Our countdown of the preseason top five teams concludes with the No. 1 team in the area, Gilman.

If you missed any of the previous top five, they can all be found on Varsity Letters.

The entire poll will be released Thursday in The Baltimore Sun and on baltimoresun.com

And check out a preview of this year's I-95 Kickoff Classic, which will feature Gilman and two other teams in our the top five.

1. Gilman

Coach: Biff Poggi.

Last season: 7-2, ranked No. 2. Postseason: N/A, MIAA A Conference regular-season runner up.

Outlook: The Greyhounds return so many starters from a team that finished strong last year that's it's hard to think of any other team as the preseason No. 1. They face tests on the local and national stages as they go for their 10th MIAA A Conference championship.

In addition to a full slate of A Conference competition, the Greyhounds play Oscar Smith from Virginia at the I-95 Kickoff Classic at Morgan State on Sept. 2 and Good Counsel in the Patriot Classic at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on Sept. 10. Last season, they took on Don Bosco, from New Jersey, which finished the season No. 1 in most national polls, falling 33-6.

Last season, the Greyhounds defeated Archbishop Spalding, Good Counsel and DeMatha, but stumbled against Calvert Hall. They ran out to a 21-7 lead but gave up 19 points, including two late touchdowns, to fall 26-21. After that, Gilman defeated Loyola, Mount St. Joseph and McDonogh by a combined score of 154-20.

Gone are Offensive Player of the Year Darius Jennings, who was also the Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year and an Under Armour All-American, and All-Metro lineman Hunter Goodwin, but the Greyhounds return three of All-Metro players and a dozen potential Division I players. Six starters return on offense and eight on defense.

All-Metro cornerback Cyrus Jones, rated the No. 3 recruit in Maryland and the top recruit in Baltimore by MDHigh.com, should be even better on the offensive side where he is heir to the Jennings kingdom. Jones, who is considering college offers from just about anyone who is anyone, will be tough to stop.

Also back are All-Metro offensive lineman Brian Gaia (Penn State) and All-Metro defensive end Kenneth Goins (multiple offers). Add to that senior linebacker Devon Porchia (Pittsburgh) and a couple of highly-recruited juniors -- tight end/defensive tackle Henry Poggi and tight end/linebacker Micah Kiser -- and you're still just getting started.

Shane Cockerille, a junior quarterback, transferred from DeMatha and should provide added dimensions to the Greyhounds' offense that ran a lot out of the Wildcat with Jennings at quarterback.

With all of that talent, the Greyhounds will be the team to beat in the A Conference after finishing runner-up to Calvert Hall last season despite identical 5-1 records. The head-to-head decision made the difference in a league that has previously had ties although Gilman has won seven of its titles outright.

The Greyhounds are already on everyone's radar, ranked No. 47 nationally in ESPN High School’s Powerade Fab 50.

GILMAN FOOTBALL PHOTOS

(Photo of Kenneth Goins by The Baltimore Sun's Karl Merton Ferron)

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Categories: Football
        

Broadneck alum Matthew Centrowitz runs a 3:39.46 preliminary heat in a 1,500 meters at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics Wednesday at Daegu Stadium. (US PRESSWIRE)

Broadneck graduate Matthew Centrowitz has qualified for the semifinal round of the 1,500-meter race at the IAAF Track and Field World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

Centrowitz, a rising senior at Oregon, finished in sixth place in Heat 1 on Wednesday to advance to the semifinals, set for Thursday. Centrowitz came across in 3 minutes, 39.46 seconds.

He won the NCAA championship in the 1,500 this spring and then the U.S. title in that event in June.

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The Baltimore Sun's countdown of its preseason top 5 football teams nears its conclusion with today's look at No. 2 Calvert Hall.

The No. 1 poll in our official top 15 will be unveiled Thursday, as will the entire poll -- along with the full season preview.

Also check The Baltimore Sun and baltimoresun.com on Thursday for previews of the local boys soccer, volleyball, cross country and field hockey seasons.

2. Calvert Hall

Coach: Donald Davis.

Last season: 11-1, No. 1. Postseason: N/A, MIAA A Conference regular-season champion.

Outlook: The Cardinals came from behind to beat Gilman, 26-21, in midseason, and that game decided the A Conference title a year ago. This fall, the Cardinals have some holes to fill, but that shouldn't keep them from making a run at another title after winning their conference championship since back in the MSA in 1982.

Graduation claimed 26 players including All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year lineman Dan Yarborough and All-Metro offensive lineman Ben Curtis. Still the Cardinals return a pretty good group, including All-Metro quarterback Thomas Stuart as well as wide receiver Trevor Wiliams, running back Brandon Neverdon, cornerback Da'Quan Davis, linebacker C.J. Williams and defensive lineman Emmanuel Holder.

The Cardinals are strong at the skill positions, particularly on the offensive side, but Davis said they will have to carve out their own identity and not rely on what worked last year. With a largely new cast, they will have to figure out what works for them.

Conferences don't get much tougher than the A Conference. With five of the six local A Conference teams in the Top 15 and Georgetown Prep also a contender, the Cardinals face battle to repeat as champions -- something only Gilman and Loyola in the last 14 years.

CALVERT HALL PHOTOS

Photo above of Da'Quan Davis returning an interception by The Baltimore Sun's Jed Kirschbaum.

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Categories: Football
        

Gilman jumped up three spots to No. 47 in this week's ESPN High School Powerade Fab 50 national high school football poll.

The Greyhounds opened their season with a 68-9 romp over Maryland Christian, a team of home-schooled students that finished 13-0 last season and had a win over MIAA B Conference runner-up Archbishop Curley.

The Greyhounds will face a tougher test this weekend when they take on Oscar Smith, from Chesapeake, Va., at the I-95 Kickoff Classic at Morgan State Friday night at 7:30.

The only other Maryland team in the Fab 50 is No. 19 Good Counsel, which the Greyhounds play the following weekend at the Patriot Classic in Annapolis. The Greyhounds defeated the Falcons, 28-7, in last year's Kickoff Classic.

They meet again at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on Sept 10 at 7:45 p.m.

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Categories: Football
        

With the high school football season about to swing into full gear this weekend, we continue to take a look at the projected top teams in the area.

Join us as we count down the top five teams in The Baltimore Sun's official top 15 preseason poll.

The entire poll -- along with the full season preview -- will be published Thursday in The Baltimore Sun and on baltimoresun.com

Today we feature our No. 3 team in the area, River Hill.

3. River Hill

Coach: Brian Van Deusen.

Last season: 10-2, No. 10.

Postseason: Class 3A East regional finalist.

Outlook: The Hawks missed the state tournament last fall for the first time in six years but took their their eighth consecutive Howard County championship although they had to share it. Their 10-0 loss to Atholton -- the Hawks' first loss to a Howard County opponent in 49 games -- combined with Hammond suffering just one loss -- to the Hawks, 27-6 -- gave the two identical 9-1 league records in a league with no head-to-head tiebreaker.

Another Howard County foe, Wilde Lake, ended the Hawks' bid for a third state title with a 13-6 overtime win in the regional final. The Wildecats went on to win the championship and the Hawks set their sites on this year's title.

River Hill has qualified for the regional championships every year since 2003 and made five trips to the state final four between 2005 and 2009. They won the Class 2A title in 2007 and 2008.

Don't look for much to change in the Hawks' offense where five starters return. They want to run and Aaron Wells is built for the job. The senior running back gained about 1,800 all-purpose yards last season and will be the primary ball carrier once again. Quarterback is a bit of question mark, Van Deusen said, but he had four guys vying for the job.

Defensively, six starters return for a unit that allowed an average of 10.5 points and held six regular-season opponents under 9 points last fall. Look for cornerbacks Raamah Vaughn and Randall Lawson and inside linebacker Riley Davis to be key stoppers.

The Hawks should face a tough battle for the Howard County title this fall with some people favoring Atholton as the team to beat. Besides the Hawks and the Raiders, Hammond should be in the mix with two stellar running backs and you can never count out Wilde Lake, which will surely be rebuilt and ready to go.

Photo of Aaron Wells by Kitty R. Charlton/Patuxent Publishing

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Categories: Football
        

Archbishop Spalding has named Kenneth 'Bear' Davis, former head coach at Robert Morris University, as its new boys lacrosse coach, the school announced Monday.

Davis, who spent seven years at Robert Morris, takes over for former coach Ricky Schwartzberg, who stepped down earlier this summer after one season. The Cavaliers, who compete in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, were 3-11 overall and 2-11 in league play last season.

Davis built the Robert Morris program from scratch as it gained varsity status in 2004 and enjoyed the first of three straight winning seasons in 2009. The Colonials, who went 9-6 competing in Division I this past season, have led the country in scoring the past two years.

"He certainly brings credibility coming from the collegiate ranks and at Robert Morris. He did a great job to build that program up," Spalding athletic director Lee Dove said. "Playing in the A Conference, we have found somebody who we feel has a track record that people will buy into."

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With the high school football season about to swing into full gear this weekend, we continue to take a look at the projected top teams in the area.

Through Thursday, we'll count down the top five teams in The Baltimore Sun's official top 15 preseason poll.

The entire poll -- along with the full season preview -- will be published Thursday in The Baltimore Sun and on baltimoresun.com

Today we feature our No. 4 team in the area, McDonogh.

4. McDonogh

Coach: Dom Damico.

Last season: 6-4, unranked.

Postseason: N/A.

Outlook: With seven or eight starters back on each side of the ball, the Eagles look like a team on the rise. Last season, they won all of their non-conference games, starting out 5-0. Then they lost all but one A conference game -- a 38-21 win over Mount St. Joseph -- but that is unlikely to happen again.

