eagles, however, had their revenge by sweeping the regular-season series by a 6-0 margin. The Gaels earned a bye and the second seed by going unbeaten in their final six games. Mount St. Joseph is led by Jalen Robinson, a national team player who has battled injuries this season. Joey Isaja is also a top playmaker for the Gaels. McDonogh has one of the most talented rosters in the state, but struggled down the stretch, going 1-4-1 to end the regular season. The Eagles bounced back in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Curley on a goal by Kyle DeVinney in the 12th minute. The Gaels and Eagles have developed one of the best soccer rivalries in the state and the semifinal should be a creative, entertaining match.

-- Todd Karpovich

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

It's nitty-gritty time in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland girls soccer playoffs, where the top four teams advanced to Thursday's semifinal round. Here's a look at how both games stack up with each set for 3:45 p.m.:

No. 3 Mercy (14-2-3) at No. 1 McDonogh (14-1-2)

In McDonogh's regular-season meeting against Mercy, the Eagles dominated on their Senior Day, handling the Magic 5-1 on Oct. 18 with a dominating second half. If that sounds familiar, just go back to last season when McDonogh came away with a comfortable 3-0 win over Mercy in the regular season before the Magic avenged the loss with a stunning 1-0 upset win in the quarterfinal round. The Eagles have the dominating talent with junior midfielder Ashley Spivey controlling play, dangerous forwards led by Taylor Cummings, Lexi Goldstein providing smart play at midfield, and an organized defense in front of goalie Morgan Ruhl. The Magic counters with a dangerous scoring threat in Alexis Prior-Brown and fellow standouts Alex Pryor, Lexie Niedoba, Sarah Dorrance. Niedoba scored the game-winner in last year's playoff win against McDonogh.

No. 7 John Carroll (12-2-3) at No. 2 Archbishop Spalding (15-3-3)

On their way to a second straight league title, the Cavaliers were put to the ultimate test in last year's semfinal game against John Carroll. The Patriots were six seconds away from pulling off the upset before then-senior Courtney Hoyes scored to tie the game. Hoyes also provided the game-winner in the latter stages of the second overtime. If this year's regular-season game is an indication, the playoff rematch should be just as tight with the teams playing to a 1-1 stalemate on Sept. 24. The Cavaliers have the confidence and experience of being two-time defending champions with forward Maggie Morrison a consistent threat up top and a fine defense led by goalie Jocelyn McCoy. The Patriots make goals hard to come by with consistently fine defensive play from sweeper Morgan Fraczkowski and goalie Gina Maiorana.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Gilman quarterback Darius Jennings will be the only Baltimore athlete to play in the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game.

The highly recruited senior is one of just two Maryland players to be named an Under Armour All American and be invited to play in the game on Jan. 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. DeMatha lineman Cyrus Kouandijo was also invited.The game will be telecast live on ESPN at 7 p.m.

Jennings, an All-Metro first-team selection last season, has amassed 1,733 yards of offense this season. He has rushed 148 times for 1,395 yards and 17 touchdowns and is 20-for-40 passing for 305 yards and one touchdown.

In addition, he has returned five kickoffs for 220 yards and two touchdowns. As a cornerback, he has 20 tackles, seven pass break-ups and one forced fumble.

Jennings said he would make his college choice after the No. 3 Greyhounds' season ends -- and it ends Saturday when they host the 95th meeting with No. 9 McDonogh at 2:30 p.m. He is still considering offers from Maryland, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Boston College, Connecticut, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and UCLA.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

Thomas Johnson coach Ben Wright was named the Ravens' High School Coach of the Week after leading the Patriots to a 27-14 win over defending state Class 3A champion Linganore Friday night. The victory ended a 21-game winning streak -- the longest active run in Maryland.

Wright joins Hereford's Steve Turnbaugh, Gilman's Biff Poggi, the Howard High coaching staff, Atholton's Kyle Schmitt, North Harford's Ken Brinkman, South Carroll's Steve Luette and Forest Park's Damon Bomar as coaches of the week this fall. The Ravens High School Coach of the Year will be announced Dec. 19 at the Ravens game vs. the New Orleans Saints at M&T Bank Stadium.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Most of the eighth-ranked Calvert Hall soccer team’s scoring punch this season has come from a player who was catching passes for the varsity football team last year.

Senior John Tune leads the team with 12 goals and he will be closely watched in Tuesday’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A conference quarterfinal against Loyola. The Cardinals have already beaten the Dons twice this season, storming back from a three-goal deficit in the teams’ first meeting with the help of Tune’s two goals. For Tune, a victory would be further justification for returning to Calvert Hall’s storied soccer program.

“I played soccer since I was four,” Tune said. “I’ve always liked to try new things. I always loved soccer. But my brother [Robbie] played football and I got to see how much fun they had and all the people in the stands. It was kind of random. I just decided to switch over and give it a try. I had a great time. I’d like to thank Coach [Andy] Moore for letting me come back to the program.”