This summer, the Eagles skill players showed they can play with anyone. They won the the 7-on-7 tournament at M&T Bank Stadium, beating Washington-area power Good Counsel. Junior wide receiver Jabari Weems could be poised for a break-out season.

The line has plenty of experience as well. The bookends to the Eagles success at defensive end and offensive tackle will be Roman Braglio and Allen Jackson, a matched set who will rank among the A Conference's best players this fall.

The Eagles have never won the MIAA A Conference outright although they tied with Gilman and Loyola in 2006 and with Gilman in 2001. With this year's inaugural championship game, there will be no ties for the title anymore.

Look for the Eagles to be right in the thick of what should be a very competitive A Conference race as seven teams vie for four post-season berths.

MCDONOGH FOOTBALL PHOTOS

Photo above of Jabari Weems being mobbed by teammates after catching the game winning pass in the championship game of the inaugural Ravens 7-on-7 tournament at M&T Bank Stadium. (By Lloyd Fox/The Baltimore Sun)

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Categories: Football
        

With the high school football season about to swing into full gear, it's time to take a look at the teams projected to be the best in the area.

From now through Thursday, we'll count down the top five teams in The Baltimore Sun's official top 15 preseason poll.

The entire poll -- along with the full season preview -- will be published Thursday in The Baltimore Sun and on baltimoresun.com

Today we start with a look at our No. 5 team in the area, reigning Class 1A state champion Dunbar.

5. Dunbar

Coach: Lawrence Smith.

Last season: 13-1, No. 12.

Postseason: Class 1A state champion.

Outlook: The Poets won their fifth state title in seven years last fall with a young team, and 17 returning starters should set the stage for another title run as well as bid for the Baltimore City championship.

The defense, which returns a stellar corps of linebackers, shut out six teams and allowed only 47 points in winning its final 12 games. The Poets rallied from 12 points down to beat Havre de Grace for the Class 1A title, 22-12. It was their 11th straight victory. One of the most successful teams in recent state championship history, the Poets have won seven titles since 1994.

This season, with 17 starters returning, experience could make all the difference. The Poets struggled with inexperience at times on offense last year and made too many turnovers at critical moments -- including four times in the first half of the state championships -- but they made up for it.

The defense returns top-caliber linebackers in Ernest Hawkins and Lavar Highsmith and a stellar cornerback in Terrence Williams. They also have All-Metro free safety back DeonTay McManus, one of the area's top recruits.

McManus, however, is headed to West Virginia as a receiver and with quarterback Kevin Estep having another of experience and getting some competition for the position, the Poets should be able to make better us of McManus' considerable talents on the offensive side.

The Poets likely will do battle with Poly for the Baltimore City championship and will make a strong run at another state crown.

DUNBAR FOOTBALL PHOTOS

Photo above of DeonTay McManus by The Baltimore Sun's Lloyd Fox

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Categories: Football
        

After all the controversy that surrounded Aquille Carr's participation in Saturday's Boost Mobile Elite 24 basketball showcase, the Patterson star made the most of his trip to Venice, Calif.

Carr had 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds after starting at point guard for the "Raymond Lewis" squad, which lost to the "Marques Johnson" team 142-132.

Carr -- who's affectionately referred to as "The Crime Stopper" -- for clearing the streets with his must-see talents, actually played a part in stopping the game for a short while.

In pregame warmups, Carr tossed an alley-opp off the backboard to power forward Mitch McGary, whose ensuing dunk shattered the backboard, delaying the start of the game.

“After that I thought it was about to be on,” the 5-foot-6 junior Carr told ESPN. “That got me hyped so I just knew that I was about to do my thing and my team was gonna get the win.”

They didn't actually get the win, but in a showcase like the Elite 24, making an impression is usually more important than an actual victory.

McGary -- a senior from New Hampshire who is considering Maryland, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Duke and Kentucky -- needed to be bandaged up after falling to the ground among the shattered glass, and he didn't play. But that will probably just be a footnote to his pregame dunk, which is already making its rounds on the highlight shows.

Justin Anderson, a swingman from Montrose Christian scored 23 points for the winning team. He shared MVP honors with Kyle Anderson, a senior forward at St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) who had 18 points and eight assists.

“They just had their transition game going and we were a little out of sync out there," Carr told ESPN. "But honestly I’m not even mad about it. This is one of the best experiences I’ve ever been a part of. I’m grateful to have played at all.”

Carr had considered skipping the game after the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association told him this week that playing could affect his high school eligibility. He decided to make the trip and was cleared to participate by the MPSSAA on Friday.

VIDEO: Aquille Carr highlights

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Patterson basketball star Aquille Carr has been cleared to play in Saturday’s Boost Mobile Elite 24 showcase.

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association made that ruling Friday after previously warning the rising junior guard that his participation could affect his high school eligibility.

Carr – The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro Player of the Year – decided Thursday to play in the game, despite questions about what that would mean for his future.

The issue raised was over whether the game is considered a high school all-star game – which would jeopardize Carr’s eligibility – as opposed to an event affiliated with an outside group, such as AAU summer basketball.

In 2009, former Lake Clifton standout Josh Selby played in the same game before his senior year with no questions being raised.

The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Venice, Calif., and will be televised live on ESPNU.

Carr’s AAU team B'More Finest announced the MPSSAA’s ruling in a tweet Friday night.

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Saturday’s season-opening football game between Calvert Hall and John Carroll has been canceled because of the impending Hurricane Irene.

A makeup date has not been scheduled.

Harford County is shutting down all events for Saturday and Sunday because of forecast.

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Infiniti Alston, a 6-foot-5 center who will be a junior this fall at Digital Harbor has committed to play basketball at Penn State, according Rams coach Patrick MacDonald.

Alston will be in her first season with the Rams after playing previous years at St. Frances and Western.

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Categories: Girls basketball
        

Archbishop Spalding football coach Mike Whittles has helped the Cavaliers battle a lot of opponents since he took over the program in 1999. His teams have won four MIAA B Conference championships including the last two and now they will move up to the tougher A Conference.

While he helps the Cavaliers take on some new challengers, he is facing the toughest foe of his own life, stage four pancreatic cancer. Diagnosed in February, Whittles has been undergoing chemotherapy and said the treatment will continue “for a while.” That hasn’t kept Whittles off the football field as the Cavaliers prepare for their first season in the A Conference after having some success in recent years against A Conference opponents, including pushing last year’s No. 1 team Calvert Hall before falling in triple overtime.

Whittles, 57, talked with us about his team’s move to the A Conference and about his health.

Your team has been very competitive with A Conference teams in recent years, beating Loyola last season and Calvert Hall the year before. Are you happy to be moving up to the A Conference?

Oh yeah. There’s a lot of the excitement. That was one of goals when I became coach in 99. One of the things we wanted to do with football was move up to the A conference. Now is the time. I thought pretty competitive last year and why not? Now’s the time to do it and hopefully things are going to go our way.

What’s the biggest difference between competing in the A Conference and competing in the B Conference?

The B Conference is extremely competitive with Curley, Boys’ Latin, St. Paul’s and then when Spalding was in there. What’s going to happen now is you’re just not going to get a week off playing in the A Conference. Not that we took anybody lightly. You have some very good teams in the B Conference but then your lower tier teams struggle and some of them have moved to the C Conference. With the A Conference, there’s only seven schools, so you have six tough opponents. I think every week we’re going to have to coach our guys up and be prepared week in and week out.

Are your players excited about the move up?

Oh yeah. There’s a lot of excitement. They’re very anxious to get started. It’s just a very, very exciting time for Archbishop Spalding football. Fortunately I know where we were. People don’t realize it, but we didn’t win a football game in 2000 and we only won two games in 2001. I’m very fortunate to have been a part of that growth. For the guys to be moving up into the A Conference, they’re really excited about it, because they’re also part of that growth. They’re going to the pioneers. The pioneers are all those guys with the arrows in their backs (laughs). Hopefully, that’s not going to be us. I think our guys are ready to step up to that.

How does this year’s Cavaliers team compare with last season’s?

It’s going to be a little bit different. We’re going to put a few wrinkles in which we try to do year in and year out. I think with the experience that we have on the defensive side which we didn’t really have the year before -- we’ve got a lot of those guys coming back this year – should be a huge help to us. And our line was new last year and with our line coming in most of our backs are repeating their second year back there last year, but our line was new on the offensive side so with our line coming in being experienced, I think that’s going to be a big help for us and that’s going to help our young guys in the backfield who are going to have step it up

How is your health?

The diagnosis is bad. I’ve got stage four pancreatic cancer. I’m up and about and doing what I can do coaching. I remind myself it’s the chemo that’s knocking me down it’s not the cancer. The chemo is something you've got to deal with and the side effects of the chemo as far as eating, nuisance things I have to deal with. I tell everybody that I just feel like God’s prepared me for this all my life. Playing football and coaching football has really helped me deal with this ferocious opponent I’m facing right now.

I tell everybody that this doesn’t compare to getting my ass kicked for 48 minutes on the football field, because the guy across from me is just bigger, faster and stronger. There’s no place to hide. You have to tough it up. Playing the game and then coaching it, it kind of reinforces things in my mind. As long as I've got a life to live, I’m going to live my life and I’m going to do the things I want to do.

The bad news is the stats say only 20 percent of the people with that diagnosis last over a year and only five percent make it past their third year, but my goal is to be around for a very, very long time. My goal is to beat this and I’ll continue to fight. Like my son Nick said, “Dad, cancer doesn’t know who it’s messing with.”

I’ve got such support -- my faith, my family, my friends and football. I swear if it weren’t for those things, I doubt I would be here today. It would have been real easy to just give in. I can see how people think that, going through chemo therapy where you go, “Oh, my gosh. Enough’s enough. Can’t take it anymore.” But like I said I just have to toughen up and tough it out and that’s what I’m doing.

I still have some of my hair. My dark hair fell out; my gray hair stayed. I tell everyone God prepared me, He had me fat for a reason; he knew I was going to lose weight when I got this (laughs). I try to make light of as many things as I can, believe me.

If you saw me I doubt you would know anything was wrong. I think everybody that sees me, they’re kind of relieved because I know they didn’t know what to expect. I know what I’ve always thought when I would hear that somebody had stage four cancer. It would be like, “God bless them. I hope they don’t have to suffer” and then say a prayer. Well I need prayers. Anyone who’s got this hideous disease needs prayer, because of what they have to go through. It can be rough at times.

I think the more people that know, the more prayers I’ll have. I had a parent at a lacrosse game say, “Coach, how can God say no to children? You’ve got all these kids praying for you.” Prayer is definitely powerful. It definitely has kept me where I am. I wish I could thank each and every person out there who has said a prayer. It’s just been phenomenal.

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Categories: Football
        

Longtime boys basketball coach Mike Daniel has left City College and accepted the head coaching job at Severn. Daniel, who spent five seasons at City and led the Knights to two state titles, moved on to be closer to a full-time job opportunity in Anne Arundel County.

"I'm going to miss City College. It's a great, great school and we did great things and I was able to help some kids," Daniel said. "I've been pondering the decision for some time and just wanted the opportunity to pursue some other opportunities."

Prior to taking over at City, Daniel spent 20 seasons at Towson Catholic and turned the program into a perennial area power. He captured four Catholic League championships between 1989 and 1998.

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With classes not starting until next week in most area schools, Tuesday’s earthquake had little effect on high school sports, although many area teams were not allowed to practice in the afternoon. A few football teams lost scrimmages and some golf matches were postponed.

Anne Arundel and Howard County as well as Baltimore City canceled all afternoon activities after the earthquake hit just before 2 p.m. Practices went on as scheduled in Baltimore, Carroll and Harford counties.

Annapolis football coach Brian Brown said his team lost a scrimmage against Blake that cannot be rescheduled. Losing the scrimmage with less than two weeks to go before the season opener meant “a lot, because [Tuesday’s] scrimmage was a game scrimmage,” Brown said.

“Things like running kids on and off with the kicking team, lining up where they’re supposed to, you really need to go against someone else to get those things down. After a while, your defense looks good against your offense, so you want to play somebody else.”

Golf teams begin competition sooner than other fall teams, which cannot play their first games until Sept. 2, so there were a few postponements Tuesday afternoon. Carroll County supervisor of athletics James Rodriguez said a few matches involving Carroll and Frederick county teams were postponed, because Frederick County canceled all afternoon activities.

Although all local schools resumed their normal practice schedules Wednesday, after-school activities in Cecil County were canceled again. Classes were to begin Wednesday, but all schools were closed so the buildings could be inspected, according to the Cecil County Public Schools website. Schools will open Thursday instead.

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The latest participation survey from the National Federation of State High School Associations shows growth at the state level as well as the national level in the number of high school students participating in interscholastic athletics during the last school year -- although their favorite sports haven't changed much.

Football remains the most popular sport for boys nationwide and in Maryland. For girls, track and field is the most popular sport across the country with soccer most popular in Maryland, according to the annual NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey.

In order of popularity nationally -- by total participants -- only one sport among the top 10 changed. Girls lacrosse cracked the top 10, overtaking golf for the tenth spot. In Maryland, lacrosse ranks No. 2 for boys and No. 3 for girls.

The survey counted 4,494,406 boys playing high school sports during the 2010-2011 school year and 3,173,549 girls. That number increased nearly 40,000 over the previous year. This is the 22nd straight year that participation numbers have risen. Among NFHS members, 55.5 percent of high school students play sports.

Nationwide, 11-player football was the top sport for boys with 1,108,441 participants followed by track and field, basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling, cross country, tennis, golf and swimming and diving. For girls, track and field ranked first with 475,265 participants, followed by basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming and diving, competitive spirit squads and lacrosse.

Here are the top 10 sports for Maryland boys and girls, according to the survey which counts only member schools and includes all of the state's public schools but not all private schools.

Boys

1. Football, 15,464
2. Lacrosse, 6,828
3. Track and field, 6,593
4. Soccer, 6,273
5. Basketball, 5,568
6. Baseball, 5,517
7. Indoor track, 5,050
8. Wrestling, 4,788
9. Cross country, 3,777
10. Tennis, 2,362

Girls

1. Soccer, 5,863
2. Track and field, 5,772
3. Lacrosse, 5,264
4. Volleyball, 4,948
5. Softball, 4,865
6. Basketball, 4,674
7. Indoor track, 4,396
8. Cross country, 2,667
9. Tennis, 2,363
10. Swimming and diving, 2.040

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Loyola University soccer midfielder Gabrielle Tana (Maryvale Prep) was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Rookie of the Week after a fine performance in the Greyhounds' 2-0 season-opening loss at Towson on Saturday.

Tana, who earned All-Metro second-team honors last year at Maryvale, came off the bench to provide a spark for the Greyhounds, nearly tying the game in the second half with a shot just wide.

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Lance Clelland, pictured here during his days as the coach at Meade, is the new man in charge at South River. (Photo by Matt Roth/Patuxent Publishing)

Baltimore native Lance Clelland returns to Anne Arundel County as one of five new county public school football coaches, taking over a South River team that has been striving to break into the county’s upper echelon of Arundel, Broadneck and Old Mill.

Clelland, an All-Metro offensive lineman at McDonogh in 1996, played at Northwestern, spent a preseason with the Ravens and played two years of arena football in Philadelphia. After that, he assisted at McDonogh for six years and coached Meade in 2008 and 2009. He coached high school football in Florida last season but eagerly returned to Maryland to take over the Seahawks, who finished 7-3 last fall.

We asked Clelland to talk about the upcoming season, as the Seahawks aim to post another winning record and take a crack at the county’s big three.

Why did you want the coaching job at South River?

The first reason we came back was for family reasons, just being closer to our own family. The second was for me professionally the great opportunity that South River represented. It was the only school that I went through the application process fully and I just saw a tremendous opportunity. It was a school that I held in high regard, the people I had dealt with from the AD to the principal to the players to the students, everyone I ever dealt with in my days in Anne Arundel County at South River. When that job came open, I immediately leapt at it.

What is the main challenge in taking over a program that has been up-and-coming but can’t quite break into that top tier?

I think that’s what South River is. They’ve been kind of middle of the pack in the county the last few years. Last year was a good year. Getting them over that hump is my challenge and my goal. It really begins and ends with teaching the players that they have to understand what they’re doing on the football field and teaching them that the knowledge of what we want them to do is their power, so they can react faster. My theme for the boys this week is that knowledge is power. When the they know what to do on the field, they can take their brains out of the equation and just react.

What is your football philosophy, your style on both sides of the ball?

For me, it begins with defense. Defense gets too complicated sometimes in high school football. You have to choose in football where you want to be complicated, and for us, that’s certainly offense. Defense, on the other hand for me, is about reaction. It’s about being fundamentally sound, having great technique, being good tacklers, having great pursuit to the ball, being able to know what the offense is trying to do to you and being able to adjust accordingly. Our offense I try to make as fun as possible for the boys, and that’s obviously finding creative ways to move the ball so they have fun playing. Obviously, we want to run the ball well. We want to pass the ball well. We want to expose the weaknesses of the defense. I try to stretch the field vertically both with the running and the passing.

How have the guys taken to the things that you’ve changed?

I think they’ve responded great. They really have welcomed change. I’m going to be in the school. I’m a social studies teacher at South River, so I'll be with them a lot during the day. They’re very ready to keep the winning that happened last year and they’re really open to change. They’re open to the style of coaching I bring, just the way I want to teach them. They’re very, very receptive. I could not ask for a better group of boys to coach this year. I’m changing it enough to keep it true to my own style but also keeping to some of what they’ve done in the past. I’ve retained almost half the coaching staff, so there’s a lot of continuity with that.

What makes Anne Arundel such a competitive football county?

I think just the parity. I think there’s a lot of parity in the league. On any given week, you have Annapolis competing with Arundel or Severna Park and Broadneck – there’s good rivalries there. Meade and Arundel pass the [Mears] trophy back and forth and South River and Southern pass the south county trophy back and forth, so there’s a lot of in-county rivalries. It first starts with the rec leagues. The rec leagues are all over the county. They all play each other from little boys all the way up to the high school level. It’s just a great county for football because of that. Broadneck, Arundel and Old Mill are near the top of everyone’s poll, but there’s a lot of competition within those three and within the league as well.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

In the last couple of days, I've received a number of comments on this blog as well as emails from folks who agree or disagree with the MPSAA penalty against Atholton's football team for holding a 7-on-7 practice too early in the summer. The Raiders will have to forfeit their season opener at Glenelg on Sept. 2 as a result of the violation.

Raiders coach Kyle Schmitt took full responsibility for misinterpreting the rule, saying he believed the team could practice once before Memorial Day even though 7-on-7 events could not begin until the following week. However, the MPSSAA rule stipulates that neither practice nor games can take place until after the last game of the spring season, which was the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

I asked Ned Sparks, executive director of the MPSSAA, which governs all of the state's public school athletics programs, to explain how the penalty was derived.

"The penalty is in our handbook," Sparks said, of the rule that stipulates the No. 1 penalty for a rules violation as forfeit.