Tune’s versatility doesn’t stop at Calvert Hall’s Paul Angelo Russo Stadium. He participates in Calvert Hall’s Peer Education program, serving as a mentor to freshmen, plays in the school’s Liturgy band and is active with the drama department.

For now, however, the focus is entirely on the Dons, who will travel to Calvert Hall for a 6:30 p.m. game under the lights with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Gilman. The other semifinal has Archbishop Curley traveling to McDonogh with the winner taking on Mount St. Joseph.

The semifinals are Thursday at the higher seeds and the finals are Sunday at Archbishop Spalding.

“This is our third night game, and it’s going to be a huge crowd,” Tune said. “We’re hoping to make it all the way to Sunday.”

Moore said Tune’s return has been a spark for the program. He said opponents must constantly account for Tune, which has helped create scoring opportunities for the other forwards and midfielders.

“He’s just a real interesting kid,” Moore said. “Last year, I would have liked to have had him out here with us, but he wanted to pursue football. I can appreciate that. He’s really having a big year.”

-- Todd Karpovich

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 6:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Boys soccer
        

Melissa Page and her Chesapeake-AA Cougars (9-5-1 and the No.2 seed in the Class 4A North region) will have their sticks at the ready Monday evening in their 5:30 game against Perry Hall (7-6, No. 3 seed), but as she assessed the 4A regional matchups in the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association State Field Hockey Tournament, she had no doubt about where the toughest competition would be playing.

“I can just say when the state realigned a couple years ago, we celebrated,” said Page, who plays the regular season in Anne Arundel County, where Severna Park has reigned as state champion 19 out of the past 30 years, including the past five. “We celebrated getting out of the East and into the North region.

“Severna Park, I went through that program, and in a way it’s like getting brainwashed. They always have a mental edge.”

Until last week in the District V Title game between Severna Park and Glenelg -- the top teams in Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, respectively -- the No. 1 Severna Park Falcons had been unbeaten. But No. 3 Glenelg changed that, winning, 2-1.

The loss did several things.

In Tuesday’s Baltimore Sun poll, there will be a new No. 1. Glenelg’s victory pushed No. 2 South River, which had beaten Glenelg, 3-2, earlier this season, into first place. Glenelg, meanwhile, moves up to No. 2 and Severna Park falls to No. 3.

At South River on Monday, coach Katie Corcoran said: “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the idea we’re No. 1. We have a huge game against Broadneck [on Monday night], and I feel we have to beat them before the No. 1 ranking and the Glenelg win really mean anything. This game with Broadneck will let us know where we stand.”

Broadneck, the No. 3 seed, plays at No. 2 seed South River on Monday night at 7, while top seed Severna Park will be on its home field against Leonardtown, the fourth seed.

In Anne Arundel County, Severna Park is Big Foot, but South River (14-1), whose only loss was to Severna Park, and Broadneck (13-2), who lost only to Severna Park and South River, are A and B entries on the same card. Those three teams always seem to be at one another's throats.

“It’s always tough playing all three of them,” said Page, the Chesapeake coach. “You never know who is going to come out on top. My girls always try to get up for those games, and though we lost to Severna Park, we scored three goals against their very tough defense. It was our best game of the season.”

The fact that Glenelg beat the Falcons, the fact that Severna Park’s crosstown rival Severn tied them, and the fact that her own Cougars were able to make an impression on them makes Page and a number of other coaches believe someone other than Severna Park might come out of the tough 4A East region for the first time in seven years.

“My prediction is I don’t think Severna Park will get to states this year,” Page said. “I know Lil [Falcons coach Lil Shelton] is trying for her [20th] title, but I think it is going to be the winner of the South River/Broadneck game who will advance to the regional championship and go to the state final.”

At South River, Corcoran wasn’t willing to look past Broadneck, but she did allow one thing.

“It would be wonderful to have a new regional champion, no matter who it is,” she said.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

As the area volleyball season begins to wrap up, this week will feature a host of county and area championship games.

The championship games actually began last week on Wednesday, when host and No. 4 Towson swept No. 15 Dulaney three sets to none to win the Baltimore County title.

This Wednesday, No. 5 Fallston will play in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference championship game. The game will be played at Cecil Community College at 7 p.m., and the Cougars will face Elkton.

Baltimore City will also play its championship on the same day at City. The Knights will face an opponent to be determined on Wednesday at approximately 5 p.m (the varsity game will follow the JV game which begins at 3:45).

Top-ranked Centennial, the Howard County champion, will face No. 13 Severna Park, the Anne Arundel County Champion, in the District V Championship. That game will be played at Annapolis on Thursday at 6 p.m.

As always, schedules are subject to change. Please check with the schools involved for confirmation of sites and times.

-- Mike Frainie

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Volleyball