"There’s always a penalty against a school," Sparks explained. "The first penalty is 'Declare forfeit of all games in which the violation occurred.' The thinking on [the Atholton situation] is that they had an unfair advantage by practicing out of season. Then, they probably would have an unfair advantage in the first game and probably in more than that.”

Sparks said that Howard County coordinator of athletics Mike Williams conducted an investigation after Schmitt and Atholton athletic director Mike Senisi reported the violation to him.

"They concluded that there was a violation and what they have to do is apply the penalties that are there. They can’t make them up," Sparks said. "The school determines whether or not this was a penalty. Secondly, they apply the penalties according to what’s prescribed [in the MPSSAA Handbook.] It’s like mandatory sentencing. The severity of it, they make the recommendations.

"They send it to me and my job is just to make sure they followed this procedure. For example, if they said, 'Well the coach made a mistake. The team shouldn’t have to be penalized, so we’re not going to forfeit any games,' Then, it would be my job to say, 'No, you can’t do that.' They realize that. After they’ve made their investigation, they’ve determined a penalty, they’ve imposed it and we’ve supported it because it’s in accordance with our procedures, then they have an opportunity to appeal, but I don’t think they’re going to appeal, because they’ve self-admitted it and they’re taking their medicine."

Williams said Wednesday that he would not appeal.

"The rule was broken and they self-reported it. It was inadvertent," Williams said. "It is a shame, but we're not going to appeal."

Sparks said the dilemma that players have to pay for mistakes made by coaches -- whether on purpose or inadvertent -- is not a new one.

"It’s not pleasant. It never is," Sparks said. "I guess for years people have tried to figure out how in the world can you address this fairly. Did the team get an advantage? Did they do something that other teams aren’t allowed to do? At what point is the penalty? We don’t only wrestle with it. Look at the colleges. The team – Ohio State or whoever – they’re facing penalties for the team and the school and they may affect kids who might not have even been students there at the time, being freshmen this year. It’s always tough. There’s never an easy way, but somehow, some way the school – it’s a school team – is ultimately responsible. No one has ever figured a way to do it fairly."

To read the rule in its entirety, visit the MPSSAA website, where the 2011-2012 Hanbook is included in full. Go to page 28 for the section on "Violations, Penalties, and Appeals."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Football
        

When it comes to going to games, more people go to high school football and basketball games than attend college and profession football and basketball games, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) reported Wednesday.

Attendance for high school football and girls and boys basketball games was 336 million during the last school year -- more than twice the number of people who attended college and pro games in the same sports, the NFHS said. The MPSSAA is a member of the federation.

Last year, according to the NFHS survey of its member schools, attendance grew to 468 million for the top 16 prep sports -- football, basketball, baseball, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. About 42 million people attended playoff games in these sports. This included girls and boys sports.

By sport, regular-season basketball was the most popular with 170 million in attendance followed by football with 166 million. Soccer was third with 24 million. Baseball ranked four with 20 million followed by volleyball (17 million), softball (15.8 million), wrestling (10 million), track and field (6.6 million), ice hockey (6 million), swimming and diving (4.8 million), lacrosse (4.5 million), cross country (3 million), water polo (1.8 million), golf (1.3 million) and field hockey (800,000). Boys and girls teams were included where applicable.

This is the first time the NHFS has surveyed for national attendance figures.

The NFHS explained how the survey was conducted in its new release: "The NFHS surveyed high school athletic directors at small (up to 1,000 enrollment), medium (1,000 to 2,200) and large (more than 2,220) high schools and multiplied the average regular-season attendance (based on the schools that responded) in each sport by the number of schools in each enrollment category that sponsor the sport. A similar method was used to determine overall attendance at postseason events conducted by NFHS member state associations.

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

Atholton football coach Kyle Schmitt has been forthcoming about the summer practice violation his program has been penalized for -- forcing the Raiders to forfeit their season opener -- ever since he became aware of it.

Schmitt said his team did practice Monday, May 23 for a 7-on-7 tournament scheduled for the following week, but that the MPSSAA rule governing summer practices does not allow any football practices until after the final spring state championship game, which was Saturday, May 28.

The coach and athletic director Mike Senisi reported the violation to Mike Williams, coordinator of athletics for the Howard County public schools. Williams then reported the infraction along with a recommendation for penalty to MPSSAA officials, who handed down the forfeit penalty in July.

"What we did was we had a competition the first week of the summer, after Memorial Day, and we had some competitions coming that next week," Schmitt said. "The way I interpreted the rule was that we get that one practice in before the competition in order to prepare in some capacity. I'm a big believer in not going into a competition without practice. I interpreted that we could have our practice, but we're not allowed to have any kind of contact (with the players) before the last state championship was over which was the weekend of Memorial Day. In that capacity we were too early, about six days too early.

"I was not unaware that you could not work with your players all summer. I'm not oblivious to the rules. I interpreted the rule and my mistake was not getting clarification from Mike Williams, my athletic director Mike Senisi and that clearly was my mistake."

Schmitt did not want to talk about how he became aware of the mistake but that it was brought to his attention and Senisi's.

The penalty for the mistake is to forfeit the first game of the season, the Sept. 2 game at Glenelg. The game, however, will be played as scheduled to allow both teams to play their full slate of games.

With a Howard County race that is always tight and has a handful of possible spoilers this season, the forfeit could be costly to the Raiders, who finished 8-2 last season, reached the regional semifinals, where they fell to county rival Wilde Lake, which went on to win the state championship.

"It's difficult," Schmitt said, but the players take extra motivation from the challenge. He said they don't mind being the underdog. It's role that's worked for them quite well in the past.

"Our kids are pretty resilient. I'm impressed by it every day," Schmitt said. "If anything our participation in the summer and camp has been better. Our kids, they're determined at this point. They know what's ahead of them. They understand that they had nothing to do with it. Coach Schmitt kind of put them in a bad spot and I think they've determined at this point to make it OK. We've got to win though."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Tyshell King, a second-team All-Metro guard from St. Frances, has committed to play for Wake Forest.

King, who will be a junior this year, chose Wake over Duke, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgetown, Syracuse, Penn State, Morgan State and Harvard. A 5-foot-11 shooting guard who also played the point last season, King averaged 18.8 points and 10 rebounds per game.

She plans to enter the pre-med program and study to become an anesthesiologist.

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

Atholton's football team will have to forfeit its season opener against Glenelg for holding a summer practice a week earlier than the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association allows.

Raiders coach Kyle Schmitt reported the violation as soon as he realized it and said he misinterpreted the rule, according to a news release issued Monday by Howard County coordinator of athletics Mike Williams.

"It is clearly my mistake," Schmitt said in the news release. "Our players, parents and administration were unaware of any wrongdoing."

The Sept. 2 game at Glenelg at 7 p.m. will go on as scheduled. The Raiders finished 8-2 last season and reached the regional semifinals where they fell to eventual state champ Wilde Lake.

"Nothing is more important than our integrity," Atholton athletic director Mike Senisi said in the news release. "[Schmitt has] done all the right things [in accepting responsibility]. The game will be played in good faith so that both our students and Glenelg's students get the full benefit of participation in the interscholastic athletic program."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Football
        

Mercy's Alexis Prior-Brown (left) and McDonogh's Liz Bannantine vie for a 50-50 ball during a game last October. (Photo by Steve Ruark for The Baltimore Sun)

The Powerade FAB 50 ESPNHS girls soccer preseason rankings have been released, and Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference powers McDonogh and Mercy have received recognition.

McDonogh, the defending league champions, enter the season ranked No. 4 while Mercy comes in at No. 42. Last season, McDonogh (15-12) finished the season No. 1 in The Baltimore Sun's Top15 final poll, while Mercy (14-3-3) closed at No. 4.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Patterson rising junior guard Aquille Carr, The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro Player of the Year last season, has been selected to play in the sixth annual Boost Mobile Elite 24, set for Aug. 26-27 in Venice, Calif.

The event features the top 24 high school basketball players from across the nation, chosen by ESPN high school basketball evaluators. The game will take place at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 and be televised live on ESPNU. A slam dunk contest, set for 6 p.m. Aug. 26, also is part of the event.

Carr averaged 32 points, six assists, five rebounds and finished with 117 steals to lead Patterson (25-2) to the Class 4A state title game last year.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Notre Dame Prep junior Becca Meyers finished off a stellar week at the World Deaf Swimming Championships in Coimbra, Portugal by winning her fourth gold medal and setting another meet record Saturday.

Meyers, who was born deaf, won all three individual events she entered in the third annual championships -- the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter freestyle races -- and she twice lowered world championship records in both the 400 and the 800.

She was also part of the United States' 800-meter freestyle team that set an overall deaf world record.

In the seventh and final day of competition Saturday, Meyers defeated Anna Tovsta, the Ukranian who holds the overall deaf world record, to win the 400 freestyle in 4 minutes, 31.70 seconds. That time lowered the championship meet mark Meyers had set with her 400 split in Thursday's 800-meter race. Tovsta, who set her overall record of 4:27.82 two years ago, finished in 4:36.41.

Earlier in the meet, Meyers set championship records for the 800 freestyle in the qualifying heat and in the final, cutting more than 15 seconds off that mark by finishing in 9:16.22 in the final. On Friday, she swam the anchor leg of the 800 freestyle relay to finish in 8:49.55, as she, Peggy Liang, Kristin Ates and Samantha Elam edged the previous world record of 8.50.09 set two years ago by Russia.

Meyers -- who helped NDP win the IAAM A Conference championship earlier this year and also swims for Loyola Blakefield Aquatics -- also won a bronze medal two years ago at the Deaflympics in Taiwan.

More Becca Meyers photos

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Swimming
        

The United States used a five-goal second half run to come from behind and beat Australia, 14-11, for its fourth straight Under-19 women's lacrosse world championship today in Hanover, Germany.

Covie Stanwick (Notre Dame Prep) and Cortney Fortunato each scored twice and Jen Cook (McDonogh) added a free-position shot with about 10 minutes left to polish off the five-goal run and give the U.S. a 12-8 lead.

Stanwick and Fortunato finished with three goals each and goalie Kelsey Duryea made some terrific saves in leading the U.S. to its fourth straight win over Australia in the title game. The U.S. (8-0) has lost only one game in the five U-19 world championship tournaments -- to Australia in the final at the inaugural event in 1995 in Haverford, Pa.

Coach Krystin Porcella's U.S. team defeated Australia, 20-7, in pool play Tuesday, but the Aussies got the jump on the U.S Saturday scoring the first goal and taking a 6-3 lead on the third of Nelly Mollison's five goals. (Nelly is the cousin of Maryland star Sarah Mollison.) The Aussies controlled 16 of 27 draws in the game.

"Australia came out and wanted it," Porcella said via email. "They were winning every draw and grounds balls. They moved some players around. No. 13 (Darcy Justice Allen) was playing center and was drawing a lot to herself. No. 3 (Rebecca Lane) won a lot of long draws. In our first meeting, we were more successful in those two areas from the start."

The U.S. answered with goals from Mikaela Rix and Kelly McPartland before Mollison added another goal to make it 7-5. Brigid Smith (Good Counsel) scored on a free position to pull the
U.S. within one and Stanwick tied the game at 7 going into halftime.

After Australia took an 8-7 lead to open the second half, the U.S. went on its five-goal tear to take the lead, 12-8.

"Mikaela Rix and Tatum Coffey (the player of the match)'s hustle on draws and ground balls made the difference overall," Porcella said of the turnaround. "Covie Stanwick made two critical crease rolls for back-to-back goals that gave us the lead."

Australia cut the lead to three three times after that but could not get closer as the Aussies finished the tournament 5-2 with their only losses to the United States.

Duryea, who finished with nine saves, got a little more help from the defense in the second half, Porcella said.

"Australia had some pretty open crease rolls in the first half and Kelsey did not have much of a chance to make saves," said the coach. "The defense strated to make adjustments and slides. We put Caleigh Sindall on No. 1 (Mollison) in the second half -- who had a bunch of goals. We tried to limit her touches on the ball."

The U.S. team also included local players Alyssa Blevins (C. Milton Wright), Dani Lazo (St. Mary's) and Erin McMunn (Winters Mill). Porcella, who coaches at John Carroll, played at Loyola and faced another coach with a Loyola connection Saturday as Greyhounds coach Jen Adams assistsed her sister Trish Adams in coaching the Aussies.

In the bronze medal game, Canada, whose team includes McDonogh senior Sofia Robins, defeated England, 14-5.

NOTE: Thanks to Lacrosse Magazine's Clare Lochary for the stats from her live blog from Hanover.

Celebration photo courtesy of Martin Hebgen, event photographer for the FIL
Photo of Covie Stanwick by The Baltimore Sun

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

Editor's Note: This is the first in a new series of interviews with local coaches that will run in Varsity Letters.

In his fifth season at Calvert Hall last fall, Donald Davis guided the Cardinals to their first conference championship since 1982. It was nearly a perfect year for the Cardinals (11-1), who finished with the MIAA A Conference championship, the No. 1 ranking in The Baltimore Sun, the No. 1 ranking in the MDVarsity.com statewide media poll and – of course – a win over Loyola at the Turkey Bowl.

The Cardinals returned to the practice field Wednesday having graduated 26 players from that team, including Defensive Player of the Year Daniel Yarborough and first-team All-Metro offensive lineman Ben Curtis.

We caught up with Davis this week for five questions about the upcoming season, which will include, for the first time, an A Conference championship playoff with the top four teams advancing to semifinals.

How do you talk to the guys about the transition from last season when you were A Conference champions and finished No. 1?

The same way I did when we came out of the season that we were 4-7. Every team is a new team that presents new opportunities and every team has to sculpt its own identity. That’s what we preach to our guys.

What are the key positions you need to fill after last year’s graduation losses?

I think primarily the offensive and defensive fronts. We’ve got some guys that are going to get an opportunity to play maybe early, and they’ve got to take advantage of those opportunities.

Who is the team to beat in the A Conference this fall?

Gilman. They have one of the nation’s best players in Cyrus Jones, who is versatile and electrifying, they have a great [coaching] staff, and they have a great many guys returning from a very good team last year. And if you look at the way they ended the year playing, I think you could say they are pretty good. They were on fire at the end of the year. Look at the point totals they put up down the stretch and how they played defensively down the stretch. I think they were absolutely playing as good as anybody maybe in the region at the end of the year.

What is the key to your team remaining competitive in the conference?

I think some of it has to do with taking advantage of the preparation and opportunities we have – guys being in shape and playing hard and playing together and when we are presented with opportunities in games, taking advantage of them. Some of it’s got to do with luck and staying healthy, and if we are unfortunate in that [and] some guys get banged up, then some guys have to step to the forefront and pick up where the injured guys left off and continue to press forward.

How does having an A Conference championship game change the season?

It obviously adds games to the season, so you’ve got to plan for that and you’ve got to plan for the long haul if you are fortunate enough to win enough games to get into a post-season situation. I certainly believe it adds some excitement for the players, particularly seniors who are at the end of their career and are presented with an opportunity to add games to their high school experience. As a coach, you know that you’re going to have to face one of these guys again. If you’re fortunate enough to make the playoffs, you know you’re going to have to match wits with another great coaching staff again. It’s not a one-shot deal. You meet a guy or group of guys early in the year that you know you may have to see them again and if you lose early in the year, you’re presented with the opportunity to do it again, to make good on something maybe that didn’t go your way early.

CLICK HERE FOR 2010 CALVERT HALL FOOTBALL PHOTOS

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

As public schools begin practice Saturday, high school football is officially upon us. Start to get ready for the season by checking out Katherine Dunn's story about how linemen prepare for summer practice.

Cast your vote for who you think should be considered the top team in the area. (And feel free to leave your comments here on Varsity Letters.)

And relive the top 15 teams of 2010.

The countdown to kickoff is officially underway.

Posted by David Selig at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Seth Moses, who led the Loch Raven boys soccer team to the Class 1A state championship as a junior in 2009, has signed a multi-year contract with the Austrian professional club Cashpoint SCR Altach.

Moses, who graduated from Loch Raven this spring, is a longtime member of the Baltimore Bays Soccer Club and also was invited to the U.S. Under-18 National Team Camp.

After scoring 10 goals and adding seven assists as a junior for the Raiders' state title team -- an earning first-team All-Metro honors -- he suffering a foot injury in the first week of his senior year and missed most of his season.

Moses played forward, midfield and defense in high school, but he was a center midfielder with
the Bays.

"He's as good of a soccer player technically as we've had here," Bays coach Steve Nichols said. "He's also a pitbull. He has a passion for the game and takes things personally. The sky is the limit for him. He has a chance to do something big and an opportunity for bigger and better things ahead."

Posted by Glenn Graham at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The United States continues to roll through the Federation of International Lacrosse Under-19 Women's World Championships, running up a 9-0 lead to fuel a 19-5 semifinal victory over England in Hanover, Germany on Friday.

The three-time defending champion U.S. is 7-0 at the tournament and will meet Australia, a 14-10 winner over Canada in the other semifinal, for the championship Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time. The United States and Australia have met in every championship game in the history of the Under-19 championships. The U.S. won the last three titles after falling to Australia in the inaugural U-19 championship in Haverford, Pa. in 1995.

U.S. coach Krystin Porcella noted the play of attacker Erin McMunn (Winters Mill), midfielder Dani Lazo (St. Mary's) and defender Caleigh Sindall (Good Counsel) in the semifinal win. McMunn had two goals and three assists as well as three draw controls, two caused turnovers and two ground balls. Lazo had two goals, two draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover. Sindall had six caused turnovers, one ground ball and one draw control.

"England is fast and athletic and their players have strong moves to goal," Porcella said via email. "We were able to win 20 of the 26 draw controls. Our defenders, Sindall and Alyssa Blevins (C. Milton Wright), played solid one-v-one. McMunn ran a calculated attack that used up a good amount of time per possession, since England has a very good fast break and that is how they score most of their goals."

Jen Cook (McDonogh) had one goal and Covie Stanwick (Notre Dame Prep) contributed one assist as 12 Americans had at least one point. Cortney Fortunato, from New York, matched McMunn's five points with five goals while starting goalie Kelsey Duryea, from Massachusetts, was named Player of the Game.

McMunn (13 goals, 11 assists), Cook (10 goals, 6 assists) and Stanwick (5 goals, 11 assists) rank among the top five in American scoring leaders while Fortunato leads the team with 22 goals and 8 assists.

The U.S. has outscored its opponents in this tournament by an average of 11.9 points. It has given up no more than seven goals in a game -- to Australia -- and the smallest margin of victory has been seven goals -- vs. Canada.

While Australia scored the most goals on the U.S. in this tournament in the 20-7 U.S. victory, Canada came much closer to the U.S., falling 13-6. Canada, whose team includes McDonogh senior Sofia Robins, is 4-3 and will play England in the bronze medal game Saturday. Australia is 6-1 with its only loss to the U.S. in pool play.

Note: Lacrosse Magazine's Clare Lochary reports that Japan's 21-18 loss to Scotland in the consolation bracket will drop Japan to Pool B for the 2015 U-19 championships. The winner of the sixth-place game between Scotland and Wales will move up to Pool A.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

Western High School officials are seeking applicants for a head varsity girls basketball coach. The Doves have been one of Baltimore City's most successful programs and one of the most successful in the state, with 14 state tournament appearances and two titles. They have won five city titles and five regional titles in the last six years with three state title-game appearances.

Western is the oldest all-girls public school in the United States.

Candidates should submit a letter of application, resume(s) and professional coaching references by mail, email or fax to Western principal Alicia Trusty, Western High School, 4600 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD 21209 or atrusty@bcps.k12.md.us or 410-396-7492.

Deadline for applications is Aug. 29.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Mike McCarron has been named the new boys soccer coach at Arundel, replacing coach Nick Jauschnegg, who retired after 33 years leading the team.

McCarron, an Arundel and UMBC graduate, had spent the past six years as a varsity assistant at Arundel and was a standout on the Wildcats' 1987 state championship team.

Arundel went 12-2-3 last season and won the Anne Arundel County championship. The Wildcats also reached the state tournament in 1986 under Jauschnegg.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Becca Meyers, a rising junior at Notre Dame Prep, won her second gold medal and set her second meet record Thursday at the World Deaf Swimming Championships in Coimbra, Portugal.

It was the second deaf world championships record for Meyers in three days. She lowered her own 800-meter freestyle record, finishing in 9 minutes, 16.22 seconds to defeat Anna Tovsta, of Ukraine, for the gold. Tovsta finished in 9:26.16. In the qualifying heat Tuesday, Meyers broke the record of 9:31.76 set in 2007 by Kristin Ates, of the United States.

Myers, who was born deaf, also won the 200-meter freestyle. A swimmer for NDP and for Loyola Blakefield Aquatics, Meyers is also scheduled to swim the 400 freestyle Saturday, the final day of the world competition. Two years ago, she won a bronze medal in the 800 freestyle at the Deaflympics in Taiwan.

Becca Meyers photos

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Swimming
        

Gilman's Conor Doyle has been named the National Player of the Year by Lacrosse Magazine. (Photo by Brendan Cavanaugh/Patuxent Publishing)

Recent Gilman graduate Conor Doyle, who led the Greyhounds' boys lacrosse team to the MIAA A Conference championship this spring, has been named the National Player of the Year by Lacrosse Magazine.

Doyle, also The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro Player of the Year, finished his senior season with 33 goals and 32 assists to lead No. 1 Gilman to a 13-5 mark. Set to play at Notre Dame, he finished his three-year career with 80 goals and 62 assists.

In the magazine's season-ending Top 25 national rankings, Gilman finished No. 7 with Calvert Hall (17-2) ranked No. 8 and McDonogh (15-4) in at No. 15.

The full poll:

1. Haverford (Pa., 23-0)
2. Jamesville-Dewitt (N.Y., 22-0)
3. Conestoga (Pa., 25-1)
4. Garden City (N.Y., 19-3)
5. Farmingdale (N.Y., 17-4)
6. West Islip (N.Y., 19-1)
7. Gilman (Md., 13-5)
8. Calvert Hall (Md., 17-2)
9. St. Anthony's (N.Y., 14-3)
10. Georgetown Prep (Md., 18-3)
11. Deerfield (Mass., 15-0)
12. Landon (Md., 18-3)
13. Manhasset (N.Y., 17-2)
14. Chaminade (N.Y. 15-3)
15. McDonogh (Md., 15-4)
16. Gonzaga (D.C., 19-3)
17. Bridgewater (N.J., 20-2)
18. Darien (Conn., 19-3)
19. Duxbury (Mass., 19-3)
20. Lake Highland (Fla., 20-1)
21. Regis Jesuit (Colo., 18-1)
22. St. Paul's (Md., 13-8)
23. Ithaca (N.Y., 18-2)
24. Mercer Island (Wash., 21-2)
25. Culver Military Academy (Ind., 19-3)

Posted by Glenn Graham at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

McDonogh's Taylor Cummings, pictured during the IAAM A Conference final against Roland Park in May, has been named National Player of the Year by Lacrosse Magazine. (Photo by Kitty R. Charlton/Patuxent Publishing)

McDonogh's girls lacrosse team was ranked No. 1 in the nation for 2011, and Eagles midfielder Taylor Cummings was named National Player of the Year by Lacrosse Magazine, US Lacrosse announced Wednesday.

Coach Chris Robinson's team finished 19-0 this spring and has won 51 straight games. The Eagles defeated Roland Park, 18-17, to win their third straight IAAM A Conference title and polish off a second straight unbeaten season. They have not lost since April 2008 and were also ranked No. 1 in the nation by ESPN Rise.

Cummings, who has committed to Maryland, finished her junior year as the All-Metro Player of the Year and The Baltimore Sun's Female High School Athlete of the Year. A powerhouse on the draw, she scored 60 goals and had 15 assists last season, including the game-winning goal in the A Conference final.

Other local teams to make the Top 25 include No. 13 Roland Park (15-6, No. 2 in The Sun's final poll), No. 14 Bryn Mawr (16-3, No. 3) and No. 18 Marriotts Ridge (18-1, No. 4), which won its first state championship in Class 3A-2A.

The full poll:

1. McDonogh (Md., 19-0)
2. Garden City (N.Y., 21-0)
3. St. Anthony's (N.Y., 16-2)
4. Ridgewood (N.J., 23-1)
5. Vero Beach (Fla., 22-0)
6. Good Counsel (Md., 19-2)
7. Northport (N.Y., 20-2)
8. Westwood (Mass., 22-0-1)
9. West Genesee (N.Y., 19-1)
10. Moorestown (N.J., 22-4)
11. Farmingdale (N.Y., 16-2)
12. Loyola (Ill., 21-2)
13. Roland Park (Md., 15-6)
14. Bryn Mawr (Md., 16-3)
15. St. Stephen's and St. Agnes (Va., 31-2)
16. Mendham (N.J., 18-3)
17. Garnet Valley (Pa., 24-3)
18. Marriotts Ridge (Md., 18-1)
19. Milton (Ga., 19-1-1)
20. Hauppage (N.Y., 19-1)
21. Londonderry (N.H., 19-1)
22. Pittsford (N.Y., 21-1)
23. Cherry Creek (Colo., 19-1)
24. New Trier (Ill., 19-3)
25. St. Ignatius (Calif., 17-1)

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

The United States rolled over Scotland, 13-1, in the quarterfinals of the Federation of International Lacrosse Women's Under-19 World Championship Wednesday in Hanover, Germany.

The three-time defending champions advance to face England in Friday's semifinal. All of the teams that advanced to the semifinals came from Pool A, in which the U.S. went unbeaten. (The U.S. defeated England, 16-5, in pool play Sunday.)

The United States team, which has lost only one game in the five world championship tournaments, improved to 6-0 and is the only unbeaten team remaining.

Australia, which has won the last three silver medals, defeated previously-unbeaten Wales, 20-6, in the quarterfinals. Wales had won Pool B.

England defeated Japan 20-12 in the quarterfinals, and Canada defeated the Haudenosaunee 20-5.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

Notre Dame Prep swimmer Becca Meyers swam the 800 meters record in a record time of 9 minutes, 26.83 seconds at the World Deaf Swimming Championships on Tuesday. (Baltimore Sun photo from January by Gene Sweeney Jr.)

Notre Dame Prep's Becca Meyers set a World Deaf Swimming Championships record in her preliminary heat of the 800-meter freestyle Tuesday in Coimbra, Portugal.

It's the first world record for Meyers, who won the gold medal Sunday in the 200-meter freestyle and has a bronze medal in the 800 freestyle from the 2009 Deaflympics in Taiwan.

The rising junior, who swims for NDP and for Loyola Blakefield Aquatics, set the 800-meter record in 9 minutes, 26.83 seconds, breaking the old mark of 9:31.76 set by Kristin Ates of the United States in 2007. The deaf world record is 9:09.73, set in 1981 by American Elizabeth Lutz.

Meyers, who was born deaf, will swim in the 800 meter final Thursday and is listed as swimming the 400 freestyle on Saturday, the final day of the competition.

Becca Meyers photos

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Swimming
        

Competing in its second season in the Women's Premier Soccer League, the Chesapeake Charge went 5-1-4 in the regular season and went on to reach the league's Eastern Conference title game before falling to the Boston Aztec.

The fine season brought plenty of postseason accolades. Albert Oni, former Mercy coach and current assistant coach at Towson University, was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Year. Defenders Jess Hnatiuk (John Carroll) and Emily Janss earned All-East first-team honors, while forward Kristen Schmidbauer (Glenelg) and goalkeeper Yewande Balogun claimed second-team honors.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The United States Under-19 team defeated Australia, 20-7, Tuesday to finish undefeated in pool play at the Federation of International Lacrosse Under-19 Women's World Championship in Hanover, Germany.

The three-time defending champion United States advances to Wednesday's quarterfinals against Scotland with the title game set for Saturday. The United States won the tougher pool, beating Japan, Canada, England and the Haudenosaunee, as well as Australia, which won the past three silver medals after taking the inaugural title in 1995.

Australia, which finished second in the pool, will meet unbeaten Wales in the quarterfinals.

No stats were available from Tuesday's game.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

In a few days, hundreds of high school athletes all around the Baltimore area will be back on the field for fall sports practice.

Heading into his 12th season as the athletic trainer at Archbishop Spalding High School, T.J. Morgan has seen just about every misstep a young athlete can make before, during and after the first day of practice.

With many private and parochial school teams set to begin practice Wednesday, and public schools ready to go on Saturday, we asked Morgan, president of the Maryland Athletic Trainers’ Association, to share the top five things every athlete should be aware of going into the first day of practice (in his words):

1. Preparation. What have they done to prepare for the season they are about to start? Too often athletes take for granted their conditioning and try to jump right into the season doing a full workout and they’re probably not prepared for it, so they should expect a certain amount of soreness. They should expect a certain amount of lack of conditioning where they’re not able to keep up with the guys and girls who may have been conditioning all summer. Incoming freshmen are at such a disadvantage unless they’re playing a high-level club sport and things like that. There’s a fair amount of them that may be coming from very much a recreational mentality where practices were maybe one or two nights a week and games on a weekend and here you’re getting into a high school program where you’re going to be practicing five days a week, six days a week.

2. Avoid any kind of unnecessary supplementation. There’s absolutely no need for any student who is getting an adequate diet to have to add any kind of supplementation to their diet. They should not add need to add any kind of protein powder, things like that. If they’re eating the recommended daily allowances of the foods they should be eating, they're getting enough foods in order to recoup the energy stores that they need. During the preseason, they may have to increase their energy stores. They may have to feed their body more to meet the demands that they're putting on it, but they certainly don’t need to supplement. Good, normal nutrition is going to be adequate.

3. Get adequate rest. Rest is the ultimate healer. The more time you’re able to give your body to rest the better the body is going heal, the better the tissue is going to be able to heal. If you’re running all day long and you’re still working your job, let’s say your practices are at night but the next day you go to a job where you’re on your feet all day long, it’s going to be tough. Your legs are going to be tired. They’re going to be fatigued and unfortunately, that’s just the nature of the game. Many of these kids do have part time jobs and try and work in between [practices], but other kids will go out and do other things. They’ll finish a heavy practice and then the next day, they’ll go for a run trying to condition themselves into shape and the problem is they’re just not giving the body the opportunity it needs to recover.

4. Adequate nutrition. Which ties into supplementation but the nutrition component meaning making sure they’re eating meals throughout the course of the day, multiple meals. Especially if they’re participating in a two-a-day type situation, they can’t, if they’re at morning practice, just wake up and have toast and jelly or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and go to practice. They’re about to go to practice and expend anywhere from 4-5-600 calories, so they have to make sure that they take in at least that in the morning, which means they’re going to have to get up earlier in order to do that. But they’ve got to make sure they get the nutrition in their body. They’ve got to get the energy in their body that their body is about to demand of them.

5. Get hydrated and stay hydrated. Pre-hydration is the key. If they’re going to their practices and they’re well hydrated, the chances of them succumbing to a heat-related illness is significantly reduced, but if they go into their practices dehydrated or they’re not maintaining hydration while they're practicing, the chance of succumbing to a heat-related illness goes up and the research all supports that.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) approved a number of rule changes for the 2012 boys lacrosse season. Below is the news release following the rules committee's meeting, which took place last month in Indianapolis:

The current 10-second count to return to the goal area in high school boys lacrosse will be eliminated beginning with the 2012 season.

The NFHS Boys Lacrosse Rules Committee – at its July 12-13 meeting in Indianapolis – also clarified rules regarding offside situations and a “Get it in/Keep it in” command for game officials. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Rule 4-15-1 regarding advancing the ball into the goal area was expanded to describe three situations. A team shall bring the ball into the goal area within 10 seconds 1) after crossing the center line with possession, 2) after initially gaining possession in the offensive half of the field, or 3) after regaining possession in the offensive half of the field following a defensive possession. This change eliminates the need for players to continually “get a touch” in the goal area every 10 seconds.

Rule 4-7-1: If at any point the ball becomes stuck in the front or back of the crosse, there shall be an immediate whistle and the ball awarded to the opposing team. This rule applies when a player loses his crosse and the ball remains in or under the head of the crosse.

According to the 2010-11 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey, 2,068 schools sponsor boys lacrosse at the high school level with 90,670 participants nationwide.

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

The Parkville Thunder softball team won the ASA Girls B 14-and-Under Fast Pitch Eastern National Championship Saturday after going 8-1 in the tournament and defeating the Bethlehem Blaze from New York, 5-2, in the title game.

The Thunder team includes: Shania Alford (Patapsco), Giselle Alvarez, Brooke Samios-uy and Keri Klimko (Eastern Tech), Miranda Lobus and Brooke Powers (Perry Hall), Kaitlyn Jackson (Kenwood), Beth Madore and Alex Wankel (Parkville), Miranda Merely (Catholic) and Maya Smith (Mercy).

Coaches were Eric Samois-uy, Joe Rice, Wayne Smith, Lawrence Smith and Kevin Klimko.

The tournament included 40 teams from Vermont to Florida.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Softball
        

Notre Dame Prep rising junior Becca Meyers won the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle Sunday at the World Deaf Swimming Championships in Choimbra, Portugal.

Meyers, who was born deaf, defeated Russia's Luiza Marushkina by less than a second to win the gold in 2 minutes, 11.83 seconds. Hers was one of two gold medals won by the United States team on the first day of competition and the only one by an American woman.

This is Meyers' second international medal. A club swimmer with Loyola Blakefield Aquatics, she took bronze in the 800-meter freestyle at the 2009 Deaflympics in Taiwan.

On the World Deaf Swimming Championships website, she is also listed as planning to swim the 800 freestyle on Wednesday and the 400 freestyle on Saturday, the final day of competition.

Meyers was born with Usher syndrome, which also affects her balance and is slowly claiming her vision. She received a cochlear implant at age 2 and has been able to hear ever since.

However, she cannot wear the external device for the implant in the pool, so she cannot hear anything during the meets. In February, she helped NDP win the IAAM A Conference swimming championship.

Baltimore Sun photo of Becca Meyers by Gene Sweeney Jr. / Jan. 31, 2011

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Swimming
        

The United States improved to 4-0 Sunday with one game left in pool play at the Federation of International Lacrosse Women's Under-19 World Championships in Hanover, Germany.

The three-time defending champion U.S. team defeated England, 16-5. No statistics were immediately available.

The U.S. team -- which includes local players Alyssa Blevins (C. Milton Wright), Jen Cook (McDonogh), Dani Lazo (St. Mary's), Erin McMunn (Winters Mill) and Covie Stanwick (Notre Dame Prep) -- has also defeated Japan, 19-5; Canada, 13-6; and the Haudenosaunee, 15-2.

After a day off Monday for everybody, the U.S. on Tuesday will play Australia, which is also 4-0 after surviving an 11-9 game against Canada, whose roster includes McDonogh rising junior Sofia Robins.

The U.S. has defeated Australia in the past three world championship title games after losing the inaugural world title to the Aussies in 1995. The tournament final is Aug. 13.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

Covie Stanwick (shown during a practice last month at Cedar Lane Park) had two goals and two assists in the United States' win over the Haudenosaunee on Saturday. (Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

The United States improved to 3-0 at the Federation of International Lacrosse Under-19 Women's World Championships Saturday, as Jen Cook (McDonogh) and Covie Stanwick (Notre Dame Prep) each contributed two goals and two assists each in a 15-3 win over the Haudenosaunee in Hanover, Germany.

Erin McMunn (Winters Mill), who had nine goals and two assists in U.S. victories over Japan and Canada, added an assist, according to reports from US Lacrosse. Nine players scored for the U.S.

The U.S., which as won three straight Under-19 world titles, will be back in action Sunday against England at 11 a.m. (Eastern time).

After a day off for everybody Monday, the U.S. will meet likely its toughest opponent, Australia, Tuesday at 1 p.m. The Aussies won the inaugural Under-19 title in 1995 and have been the silver medalist all three times since.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

Jen Cook (right; shown during a practice last month) had two goals and three assists as her U.S. team beat Canada in the U-19 world championships Friday. (Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

The United States won its second game at the Federation of International Lacrosse Women's Under-19 World Championships Friday as Erin McMunn scored three goals and Jen Cook added two goals and three assists to fuel a 13-6 victory over Canada in Hanover, Germany.

McMunn (Winters Mill) leads the U.S. in scoring with nine goals and two assists, while Cook (McDonogh) has five goals and three assists.

According to US Lacrosse, the Canadians were with 3-2 midway through the first half, but the U.S. then scored four straight times.

Eight different U.S. players scored goals, while the defense -- including Alyssa Blevins (C. Milton Wright) and Dani Lazo (St. Mary's) -- did another strong job after holding Japan to five goals in Thursday's opening victory.

Covie Stanwick (Notre Dame Prep) also plays attack for the U.S., while Cook's McDonogh teammate Sofia Robins is a midfielder for Canada.

The U.S. team -- which is seeking a fourth straight world title -- will be in action Saturday morning against another North American opponent, the Haudenosaunee. The U.S. completes pool play against England on Sunday and Australia on Tuesday. The title game is Aug. 13.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

Left to right: Malcolm Harris, Mike Gamble, Andrew Harris and Jalen Robinson are among the top 100 players to watch in the 2012 graduating class, according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Five area boys soccer standouts are included in TopDrawerSoccer.com's list of the nation's top 100 players to watch from the 2012 graduating class.

Mount St. Joseph's defender Jalen Robinson is ranked No. 13; McDonogh's striker Mike Gamble is No. 14; McDonogh's defender Malcolm Harris is No. 37; Broadneck's goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier is No. 54; and Gilman's goalkeeper Andrew Harris -- The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro Player of the Year last season -- is listed at No. 72.

The rankings are based on input from the site's scouts and staff, along with coaches at various levels.

For the TopDrawerSoccer's complete Top 100 list, click here.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Recent Winters Mill graduate Erin McMunn (No. 20) scored six times on her birthday, as the U.S. opened the U-19 World Championships with a 19-5 win over Japan. (Photo from a practice last month at Cedar Lane Park by The Baltimore Sun's Lloyd Fox)

Erin McMunn celebrated her 18th birthday Thursday by scoring six goals and leading the three-time defending champion United States to a 19-5 victory over Japan in its opening game of the Federation of International Lacrosse Women's Under-19 World Championships in Hanover, Germany.

A 2011 Winters Mill graduate, McMunn, who also had two assists, was named Player of the Match. She was joined in the box score by two other 2011 All-Metro attackers, Jen Cook (McDonogh) with three goals and Covie Stanwick (Notre Dame Prep) with a goal and four assists, according to US Lacrosse. Defensive midfielder Dani Lazo (St. Mary's) had two ground balls and a draw control

Japan was within 6-4 in the first half, but the Americans reeled off eight straight goals to take command.

The U.S., which lost only one game in the four previous Under-19 championship tournaments, continues pool play Friday against Canada.

The Americans will also play England, Australia and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) in pool play, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the quarterfinals. The title game will be Aug. 3.

In Thursday's other results from the U.S.'s pool, Canada defeated the Haudenosaunee, 21-1, and Australia beat England, 15-10.

Canada midfielder Sofia Robins (McDonogh) had three draw controls and a caused turnover.

(For more on McMunn, click here.)

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

McDonogh goalkeeper Morgan Ruhl and midfielder Ashley Spivey have both been named among the nation's top 100 players to watch by TopDrawerSoccer.com. (Baltimore Sun photos by Karl Merton Ferron)

McDonogh girls soccer standouts Ashley Spivey and Morgan Ruhl were listed among the nation's top 100 players to watch by TopDrawerSoccer.com in the website's recently published 2012 graduating class rankings.

Spivey, a midfielder who was named The Sun's Metro Player of the Year last season, is ranked No. 7, while Ruhl, a goalkeeper, is listed at No. 80. The rankings are based on input from the site's scouts and staff, along with coaches at various levels.

Last season, McDonogh captured the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship and finished the season ranked No. 1 in The Sun's Top 15 poll.

For the TopDrawerSoccer's complete Top 100 list, click here.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

By Robbie Levin

The 16-under North Glen Lady Nitros softball team concluded its summer campaign on a high note last weekend, winning the United States Specialty Sports Association Fastpitch 16-under “C” East World Series.

The Lady Nitros went 5-1 in the tournament in Salisbury, living up to their billing as one of the top “C” level teams in the country.

After losing their first game to the Mt. Vernon Magic, the Lady Nitros reeled off five consecutive wins, outscoring their opponents 33-12. Centerfielder Jessica Robinson (Glen Burnie) led the Lady Nitros’ offensive attack, racking up nine hits on the weekend. Catcher Deja Sutton (Chesapeake) chipped in four hits and five RBIs.

Coach Frank Davis said the team’s resilience after the loss to Mt. Vernon set the stage for a big weekend.

“I’m very proud of the girls and the parents,” Davis said. “After we lost the first game, there was nothing but positive from the parents. That was a big help.”

The Lady Nitros won three of the five major awards on the weekend: Sutton took home the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award, Robinson was named Defensive MVP and hurler Kate Dickinson (Old Mill) was honored as the tournament’s Outstanding Pitcher.

Dickinson pitched 31 of a possible 35 innings for the Lady Nitros, giving up no earned runs while striking out 24.

The Lady Nitros, who also won the Central Maryland League State Championships and the Maryland/Delaware State Championships this summer, will move into the 16-under B division in the fall.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Softball
        

Coach Krystin Porcella leads her U.S. under-19 women's lacrosse team through a recent practice at Cedar Lane Park. (Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

Krystin Porcella enjoyed being an assistant coach for the United States Under-19 women’s lacrosse team at the 2007 world championships so much that she jumped at the chance to take over the program.

Starting Thursday, Porcella will guide the U.S. in search of its fourth straight gold medal at the Federation of International Lacrosse Women’s Under-19 World Championship in Hanover, Germany. The John Carroll girls coach follows Bryn Mawr coach Wendy Kridel, who stepped down as head coach after three straight gold medals.

Porcella, 35, played defense for John Carroll and Loyola and spent two years on the U.S. Developmental Team from 1996-98. Earlier this year, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Greater Baltimore Chapter of US Lacrosse. She led John Carroll to back-to-back IAAM A Conference titles in 2007 and 2008 and was the All-Metro Coach of the Year in 2008.

Before heading to Germany, Porcella shared some thoughts about the Under-19 coaching experience.

Why did you want to coach this team?

The experience I had in 2007, you can hardly put it into words. It was neat. It was awesome. The relationships that you build with the other coaches, the players. It was an experience like no other I’ve had in lacrosse. The part that made me want to have that feeling again was during the opening ceremonies. Every team was in their colors, waving their flag, singing their song. Everybody just had so much pride in their country, it gives you chills thinking about how proud everybody was. I wanted to experience that again and hopefully win and be able to hold up our flag the highest of them all.

What makes a good U-19 team?

Unselfishness. Willing to work with people that you’ve never worked with before. Coming together in a short amount of time. Having a common goal and acting out that common goal.

How do you keep the pressure off these girls when a gold medal is kind of expected of them?

What’s neat is that it was four years ago, so the girls now don’t really have too much connection to that besides seeing it on the internet or a couple articles here or there. It isn’t that true direct connection like we won it last time, we have to win it again in terms of the team. In terms of the country, yes. We talk very frankly and candidly about things like, “Hey, we’ve won the past three. That doesn’t mean we’re going to win this time, so we have to work hard each day, stay focused.” We just try to keep everybody grounded and focused on our goal which is winning, not on somebody else’s goal which is having us win four straight.

What do you enjoy the most about coaching this team?

I love strategy. I could talk shop all day, lacrosse. That’s the neat part of this that we get to try things, we get to work things out whereas with your high school team, you’re limited on what you can do, because you don’t have athletes up and down the field like you do on a select team like this. It’s just like, “All right, let’s go out and we’re going to try this zone today in the midfield, so you shift here, you shift there.” I just love the strategy and the concepts behind it all. For me personally, that’s what I enjoy most and just being a part of something that’s going to make history. Everybody wants to be a part of that. The 2011 Under-19 United States women’s lacrosse gold medal – that’s our goal and it would be awesome to see that happen.

What do you hope the girls take away from this experience?

Lots of different things. I hope they grow personally and they become more confident in themselves. I hope they grow in their lacrosse ability, their lacrosse confidence, their lacrosse understanding. I hope they walk away and realize and recognize that they were a part of something huge and the fact that there are so many people watching them, following them, looking up to them. I hope they appreciate everything that’s going on this entire experience. And even as far as how other parts of the world live. We’re going to Germany. It’s very different than how we live here. We are, in a lot of ways, spoiled. We have so many conveniences and things are done for us. Other parts of the world don’t have all of that. I hope they’re more worldly, more confident and can give some of that back to younger players when they have the opportunity.

What else are you going to do when you’re over there besides play lacrosse?

We were over there in February just doing a site visit, seeing what there is to do. There are a couple of different things we can do. They have a little zoo. They have gardens. I want the girls to get the whole experience not just the lacrosse experience. I want us to bond as a team and see Germany as much as we can in the short time that we’re there.

Who do you think is going to be your toughest competition?

Our pool play is aligned with, I believe, all of the higher seeds from last time, so we have Canada, Japan, Australia, England and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). All those teams are very competitive. We’re looking for Australia. They were the No. 2 team last time, so they’ll have it out for us.

What are you most looking forward to as head coach this time rather than being an assistant?

It’s definitely different than being the assistant. Wendy was a great head coach and I think I learned so much from her. I really think the biggest thing is the kids need to enjoy the experience and I want to enjoy the experience with them. When they’re doing great things, I want to be part of them doing great things. It’s not going to be about [the coaches] doing anything or wanting a particular experience. It’s going to be me living through [the players] in essence. When they get excited, I’ll get excited. When they’re raising the flag at the end and hopefully we’ve won the gold medal, I want to be right behind them. That’s what I want to get out of it – seeing them being successful.

What is your approach to coaching this team?

I kind of take it as any other team that I coach. I try to treat the girls with as much respect as possible and I always tell them, “If you act like an adult, I will treat you like an adult. If you want me to treat you like a kid, tell me you want to be treated like a kid by your actions.” I truly believe if you empower the kids with leadership and decision making as much as possible, they’re going to embrace it even more. Most of the stuff we do, we talk it out. “Hey, you drove to the right; you should have gone to the left. Why would you make that decision and what would you do differently next time?” as opposed to “You should have gone to the right!” and just start yelling. If they can make those decisions themselves and I don’t have to be screaming across the field, we’re all going to be better off.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

Members of the U.S. Under-19 women's lacrosse team run during a recent practice at Cedar Lane Park as they prepare for the world championships in Germany. (Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

Six players from local high schools will be competing in the Federation of International Lacrosse Women's Under-19 World Championship beginning Thursday in Hanover, Germany.

Alyssa Blevins (C.Milton Wright), Jen Cook (McDonogh), Dani Lazo (St. Mary's), Erin McMunn (Winters Mill) and Covie Stanwick (Notre Dame Prep) will be competing for the United States. Sofia Robins (McDonogh), a Canadian citizen who lives in Stevenson, will play for Canada.

The United States, which has won the last three world titles, opens play against Japan at 11 a.m. our time while Canada plays the Haudenosaunee Nation (Iroquois) at 5 a.m.

Click here to learn more about each of the six local players representing their countries.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse