Football: Glenelg upsets No. 9 Hammond

Luke Brister kicked a 42-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to lift unranked Glenelg to a 17-14 victory over No. 9 Hammond in a battle of previously unbeaten Howard County teams last night at Hammond.

Nick Crabill rushed 25 times for 116 yards and made several key defensive plays for the Gladiators.

No. 8 Poly 42, Douglass 6: Jamall Chappell had 10 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns and added a 32-yard touchdown reception and a two-point conversion to power the host Engineers (5-0) past the Ducks.

Priestly Shuler had nine tackles, 1 sack and two fumble returns, including one for a 71-yard touchdown.

Franklin 41, Towson 6: Ian Thomas had three touchdowns, two receptions and a 90-yard kickoff return to lead the host Indians past the Generals.

Thomas finished with three catches for 77 yards, and 167 all purpose yards.

Maritime Industries 25, Forest Park 14: With the score 13-8 in the fourth quarter, the Anchors' Devonte Tabb scooped up a fumble and raced 80 yards for a touchdown. Later, Devonte Lewis returned an interception 33 yards for a score as Maritime (3-2) squashed any chance of a comeback for the visiting Foresters in city league play.

Boys soccer

No. 2 Archbishop Curley 2, John Carroll 0: Jake Ossie made two saves in his third shutout for the visiting Friars (10-1). Kenny Duckworth scored first at the 25 minute mark and T.J. Koscher added an insurance goal midway through the second half.

No. 3 McDonogh 2, No. 14 Calvert Hall 0: Mike Gamble scored his 20th goal of the season 15 minutes into the second half and Malcolm Harris added his with 15 minutes left in the game for the visiting Eagles (8-1-1).

The Cardinals fell to 3-3.

No. 9 Mt. St. Joseph 2, Archbishop Spalding 0: Jalen Robinson and Joey Asaja each had a goal and an assist to lead the visiting Gaels (5-5-1) past the Cavaliers.

Girls soccer

No. 14 Severn 2, No. 4 Archbishop Spalding 1: The Cavaliers 1-0 lead lasted one minute before Abby Ritter scored the game-tying goal and the game-winner eight minutes later as the Admirals (5-2) upset Spalding (4-3-1).

Spalding outshot Severn, 11-1, in the second half, but couldn’t put the ball past Severn keeper Emily Gibbons (12 saves.)

Patterson Mill 2, No. 8 Fallston 1, OT: Beth Walton gave the host Cougars (4-2) a 1-0 halftime lead, but the Huskies knotted the score in the second half and won in overtime.

Riley Druyor and Lauren Dick each scored for Patterson Mill.

No. 2 Mercy 1, North Harford 0: Alexis Prior-Brown scored the game-winner from 20 yards out, five minutes into the second half to lift the visiting Magic (7-1-1) over the Hawks.

Field hockey

No. 1 Glenelg 9, Centennial 2: Alyssa Parker scored four goals to power the visiting Gladiators (7-0) past the Eagles.

Glenelg led 7-0 at the break.

No. 2 Severna Park 2, No. 8 Broadneck 0: Samantha Slattery and Taylor Anspach each scored a goal to lead the Falcons (9-0) over the host Bruins. Severna Park outshot Broadneck 12-9.

No. 6 Bryn Mawr 1, Notre Dame Prep 1, OT: Casey Pasquarella gave the Blazers (5-0-1) a 1-0 lead with 10:15 left in the first half, but Eliza Clemens notted the score 41/2 minutes into the second half for the Mawrtians (6-2-1).

No. 15 Howard 1, Mount Hebron 0: Courtney Barnwell scored the game-winner at the 18:04 mark of the second half for the visiting Lions (4-0).

Girls volleyball

No. 2 St. Paul’s d. Bryn Mawr, 3-2: The Mawrtians took the Gators the distance, but lost in five. St. Paul’s won, 21-25, 25-19, 25-14, 10-25, 15-13.

Kabria Haskins had 22 kills and Haley Fitzgerald had 45 assists for St. Paul’s.

Posted by David Selig at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

North Harford defensive back Tyler Campbell (No. 24) watches as Aberdeen tight end Maurice Harris fumbles. Campbell recovered the ball in the first quarter of the Hawks' 38-12 win Friday night.

Scores from throughout the state on Friday night:

Arundel 49, North County 13

Atholton 54, Marriotts Ridge 6

Bel Air 36, Joppatowne 16

Boonsboro 47, Williamsport 7

Cambridge/SD 49, Parkside 6

Catonsville 50, Hereford 14

Chesapeake- AA 45, Northeast 8

Chesapeake-B 16, Sparrows Point 13

Curley 27, Pallotti 20

Delmar, Del. 48, Washington 0

Dunbar 53, Digital Harbor 13

Easton 56, Col. Richardson 0

Edgewood 42, Harford Tech 6

Einstein 28, Magruder 0

Fallston 38, Havre de Grace 12

Fort Hill 29, Ligonier Valley, Pa. 0

Franklin 41, Towson 6

Glenelg 17, Hammond 14

Hancock 21, Sidwell Friends, D.C. 20

Howard 27, Oakland Mills 15

Kent Island 48, Kent County 0

Linganore 49, Frederick 0

Long Reach 42, Centennial 21

Loyola 50, Fork Union Prep, Va. 40

Manchester Valley 14, Francis Scott Key 7

Maritime Ind. 25, Forest Park 14

McDonough 7, Lackey 6

Middletown 49, Oakdale 6

Mountain Ridge 35, Frankfort, W.Va. 7

Mount St. Joseph 20, Georgetown Prep 15

North Hagerstown 34, Brunswick 32

North Harford 38, Aberdeen 12

North Point 14, Huntingtown 7

Northwest 30, Clarksburg 12

Northwestern-B 30, Southwestern 0

Northwood 42, Montgomery Blair 0

Old Mill 40, Meade 14

Paint Branch 35, Springbrook 7

Parkville 34, Eastern Tech 10

Patterson Mill 33, Bo Manor 6

Pikesville 30, Dulaney 14

Poly 42, Douglass 6

Reservoir 42, Mount Hebron 0

River Hill 38, Wilde Lake 0

Severn 33, St. Frances 0

Severna Park 21, Broadneck 18

Sherwood 14, Damascus 3

South Carroll 40, North Carroll 7

South River 48, Annapolis 26

Southern-AA 34, Glen Burnie 20

St. Mary’s 12, Boys’ Latin 6

St. Paul's 35, John Carroll 9

Thomas Johnson 17, Urbana 16

Thomas Stone 24, Northern - Cal 13

Tucker County, W.Va. 27, Southern-G 18

Walkersville 44, Tuscarora 0

Walt Whitman 35, Bethesda 0

Watkins Mill 40, Rockville 0

Western Tech 6, Dundalk 0

Westminster 42, Liberty 0

Wicomico 52, North Caroline 6

Winston Churchill 15, Gaithersburg 13

Winters Mill 28, Century 14

Wootton 7, Walter Johnson 3

Posted by David Selig at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Poly's Augie Waibel won the first Ravens High School Coach of the Year Award 1997. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

Catonsville football coach Rich Hambor's selection Wednesday as the first Ravens' High School Coach of the Week for this season made us wonder about past winners of the Ravens' Coach of the Year award.

This is the 15th season the Ravens have awarded Baltimore-area high school football coaches, and while we could remember some of the winners, we had to check the archives to list them all.

Here they are:

1997 Augie Waibel, Poly
1998 Nick Arminio, Eastern Tech
1999 Pete Pompey, Edmondson
2000 Dom Damico, McDonogh
2001 Steve Turnbaugh, Hereford
2002 Dave Eubank, Dundalk
2003 Gene Brown, South Carroll
2004 Ben Eaton, Dunbar
2005 Brad Wilson, Westminster
2006 Dante Jones, Edmondson
2007 Lawrence Smith, Dunbar
2008 Tony Shermeyer, Century
2009 Rick Conner, Linganore
2010 Damon Bomar, Forest Park

Hambor is now a candidate for the 2011 award. From all of this season's weekly selections, the Ravens will name their High School Coach of the Year at the Ravens-Browns game on Dec. 24 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Annapolis Area Christian School's football team was schedule to play its Homecoming game Friday night against St. John's-Catholic Prep, but the Frederick team has suffered so many injuries in recent weeks that it cannot safely field a team this week and has forfeited the game to AACS.

Both schools are small and don't have huge football rosters, so Annapolis Area athletic director Jim Domoracki said he understands the situation.

"You have to keep safety first," Domoracki said. "We've played them in all sports in many seasons and it's just one of those crazy situations. They feel terrible about it, but we understand. You have to make the best of a tough situation. It could very easily happen to us."

Homecoming, however, will go on.

The game and its surrounding festivities were scheduled to be held at Arundel High School's turf field. Now, the field hockey game between the Eagles and Pallotti will serve as the Homecoming centerpiece. It will be played in place of the football game, Friday night at 7 p.m. at Arundel.

With the forfeit, the Eagles football team improves to 4-1 overall and remains 2-0 in the MIAA B Conference. St. John's is in the C Conference.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association's changes to the class alignment for field hockey were made to improve balance and competition.

And they've created a slightly different landscape in the sport this fall.

Carroll County and Howard County have felt the impact more than most. Westminster, the 2010 4A state champion, will not get to defend its title, as the Owls have been moved into the 3A classification. River Hill, the 3A champion, is playing in 2A this year.

Francis Scott Key has moved from 2A to 1A, as have South Carroll, Century, Liberty and Winters Mill. They were all in 2A West last season and are now in 2A North, where they will face some new competition.

"In years past, it seemed like our whole region was made up of our county teams," Century coach Terry Duryea said. "I kind of like that we're seeing different teams."

River Hill might like the idea of different competition, too, except much of the competition it will see will still be from Howard County. And now placed in the 3A East, one of those familiar teams will be No. 1 Glenelg, which won the 2A title last year and just this week beat the reigning 3A champs, 10-1.

In 1A, class runner-up Patterson Mill and champion Pocomoke -- which has won the last eight state championships -- got byes through the first two rounds each of the last two years. Pocomoke was one of the teams that requested a change in the alignments.

"They wanted to see more competition," South River coach Katie Corcoran said. "They wanted to see more teams in their bracket."

The same is true at Patterson Mill, where coach Shannon Troyer said she has made her team's regular season schedule "as difficult as possible" to get ready for a postseason that will provide new challenges.

The Anne Arundel teams didn't see many changes. Annapolis moved to 3A and Chesapeake from 4A North to 4A East. That means Glen Burnie, Meade, North County and Old Mill are in 4A North, while the four traditionally toughest teams are all in 4A East (Broadneck, Chesapeake, Severna Park and South River). Those teams already play each other twice during the regular season.

"I think what they've done overall makes for better, well-rounded tournament brackets," Corcoran said. "I just wish they'd break up the Anne Arundel County teams."

Posted by Sandra McKee at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This has been one long week for Harford Tech's field hockey team.

The Cobras played back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday. Both games went to penalty strokes after double-overtime periods.

Harford Tech's Monday game with Bohemia Manor ended in a 3-3 tie, while Tuesday's game with Aberdeen wound up in the Eagles' win column. Aberdeen, which tied the game with nine seconds left in regulation, won 3-2 on strokes.

“In the game with Bo Manor, both teams played very well and the game deserved to be ended in a tie," Harford Tech coach Amanda Sheldon said. "Against Aberdeen, we played a hard-fought game, but we were tired from Monday and we just couldn't pull it off."

Lyndsey Endlich scored twice in each game for Harford Tech (2-1-1). Taylor Bethke was in goal both days. She had 12 saves -- including four of five shots in the shootout against Bo Manor. Against Aberdeen (4-2), Bethke had six saves.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Field hockey
        

As we near midseason, every race for a football regional playoff berth remains up in the air, of course, but some teams are asserting themselves and others are falling a bit too far behind.

Seven Baltimore-area teams hold top spots after four weeks of competition:

Poly in Class 4A North
Arundel in Class 4A East
Aberdeen in Class 3A North
Hammond in Class 3A East
Edmondson in Class 2A North
Overlea in Class 1A North
Dunbar in Class 1A South

Poly, Arundel, Aberdeen, Hammond and Overlea are undefeated. Poly and Arundel are both three-quarters of a point ahead of two other unbeaten teams -- Catonsville and Old Mill, respectively.

Glenelg (2A South) and Fallston (2A East) also have been edged out at the top for the time being, despite their unbeaten starts.

To see where your team falls, check out the MPSSAA web site.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

After 13 years at Havre de Grace, including last year’s state Class 1A title game appearance, football coach Johnny Brooks headed down Route 40 to take over the floundering program at Aberdeen. It didn’t take him long to turn things around.

The Eagles, who finished 1-9 last season, are 4-0 and average 40 points per game behind veteran Kenny Faulcon, a first-year quarterback who has thrown for 750 yards and 12 touchdowns. Brooks took his coaching staff with him to Aberdeen, where the Eagles have not made the playoffs since 2004, a year after they won their only state title.

Brooks, who now teaches social studies at Aberdeen, graduated from Havre de Grace. As the Warriors’ coach, he took them to the playoffs seven of the last nine seasons.

Friday night, the Eagles face their toughest test -- perhaps of the season -- when they host North Harford, which went undefeated through the UCBAC Chesapeake Division last season. Not only are the two teams battling for the top spot in the Chespeake Division, but they're in the same region -- Class 3A North -- where the Eagles are in first place and the Hawks are in a tie for fourth.

As this week’s football Coachspeak guest, Brooks answered five questions about the transition to Aberdeen and the Eagles’ quick start.

Why did you make the move to Aberdeen after having so much success at Havre de Grace?

I’d been at Havre de Grace for a long time and I was looking for a little refresher. I was looking for a different challenge, so Aberdeen gave me the opportunity and I took it. It wasn’t anything in particular. I was just looking to move on somewhere else and Aberdeen did have an opening, so I just went there and I thought I’d make the best of it.

What are the benefits and what are the drawbacks to coaching at a bigger school, Class 3A, than a small Class 1A school such as Havre de Grace?

I thought there would be more kids on the team, but I guess it’s probably about 10 more, so one of the advantages you have is that you can sub a little more. Kids can get a little rest. At Havre de Grace, we pretty much had just one string. If someone went down then we were in trouble. You can hit at little bit more in practice. You can be more physical in practice. There’s just more things you can do. At Havre de Grace, we had to do half-line scrimmages, but at Aberdeen we can do full scrimmages. We can get a lot of work in whereas at Havre de Grace, we couldn’t do that because of numbers. And Havre de Grace is different. It was different in all of its settings. It’s more of a town-type school. It’s right in the little town, so you know everybody. Everybody pretty much knows you. It’s more family based. The field’s right off the street. I went to school there, so I know a lot of the people. At Aberdeen, it’s a little different. It’s bigger. People come from different areas. You don’t have a whole bunch of tradition with the kids. A lot of their parents went to a different school. You have military kids. You’re dealing with different kids who don’t really understand the dynamics of the school. If you go to Havre de Grace, mostly likely your parents went there or someone in your family, so it’s a lot different in that way, but it’s all good in its own way.

What has been the main factor in the Eagles getting off to a 4-0 start?

It’s not surprising. The coaching staff, we expected it. We don’t expect to lose anyway (laughs). I’m fortunate enough that my coaches came with me, so we didn’t have to go over and reteach new things like that. We pretty much just picked up where we left off. With the team, it’s almost a whole new batch anyway. There’s only 20-21 kids back on the team which is the same kind of turnover you have every year, so it’s pretty much business as usual for us. And we have a really good coach staff. We picked up Tommy Polley [former Dunbar star who played in the NFL] as our defensive coordinator and he does a great job with the kids, so I have to attribute it to my coaching staff. I don’t micromanage. I think you let your coaches coach and I think that’s been a benefit for the kids. And they’ve been buying into what we’re teaching. They’re all really good kids, so that helps a lot.

What kind of attitude has emerged this fall among the players in terms of academics and athletics – there have been academic issues in the past and it must be difficult for kids to stay motivated when you're 1-9?

We didn’t run across any of that where I was from. Just about my whole team went to college. We might have had 10 seniors and 9 out of 10 always went to college and it’s pretty much what we expect up here, preaching to these kids how they get to the next level of student athlete. We have study hall and all the kids want to go to the next level so it seems. We challenge them, “Do your part, because I’m going to do mine. The opportunity’s there, just don’t pass it up." They’ve been doing quite well in that. The attitude is great on the field too. They work hard and I honestly believe kids will give you what you expect of them. I haven’t had anyone say anything or act as though they don’t want to do what we need to do. We have good captains. I tell the captains, “You’ve got to lead and they will follow you.” Winning always helps too. Those first couple wins, the kids bought into what we’re doing, so I think they’re all aboard now.

What’s going to be the key to Friday’s game with North Harford, which has been the county’s dominant program for a few years now?

I think execution, taking care of the ball. We’d been having problems lining up on defense and I think we’ve made those adjustments and that’s pretty much it. We just tell the kids, “Do your job and you’ll be fine. Make sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing and everything else just takes care of itself.” North Harford, they’re tough. They play to the last whistle. We played a tight game with them at Havre de Grace last year (29-20) and I think they just dug a little deeper than we did and they made a couple big plays and they came out with the victory. They’ve always been a team that’s been very opportunistic. They take advantage of your mistakes, so we need to execute and be where we need to be. I’m looking forward to a good effort. It’s more mental than anything for me. I know we’re in great shape. They run the option and normally, [defending the option is] just a matter of people doing their job. One person is supposed to be on this guy and another person is supposed to be on that guy and if one messes up, then the option is successful. We have to limit our mistakes and, hopefully, let them make the mistakes. Turnovers usually decide the game. Hopefully, we’ll cause them more turnovers and we’ll take care of the ball, because usually the team with the least amount of turnovers comes out ahead.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Catonsville coach Rich Hambor is the season’s first Ravens High School Coach of the Week after guiding the Comets to a 35-7 win over Franklin Friday night, a victory that helped them crack the state's Top 25 for the first time in program history.

The Comets are 4-0 and hold sole possession of first place in Baltimore County’s Class 4A-3A Division. Ranked No. 13 by The Baltimore Sun, the Comets are No. 23 in the ESPN High School Maryland football media poll.

“It’s nice to have our school and community recognized for the work we have put in,” Hambor said in a news release. “But whether we get ranked or not, we want to keep climbing. We know that it’s only going to be there for a while, so we need to savor it, but we also know there’s going to be a need for improvement.”

The Comets won their game over Franklin after three straight losses to the Indians. Sean Lipscomb forced a fumble on the Indians’ first play from scrimmage and Aaron Jones hit Deniko Carter with a 24-yard touchdown pass two plays later. D’Andre Lane ran for 135 of the Comets’ rushing yards.

Hambor said the award is not really about him.

“It’s a great award, but staff is the word we are talking about here,” he said. “Staff and parents are what this program is all about. My name is on the award, but if I don’t have the right staff in place, we wouldn’t have nearly the success we have had.”

Friday night, the Comets host another tough Baltimore County opponent, Hereford, at 7 p.m.

Hambor, and all other coach of the week winners from this season, will be invited to the Ravens’ home game against the Browns on Dec. 24, where one will be named the Ravens High School Coach of the Year.

The Ravens donate $2,000 to the football program of each weekly winner.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

After improving to 4-0, Catonsville earned its first ever ranking in the ESPN High School Maryland football media poll Tuesday. The Comets are coming off a 35-7 win over Franklin and debut in the poll at No. 23.

Good Counsel remains atop the poll for Week 4 followed by Gilman at No. 2 and Calvert Hall at No. 3. Arundel is No. 7 while Old Mill, McDonogh, Dunbar, Poly, Atholton, Hammond and Loyola have consecutive spots further down in the Top 20. Archbishop Spalding dropped to 25.

To see where all of the local teams are ranked this week and which others are getting a few votes, check out the entire ESPN Maryland football poll.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Patterson basketball star Aquille Carr was in the Chicago area this past weekend, participating in the Under Armour Grind Session training sessions with a number of the top high school basketball players in the country.

The 5-foot-6 Carr distinguished himself with the third-highest vertical leap (30.5 inches) and the sixth fastest 20-yard spring (2.69 seconds) of the 50+ players at the inaugural combine.

Vertical Jump (Inches)

Glenn Robinson, Jr. – 36
Darrick Wood – 34.5
Ray Glassman – 31
Aquille Carr – 30.5
Jeremiah Jones – 30
Trayvon Reed – 29

20-Yard Sprint (Seconds)

Ray Glassman – 2.51
Alex Robinson – 2.56
Glenn Robinson, Jr. – 2.59
Damontrae Jefferson – 2.6
King McClure – 2.68
Aquille Carr – 2.69

ESPN recruiting writer Reggie Rankin also singled out Carr as one of his "standout players" from the event.

The junior point guard said the schools toward the top of his list include Seton Hall, South Florida, UConn, Memphis and Kentucky.

Posted by David Selig at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Gary Lynch sells insurance as a partner at John Lynch Agency in Bel Air and has also piled up 213 wins in his 15 years coaching the girls soccer team at John Carroll -- leading the No. 3 Patriots to a 5-1-1 mark this season.

But a question he's gotten used to fielding is why he's grown the the thick, grey ponytail that has taken on a life of its own in the past four years. When his adult daughter, Kristina, married with three children, was diagnosed with Melanoma four years ago (she is now cancer free), Lynch decided to grow his hair to support Locks of Love.

These days, Kristina is running marathons and triathlons to raise money for cancer and her father's hair is now 9 1/2 inches long. When it reaches 10 inches, it will be cut off and sold, with the profits going to the charity. (Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who suffer from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. To learn more about Locks of Love, visit locksoflove.org.)

As the most recent Coachspeak guest, Lynch answered five questions about his hair and his life in coaching.

What is the most interesting reaction you've received about your ponytail?

When I was in line at the grocery store, the woman behind me was older and she was rolling her eyes and probably thinking I was a hippie. And as I was bagging, she started talking to the cashier, and the cashier was a young girl, and she said 'Oh that's Gary Lynch, the coach at John Carroll." And she told her I was growing my hair for Locks of Love and gave a CliffsNotes version of my daughter's story. The woman said she would give me $1,000 right now for my hair. I guess she wanted to have a wig made out of it.

How did you get started in coaching?

Many years ago, when my son played, there was a little kid that was on his team that never got into any games. I happened to ask some other parents, and they said he was just a training player, he's not a game player. This was recreation. And when I went home I thought, "I'm going to coach soccer so all these kids can play." So I started out in recreation and then I moved to travel to club to high school to college and then back to high school. I wanted to make sure that I was qualified to coach, so I took every course I could find.

What is the biggest reward you get from coaching?

Seeing the kids be successful in life. It's one thing to learn to play as hard as you can, but it's more important to live as hard as you can. It's kind of neat when they come back later in life and tell me what they're doing. The years you coach them, they probably have a voodoo doll for you. But then they come back and tell you that you had an impact of them being successful -- that's special.

How do you prepare your girls to go up against the top caliber players like McDonogh's Ashley Spivey and Mercy's Alexis Prior-Brown and the strong teams they play for?

It's a matter of them understanding that in everything they do -- whether it's in the classroom or when they get a job -- that there's only one best, but that doesn't mean you can't compete with that best and understand that the best doesn't always win. A lot of it has to do with desire, heart, toughness and stuff like that when competing against that best, for whatever it's for. If they believe it, then they can do it. If they walk in conceding to the best, then most times they can't compete against it.

What has been your best moment in coaching?

I think the most excited the kids have ever been was achieving the undefeated season [21-0 in 2004] and finishing No. 1 in the country, back with Jamie Zimmerman and Ashley Myers. That was the goal that the girls set -- despite trying to tell them not to set it. It was very difficult at times to get them to focus at the immediate task at hand, but it drove them to the highest level that anybody could play in a Maryland high school arena. When I saw them achieve that, not necessarily the achievement but the relief they had, it was great to see. People still talk about it today. I think that year all the stars were aligned just right.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Roland Park All-Metro guard Daisy Alaeze has committed to play basketball for Virginia Commonwealth University, a Colonial Athletic Association team that played last season in the WNIT.

"I really fit into the program and it has the rural area that I like," Alaeze said of the Richmond school. "I enjoy the girls. They were really welcoming when I was down there and the area’s just a perfect fit for me."

Last winter, Alaeze, a 5-foot-10 guard, averaged 15 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 steals for the No. 7 Reds (12-12), who play in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference. She has 969 career points.

After the season, Reds coach Scott Buckley said "[She] single-handedly makes us competitive in the top league."

Alaeze narrowed her list of about seven offers to VCU, Towson and James Madison. She said the style of play also made a difference.

"They run a triangle-type offense and that's what I've been running the whole summer for my AAU team," said Alaeze, who played for the Shooting Stars.

Academics played into the decision too, because Alaeze plans to become a doctor. She said VCU offers a strong pre-med program and one of the area's top hospitals.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

It's hard to believe, but fall is officially here and we're nearing midseason as we head toward Week 5 of the 10-week high school football regular season. The top teams have begun to separate themselves from the pack and here's a look at some of the key statistics gathered from this weekend's contests:

2
One-point losses by 2-2 South River

3
First-half points allowed by McDonogh through four games

3
Interceptions by Poly’s Donovan Riley, including one returned for a touchdown, in a 12-0 win over Edmondson

3
Kickoffs by Georgetown Prep to start the game against Gilman – the first two went out of bounds and Cyrus Jones returned the third for a touchdown

4
Times more wins this season than last for Aberdeen, which is 4-0 after going 1-9 in 2010

6
Points allowed by Poly in four games

6
Turnovers by River Hill in its 12-9 loss to Hammond

6
Sacks by Catonsville in its 35-7 win over Franklin

8
Straight wins by Calvert Hall, the area’s longest active winning streak

12
Local teams remaining undefeated – Calvert Hall, Old Mill, Arundel, Poly, Hammond, Catonsville, Aberdeen, Fallston, Glenelg, Overlea, Milford Mill and Patterson Mill

13
Point deficit overcome by Annapolis Area Christian in a 35-13 win over previously-unbeaten St. Mary’s

15
Years since Glen Burnie had beaten Broadneck before Friday’s 22-0 victory

29
Seconds left when Arundel’s defense held off South River’s two-point conversion attempt to preserve the Wildcats’ 31-30 win

42
Points scored in the fourth quarter of Howard’s 38-37 win over Long Reach Saturday

74
Yards gained in the final minute by Overlea quarterback Kevin Berry on two pass plays, including a 30-yard touchdown strike to Ashantee Washington for a 12-8 win over Randallstown

100
Yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Hammond’s Akili Moore in the Golden Bears’ 12-9 win over River Hill

150
Points scored by Old Mill in its last three games

225
Yards gained by Westminster on the ground in a 42-12 win over North Carroll a week after gaining 422 in the air to beat Linganore

2000
Last time River Hill dropped back-to-back games before falling to Atholton last week and Hammond on Friday

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

After four weeks of competition, a dozen local football teams remain undefeated. Four teams – Archbishop Spalding, Edmondson, Joppatowne and St. Mary’s – suffered their first losses this weekend. Those who continue to boast a zero in the L column kept their records perfect in a variety of ways. Here’s a look.

NO QUESTION
No. 2 Calvert Hall 41, Coolidge, D.C. 7
The Cardinals used their bench liberally all game long and scored their first touchdown less than two minutes into the game when John Mooney hit Erik Evans with a five-yard touchdown pass. Back-up quarterback Mooney threw for two touchdowns and Jamal Goodman ran for two. Calvert Hall has the area’s longest active winning streak at seven games.
Next up: At Gilman on Oct. 7 at 2:30 p.m. The Cardinals have next weekend off before they head to Gilman for their MIAA A Conference opener. Calvert Hall, the defending A Conference champ, has won two straight over the Greyhounds. Last year: Calvert Hall 26, Gilman 21.

No. 3 Old Mill 49, Northeast 0
Rob Chesson scored three first-quarter touchdowns and the blitz was on. Chesson finished with four touchdowns, three rushing and one on a punt return. After a hard-fought 10-0 season-opening win over Broadneck, the Patriots outscored their next three opponents 150-16 with three shutouts.
Next up: At Meade on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Mustangs (2-2) played Arundel tight before falling 28-12 two weeks ago and dropped their season opener to Southern by a point. Last year: Old Mill 34, Meade 8.

No. 15 Catonsville 35, Franklin 7
The Comets avenged three straight losses to the Indians in a big way. Sean Lipscomb forced a fumble on the Indians’ first play from scrimmage, resulting in an Aaron Jones to Deniko Carter 24-yard touchdown pass two plays later. D’Andre Lane ran for 135 of the Comets rushing yards.
Next up: Hereford at home Friday at 7 p.m. The Comets continue through the heart of their Baltimore County Class 4A-3A schedule with the always-competitive Bulls (2-2), who are coming off a big 26-6 win over Eastern Tech. Last meeting: Hereford 23, Catonsville 0 in 2008.

Aberdeen 36, Joppatowne 0
The Eagles went 1-9 last season, but new coach Johnny Brooks, who took Havre de Grace to the state Class 1A title game last fall, has them flying high. Quintel Kelly caused a fumble, Eric Briggs caught it in the air and ran about 65 yards for the opening touchdown as they dealt the Mariners their first loss of the season. Quarterback Kenny Faulcon then threw for four touchdowns as the Eagles offense continues to roll, averaging 40 points per game.
Next up: North Harford at home Friday at 7 p.m. In a battle of what could be Harford County’s top two teams, the Eagles will try to keep their offense rolling as their defense attempts to thwart the Hawks’ option offense. Last year: North Harford 42. Aberdeen 6.

Glenelg 41, Oakland Mills 14
Nick Crabill scored two of the Gladiators three first-quarter touchdowns, including one on an 83-yard kickoff return to get his team off to a fast start. The junior running back finished with three rushing touchdowns. With four wins, the Gladiators are just one away from matching last season’s win total.
Next up: At Hammond on Friday at 7 p.m. in next weekend’s only matchup of unbeaten teams, While the Gladiators are officially unbeaten thanks to Atholton having to forfeit its season opener (which the Raiders won 39-0 on the field), they have a convincing 28-0 win over Wilde Lake. Last season: Hammond 26, Glenelg 14.

WHEW!!
No. 5 Arundel 31, South River 30
South River’s two-point conversion attempt failed with about four minutes to go in the game and the Wildcats held on for the win. Arundel quarterback Cooper Hibbs threw three first-half interceptions, but settled down to score two third-quarter touchdowns, including an 11-yard pass to Dillon Tighe, which held up as the game winner. The win kept the Wildcats on pace for a potential showdown of undefeated teams when they host Old Mill on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Up next: At North County on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Knights are 2-2, but suffered a 67-0 loss to Old Mill two weeks ago. Last meeting: Arundel 50, North County 34 in 2008.

No. 13 Hammond 12, No. 8 River Hill 9
The Harford County rivals slugged it out in the mud as the Golden Bears scored their second win over River Hill in as many seasons. The two shared the county title last season, but the Bears have the upper hand now after winning a ball-control game in which the Hawks turned it over six times. Akili Moore had two interceptions and ran one back 100 yards for the first touchdown.
Next up: Glenelg at home Friday at 7 p.m. The Gladiators are also 4-0 thanks to Atholton’s season-opening forfeit and this matchup will determine who reigns alone atop the Howard County standings. Last season: Hammond 26, Glenelg 14.

Fallston 21, Bel Air 14
In a rain-soaked game on the artificial turf at Bel Air, the Cougars scored all of their points in the first half, getting on the board initially with John Hetterman’s 53-yard pass to Ryan Umpleby.
Next up: Havre de Grace at home Friday at 7 p.m. The Warriors reached the state Class 1A final last season and are 3-1. Last year: Havre de Grace 41, Fallston 27.

Overlea 12, Randallstown 8
The Falcons fell behind 8-6 with four minutes to go, but Kevin Berry hit Ashantee Washington on a post pattern with 39 seconds left for the game winner. Dequan Pettway, who caught a 44-yard pass from Berry to set up the final touchdown, intercepted a pass on the Rams next series to preserve the win. Overlea coach Craig Rollins said this is the first 4-0 start for the Falcons since the 1990s.
Next up: C. Milton Wright at home Saturday at 2 p.m. The Falcons will host the Mustangs for Homecoming as both teams filled in their bye week with this out-of-county game. Last meeting: Unknown.

EVEN CLOSER THAN IT LOOKS
No. 10 Poly 12, Edmondson 0
Both stellar defenses held in the first half, but Donovan Riley picked off three passes in the second half, ran one back for a touchdown and caught a 29-yard pass from Darrell Milburn as the Engineers notched their third shutout and dealt the Red Storm its first loss in a Baltimore City Division I showdown. Poly has allowed just six points this season.
Next up: Douglass at home, Friday, 7 p.m. Poly’s defense likely will be far too much for the Ducks, who have yet to win a game although they scored on Edmondson in an 18-8 loss two weeks ago. Last meeting: Poly 36, Douglass 19 in 2007.

TOO SOON TO TELL
While every other team mentioned here is 4-0 Milford Mill and Patterson remain 3-0 after Friday afternoon’s rainouts. Both games are rescheduled for Monday:
Millford Mill at Perry Hall, 6
Patterson Mill at Perryville (also 3-0), 6

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Rain intruded again on the fourth week of high school football, but most games were played anyway. Here are the local results for the weekend along with postponed games listed at the end:

Aberdeen 36, Joppatowne 0

Annapolis Area Christian 35, St. Mary's 13

Archbishop Curley 22, Boys' Latin 7

Arundel 31, South River 30

Atholton 24, Reservoir 14

Calvert Hall 41, Coolidge, D.C. 7

Catonsville 35, Franklin 7

Century 7, FSK 0

Chesapeake-BC 44, Lansdowne 0

City 20, Carver 6

Digital Harbor 22, Southwestern 0

Dunbar 28, Mervo 8

Elkton 29, Edgewood 0

Fallston 21, Bel Air 14

Frederick Christian 42, Friends 0

Forest Park 6, National Academy 0

Gilman 38, Georgetown Prep 8

Glen Burnie 22, Broadneck 0

Glenelg 41, Oakland Mills 14

Hammond 12, River Hill 9

Havre de Grace 8. C. Milton Wright 0

Hereford 26, Eastern Tech 6

Howard 38, Long Reach 37

Lake Clifton 14, Southside 6

Lewis 27, Du Bois 8

Loyola 35, Maryland Christian 0

Lutheran 45, Bishop Walsh 20

Manchester Valley 34, Liberty 13

McDonogh 20, Archbishop Spalding 7

Meade 15, Chesapeake.-AA 3

Mount Hebron 21, Centennial 14

Mount St. Joseph 34, Valley Forge Military, Pa. 28, OT

New Town 30, Dundalk 0

North County 18, Annapolis 7

North Harford 35, Friendly 0

Northwestern 44, Bluford Drew Jemison 0

Old Mill 49, Northeast 0

Overlea 12, Randallstown 8

Owings Mills 32, Loch Raven 0

Parkville 30, Kenwood 0

Patterson 20, Douglass 0

Poly 12, Edmondson 0

Severn 44, St. Andrew’s, Del. 23

Severna Park 52, Southern 20

Sparrows Pt. 40, Patapsco 0

Towson 15, Woodlawn 14

Western Tech 16, Dulaney 12

Westminster 42, North Carroll 14

Wilde Lake 40, Marriotts Ridge 12

The following games were postponed by rain until Monday:
Masonville Cove at Maritime Industries, 3:45
Milford Mill at Perry Hall, 6
Patterson Mill at Perryville, 6
South Carroll Winters Mill, 6

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

With four weeks in the books, here is a look at how The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 football teams fared this weekend, and who they play next.

As usual, new rankings will be in Tuesday's paper.

Ranking/Team/Record/Latest result/Next opponent
1. Gilman/3-1/Def. Georgetown Prep 38-8/Vs. Archbishop Spalding, Fri.
2. Calvert Hall/4-0/Def. Coolidge (D.C.) 41-7/At Gilman, Oct. 7
3. Old Mill/4-0/ Def. Northeast 49-0/At Meade, Fri.
4. McDonogh/3-1/Def. Archbishop Spalding 20-7/Vs. Landon, Sat.
5. Arundel/4-0/Def. South River 31-30/At North County, Fri.
6. Atholton/3-1/Def Reservoir 24-14/Vs. Marriots Ridge, Fri.
7. Dunbar/3-1/Def. Mervo 28-8/Vs. Digital Harbor, Fri.
8. River Hill/2-2/Lost to Hammond 12-9/At Wilde Lake, Fri.
9. Archbishop Spalding/3-1/Lost to McDonogh 20-7/At Gilman, Fri.
10. Poly/4-0/Def. Edmondson 12-0/Vs. Douglass, Fri.
11. Westminster/3-1/Def. North Carroll 42-14/Vs. Liberty, Fri.
12. Loyola/2-1/Def. Maryland Christian 35-0/At Fork Union, Va., Fri.
13. Hammond/4-0/Def. River Hill 12-9/Vs. Glenelg, Fri.
14. Franklin/2-2/Lost to Catonsville 35-7/Vs. Towson, Fri.
15. Catonsville/4-0/Def. Franklin 35-7/Vs. Hereford, Fri.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

High school football scores from throughout the state:

Atlantic Shores Christian, Va. 26, St. James 13

Boonsboro 28, Clear Spring 7

C.H. Flowers 14, Northwestern-PG 13

Calvert 21, La Plata 12

Calvert Hall 41, Coolidge, D.C. 7

Central 20, Fairmont Heights 6

Chesapeake-BC 44, Lansdowne 0

DuVal 21, Bladensburg 12

Eleanor Roosevelt 33, Oxon Hill 0

Fort Hill 27, Allderdice, Pa. 9

Frederick Christian Academy 42, Friends 0

Good Counsel 49, Gonzaga, D.C. 7

Gwynn Park 33, Crossland 26

Howard 38, Long Reach 37

Landon 40, Riverdale Baptist 6

Largo 42, Forestville 36

Maryland School for the Deaf 36, MATHS Charter School 6

Mount St. Joseph 34, Valley Forge Military, Pa. 28, OT

Overlea 12, Randallstown 8

Owings Mills 32, Loch Raven 0

Parkdale 32, High Point 18

Poly 12, Edmondson 0

Potomac 22, Douglass-PG 14, 2OT

Reginald F. Lewis 27, Dubois 8

Severn 44, St. Andrew's, Del. 23

St. John's, D.C. 47, Bishop McNamara 16

Suitland 46, Laurel 0

Surrattsville 44, Col. Richardson 6

Towson 15, Woodlawn 14

Walter Johnson 41, Poolesville 14

Wicomico 56, Easton 7

Posted by David Selig at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Football
        

Runners compete in the boys elite race at the Bull Run Invitational Saturday. Chantilly's Sean McGorty (in purple) won the race. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)

Following are the top finishers from Saturday's races at the Bull Run Invitational at Hereford:

(For our story from the meet, click here.)

(For photos from the meet, click here.)

Boys Elite

Team scores (top 5): 1. Chantilly (Va.), 94; 2. Hereford, 96; 3. Severna Park, 97; 4. Loyola, 125; 5. Churchill, 126.
Individuals (top 10): 1. McGorty (CHA), 15:53; 2. Miller (CHA), 16:34; 3. Corbusier (LOY), 16:42; 4. Trzeciak (WOO), 16:58; 5. Andrews (OAK), 17:00; 6. Lovell (CHE), 17:04; 7. Rivera (HER), 17:07; 8. Conway (CHU), 17:11; 9. Carvalho (WM), 17:11: 10. Luckin (HER), 17:14.

Boys Large

Team scores (top 5): 1. Freedom (Va.), 90; 2. Poolesville, 132; 3. Annapolis, 149; 4. South River, 156; 5. Broadneck, 166.
Individuals (top 10): 1. Hayslett (URB), 17:03; 2. Ciattei (PH), 17:08; 3. Lichtenberg (FRE), 17:09; 4. Bullen (ANN), 17:36; 5. Weaverling (POO), 17:43; 6. Cooke (WES), 17:47; 7. Werble (POO), 17:49; 8. Sibalik (FRE), 17:50; 9. Sibalik (FRE), 17:51; 10. Shuntoff (ANN), 17:51.

Boys Medium

Team scores (top 5): 1. Einstein, 73; 2. Wilde Lake, 78; 3. Towson, 133; 4. (tie) Northern, Walkersville, 152.
Indivduals (top 10): 1. Simpson (EIN), 17:23; 2. Njerkey (WHE), 17:28; 3. H. Enerson (WL), 17:34; 4. Viorostek (WL), 17:37; 5. D. Enerson (WL), 17:45; 6. Hevey (EIN), 17:48; 7. Baginski (ROC), 17:55; 8. Cerrito (NOR), 17:56; 9. Withbone (EIN), 18:00; 10. Mulhern (PAT), 18:18.

Boys Small

Team scores (top 5): 1. Gilman, 91; 2. Williamsport, 95; 3. John Carroll, 109; 4. Bohemia Manor, 124; 5. Middletown, 190.
Individuals (top 10): 1. Hardy (WIL), 16:43; 2. Pickett (JC), 16:44; 3. McGinley (RS), 16:58; 4. Meadows (GIL), 17:16; 5. Alban (JC), 17:45; 6. Pfarr (BOM), 17:50; 7. Bowman (WIL), 17:54; 8. Wilson (NC), 17:59; 9. Zunkeler (GIL), 18:07; 10. Naylor (GIL), 18:11.

Girls Elite

Team scores (top 5): 1. Severna Park, 94; 2. Chantilly (Va.), 107; 3. Bethesda-Chevy Chase, 110; 4. Spalding, 133; 5. Hereford, 156.
Individuals (top 10): 1. Oneda (WM), 19:03; 2. Nelson (SPK), 20:23; 3. De La Paz (RM), 20:27; 4. Grossman (SH), 20:35; 5. Griffith (DUL), 20:37; 6. Carter (HER), 20:46; 7. Hayes (SPK), 20:46; 8. McUmber (BCC), 20:49; 9. Anson (SPA), 20:50; 10. Rutherford (WM), 20:53.

Girls Large

Team scores (top 5): 1. Freedom (Va.), 113; 2. Broadneck, 116; 3. Montgomery Blair, 121; 4. Churchill, 133; 5. Catonsville, 165.
Individuals (top 10): 1. Srour (CHU), 20:27; 2. Daley (CLA), 20:42; 3. D’Ottavi (MB), 20:51; 4. Eastwood (WES), 21:13; 5. Buchek (MB), 21:26; 6. Montiel (SPR), 21:28; 7. Pennello (POO), 21:35; 8. O’Toole (FRE), 21:36; 9. Young (CLA), 21:37; 10. Labatt (LEO), 21:41.

Girls Medium

Team scores (top 5): 1. Walkersville, 81; 2. C.M. Wright, 86; 3. Calvert, 90; 4. Bel Air, 101; 5. Lower Merion (Pa.), 117.
Individuals (top 10): 1. Porter (LM), 21:26; 2. Serletti (LM), 21:31; 3. Marella (DAM), 21:32; 4. English (BA), 21:51; 5. Cross (BA), 21:52; 6. Tidley (NH), 21:53; 7. Mattson (CAL), 22:06; 8. Silton (CMW), 22:10; 9. Hub (WAL), 22:13; 10. Hite (CAL), 22:21.

Girls Small

Team scores (top 5): 1. Liberty, 118; 2. South Carroll, 133; 3. Oakdale, 157; 4. Kennard-Dale (Pa.), 178; 5. Bohemia Manor, 179.
Individuals (top 10): 1. Ruppel (LOC), 20:23; 2. Zielinski (BOO), 20:39; 3. Cook (JC), 20:57; 4. Rinehart (LIB), 21:16; 5. Johnson (SMI), 21:18; 6. Bingaman (SC), 21:29; 7. Sullivan (LIB), 21:33; 8. Dodson (PER), 21:33; 9. Ryan (ODL), 21:37; 10. Krakowski (BOM), 21:53.

-- Jeff Seidel

Posted by David Selig at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Four local Friday football games had to be postponed until Monday because of -- what else? -- rain. Two involve involve undefeated teams.

Masonville Cove will play at Maritime Industries at 3:45 p.m.
Milford Mill (3-0) will play at Perry Hall at 6 p.m.
Patterson Mill (3-0) will play at Perryville (3-0) at 6 p.m.
South Carroll will play at Winters Mill at 6 p.m.

This is the second Monday game in four weeks for Milford Mill, Patterson Mill and Perryville thanks to all the rain. Perry Hall got its Week 2 game in because the Gators played at Catonsville on the artificial turf.

"I've been coaching 12 years, I played in college and I played in high school, " Patterson Mill coach Josh Mason said, "and I can't ever remember us having this much rain. We haven't had a normal week yet."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

No. 1 Gilman goes to 3-1 in football

After four games, top-ranked Gilman's sole loss in football is to a Washington-area team. After losing 26-21 to Good Counsel on Sept. 10, the Greyhounds (3-1) bounced back and beat Georgetown Prep, 38-8, on Friday.

Cyrus Jones returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and the Greyhounds never trailed. Jones caught a 40-yard touchdown pass just before halftime. He was selected as an Under Armour All-American, and the school will host a ceremony Tuesday.

DeMatha transfer Shane Cockerille threw three touchdown passes, and Gilman had three touchdowns called back.

Gilman will face No. 9 Archbishop Spalding next Saturday at 3 p.m.

No. 5 Arundel 31, South River 30: Quarterback Connor Cox completed his third touchdown pass with 3:58 left in the game to pull within 31-30, then South River went for the two-point conversion and failed as the Seahawks nearly pulled their second upset in as many weeks.

South River beat then-No. 13 Broadneck, 42-28, on Sept. 16.

South River led 24-14 at the half before the Wildcats (4-0) scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter.

Arundel's Gary Cropper opened the scoring with a 91-yard kickoff return and finished with two touchdowns. Cox completed 13 of 32 passes for 143 yards in the loss.

No. 7 Dunbar 28, Mervo 8: Aaron Haynes scored on a 63-yard interception in the third quarter and Lavar Highsmith and Jaquan Holt scored on 6-yard runs as the visiting Poets (3-1) downed the Mustangs in a soggy city league contest.

Girls volleyball

No. 5 Fallston d. Bel Air, 3-0: The visiting Bobcats' tough defense kept the first two games close before the Cougars (3-0) pulled away to win, 25-19, 25-19, 25-10.

Sisters Rachael and Anna Holehouse combined efforts in the victory: Rachael had 14 kills and Anna had 16 digs. Abby Claborn had 15 assists for Fallston.

Posted by David Selig at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Catonsville's Aaron Jones tries to get past Franklin's Malik Jackson during the Comets' 35-7 win Friday night. (Jen Rynda/Patuxent Publishing)

Friday's high school football scores from throughout the state:

Aberdeen 36, Joppatowne 0

Annapolis Area Christian 35, St. Mary's 13

Archbishop Curley 22, Boys' Latin 7

Arundel 31, South River 30

Atholton 24, Reservoir 14

Bo Manor 20, Harford Tech 6

Brunswick 35, Smithsburg 7

Bullis 45, St. John's Catholic Prep 6

Catonsville 35, Franklin 7

Century 7, FSK 0

City 20, Carver 6

Clarksburg 7, Watkins Mill 6

Digital Harbor 22, Southwestern 0

DeMatha 27, Dunbar, D.C. 19

Dunbar 28, Mervo 8

Elkton 29, Edgewood 0

Fallston 21, Bel Air 14

Gaithersburg 20, Magruder 7

Gilman 38, Georgetown Prep 8

Glen Burnie 22, Broadneck 0

Glenelg 41, Oakland Mills 14

Hammond 12, River Hill 9

Havre de Grace 8. C. Milton Wright 0

Hereford 26, Eastern Tech 6

Huntingtown 34, Lackey 0

Keyser, W.Va. 34, Alleghany 0

Lake Clifton 14, Southside 6

Linganore 47, Oakdale 6

Loyola 35, Maryland Christian 0

Manchester Valley 34, Liberty 13

McDonogh 20, Archbishop Spalding 7

McDonough 11, Great Mills 10

Meade 15, Chesa.-AA 3

Middletown 44, Frederick 0

Mountain Ridge 56, Hampshire, W.Va. 7

Mt. Hebron 21, Centennial 14

New Town 30, Dundalk 0

North County 18, Annapolis 7

North Hagerstown 43, Silver Oak Academy 18

North Harford 35, Friendly 0

Northwestern-B 44, Bluford Drew Jemison 0

Northern - G 21, Frankfort, W.Va. 14

Old Mill 49, Northeast 0

Patterson 20, Douglass-B 0

Paint Branch 34, Hubie Blake 0

Patuxent 24, North Point 10

Quince Orchard 42, Northwest 20

Severna Park 52, Southern 20

Sherwood 35, Montgomery Blair 0

Sparrows Pt. 40, Patapsco 0

Springbrook 14, Walt Whitman 0

St. Albans, D.C. 21, St. Mary's Ryken 18

Thomas Johnson 35, South Hagerstown 7

Walkersville 23, Urbana 22

Western Tech 16, Dulaney 12

Westminster 42, North Carroll 14

Wilde Lake 40, Marriotts Ridge 12

Wootton 28, Richard Montgomery 7

Posted by David Selig at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We usually stick to area high school sports news in this space, but this story out of Florida has some strong local ties.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Lake Mary Prep junior Ray Lewis III broke his own school rushing record with 384 yards and five touchdowns on 27 attempts last Friday. In doing so, the son of the All-Pro Ravens linebacker led his team to a 60-36 victory.

Lewis' previous record was 272 yards rushing in a game last season.

No word yet on whether he does the Ray Lewis Dance when he emerges from the locker room to take the field.

See the full Sentinel story here.

(Photo of Ray Lewis III by Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel)

Posted by David Selig at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Tonight's football game between Loch Raven and Owings Mills scheduled for 7 p.m. at Loch Raven has been postponed until tomorrow. The game will be played at Franklin, which has a turf field, at 11:30 a.m.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

A number of Friday's events have been postponed in Howard County because of inclement weather.

Here's a rundown with the makeup dates:

Mount Hebron at Wilde Lake field hockey is now scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26 -- varsity at 3:30 p.m., followed junior varsity at 5.

Mount Hebron at Wilde Lake boys soccer is now scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26 -- time to be announced.

Glenelg at River Hill girls soccer is now scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26 -- junior varsity at 4 p.m., followed by varsity at 5:30.

River Hill-Glenelg field hockey is rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 28 -- varsity at Glenelg and junior varsity at River Hill with both games at 3:30 p.m.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A roundup of notable games from throughout the area Thursday:

The No. 3 Garrison Forest field hockey team enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 lead in the first half, before visiting North Harford threatened with four corners in the second half.

But, the Grizzlies (8-1) led by a two-goal performance by Geagy Pritchard beat the Hawks, 2-1, Thursday.

North Harford pulled within one at the 13:40 mark of the second half, but Grizzlies keeper Megan Rossi made 13 saves.

No. 7 Century 4, Francis Scott Key 0: Steffie Pfisterer recorded her sixth shutout for the visiting Knights (6-0).

Sisters Alli and Abby Remenapp combined efforts with Alli having a goal and two assists and Abby scoring twice.

No. 11 Dulaney 3, Towson 1: McKenna Bolonda scored twice to power the Lions (3-2) past the Generals (3-4).

No. 14 Notre Dame Prep 2, McDonogh 1, OT: Anne Federico scored twice, including the game-winner in overtime, to lift the host Blazers (2-2) over the Eagles.

Ronnie Bridges made six saves for NDP.

Boys soccer

No. 9 River Hill 1, Glenelg 0, OT: Keith Huber scored the game-winner three minutes into overtime for the host Hawks (6-1).

Tomi Williams had a long throw-in into the box where the loose ball kicked out to right side. Huber one-timed the ball into the net.

Nick Voyton made seven saves for River Hill.

Girls soccer

No. 11 Marriotts Ridge 5, Hammond 0: Alexandra McKay had a goal and an assist and Taylor Hensh and Melanie Tresnak each scored twice to power the Mustangs (2-1) past the Bears.

Girls volleyball

No. 7 Centennial d. Howard, 3-2: The Lions pushed hard forcing five sets, but the Eagles prevailed. Trisha Mockapetris had 15 kills and Jessie Link had 10 killls and three aces for Centennial, who won 25-12, 25-22, 24-26, 17-25, 15-8.

No. 11 Mount Hebron d. Wilde Lake, 3-1: Paige Coolahan had 11 kills and Shelley Hynson had seven roof blocks to power the host Vikings (2-1).

Mount Hebron won, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 25-15.

No. 13 Severna Park d. Northeast, 3-0: Kim Bell had 27 asssists, four kills and eight aces to power the host Falcons (3-1) past the Eagles.

Severna Park won, 25-5, 25-8, 25-17.

Posted by David Selig at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Gilman senior lacrosse standout Gordie Koerber, who helped lead the Greyhounds to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship last spring, has committed to play at the University of Denver.

An emerging national power, Denver reached the national semifinals this past spring.

"I had a great time on my visit, and the coaches made me feel very welcome and part of the team," Koerber said Thursday. "They're a great team, and with the success they had last year, I'm grateful to have the chance to be a part of it and build on last year."

As a junior, Koerber scored four goals in Gilman's 13-8 championship victory over Calvert Hall, earning the Greyhounds the area's No. 1 ranking with a 13-5 mark. It was his first year as a starter and second on varsity, and he finished with 31 goals and seven assists.

In July, Koerber was selected to participate in the prestigious Warrior 40 national camp at Harvard, which features the top 40 high school players in the country.

At the time, he said he had gotten only limited interest from Division-I teams, but he held out hope that a major program would recruit him.

Denver finished last season ranked No. 4 in the country with a 15-3 record. The Pioneers had their second straight perfect season in the Eastern College Athletic Conference and also won the inaugural ECAC tournament title.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Archbishop Spalding's football team will hold a fund raiser for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network as part of Friday's night's MIAA A Conference home game with McDonogh.

Spalding coach Mike Whittles (left) is battling stage four pancreatic cancer and the players, coaches, parents and fans of the team have rallied around their coach for the last 13 years.

"I think everyone gets a purple ribbon that comes in, just to make people aware of it," Whittles, 57, said. "Frankly, my life got turned upside down when I got diagnosed. Everything changed.

"People shouldn't have to go through this. You shouldn't find out you have pancreatic cancer at stage three or stage four. Nobody finds out they have stage one pancreatic cancer and there's something wrong with that. It's always in the latter stages and that's why there's such a high mortality rate."

Whittle said just four percent of the money raised by the American Cancer Society goes to pancreatic cancer research, but that only about 20 percent of those diagnosed survive the first year and only five percent survive past the third year, so he said he's grateful to those who are running Friday night's fundraiser.

Chemotherapy hasn't kept Whittles off the sideline, and he's looking forward to taking the No. 9 Cavaliers into their home opener against No. 4 McDonogh, a team they haven't played in about 10 years. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

"I just made up my mind that as long as I've got a life to live, I'm going to live my live and just be a good husband and father and a mentor to these young people," he said. "If that's what God wants me to do, so be it. I think that's why he hasn't taken me yet."

In addition to the purple ribbons, there will be purple T-shirts and wristbands on sale. Whittles said the T-shirts have "Archbishop Spalding Football 2011" on the front and one of his favorite sayings, "Make every day count" on the back.

See our "Coachspeak" interview with Mike Whittles from last month.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

A roundup of notable games from around the area Wednesday:

Reid Hawkins scored the game-winning goal with three minutes remaining to lift the host No. 2 Archbishop Curley boys soccer team to a 3-2 victory over No. 4 Loyola on Wednesday.

The Friars improved to 7-1, and the Dons fell to 3-1-1.

Mike Sauers, who scored earlier on a penalty kick, played the ball into the box, and it was flicked to the far post. Hawkins one-timed the ball in.

Loyola trailed 2-1 before Jamie Dubyoski tied the score with 12 minutes left.

No. 3 McDonogh 4, John Carroll 0: Trevor Britton made three saves in his sixth shutout for the visiting Eagles (6-1-1).

Wake Forest-bound senior Mike Gamble and Malcolm Harris each scored twice for McDonogh, which led 2-0 at the break.

No. 12 Fallston 7, Aberdeen 2: James Glezen, Chris Lievenvag and Zach Martin each had a goal and an assist for the host Cougars (4-1-1).

No. 14 Calvert Hall 3, Archbishop Spalding 1: The host Cardinals (2-2) used goals from Gabe Durastanti, Ben Green and Jake Bender to beat the Cavaliers.

Calvert Hall led 1-0 at the half.

Northwestern 8, National Academy Foundation 1: Rudy Munoz scored five goals to power the host Wildcats (1-2) past the Eagles.

Girls soccer

No. 4 Archbishop Spalding 4, St. Mary's 0: Bridget Bielski had one save in her second shutout, and four Cavaliers scored goals.

No. 8 Fallston 2, Notre Dame Prep 1, 2OT: Two minutes into the second overtime, Jamie Harmon scored the game-winner from 8 yards out on a cross from Brooke Nigrin.

The Blazers' kick-and-run offense kept the Cougars on their heels during the first half. Notre Dame Prep led 1-0 before Nikki Henrickson scored with five minutes left to force overtime.

Fallston goalie Kayla Reilly made six saves.

Posted by David Selig at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In eight years as Westminster football coach, Brad Wilson has enjoyed plenty of success. His 2005 team reached the state Class 4A title game before falling to Gwynn Park, 20-14, in double overtime. The Owls finished that year with the No. 2 ranking, and Wilson was the All-Metro Coach of the Year.

Friday night, the Owls pulled off a win that Wilson said ranks "up there" with the highlights of his career as they upset Linganore, which was ranked No. 9 in the state, 32-31. That win came after a disappointing 48-14 loss to Urbana the previous week.

Wilson, 51, coached at Glen Burnie, North County and Meade before arriving at Westminster, which also made the playoffs in 2008. His Owls (2-1) head into Carroll County competition Friday night at North Carroll at 7 p.m.

As this week's Coachspeak guest, Wilson answered five questions about the Lingnaore win and the rest of the season.

How does this win over Linganore rank in your tenure at Westminster?

We’ve had some big wins. The first couple years, we did beat Urbana, did beat Linganore in a playoff game. We did get to the state championship game in 2005 and lost in double overtime and we’ve had some big wins since then, but Friday night was a big win as far as Frederick County schools have had a lot of success against Carroll County. It was good for Carroll County. It was good for Westminster High School, good for our players. I would say it’s up there. When you do this for 30 years and you try to get high school kids to believe in not only themselves individually but as a group, you teach one common goal. To see a group come together and have one common goal and work toward it, it’s refreshing to see.

How did the lessons learned from the loss to Urbana play out in the win over Linganore?

We started off with three Frederick County schools -- Tuscarora, Urbana and Linganore -- and we we take one week at a time. Anything can happen at a Friday night high school football game, so by no means are we going to downplay anybody the next seven weeks. We preach respect for each opponent, but the opponent that we fear the most is ourselves as far as not being prepared, overlooking somebody, those types of things. We had a big win against Tuscarora in our home opener, feeling pretty good about ourselves. We go to play Urbana and it’s 14-7 at halftime. They were winning. Our first offensive possession in the second half, we throw an interception and they score. Our next possession, the first play we fumble, they score a couple plays later. Then, our third third possession, we punt and they return a punt for a touchdown, so you’re talking 21 points in a span of five or six minutes. When you play good football teams, you can’t make mistakes like that and overcome them. We dug ourselves a hole. Give credit to Urbana. They’re a great football team, a good program. We feel we have just as good a team, but you can’t make those mistakes. Lessons learned? I think the lesson our kids should have learned is they can’t make mistakes and win big ball games. They knew they had to get together and we had a little bit more concentration at practice last week. We had a great feeling when we left [for Linganore]. You have to give credit to the kids. When you’re 1-1 and you lose what was considered, against Urbana, a big ball game for us -- and we just made mistakes and in the second half early, I think we started feeling sorry for ourselves -- and the kids regrouped, bounced back, that's learning a lesson. A crucial part of the [Linganore] game was they score with a minute left in the first half and it’s 14-7 and we scored with no time on the clock to make it 14-14. That was crucial going into halftime on a positive notes. Both teams were playing hard. The kids were pretty excited at that point. I think they really believed they could get it done. I think the kids wanted to prove not only to themselves, which is the most important thing, but to everyone that they’re a good football team.

Could the loss and bouncing back from it be a turning point for this team?

It could, and that’s what we’ve talked about, but they’ve got to approach it the right way. If they approach each week like they did last week, it could be good. If they overlook someone, then it’s not going to be good. I used the Ravens as an example. I don’t know if I should have, but hey (laughs). You can learn from that. You have a big win, you’re on that high, you’re next opponent especially in high school -- high school kids are high school kids -- is one where they think, "They're so-and-so. They're not as good as we are." There’s been a couple situations here where we’ve had some wins and the next ball game, the kids came out flat, so that’s what we’re preaching this week. Right now it’s more keeping them mentally focused than anything physically.

You were pretty confident in the preseason that this team would do well. Why the optimism, and does this team have anything in common with your 2005 state runner-up team?

We’re athletic. We throw the ball. We have an athletic quarterback who can run and throw. We have five guys -- four receivers and a running back -- who can catch it and go at any time. We have playmakers on offense. Our offensive line, they’re starting to get good. That wasn’t a concern going in, but [they're] all new faces, and they’re starting to jell, and most importantly defensively, we return most on that side of the ball. When most people think of Westminster High School football, they think, "They throw the ball," but we take pride here in defense and we play some pretty good defense. I just thought that all the pieces were there as far as the numbers back on defense, playmakers on offense, special teams are good. We just had to put it together as a coaching staff and we have a great staff. And these kids have been doing the same thing offensively and defensively for three or four years. It’s just one of those years. Do they compare to 2005? That’s tough. Each group is different. That 2005 group was pretty special. I think this group athletically -- one through 43 -- is probably more athletic than 2005, but 2005, their work ethic and their attitude that they were not going to lose -- they didn’t care who they played, they were going to find a way -- I think that’s a difference.

How difficult is your Class 4A North region now with the addition of the Montgomery County schools and Poly?

The thing that hurts us is we’re the only 4A school in this area, whether it be this county or Frederick County, so what could hurt us is point-wise all the other 4A schools in this region are playing 4A schools. We’re playing some 3A schools, some 2A schools, some 1A schools, and when your goal is to get into the playoffs and play in a state championships game, if things don’t go your way as far as wins against the bigger schools, the 3A schools that we play, and with the wins over 1A and 2A schools, it can be tough. Those teams have to have success too, so we can get bonus points. We definitely have to win two or three of those games against the 3A schools that we play. We’re talking about the importance of it now. We’ve got seven weeks to go, but we need to win these other games and hopefully, if it goes our way that we win, they have to have success too, so we can get some bonus points. We’re behind the eight ball a little bit, because all the other schools in this region are playing 4A teams and we’re not. We don’t have one 4A team on our schedule. Our goal every year is to win the counties, win the region and get into the playoffs, but the kids know that they have to come out of those first three games with two, if not three, wins against those Frederick County teams. And there’s some good football teams in our county. South Carroll, Century and Liberty, all those schools are all more than capable of winning six, seven, eight ball games a year. We’ve just got to make sure when it’s our week that we’re focused and ready to play. We have to beat those teams in order for us to get into the playoffs.*

** To read how the playoff points system works, awarding the most points for wins over Class 4A teams and the least for wins over Class 1A teams, as well as how bonus points are determined, see the MPSSAA's regional points standings page. Check the Class 4A points standings to see that the Owls are tied for third place in Class 4A North.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Cyrus Jones will be the first 2012 Under Armour All-American to receive his honorary game jersey when the Under Armour All-America selection tour kicks off Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at an assembly at Gilman.

Jones, a versatile senior who plays wide receiver and cornerback and returns kicks for the Greyhounds, is the only player from the Baltimore area on the roster for the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game to be held Jan. 5 in St. Petersburg, Fla. He follows former teammate Darius Jennings, the 2010 All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year, who earned a spot in last year's game but could not play due to lingering effects from a concussion.

An All-Metro cornerback last fall, Jones is rated No. 34 overall in the ESPNU Top 150 and fourth in the nation as an athlete. He has not decided on his college yet. Alabama and Auburn top the list, but he is also considering Florida, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Jones has said he may wait until the Under Armour game to announce his choice.

In three games for the 2-1 Greyhounds this season, Jones has 25 carries for 282 yards and four touchdowns, eight catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns, five punt returns for 112 yards and one touchdown and five kickoff returns for 160 yards and one touchdown. On defense, he has 15 tackles and three pass breakups.

Jones is one of only two players from the state in the fifth annual Under Armour game, which showcases the nation's top 90 seniors. Potomac's Ronald Darby, who is headed for Notre Dame, is also slated to play.

Click here to see the full roster for the Under Armour All-America Game.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Patterson Mill's Deonte Alston runs during a recent game against C. Milton Wright. Patterson Mill currently holds the top spot in Class 2A East, according to the latest MPSSAA point standings. (Photo by Patuxent Publishing)

There's no question it's too early for the MPSSAA football points standings to mean a whole lot, but some teams scored valuable non-league wins that should pay off at the end of the season as more bonus points accumulate.

After three weeks, 13 Baltimore area public school teams remain undefeated, but only eight are in first place in their regions. Most of the state's 16 regions have only two or three unbeaten teams left, but the Class 2A East teams did particularly well in their early games, with six teams still sporting a 0 in the L column (Patterson Mill, Fallston and Joppatowne, along with Queen Anne's, Kent County and Wicomico).

Here are the local teams holding top spots:

Poly in Class 4A North
Old Mill in Class 4A East
Milford Mill in Class 3A North
Hammond in Class 3A East
Edmondson in Class 2A North
Glenelg in Class 2A South
Patterson Mill in Class 2A East
Overlea in Class 1A North

In addition to those already mentioned, Arundel, Catonsville and Aberdeen are undefeated, but for now they have been edged out in the points average.

To check out the rest of the regional standings and see how the points system works to determine the four finalists in each region, click here.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Mount St. Joseph, a perennial challenger for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and Maryland Independent Schools state wrestling championships, has hired Harry Barnabae as its new coach.

Barnabae, a 1977 graduate of the school, was a member of the Gaels’ first national championship team in 1976, under the leadership of coach Neil Adelberg.

“I think he’s a great choice for the job,” Adelberg said. “He’s been doing a good job with the Junior League, and he is very personable. Everyone likes him and the kids who wrestle for him love him. He has mentored many of the state’s top wrestlers.”

Barnabae, a graduate of the University of Florida, has been coaching multiple Junior League teams in the area for the last 12 years and established the MSJ Titans team two years ago.

“I’m really thrilled to be the new coach,” Barnabae said.

The only thing that leaves him cold are questions about his age and his own accomplishments.

“What is it with everyone asking my age?” he said. “Don’t you know you’re never supposed to ask an Italian man how old he is? Don’t focus on me and what I did all those years ago. That’s not important. What’s important is our track record and the impact we have on these kids as coaches, on and off the mat.”

The track record at Mount St. Joseph’s is one of the most impressive in area schools. Barnabae, who was part of the beginning of the team’s history, now steps into the shoes of the coaches who have gone before him – most recently Paul Triplett. Triplett – who won 11 A conference titles – resigned in July.

But Barnabae said he feels no pressure stepping in to the position.

“It’s funny,” he said. “It’s never really crossed my mind. I don’t think I think about championships. We’re just looking to put together a great staff and to do the best for the kids that we can. I think the pressure is alleviated when you have good people in place and good kids.”

Barnabae has put together a staff that includes:

Jay LaValley: An instructor at former Olympian Cary Kolat’s wrestling club

Greg Gold: A former state champ at MSJ who has previously been an assistant at South Carroll and St. Paul’s

Ryan Herwig: Another Mt. St. Joe state and national champion who instructs wrestling at the Blue Claw Wrestling Cub near Annapolis

Mark Hoffman: MSJ’s current admissions director, who will continue as the junior varsity coach

And Adelberg, who will help with the team’s scheduling and administrative work.

“I delegate a lot of responsibilities, so we can be good,” Barnabae said, not downplaying the feeder program he has in place through his Junior League program. “The last two years we’ve had 130 kids involved in the Junior League. I’ve had a great supportive staff there, and I’ve put together a great staff here. I’m really excited.”

Asked for his philosophy, Barnabae said it's in step with that of Mount St. Joseph.

“It centers on strong family and religious values and having high expectations for the kids,” he said. “It’s more a life philosophy, to help them become better adults as they get older.”

Posted by Sandra McKee at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Nothing near the top changed this week in the ESPN High School Maryland football state media poll, but a few new teams -- including Atholton and Archbishop Spalding -- broke into the Top 25.

Atholton jumped all the way to No. 17 after its 14-0 win over then-No. 10 River Hill. The Hawks dropped to No. 24 with the loss. Spalding came in at No. 21 after beating unranked Mount St. Joseph, 34-31.

Good Counsel still reigns, followed by Gilman at No. 2 and Calvert Hall at No. 3. Arundel is No. 6 with Dunbar at No. 12; McDonogh, 14; Old Mill, 15; Poly, 16; Loyola, 19; and Hammond, 20.

Surprisingly, Westminster did not crack the Top 25 despite its 32-31 victory over then-No. 9 Linganore, which dropped out of the poll.

To see the full rankings, visit ESPN HS Maryland.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Calvert Hall's 28-27 win over Red Lion, Del. Friday night on Da'Quan Davis' blocked extra point gave the Cardinals a boost in this week's ESPN HS East regional rankings. They jumped from No. 18 to No. 13 as the Lions, No. 13 the previous week, dropped to No. 20.

The Cardinals still trail Gilman, the top Baltimore area team in the regional poll. The Greyhounds went from No. 10 to No. 8 this week despite having the weekend off.

Don Bosco, N.J., remains No. 1 with Good Counsel, No. 2.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Catonsville's field hockey team has been showing signs of challenging for the upper echelon of the Baltimore County standings. The Comets are off to a 2-0 start and will take a step toward finding out how solid that record is this afternoon in a 3:45 p.m. showdown at No. 13 Hereford.

The Bulls are 4-0 and have four shutouts in victories that include a 6-0 win over No. 12 Patterson Mill and and a 1-0 decision against No. 9 Dulaney. Now they face Catonsville, which, so far, has been an offensive whirlwind.

"I'm really excited about this game," said Comets coach Lindsey Springer, pausing. "Anxious, really."

The Comets have scored 13 goals in two games against Patapsco and Loch Raven and haven't allowed a goal. In fact, they've seldom allowed the opposing team past the 50-yard line.

"It's been a combination of our midfield and attack working together to keep the ball in our scoring end," Lindsey Springer said. "There hasn't been much action on the defensive end, but when the ball does go over the 50, our defense has been able to stop it before getting to the circle. It's really been a team effort. We've got good versatility this year."

The Comets offense is led by freshman Emma Clark and sophomore Brooke Stevens, who have both scored more than two goals in each game; while the defense is anchored by junior Maggie Whelley and sophomore Kelly Reyman, with junior Kendall Law dropping back from midfield.

Hereford is led by senior attacker Jessica Karwacki and juniors Shannon Martello and Mary Claire Abbott.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference girls soccer showdown between No. 2 Mercy and No. 4 John Carroll on Wednesday has been moved to UMBC Stadium with the game time set for 3:30 p.m. The game, originally slated for 4 p.m. at Mercy, will be part of a doubleheader with the UMBC women's team taking on Navy at 7 p.m.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The weather finally settled down, but not much else did during a third week of high school football punctuated by upsets, including Westminster over Linganore and Atholton over River Hill. Here are some of the numbers that stood out from this week's action:

0
Points allowed by Atholton in its last two games against River Hill

1
Blocked extra point by Calvert Hall’s Da’Quan Davis to preserve a 28-27 win over Red Lion, Del.

2
Wins this season for Digital Harbor – double last season’s total

2
First downs for River Hill in its 14-0 loss to Atholton

4
Touchdowns scored by Lavon Chaney in South River’s 42-28 upset of Broadneck

4
Big plays by Dunbar’s Aaron Haynes – two interceptions and two touchdowns – in an 18-6 win over City

5
Touchdown passes thrown by Westminster quarterback Rommie Cheese in the 32-31 stunner over Linganore

6
Top 15 teams remaining unbeaten – Calvert Hall, Old Mill, Arundel, Archbishop Spalding, Poly and Hammond

8
Straight wins for Archbishop Spalding – the area’s longest active winning streak

14
Points scored in the final four minutes by Digital Harbor quarterback Dominic Barnes in the Rams' 35-34 win over Patterson on Monday

16
Teams in the Baltimore area that remain undefeated

21-10
Meade advantage in first downs in its 28-12 loss to Arundel

22
Second-half points scored by Glenelg in its 28-8 win over Wilde Lake

35
Seconds left when Lansdowne quarterback Dominick Mullin scored the game-winning touchdown in a 20-14 win over Patapsco

101
Yard punt return for a touchdown by Harford Tech’s Isaiah Gills in a 35-7 loss to Lutheran

332
Yards gained on the ground by Chesapeake-AA in its 35-26 win over Southern

919
Yards of total combined offense by Westminster and Linganore in the Owls’ 32-31 victory

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

After only the third week of competition, the number of undefeated football teams has dwindled quickly. If you look at the standings in four of the public school leagues that have begun play in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard counties and Baltimore City, you’ll find some new faces atop the leader boards and a few familiar powers missing.

In Howard County, only Hammond and Glenelg are 3-0. While Hammond’s spot at the top isn’t surprising given that the Bears shared the county title with River Hill last season, Glenelg is there thanks to a forfeit win over Atholton in the season opener. The Raiders won that game 39-0 on the field, but forfeited because of a summer practice violation. The forfeit win may have been a gift to the Gladiators, but they proved they’re staying in the race with an impressive 28-8 win Friday over defending state Class 3A champ Wilde Lake (1-2). The forfeit leaves Atholton 2-1, but it’s becoming a distant memory thanks to Friday’s 14-0 win over River Hill.

Dunbar knows a little about Atholton’s pain, although the Poets brought their forfeit loss on themselves when they cleared the bench to mix it up with Dunbar (D.C.) two weeks ago at the I-95 Kickoff Classic at Morgan State. The Poets forfeited last week’s game to Southwestern (it wasn’t played), ending the defending state Class 1A champs' 13-game winning streak. They bounced back Saturday with a defense-driven 18-6 win over City. In Baltimore City’s Division I, Poly and Edmondson are the only teams left unbeaten. That will whittle down to one after the two square off Saturday at 6 p.m. at Mervo.

Franklin is not undefeated, falling in its season opener to Wise at the I-95 Kickoff Classic, but the Indians (2-1) are unbeaten in Baltimore County’s 4A-3A Division. Their presence at the top isn't surprising, although with some rebuilding to do after reaching the state Class 3A title game last season, they still knocked off two of the county's perennial contenders -- Eastern Tech, 13-2, and Hereford, 24-19.

The division has two 3-0 teams locked at the top with the Indians, Catonsville and Milford Mill. The Comets opened with a 27-6 win over Boys’ Latin and took their first two county wins over a couple of other county contenders, Perry Hall, 32-23, and Woodlawn, 35-15. Milford Mill started with lopsided wins over Douglass and Kenwood, but turned a few heads with its 15-12 win over Parkville on Saturday. Unless Franklin continues to assert itself -- and they'll get another test Friday night at Catonsville -- this division could come down to November.

Anne Arundel County is the only county that has no surprises at the top. Arundel and Old Mill are the only unbeaten teams at 3-0. The Wildcats and the Patriots could decide the county title with their Oct. 6 meeting, but a handful of other teams are keeping the standings roiling as they wait for their crack at the top two. South River beat Broadneck, 42-38, this week after losing to Southern, 25-24. Southern lost to Chesapeake, 35-26, this week after posting one-point wins over Meade and South River. Chesapeake stumbled in its first two games, falling 36-7 to South River and 34-7 to Broadneck before beating Southern. Don’t count Broadneck out – the Bruins came within 10-0 of Old Mill in the season opener and then blew out Chesapeake before falling to South River.

League competition begins next weekend in Carroll and Harford counties and, with a few exceptions, in the MIAA.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The third weekend of high school football ran without weather disruption for a change. Here are the local results for the weekend:

Aberdeen 24, Elkton 17
Annapolis Area Christian 56, John Carroll 18
Arundel 28, Meade 12
Atholton 14, River Hill 0
Brunswick 67, North Carroll 14
Calvert Hall 28, Red Lion, Del. 27
Catonsville 35, Woodlawn 15
Catoctin 36, FSK 0
Chesapeake-AA 35, Southern-AA 26
Curley 32, Owings Mills 6
C. Milton Wright 13, North East 6
Delmar, Del. 35, St. Frances 0
Dunbar 18, City 6
Du Bois 14, Lake Clifton 6
Eastern Tech 47, Kenwood 14
Edmondson 18, Douglass 8
Fallston 34, Rising Sun 26
Forest Park 14, Lewis 12
Franklin 24, Hereford 19
Glenelg 28, Wilde Lake 8
Hammond 34, Centennial 7

Havre de Grace 34, Bo Manor 6
Howard 35, Mt. Hebron 7
John Paul the Great, Va. 32, Pallotti 13
Joppatowne 28, Edgewood 24
Lansdowne 20, Patapsco 14
Long Reach 32, Reservoir 20
Lutheran 35, Harford Tech 7
Maryland Christian 58, Central Maryland Christian 6
Manchester Valley 25, Smithsburg 20
McDonogh 31, Boys Latin 0
Mervo 30, Southwestern 6
Middletown 34, South Carroll 7
Milford Mill 15, Parkville 12
National Academy 26, Masonville Cove 0
New Town 34, Chesapeake-BC 0
Northeast 34, Glen Burnie 12
Northwestern 40, Maritime 0
Oakland Mills 27, Marriotts Ridge 20
Old Mill 67, North County 0
Overlea 25, Dulaney 16
Patterson 20, Carver 6
Patterson Mill 9, Bel Air 7
Perry Hall 49, Towson 0
Pikesville 24, Randallstown 0
Poly 20, Digital Harbor 6
Severna Park 34, Annapolis 0
South River 42, Broadneck 28
Southside 16, Bluford Drew Jemison 0
Spalding 34, Mount St. Joseph 31
St. Mary’s 35, Central 8
St. Paul’s 28, North Harford 13
Urbana 37, Century 0
Walkersville 48, Liberty 7
Western Tech 8, Loch Raven 6
Westminster 32, Linganore 31
Winters Mill 12, Frederick 0

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Here is a look at how The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 football teams fared this weekend, and who's up next:

Ranking/Team/Record/Latest result/Next opponent/
1. Gilman/2-1/Did not play/At Georgetown Prep, Fri./
2. Calvert Hall/3-0/Def. Red Lion Christian (Del.) 28-27/Vs. Coolidge (D.C.), Sat./
3. River Hill/2-1/Lost to Atholton 14-0/At Hammond, Fri./
4. Old Mill/3-0/Def. North County 67-0/ Vs. Northeast, Fri./
5. McDonogh2-1/Def. Boys’ Latin 31-0/At Spalding, Fri./
6. Arundel/3-0/Def. Meade 28-12/Vs. South River, Fri./
7. Dunbar/2-1/Def. City 18-6/At Mervo, Fri./
8. Archbishop Spalding/3-0/Def. Mount St. Joseph 34-31/Vs. McDonogh, Fri./
9. Poly/3-0/Def. Digital Harbor 20-6/Vs. Edmondson, Sat./
10. Loyola/1-1/Did not play/Vs. Maryland Christian, Fri./
11. Atholton/2-1/Def. River Hill 14-0./Vs. Reservoir, Fri./
12. Hammond/3-0/Def. Centennial 34-7/Vs. River Hill, Fri./
13. Broadneck/1-2/Lost to South River 42-28/Vs. Glen Burnie, Fri./
14. Wilde Lake/1-2/Lost to Glenelg 28-8/At Marriotts Ridge, Fri./
15. Franklin/2-1/Def. Hereford 24-19/At Catonsville, Fri./

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Maryland Christian's William Carlton (left) dives in as teammate Evan Wilt recovers a fumble in the end zone during the Saints' 58-6 win over the Central Maryland Crusaders on Saturday. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)

A roundup of notable area high school games from Saturday:

Quarterback Christian DiPaola threw for three touchdowns and returned a punt for another as the host Maryland Christian beat Central Maryland Christian, 58-6, in the battle of local home-school football teams at Beachmont Christian Camp in Kingsville.

Josiah Avery caught a 72-yard touchdown pass, kicked a 32-yard field goal and made seven extra points.

The Saints, defending National Homeschool Football Association champions, took a 51-0 lead when DiPaola hit Evan Wilt with a 27-yard touchdown pass less than three minutes into the third quarter. The Crusaders, based in Carroll County, got a 12-yard touchdown run from quarterback Will Dalton early in the fourth quarter.

No. 8 Archbishop Spalding 34, Mount St. Joseph 31: The visiting Cavaliers (3-0) trailed the Gaels (1-1) 17-7 at the half before scoring 27 unanswered points in the second half. D.J. Smith had 24 carries for 167 yards for Spalding and Mike Williams blocked a punt in the third quarter that Connor Pequigney returned 35-yards for a touchdown.

Boys soccer

No. 2 Gilman 2, C. Milton Wright 0: Andrew Harris made three saves to reguster his sixth shutout of the season. Connor Hankin opened the scoring in the first minute of play before Tanner Vostik added an insurance goal at the halfway mark of the first half.

No. 3 Loyola 3, Lower Dauphin (Pa.) 2: John Jlopleh had a goal and an assist to lead the host Dons (4-0) past the Falcons.

Jeremy DeGraffenreidt and Peter Gagnon added single goals for Loyola.

Bowie 2, No. 13 Broadneck 0: The visiting Bulldogs scored 25 minutes into the second half on a restart and added another quick goal to shut out the Bruins (2-3).

Posted by David Selig at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

A roundup from some other notable high school games in various sports Friday night:

Girls soccer

No. 9 C. Milton Wright 4, Maryvale 0: Goals were scored by Angela Kuhn, Liz Burgee, Kathy Kamnerer and Lauren Haggerty as the host Mustangs (2-2) shut out the Lions. C.M. Wright outshot Maryvale 16-5.

Boys soccer

No. 1 McDonogh 5, No. Mount St. Joe 0: Mike Gamble scored three goals and Malcolm Harris contributed three assists as the visiting Eagles (5-1-1) blanked the Gaels (3-2-1) in league play yesterday. Also, Matt Sanchez had three saves.

No. 2 Gilman 2, No. 9 Archbishop Curley 1: Both the Greyhounds (6-0-1) and Friars (5-1) came off emotional wins on Wednesday with Gilman beating No. Calvert Hall and Curley upsetting No. 1 McDonogh, but the Greyhounds pulled out the win. Robbie Haus scored the game-winner with 20 minutes left in the game for Gilman, playing its third A Conference game of the week, like Curley.

Kenny Duckworth gave the Friars a 1-0 lead scoring on a backpost shot three minutes into the game. Gilman’s Tanner Vostik evened the score 10 minutes later.

No. 3 Loyola 4, No. 12 Archbishop Spalding 1: John Jlopleh scored twice and Sam Hanke made five saves to lead the visiting Dons (2-0-1) past the Cavaliers (4-1-1).

Loyola outshot Spalding, 20-to-7.

Field hockey

No. 3 Garrison Forest 1, No. 10 Notre Dame Prep 0: Brooke Adler scored the game-winner unassisted to lift the visiting Grizzlies (6-0) over the Blazers (3-1).

Ali Flax made five saves for Garrison and Ronnie Bridges had four for NDP.

No. 12 Patterson Mill 3, Perry Hall 0: Maddie Hedrick made seven saves to earn the shutout for the host Huskies (4-1). Linnea Gonzales had two assists.

Girls volleyball

No. 4 Towson d. Western Tech, 3-0: Emmie Healy had 11 kills to lead the Generals (4-1) past the Wolverines. Hanna Glazer added five kills for Towson.

Posted by David Selig at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Calvert Hall linebacker Delando Johnson and his teammates celebrate a 28-27 win over Delaware power Red Lion Friday night. It was the Cardinals' first night game since adding permanent lights in the offseason.

High school football scores from throughout the state on Friday night:

Albert Einstein 49, Rockville 6

Annapolis Area Christian 56, John Carroll 18

Arundel 28, Meade 12

Atholton 14, River Hill 0

Avalon 64, St. John's Catholic Prep 32

Boonsboro 36, South Hagerstown 28

Brunswick 67, North Carroll 14

Bullis 35, The Potomac School, Va. 7

Calvert Hall 28, Red Lion, Del. 27

Catonsville 35, Woodlawn 15

Chesapeake-AA 35, Southern-AA 26

Clear Spring 34, Hancock 6

Curley 32, Owings Mills 6

Damascus 49, Wootton 12

Delmar, Del. 35, St. Frances 0

Eastern Tech 47, Kenwood 14

Forest Park 14, Reginald Lewis 12

Franklin 24, Hereford 19

Gaithersburg 29, Sherwood 21

Glenelg 28, Wilde Lake 8

Good Counsel 35, Valley Forge Military, Pa. 3

Hammond 34, Centennial 7

Hampshire, W.Va. 49, Southern-G 27

Howard 35, Mt. Hebron 7

Keyser, W.Va. 30, Northern-G 19

Lackey 27, Leonardtown 15

Lutheran 35, Harford Tech 7

Manchester Valley 25, Smithsburg 20

McDonogh 31, Boys Latin 0

North Hagerstown 47, Oakdale 36

Northeast 34, Glen Burnie 12

Northwest 28, Magruder 8

Old Mill 67, North County 0

Patterson 20, Carver 6

Pikesville 24, Randallstown 0

Poly 20, Digital Harbor 6

Potomac 35, Friendly 0

Severna Park 34, Annapolis 0

South River 42, Broadneck 28

Springbrook 24, Walter Johnson 14

St. Paul’s 28, North Harford 13

T.Johnson 48, Tuscarora 0

Walkersville 48, Liberty 7

Walt Whitman 49, John F. Kennedy 14

Westlake 26, McDonough 14

Westminster 32, Linganore 31

Williamsport 21, Poolesville 15, OT

Winston Churchill 47, Bethesda 7

Winters Mill 12, Frederick 0

Posted by David Selig at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The No. 2 Loyola boys and No. 6 Spalding girls won the team titles at Friday's Knights Invitational cross country meet at Baybrook Park.

Loyola freshman Michael Wegner edged teammate Kevin Corbusier for first place. Wegner won in 15 minutes, 33.74 seconds, just ahead of Corbusier (15.34.94). The Dons put four runners in the top 11 and finished with 40 points, easily beating No. 4 Chesapeake-AA (94).

Spalding put three runners in the top 10 and finished with 50 points, beating out St. Mary's (72). Holly Cook of John Carroll won the race in 19:11.97.

For full results, visit runningmaryland.com.

-- Jeff Seidel

Posted by David Selig at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The 10th annual Bernard Reif Cup -- the soccer game featuring MIAA rivals Archbishop Curley and Calvert Hall -- will take place at 4 p.m. Friday, September 23 at Calvert Hall.

The game, which was formerly named the Alumni Cup, was originally set for 7 p.m. A reception will follow at Calvert Hall. To make reservations, email Calvert Hall coach Andy Moore at moorea@calverthall.com by Sept. 21.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

On Friday we wrote about twins Ashley Fishell-Shaffer (field hockey coach at Sparrows Point) and Emily Krich (the coach at Patapsco) preparing to face each other.

Friday afternoon, the teams played an exceptionally competitive game, with Sparrows Point emerging with a 1-0 win.

The winning goal didn't come until the final two seconds of the game, when the Pointers' Brittani LaFollette scored what her coach called "a picture-perfect goal."

"It was a hard fought game with both teams neck and neck the entire time," Fishell-Shaffer said. "There is always something special about the games we play against one another, and I think what was our greatest accomplishment was that some players from both teams enjoyed pizza provided by Emily and my mother [Debra Fishell is Patapsco's assistant coach] afterwards.

"We have moved passed school rivalry and are playing to be the best we can at the sport and certainly both teams achieved that yesterday. Hockey is well and alive in the Southeast Area."

Posted by Sandra McKee at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Howard County has been a gold mine when it comes to winning state titles in boys soccer -- 46 in all, with 11 different schools capturing crowns.

Reservoir, which opened in 2002, was the latest to get in the act when it claimed the Class 3A state title last season. Third-year coach Paul Linkins, a Calvert Hall and Towson University grad, is looking to build on last year's performance, using it as a starting point to develop a lengthy tradition.

With strong senior leadership provided by Colin Bonner and new talent in the mix, the No. 4 Gators are 2-0-1 as they head into Thursday night's game at Centennial. Linkins spent his first season as an assistant coach under Ivan Croft before taking over the program in 2009.

We asked Linkins five questions about laying a foundation at Reservoir, the rigors of playing in Howard County and the satisfaction that comes with winning a state title.

What are the keys for the Gators to maintain success and build its own tradition in Howard County?

I was just talking with the kids [on Wednesday] saying one of the things that's unique about Reservoir is that it doesn't have the tradition that others do because it's such a new school. It's rare when people have the opportunity to build a tradition of their own instead of following in footsteps. So it goes back to what made us successful and that's our physical style of play and not backing down from any 50-50 balls. I think it comes from the offseason workouts, the workouts in the summer and throughout the preseason. It's just thinking that you want to earn respect. I give them a speech every first day of tryouts that I call the "blue-collar athlete." I don't care how many times you can juggle or how many times you can beat somebody on the flank. It's who's hustling when I'm not watching, who's going through those 50-50 balls at all times, who's not afraid to get dirty and who's ready to step up and be a leader.

What are the benefits of playing the challenging Howard County schedule to get prepared for the playoffs?

It's almost unparalleled. Sometimes it's harder to win the county than it is to come out of your region and win a state title. It's great because you know what you're going to get every time you step out there. I think especially this year, I can't tell you if there's a frontrunner. I think there's a lot of teams that can come out on any given day that I wouldn't be surprised if one team won and the other team lost.

From a personal standpoint, what was the most gratifying thing you took from last year's success?

I don't think we were the most skilled team out there and obviously some luck played into it. But the team chemistry that was on the team all the way up from the kids that have been four-years starters down to the kids that made the team for the first time as seniors. We did a lot of building and everyone felt welcome. The other gratifying thing was [Reservoir girls soccer coach Josh Sullivan] came in about the same time as I did and we talked to each other about things and decided to come together and build it as a program instead of two separate teams. We have our meetings together, we do our fundraising together and community service. When you start doing things as a team and start building that sense of community, it's nice to see how the boys and the girls ended up responding.

As far as finding your coaching identity, who have you looked up to?

I had the chance to work with Ivan Croft the first year and I kind of picked from others, so it was kind of neat to see it all evolve. To watch Ivan and his organization and the way he thinks technically about the game was important. And then I've had the chance to work with [River Hill coach] Matt Shagogue the past three years coaching club ball together. So being able to to bounce ideas off each other all the time and having Josh [Sullivan] right there and my coaching staff as well -- I love it. I've been able to hear all these people and build from there knowledge and kind of take bits and pieces and put it all together. i just think I'm extremely fortunate with the path I've been able to take.

What will be some keys for the team to repeat as state champions?

That's a tough question. One thing is staying healthy and another is staying with the foundation of what Reservoir soccer really is. That's playing with that physical nature knowing we're always the hunter, that we're always going after people and we don't get complacent. I think it's also going to take some younger kids to step up. The past couple games, I've started two freshmen and a sophomore, so it's really them getting comfortable at the varsity level and trying to get them on the same page to build around those senior leaders for us to take another run at things.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Brian Van Deusen has been one of the area’s most successful football coaches since he took over the River Hill program from his father, Don Van Deusen, in 2000. Under the younger Van Deusen, the Hawks have won two state championships, five regional championships and eight straight Howard County championships (sharing it last season with Hammond). They had a run of 48 straight county wins before Atholton ended the streak last fall.

Van Deusen, the 2007 All-Metro Coach of the Year, graduated from Atholton in 1992 and was the Howard County Player of the Year in football and baseball. A quarterback, he went on to play football at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in Westminster.

With a rematch looming Friday night at home against Atholton -- their first meeting since the Raiders’ 10-0 victory in October -- Van Deusen, 37, has guided his team to a 2-0 start. As this week’s football Coachspeak guest, we asked Van Deusen to answer five questions about being a coach’s son, the success of his program and the quick turn-around after beating Long Reach, 35-14, on Monday.

Did you always want to be a football coach, growing up watching your dad coach?

Yeah, I think I always wanted to be a coach. Actually, baseball was probably my favorite sport growing up. I wasn’t very big. In high school my freshman year, I was about 5-foot-2 and 92 pounds. I actually didn’t play football until my 9th grade year and went on and did pretty well my senior year in high school and went on to play at Western Maryland. Early on, I was thinking I was more interested in baseball, but getting to college and having that experience, at that point was the time I realized I wanted to be a teacher and a coach. Growing up with my dad coaching at Atholton – he was coaching football, basketball and baseball in the 80s – if I wanted to see my dad, I had to go up to school. In the spring, I was the bat boy and in the fall, I was the ball boy, so that was my chance to hang out with my dad and the guys at school. It was a great experience. There were several great coaches I had at Atholton and a lot of stuff I do today is because of the coaches I had over there.

As a high school and college quarterback, you had good passing numbers. How did your coaching philosophy develop into one of primarily running the ball?

That’s kind of an interesting story. In high school, we went to the run-and-shoot and when I got to Western Maryland, we had a new coach come in, coach Tim Keating who’s still there. He also brought in the run-and-shoot, so personally as a quarterback, I loved throwing the ball. There was one game in particular in college where we threw it 67 times. That was pretty cool. When I got into coaching, early on we tried to throw the ball a good amount. In the first couple years, we were a little outmanned because it was a new school without many seniors. We were in a situation where we almost had to throw the ball. But the more and more I got into it, I realized that we’ve got to be able to run the ball. First of all, we’ve got to be able to stop the run on defense. In high school football, if you can run the ball – because we don’t have turf fields right now and we play several games in the rain and mud – you can control things a little better and when we get to the playoffs in November and December, it gets tougher to throw the ball, so our philosophy has changed over the years to where we’re definitely a run-first team. We feel in those tight games against the good teams that you’ve got to be able to control the line of scrimmage and you do that by running.

How are you able to sustain such a strong program that has contended for a final four berth every year for a decade?

There’s a lot of things. The first thing you look at is consistency in the coaching staff. That’s huge and fortunately, we’ve had the same JV coaches now, most of them, for eight or nine years. We don’t bring many younger kids up (to varsity), so we like to use that JV team as a developmental team and get those guys to experience winning and we really stress the fundamentals with them. We make sure the JV is run in our system so when the get to us, they’ve had two years in that system and we can expand on it from there. It all starts there and on varsity, we’ve had almost the same group of coaches for the last decade as well, so that consistency is big. I think another reason is the off-season work that we do. As soon as our season’s over in December or after the state championship, we’re in the weight room four days a week all the way until Aug. 15. That commitment to year-round training and four days a week lifting and running, that certainly puts them in good shape in August and gets our kids bigger, faster, stronger. And another thing, I think, is we’ve been able to establish a good, sound offensive and defensive scheme that’s flexible and we’ve spent the last eight years as county champs, so we’ve been able to adapt to our personnel with an offense and defense that can get the most out of our players.

What makes River Hill-Atholton such a great football rivalry?

You can go back to five or six years with Matt Winger and some of those guys they had when they were making the playoffs two or three years, so they’ve had a pretty good five or six years. A couple years ago with Matt Robinson and (Kalvin) Seamonson, they were pretty talented. We had to get through them twice to win the regional championship and they were close games. I think, all in all, the whole county has really gotten tough in the last three or four years with some new coaches (coming) in that have really stepped up their off-season training. I think the coaching’s gotten better and last year, we get upset (13-7 by Wilde Lake in the regional semifinal) and then Wilde Lake goes on to beat Damascus and win the state championship, so the county in general is getting tougher and tougher. Each week, you’ve got to come ready to play. Atholton, in particular, I think is just so close. We kind of share some of the kids. A lot of the kids are friends. They went to middle school together growing up and so they know each other and that kind of creates a rivalry there.

What is the challenge in preparing for a Friday game after you’ve just played on Monday?

It’s tough. Fortunately, everybody is in the same position in our county. It’s tough getting three days in. Tuesday after just playing a game on Monday, the kids were banged up and sore, so there wasn’t a whole lot we could do other than a walk through and watch some film. We’ve just been trying to catch these guys up as quick as we can with the game plan and watch a good amount of film. You can’t do a whole lot of hitting over these three days. You want to make sure they’re fresh for Friday. It’s just more the mental stuff and polishing up some stuff from last week. Three days to prepare for Atholton is tough, but we’ll just do the best we can to get the kids prepared for Friday.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

There's a big game Thursday between Baltimore County rivals Sparrows Point and Patapsco. It's a rivalry game, but not just the usual kind.

When the two teams face off, the coaches standing on opposite sides of the field will be sisters -- twin sisters. Not that you would know it, they say, laughing.

"She's phenomenal," Sparrows Point coach Ashley Fishell-Shaffer said. "I'm the runt of the litter. But I have the better record."

"We always use the Danny DeVito, Arnold Schwarzenegger analogy of twins," Emily Knich said. "And she's right. My sister is head over heels a much better coach. She was a phenomenal player and now coach, and I was a jack of all trades."

They are 28 years old and have been working at competing high schools for the past six years. But it only last year and this year have they coached varsity teams against each other.

Ashley holds the 2-0 advantage going into today's 3:45 p.m. game at Patapsco.

"They beat us the first time last year, 3-2, in overtime," Emily said. "In the second game we played, they beat us, 2-1, in double overtime. We're due. We're definitely due."

They both attended Patapsco as students and played field hockey there for Laurie Powers, who taught them the game and translated what happened on the field to life lessons off it. They are the same lessons the twins are teaching their players.

Their mother, Debra Fishell, played field hockey, and is now Emily's assistant coach.

"The sticks have evolved since she played," Ashley said. "But the fundamentals of the game haven't. It is interesting. The referees played the game when our mother played."

"Our mom is probably more competitive than we are," Emily said. "When Ashley's team wins, she'll say, 'I'm not talking to you for 24 hours.' And truth be told, our dad takes our side, too."

Oh yes, they trash-talk. But they also support each other. On Tuesday, both their teams played. Ashley went to Emily's game, then they all came to hers, which was being played under Sparrows Point's new lights for the first time.

"Afterward, there is always a pow-wow," Ashley said. "Our coaching adds a little extra to the rivalry."

But, they both add, it's all in good fun.

"Both her kids and mine know we want them to enjoy a sport that they don't see in our area until they reach high school," Emily said. "Sparrows Point finally has a rec program, but we still don't. We do our recruiting the first week of school."

Said Ashley, "Field hockey has always been a highlight in our family, and Emily and I are thrilled that we're getting the chance to share the love we have for the game."

Both teams are 1-1 and improving. Sparrows Point, which is just starting to see the effects of a rec program in its area, played Towson for the first time in about five years, and though the score was lopsided, 5-1, the play was competitive.

And at Patapsco, the coach sees her team moving in the right direction, too.

"We were 0-12 two years ago and 6-6 last year," Emily said. "My sister's team beat us by one goal in each of our two games last year in overtime and double overtime. The year before that, Sparrows Point beat us, 9-0. We're looking forward to this game.

"I think the team who lasts 60 minutes and gets the ball in the goal will win. Our issue is that we haven't been able to get the ball in the goal enough."

Posted by Sandra McKee at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Field hockey
        

By Todd Karpovich
Special to The Baltimore Sun

A penalty kick by Mike Sauers in the sixth minute of the first overtime gave ninth-ranked Archbishop Curley a 3-2 victory over No. 1 McDonogh on Wednesday.

The penalty was set up when Kenny Duckworth played a ball to Ricky Greensfelder at the top of the box. He then dribbled through two defenders and was taken down in the penalty area. The Friars are off to a torrid start, improving to 6-0 on the season, with each victory over a ranked team.

“It was a great high school game,” Curley coach Barry Stitz said over the phone. “It’s all about matchups, and the game could have gone either way. We came out playing with them and didn’t drop 11 behind the ball. Where we are now, we have some depth. It was a good result. We did a nice job today.”

The Friars took a 2-0 lead in the first half on goals by Brad Warenicz in the 15th minute and Kyle Mizell 10 minutes later. Sauers had assists on both.

McDonogh (4-1-1) stormed back late in the first half and pulled within a one on a goal by Mike Gamble tally two minutes before halftime. Gamble struck again with nine minutes remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Defender Malcolm Harris assisted both goals.

Curley, however, continued to attack in overtime and was rewarded.

Jake Ossie had seven saves for Curley.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Friars, who host No. 2 Gilman on Friday and No. 3 Loyola on Wednesday.

Posted by David Selig at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Former Dunbar standout Tavon Austin has made his share of highlights on the football field, and now one of them is up for a national award.

The West Virginia junior's 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Marshall on Sept. 4 (see video above) has been nominated for the 2011 GEICO Play of the Year, according to the Mountaineers' team site.

The winner of the award -- as decided by fans and a panel of college football experts -- will be announced on GEICO presents Best of College Football 2011 on CBS Nov. 25 at 1:30 p.m.

For more info on the contest, visit http://www.facebook.com/bestofcollegefootball.

Obviously this is a fitting week to note Austin's accomplishments, because West Virginia visits Maryland Saturday at noon.

And, just a reminder: This season, our intrepid intern Chris Eckard will be keeping track of former local high school football stars thriving at "The Next Level" over at the Recruiting Report blog.

Posted by David Selig at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Gilman's football team held onto a spot in the ESPN High School EAST Region Top 20 poll this week with the No. 9 berth while Calvert Hall moved in at No. 18.

The Greyhounds slipped from No. 5 in the East to No. 9 after losing to Good Counsel, 26-21. Good Counsel held onto the No. 2 spot behind Don Bosco Prep, of Ramsey N.J., which is also the No. 1 team in the nationwide ESPN HS Powerade Fab 50.

Calvert Hall was unranked last week, but its 18-0 win over DeMatha banished the Stags from the regional poll and put the Cardinals at No. 18. The Cardinals' opponent at home Friday night, Red Lion Christian, Del., is ranked No. 13, holding that spot after a 41-6 win over Annapolis Area Christian Saturday.

No other Maryland teams made the East poll this week. To see which other teams made the cut, check out all the regional rankings at ESPN HS.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Annapolis Area Christian School will induct six alumni into its Athletics Hall of Fame Sept. 29 at Michael's 8th Avenue.

This year's Hall of Fame Class, the second for the Eagles program, includes:

Gina Brown, 1998 graduate, volleyball and basketball
Paige Cheek, 2003, soccer and basketball
Brian Dennstaedt, 1997, soccer and basketball
Todd Painter, 1992, soccer and wrestling
Josh Palumbo, 1996, soccer and wrestling
Ashleigh Verrillo, 2000, volleyball and basketball

This year's class will be honored at the Sept. 30th Homecoming football game against St. John's Catholic Prep at 7 p.m. at Arundel High School. For information about the Sept. 29 banquet, call 410-266-8251 or go to aacsonline.org.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

We Brown and Good Counsel remain on top of Malcolm Powers and Gilman in the ESPN HS state rankings after Saturday's 26-21 victory in Annapolis. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

Gilman's football team remained No. 2 behind Good Counsel in this week's ESPN HS Maryland High School Football State Media Poll. The top rankings were decided on the field last week as Good Counsel defeated Gilman, 26-21, in the Patriot Classic.

Calvert Hall, however is creeping up on the Greyhounds, pulling to within three points after an 18-0 defensive gem over DeMatha at the Patriot Classic.

DeMatha dropped from No. 4 to No. 7.

The Greyhounds and the Cardinals could determine the No. 2 and No. 3 rankings on the field when they meet at Gilman on Oct. 7.

River Hill, Dunbar, McDonogh, Old Mill, Poly, Loyola and Hammond all remained in the Top 15.

To see the entire poll, visit ESPNHS.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

A foundation set up in the memory of late Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart has made it possible for St. Frances Academy to open its own batting cage, which will be named for Adenhart on Saturday. (Kevin Sullivan/McClatchy-Tribune)

When St. Frances Academy won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C Conference baseball championship in 2009, coach Brian Boles was impressed by what a difference a batting cage could make.

"As we went through the playoffs, I took my team to another school before each game to use their batting cage," Boles said. "It made such a difference to get those quality reps in, and I made a vow to myself to get one for St. Frances, even if I had to pay for it myself."

As it happened, Boles didn’t have to pay for it. Instead, the batting cage came as a gift from the Nick Adenhart Memorial Foundation.

The cage has been in used since the spring of 2010, but it will be officially dedicated Saturday as the Nick Adenhart Memorial Batting Cage.

The ceremony will be held at noon near the gymnasium parking lot at St. Frances. Players and other representatives from the Los Angeles Angels players, who will be facing the Orioles here this weekend, are expected to attend.

Over several years before and after that 2009 championship season there had been promises of donations for a cage, but all of them fell through -- until Jerry Wargo, a scout for the Angels and the coach at the Southern Maryland Baseball Camp, put Boles in touch with the Adenhart family.

Adenhart, a Maryland native who graduated from Williamsport High School, was played for the Angels before he was killed at the age of 22 in an April 2009 auto accident when he was hit by a drunk driver.

After his death, Adenhart's family founded the Nick Adenhart Memorial Foundation, which helps provide financial support to youth baseball organizations. When they heard from Boles, they told him it was something they could help him with.

"In the spring of 2010 the Foundation sent us a check for $3,000," Boles said. "And we built the cage. It has been a blessing to receive that donation."

Boles said the cage allows him to be a better coach and allows his players to have quality workouts.

"Over the last two seasons we lost a lot of players from our championship team," he said. "Last season we were 6-15. Without that batting cage we might not have won a game. It helped out tremendously."

Posted by Sandra McKee at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

No. 1 Gilman may have lost its showdown against Good Counsel at the Patriot Classic on Saturday night, but the Greyhounds have already reaped some benefits from that high-profile game.

Maryland football coach Randy Edsall attended the matchup between the top two teams in the state, and on Monday he offered scholarships to Gilman's junior quarterback Shane Cockerille (above) and sophomore defensive end/wide receiver Melvin Keihn.

It's the first offer for both players, Gilman assistant coach Henry Russell said.

Cockerille -- who grew up minutes away from Gilman's campus -- transferred to the school this year after playing last season at DeMatha. Through three games, he's rushed for 414 yards and completed about 80 percent of his passes.

Russell said Edsall wasn't specific in what position the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Cockerille would be recruited to play, as he could also fit in as a defensive back or wide receiver.

"Edsall loves his toughness," said Russell, who pointed out that Cockerille also wrestles, and that his teammates call him "Tebow" because he "likes to run you over."

Russell said Edsall was impressed with Keihn's size (6-2, 220) and his speed for that frame (4.55 seconds in the 40).

Keihn was named to the U.S. Air Force 2010 Freshman All-American Team last year.

In his first year with the Terps, Edsall drew some criticism this summer for failing to make early contact with DeMatha, a traditional state power. But his attendance at Saturday's game -- and the resulting scholarship offers -- indicate that he intends to go after the best players in the region.

"He came down and talked to coach [Biff] Poggi before the game," Russell said. "It was just an honor to have him at the game. It's definitely great to have a coach that's out there recruiting our kids and our area in general. And it's exciting for Maryland fans to have a coach that wants to keep this talent here."

Gilman star athlete Cyrus Jones is also considering Maryland along with nine other schools.

Posted by David Selig at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

With the graduation of All-Metro forward Maggie Morrison leaving a scoring void that is something new to the Archbishop Spalding girls soccer team, it was impressive to see the No. 3 Cavaliers put in five goals against No. 6 River Hill in Monday's 5-4 victory.

Spalding coach Bob Dieterle -- who has had the likes of 2008 grad Christine Nairn, 2009 grad Erica Page and, more recently, Morrison to count on for steady goal production -- said Monday's goal-scoring splurge was a confidence builder that bodes well for the rest of the season.

"When you lose someone like Maggie, players are always going to ask: 'Can I step up? Can I score?'" Dieterle said. "So from a team psyche standpoint, this was a bog confidence builder because it's important to feel you can score.

Senior Mo Ostrowski, who moved up to forward from midfield as Dieterle continues to tinker with his lineup, produced two goals in the win and has three goals in the Cavaliers' 2-1 start.

While scoring may have been the primary concern going into the season for the Cavaliers, defending has become a concern with a string on injuries in back. Central defender Samantha Kirk, a converted midfielder, is the glue to the team's current patchwork defense.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Atholton's Kenny Thomas changes direction to evade Howard's Andrew Young during Monday's 28-7 Raiders victory. (Nate Pesce/Patuxent Publishing)

Here are the local football scores from games played Monday due to weather-related postponements:

Aberdeen 50, Bohemia Manor 12
Atholton 28, Howard 7
Digital Harbor 35, Patterson 34
Elkton 21, Bel Air 12
Fallston 15, Edgewood 6
Glenelg 34, Centennial 0
Hammond 38, Mount Hebron 7
Joppatowne 14, North East 6
North Harford 44, Rising Sun 7
Patterson Mill 9, C. Milton Wright 3
Perryville 34, Havre de Grace 14
Reservoir 49, Marriotts Ridge 6
River Hill 35, Long Reach 14
Tower Hill (Del.) 20, Harford Tech 19
Wilde Lake 40, Oakland Mills 7

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The Roland Park Sally E. Nyborg Invitational Tournament Saturday had one of its most competitive showings, but No. 2 Severna Park made its ranking hold up with two solid games and emerged as the only undefeated team in the event.

No. 4 Westminster started strong, stretching its unbeaten streak from last season to 20-0 with a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory against Roland Park.

But then the Owls came up against Severna Park's Falcons. The Falcons opened their season by playing Westminster in the second game of the day and scored a 2-0 shutout. From there, Severna Park went on to play Bethesda Chevy Chase, and won 3-0.

BCC beat St. Stephens and St. Agnes, 3-2, and SSSA pulled out a 1-0 victory against Roland Park.

It has been a rough, yet encouraging start for the host Reds, who have lost all three of their games in this young season by one goal margins. Roland Park opened Friday with a 2-1 loss to rival Bryn Mawr, currently ranked No. 5.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The football game between Patterson and Digital Harbor will pick up where it left off today at 3 p.m. at Poly.

Digital Harbor is leading the Clippers, 21-14, with 8:01 left in the third quarter with Patterson about to punt. Saturday night's game was suspended due to lightning.

The Rams, who finished 1-9 last season and were beaten 64-20 by the Clippers last season, are 1-0 and looking to pull the upset. The Clippers, Class 4A regional finalists last season, will have their quarterback Craig Oliver, who had not been expected to play after suffering bruised ribs in the first half Saturday night.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Gilman's football team dropped out of the ESPN High School Powerade Fab 50 rankings this week after Saturday night's 26-21 loss to Good Counsel.

The Greyhounds, ranked No. 1 in The Baltimore Sun, are 2-1 and still listed among the teams receiving votes. Last week, they were ranked No. 42, having moved up from No. 50 in the preseason poll.

Good Counsel jumped from No. 11 in the Fab 50 to No. 9 after the win at the Patriot Classic at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis. The Falcons are the only Maryland team in the Fab 50, which has Don Bosco Prep from Ramsey, N.J. ranked No. 1.

To check out the rest of the Fab 50, go to ESPNHS.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Digital Harbor football coach Keith Rudolph was not too happy about the lightning that kept flashing in the distance during the Rams’ football game Saturday night against Patterson at Poly’s stadium.

The Rams had a 21-14 lead with 8:01 left in the third quarter when the game was suspended. Patterson was about to punt on “fourth-and-a-mile” as Rudolph put it, but the lightning would not stop.

With a rule in place that requires a 20-minutes wait after you see lightning or hear thunder, the teams waited about 45 minutes before the game had to be suspended.

Rudolph and Patterson coach Corey Johnson said the lights at Poly are on a timer that automatically shuts them off at 10 p.m., so there wasn’t enough time left to finish the game. The game will be resumed Monday at Poly at a time yet to be finalized.

“It was extremely tough (to have the game suspended), because Patterson is a great team … and we just wanted to get this one,” said Rudolph, whose team finished 1-9 last season while the Clippers were Class 4A North regional finalists.

“We wanted to wait it out, but the lights go out at 10 o’clock, so it was just one of those things. We had to call it. At that point, I just wanted to get the game over with. I thought our kids had the momentum and that we could pull it out. You never know what’s going to happen Monday. We have a lot of respect for Patterson.”

Saturday night after Patterson pulled within 15-14 with 15 seconds left until halftime, Digital senior running back Marquiese Walker ran the ensuing kickoff back 80 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 Rams lead that dashed the Clippers’ momentum.

Even though they only played only a little more than half a game, the Rams showed tremendous improvement over last season when the Clippers steamrolled them, 64-20.

Rudolph, in his second season as coach, said some additional players who had been academically ineligible last season have helped make a difference.

“We had to build from within,” the coach said. “We had to get our academics together. We had quite a few athletes around the school, but they weren’t eligible. We had to go back to the drawing board, deal with the academics and build from there. Since we were able to do that, we’ve got some good talent back in good standing.”

In addition, Rudolph said the Rams’ JV is starting to produce talent and this team is senior-laden with 14 12th graders providing maturity and leadership as the Rams matched last season’s win total with a season-opening 26-7 victory over Sparrows Point.

Another boost comes from senior quarterback Dominic Barnes, who played Pop Warner football as a kid, but who had concentrated on basketball at Digital Harbor the past few years. Barnes, who has had no academic issues, is on the team for the first time and Johnson said he makes a big difference.

“He’s really a dynamic player,” Johnson said. “He broke a couple 60-yard runs on us and he’s
tough to stop.”

For the Clippers, coming off a 20-13 season-opening win over Archbishop Curley, Monday’s continuation could be a challenge, because they likely will be without their own dynamic quarterback, Craig Oliver. The senior suffered some badly bruised ribs in Saturday’s first half.

“He came out at the end of the second quarter,” Johnson said, “but the medic cleared him to go back in. He was hurting, so we probably won’t have him to finish it.”

The continuation is tentatively set for 3 p.m. Monday at Poly, but Patterson may have a conflict that could change game time. Check back later for an update.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

This has been one of the strangest weeks in recent high school football memory -- with two teams forfeiting games for infractions and a whole slate of games being postponed by last week's rains, some to be played on Monday. Still, there were plenty of numbers that stood out from weekend action. Here's a look at some of them:

0
Points allowed by Poly in its opening two games

0.03
Seconds left on the clock when Maryland Christian’s Josiah Avery kicked a field goal to edge Boys’ Latin 16-15

2
Touchdown passes thrown by City back-up quarterback T. Robinson in the second half of the 40-0 win over Douglass

2
One-point wins for Southern in its first two games, including Friday’s 25-24 nail-biter over South River

2
Teams -- Dunbar and Northwestern -- enduring forfeit losses for previous rules infractions.

2:50
Left in the game when Good Counsel stopped Gilman’s Cyrus Jones on fourth-and-1 from the 6-yard line to all but seal a 26-21 Falcons win

3
Passing touchdowns from Tyree Turner to Erik Kerns in Meade’s 45-25 win over Annapolis

4
Of Old Mill’s six touchdowns this season scored by running back Rob Chesson

4
Top 15 teams with weather-related postponements to Monday – No. 3 River Hill, No..11 Atholton, No. 12 Hammond and No. 14 Wilde Lake

5
Turnovers forced by Archbishop Spalding in a 15-12 win over Potomac

7
Top 15 teams remaining unbeaten

7.1
Seconds left when C.J. O’Brien caught a pass from Brad MacFee to give Century a 30-26 win over Oakdale

8:01
Minutes left in the third quarter with Digital Harbor leading Patterson in a game suspended Saturday might by lightening to be resumed Monday

10
Yards rushing for Westminster in a 48-14 loss to defending state Class 4A champ Urbana

14
Games in Howard and Harford counties postponed until Monday by last week’s rain

18
Consecutive wins for Annapolis Area Christian School – the area’s longest active streak ended with the Saints 41-6 loss to Red Lion Christian

73
Yards gained by Maryland Christian on its final drive to set up the game-winning field goal over Boys' Latin, which came after the Saints went 95 yards for a touchdown on their previous drive in overcoming a 15-6 deficit.

110
Points scored by Arundel in its opening two games

208

Yards rushing – and three touchdowns – in the first half for St. Mary’s Nate Lewnes in a 46-6 win over Patapsco. He finished with 298 yards.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The second weekend of high school football was disrupted by all of last week's rain with Harford and Howard county games being moved to Monday. Here are the local results for the rest of Week 2:

Archbishop Curley 13, Chesapeake-BC 12
Arundel 53, Northeast 0
Boonsboro 57, Manchester Valley 14
Broadneck 34, Chesapeake-AA 7
Calvert Hall 18, DeMatha 0
Catonsville 32, Perry Hall 23
Century 26, Oakdale 20
City 40, Douglass 0
Delmar, Del. 40, Dundalk 7
Edmondson 36, Mervo 8
Franklin 13, Eastern Tech 2
Forest Park 26, Du Bois 14
Forestville 20, Randallstown 18
Good Counsel 26, Gilman 21Hereford 42, Woodlawn 0
John Carroll 29, Dulaney 22
Loyola 26, Valley Forge, Pa. 14
Lutheran 40, Loch Raven 13
Maret, D.C. 47, Friends 2
Maryland Christian 16, Boys’ Latin 15
McDonogh 20, Archbishop Carroll, Pa. 7
Meade 45, Annapolis 25
Milford Mill 56, Kenwood 0
National Academy by fft. over Northwestern
North County 13, Glen Burnie 6
Old Mill 34, Severna Park 16
Overlea 24, New Town 18
Owings Mills 24, Sparrows Point 21 (OT)
Patuxent 21, South Carroll 14
Pikesville 22, Lansdowne 6
Pius X, Pa. 53, Mt. Carmel 15
Poly 32, Carver 0
Red Lion, Del. 41, Annapolis Area Christian 6
Reginald F. Lewis 26, Masonville Cove 6
St. Paul's 47, Western Tech 14
Severn 31, Pallotti 6
Smithsburg 14, North Carroll 0
S. Hagerstown 19, Francis Scott Key 0
Southern-AA 25, South River 24
Southwestern by fft. over Dunbar
St. Mary’s 46, Patapsco 6
Thomas Johnson 40, Liberty 10
Tuscarora 35, Winters Mill 10
Urbana 48, Westminster 14

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Here is a look at how The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 football teams fared in the first full weekend of action. Also included, a look forward to whom they play next weekend. Because all Howard County games were postponed Friday and moved to Monday, their last results are a week old.

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

Runners compete in the boys race at Saturday's Barnhart Invitational at Dulaney. (Brendan Cavanaugh/Patuxent Publishing)

Hereford's boys and girls each won titles at the Barnhart Invitational cross country meet Saturday at Dulaney.

The Hereford boys finished with a team score of 63, edging runner-up Loyola (68).

Kevin Collins led the Bulls with an eighth-place finish (16 minutes, 39 seconds), and he was closely followed by teammates Kevin Payne (9th, 16:42) and Julian Rivera (10th, 16:44).

Loyola's Kevin Corbusier won the race in 16:10.

Hereford's girls placed five girls in the top 10 to finish with 35 points, easily defeating runner-up Dulaney (56 points).

Erin Causey (4th place, 20:30) and Sara Carter (5th, 20:33) led the Bulls.

Loch Raven's Emily Ruppel won the girls race in 19:50.

For full results, visit www.runningmaryland.com.

Posted by David Selig at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Gilman fans do their best to outshout their opponents from Good Counsel during pregame warmups Saturday night. No. 1 Gilman fell to Good Counsel 26-21 in a battle of the state's top two teams as part of the Patriot Classic at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)

Saturday's high school football scores from throughout the state:

Albert Einstein 28, Wheaton 0

Bishop Ireton, Va. 35, Bullis 27

Century 26, Oakdale 20

Clear Spring 45, St. James 0

Damascus 7, Watkins Mill 0

Forestville 20, Randallstown 18

Frederick 38, North Hagerstown 30

Good Counsel 26, Gilman 21

John Carroll 29, Dulaney 22

Maret, D.C. 47, Friends 2

Maryland Christian 16, Boys' Latin 15

McDonogh 29, Archbishop Carroll, Pa. 7

Milford Mill 56, Kenwood 0

Pius X, Pa. 53, Mt. Carmel 15

Quince Orchard 42, Montgomery Blair 6

Red Lion, Del. 41, Annapolis Area Christian 6

Seneca Valley 16, Northwest - Mtg 8

Severn 31, Pallotti 6

Sherwood 17, Hubie Blake 10

Southwestern def. Dunbar by forfeit

Spalding 15, Potomac 12

St. John's Catholic Prep 24, Riverdale Baptist 17

St. Mary's 46, Patapsco 6

Thomas Johnson 40, Liberty 10

Tuscarora 35, Winters Mill 10

Urbana 48, Westminster 14

Walkersville 48, Catoctin 6

Winston Churchill 21, Walt Whitman 7

Wootton 30, John F. Kennedy 14

Posted by David Selig at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Dunbar's No. 4 football team had to forfeit Saturday's game against Southwestern as a consequence of a bench-clearing brawl that broke out in the final minutes of last weekend's game against Dunbar, D.C. at the I-95 Kickoff Classic at Morgan State.

Poets coach Lawrence Smith (right) said every player who leaves the bench in a situation like that receives a one-game suspension and too many players were suspended to field a team.

The incident happened with just under five minutes left in the Kickoff Classic game. Smith said the Poets had recovered an onside kick when an opposing player made a blind-side hit on one of the Poets. A Poets player retaliated, Smith said, and "there was a lot of pushing and shoving and it got totally out of hand."

Fans also ran onto the field and the game was called at that point The Poets took a 22-8 victory, but the game cost them what likely would have been a victory over Baltimore City foe Southwestern.

Smith said Poets officials would not appeal the suspensions, which he said are automatic under both Baltimore City and Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association rules.

"The thing is, you do things and you've got to deal with the consequences," Smith said. "It's a loss, but we'll rebound from it. It's a life lesson for the kids. These kids, they go on and some of them play in college and they will always remember this and learn from it and you hope they will use better judgement in the future."

"In football, you're going to have pushing and shoving and you have to make better decisions," added Smith, who said the Poets' focus now is to leave this behind and get ready for next week's game against City.

Dunbar, D.C. faces similar consequences and will have to forfeit its first D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association West game against Bell on Oct. 7, The Washington Post reported. Two Crimson Tide players were also to sit out Saturday's game against Southern Durham (N.C.), according to The Post.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Calvert Hall's Tony Keryakos tackles DeMatha's Darrian Butler during the Cardinals' 18-0 win Friday night at the Patriot Classic in Annapolis. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

Friday's high school football scores from throughout the state:

Arundel 53, Northeast 0

Avalon 48, Fishburne Military, Va. 0

Poly 32, Carver 0

Lutheran 40, Loch Raven 13

Broadneck 34, Chesapeake-AA 7

Calvert Hall 18, DeMatha 0

Catonsville 32, Perry Hall 23

City 40, Douglass 0

Clarksburg 29, Walter Johnson 27

Col. Richardson 48, Washington 34

Delmar, Del. 40, Dundalk 7

Edmondson-Westside 36, Mergenthaler 8

Fort Hill 42, Keyser, W.Va. 0

Franklin 13, Eastern Tech 2

Friendship, D.C. 22, Georgetown Prep 16

Gaithersburg 9, Springbrook 0

Hereford 42, Woodlawn 0

Huntingtown 35, Chopticon 0

Indian River, Del. 49, Stephen Decatur 26

James M. Bennett 20, North Caroline 14

Kent Island 55, Easton 7

Landon 29, Bishop McNamara 14

Linganore 49, Bethesda 0

Meade 45, Annapolis 25

Middletown 34, Brunswick 3

Milford Mill 56, Kenwood 0

Moorefield, W.Va. 33, Southern-G 21

Mountain Ridge 26, Hedgesville, W.Va. 12

North County 13, Glen Burnie 6

Old Mill 34, Severna Park 16

Paint Branch 19, Magruder 0

Queen Annes County 45, Cambridge/SD 21

Reginald F. Lewis 26, Masonville Cove 6

St Paul's 47, Western Tech 14

Southern-AA 25, South River 24

Posted by David Selig at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Two Dunbar (D.C.) players have been issued one-game suspensions for their roles in a fight that ended last Saturday night's game against Dunbar (Baltimore) at the I-95 Kickoff Classic, according to The Washington Post.

The fight began after an onside kick with 4:33 remaining in the Poets' 22-8 victory over the Crimson Tide.

Players from both teams ran to the scene, and fans began flooding from the stands at Morgan State's Hughes Stadium. Officials ruled to end the game at that point.

“When we looked at the video tape, their behavior was not that of a student-athlete at Dunbar,” Dunbar (D.C.) athletic director Johnnie Walker told the Post, adding that those players were the most aggressive in throwing punches during the melee.

The suspensions will be served during Saturday’s game against Southern Durham (N.C.). Walker declined to identify the players suspended, citing student confidentiality.

D.C. Public Schools interim Athletic Director Willie Jackson also ruled that Dunbar must forfeit its first D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association West game as a penalty for its role in the fight, the Post reported. The Crimson Tide will not play Bell on Oct. 7.

Posted by David Selig at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Calvert Hall boys soccer coach Andy Moore announced Friday that this will be his final season coaching the Cardinals.

Moore has been with the program for 20 years, the past 14 as head coach. In his time as head coach, Moore has a 162-82-26 record with two Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championships (2002, 2003).

In 2002, the Cardinals went 18-0 in league play to become the first team in MIAA history to complete a perfect conference season.

Moore cited spending more time with his family as the primary reason for stepping down. He
has three children that all play soccer -- Emma, 13; Grace, 11; and Peter, 9.

"My oldest daughter is going to high school next year and the thought of not being able to see her play was too much -- you just can't get that time back," Moore said. "So I'm leaving with good feelings. Obviously, you think about the championships and some of the great players you've coached, but I see it as a whole and all the great kids I've coached. It's good to feel you've had an impact on so many people's lives."

Moore teaches European History, French and Humanities at Calvert Hall and will continue to do so after stepping down as coach.

“It has been a privilege to work with Andy for the 20 years that he has coached at Calvert Hall," Calvert Hall athletic director Louis Eckerl said in a press release. "Andy has mentored his players both on and off the field. I will very much miss having Andy as our soccer coach and I will look at the process of filling the soccer position after the current season.”

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Poor field conditions have altered the Friday's opening slate of the McDonogh Invitational girls soccer tournament. The original schedule had Paul VI (Va.) taking on McDonogh and Maryvale Prep meeting Pennington (N.J.) with both games slated for 5 p.m. on two fields, but those games will not be played and, instead, Paul VI will go against Pennington with the two area teams not playing. The schedules for Saturday and Sunday remain intact.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Due to the rain and poor field conditions, no games or tournaments will be played in Howard County until Monday. Any Howard teams who have games or tournaments scheduled outside of the county this weekend can still travel and play if the events are still on. In addition to Friday's entire football schedule being moved to Monday, girls soccer tournaments at Marriotts Ridge and Glenelg have been cancelled/postponed along with field hockey tournaments at River Hill and Marriotts Ridge.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The rainy weather this week has forced many postponements, cancellations and site changes for high school sporting events through the weekend.

All sporting events in Howard and Harford counties have been suspended until Monday. No games or tournaments will be played Friday or Saturday. Football games will be played on Monday.

Here is a list of changes that will be updated as we go along:

FOOTBALL

Friday
Western Tech vs. St. Paul's, moved to St. Paul's, 4 p.m
City vs. Douglass, moved to Mervo at 6 p.m.
Milford Mill vs. Kenwood, moved to CCBC- Essex, 7 p.m.
Pikesville vs. Lansdowne, moved to Lansdowne, 7 p.m.
North Carroll vs. Smithsburg, changed to McDaniel College,Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Saturday
Patterson vs. Digital Harbor, changed to Poly, 6 p.m.

All Howard County league games have all been changed to Monday:
Oakland Mills vs. Wilde Lake, at Cedar Lane Park (Field 5), 2:30 p.m.
River Hill vs. Long Reach at Cedar Lane Park (Field 6), 2:30 p.m.
Howard vs. Atholton at Rockburn Park (Field 5), 2:30 p.m.
Hammond vs. Mount Hebron, at Rockburn Park (Field 6), 2:30 p.m.
Marriotts Ridge vs. Reservoir at Western Regional Park (Field 4), 2:30 p.m.
Glenelg vs. Centennial at Western Regional Park (Field 4), 5:30 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Thursday
No. 2 Gilman at No. 1 McDonogh, changed to Monday, 4:15 p.m.

Friday
Patterson Mill at Franklin, postponed. Makeup date, TBA
North Carroll at Owings Mills, changed to Monday 4 p.m.

Saturday
Pikesville Invitational, canceled

GIRLS SOCCER
North Carroll Tournament, postponed to Sept. 17
Marriotts Ridge Tournament, cancelled
Glenelg Tournament, Cancelled

McDonogh Tournament: McDonogh vs. Paul VI and Maryvale vs. Pennington, cancelled. Paul Vi will play Pennington Friday at 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday schedules to go on as planned.

FIELD HOCKEY

Bethesda-Chevy Chase at Broadneck, changed to Sept. 16, 7 p.m.

Saturday
North Carroll at Linganore, changed to Sept. 17, 9:30 a.m.
Sally Nyborg Invitational at Roland Park, revised schedule: Roland Park vs. Westminster, 9 a.m.; Westminster vs. Severna Park, 10:30 a.m.; Bethesda-CC vs. St.Stephen's/St. Agnes, 11:45 a.m.; Severna Park vs. BCC, 1:15 p.m.; Roland Park vs. SSSA, 1:15 p.m. (lower field )

VOLLEYBALL

Friday
North Carroll at Bel Air, changed to Sept. 12

CROSS COUNTRY

Saturday
Howard County Invitational, canceled
North Harford at Gettysburg, canceled

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Senior Mary Kate Olson and No. 1 Glenelg play in Saturday's South River Tournament, which also features No. 5 Bryn Mawr and No. 6 South River. (Jen Rynda/Patuxent Publishing)

This is the Saturday that appears to kick-start the field hockey season, as South River, Roland Park, Garrison Forest and Archbishop Spalding will attempt to host tournaments with competitive fields. (For today's story on the Roland Park tournament, click here.)

While the weather has caused postponements throughout the week -- River Hill's home tournament has been wiped out because of rain -- coaches for these tournaments hope to get these key games.

Tournament games, while counting in a team's win-loss record, do not count toward end of the season seeding for post-season play. That fact is illustrated in the quality of teams lined up to face off in the various tournaments this weekend.

"I think your tournament games should be played against strong competition," South River coach Katie Corcoran said. "It's these games that help you get ready for postseason competition, when you're going to face the best in the state."

Following is a glance at this weekend's biggest tournaments:

South River

The South River Tournament will feature the No.1-ranked team in the area, Glenelg, which will get competition from No. 5 Bryn Mawr, No. 6 South River and Holly Cross.

The event begins at 9:30 a.m. with South River facing Bryn Mawr, followed by 2A state champion Glenelg against Holly Cross at 11. The consolation game will be played at 1 p.m., followed by the championship match at 2:30 p.m.

All the games will be played on South River's turf field, said Corcoran, "because our Bermuda grass field doesn't drain well. We're playing it safe, having all the games on the turf."

The major impact of that decision is that the event will run a little longer, as the games follow each other instead of having two played at the same time. And one team, depending on who wins and loses in the second game, will have to play back-to-back.

"But I think everyone just wants to play," Corcoran said. "And we're trying to put a little more time between games two and three."

Archbishop Spalding

No 11 Spalding, 1-1, will get a good look at some of the Anne Arundel County competition when it brings a strong Broadneck team, Chesapeake and Severn together for Saturday play.

At 9:30 a.m. Spalding will face Chesapeake. Severn will play Chesapeake at 11, as the Cougars look to make an early escape. Spalding will then play Broadneck at 12:30, followed by Broadneck and Severn at 2 p.m.

Garrison Forest

No. 3 Garrison Forest, which won the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A-Conference title last season, is hosting a tournament that will feature No. 9 Dulaney, Glenelg Country School and Mt. Hebron.

Play begins at 10 a.m. with Garrison Forest facing Patterson Mill and Mt. Hebron against Dulaney on the Grizzlies two turf fields. At 12:30, the four teams will face off with the outcomes of the first two games determining the opponents.

Roland Park

At Roland Park, the Sally E. Nyborg Invitational Tournament will begin at 9 a.m. with Roland Park playing Westminster. Also in the field are Severna Park, Fallston, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and St. Stephen's and St. Agnes.

The tournament is a round-robin and does not crown a champion, choosing to play simply to honor the memory of the varsity field hockey player who died in 1998 from complications caused by lupus.

Nyborg is remembered as a player "who would play the game even if no one was watching." In this case, there is hope many will come to watch as the other purpose of the day is to raise money for Lupus research. Lupus is a disease that currently has no cure.

Instead of paying an entry fee, each team is asked to donate $150 dollars to the cause and those coming to the game are not charged admission, but asked to make donations. Bryn Mawr parents and students will also be selling concessions, with a large portion of the proceeds also being donated.

The play schedule for the day: 9 a.m. - Roland Park vs.No. 4 Westminster; 10:30 - Westminster vs, No. 2 Severna Park; 11:45 - BCC vs SSSA; 1:15 - Severna Park vs BCC;
1:15 - Roland Park vs SSSA (lower field).

Posted by Sandra McKee at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

By Glenn Graham

Most high school soccer teams in the area – boys and girls – are dealing with the same headache produced by Mother Nature in the past week or so.

The early season is supposed to be a chance for teams to get on the field against out-of-conference opposition, a vital time for teammates to connect and begin playing as one.

With the steady diet of rain forcing countless postponements as well as limiting practice time, teams aren’t getting that opportunity as much this season and many will have to begin their league games with little preparation.

Take the John Carroll girls, whose game against C. Milton Wright today was postponed, for example. The No. 4 Patriots had last weekend’s opening-season trip to New Jersey canceled – losing out on playing two valuable games.

On Monday, they were fortunate to get their game in at Bel Air – a 2-1 overtime win – because the Bobcats play on artificial turf. John Carroll coach Gary Lynch (right) can only hope the rain stops in time for his Patriots to play at Saturday’s Glenelg Tournament, their last chance to get on the field again before they host No. 1 and defending Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion McDonogh on Wednesday.

“We’re all in the same boat, but when you go up against the more experienced teams with the high-level players, it can be tough because they have so much more game-time experience and they don’t need as much time to come together,” Lynch said.

Another early-season edge goes to teams from schools with artificial turf fields, which allows them to get in more practice time and games.

Posted by Chris Korman at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Catonsville's football team got off to a hot start last weekend, using a big second half to beat MIAA B Conference contender Boys’ Latin, 27-6. That sets veteran coach Rich Hambor’s Comets up for a tough five-game stretch in Baltimore County’s 4A-3A Division, beginning with Perry Hall at home Friday night.

The Comets have reached the regional playoffs four times in Hambor’s eight years as coach, including last fall when they fell to North Harford, 15-6, in the Class 3A North region semifinal to complete a 7-4 season. This season, for the first time in Hambor's tenure, the Comets move up to Class 4A North with some new foes, including Baltimore City’s Poly, Carroll County’s Westminster and Montgomery County’s Sherwood.

An Ohio native, Hambor has been at Catonsville for 15 years and was the offensive coordinator before taking over as head coach eight years ago. He was an assistant coach at Randallstown for three years before that.

As this week’s football Coachspeak guest, we asked Hambor to answer five questions about his team, this season and Mother Nature.

What were some of the highlights of the win over Boys’ Latin and how big a win was that to open the season?

We really like to try to get that first win. It really gets the whole school year off on a good note. I think the highlight of that night was that it was a 7-6 game at halftime -- we had a turnover inside our own five yard-line to give them that touchdown -- and that at halftime our guys were believing in the system and they felt like, "We’re just going to play these whole four quarters and things are going to work out.” We scored 20 points in the fourth quarter which is just a matter of continuing to do what we do and not really making any adjustments, just having faith in the system. We’ve always been a pretty heavily run-oriented team and we mix in the pass occasionally. Our philosophy is go three or four yards at a time and drive down the field and hopefully if we get a 10- or 15-yard play here or there, it will help us out and that’s what we did against Boys’ Latin. We had a couple big plays, but for the most part were we trying to get some sustained drives.

How has your Baltimore County league schedule changed this season?

Last year, even though we were a 3A school, the county placed us in a 2A-3A league. We played half the 3As and some of the 2As. We’re still playing Eastern Tech, Franklin and Towson, but we’re picking up Hereford again after a couple years off, we’re picking up a Perry Hall, always top teams in the county and you can throw Milford and Woodlawn in the mix as well. We have as tough a five, six-game opening stretch as you can get. We have Perry Hall [Friday] then we go Woodlawn, Franklin, Hereford, Eastern Tech. No breaks anywhere on the schedule, but everybody’s playing the same schedule. It’s gong to be a meat grinder. Hopefully, we get a couple teams into the playoffs out of this conference.

Is the Baltimore County getting stronger with that 4A/3A Division and who are the teams you see contending in the “meat grinder?”

I think it’s stronger top to bottom. You look at Western Tech last year. They were 11-1, 10-0 regular season at the 1A level. Eastern Tech was in the 2A playoffs and contended for a state championship. Franklin was in the state (Class 3A) final. I think we’re so much better than we were when I got here 18 years ago, it’s amazing. In our 3A-4A league this year, I don’t see how you can count against a team like Eastern that was there last year. Franklin was in the state finals and regardless of who they lost, if you’re coming off a state finalist season, you have to bea contender to win the county at least. I would say Perry Hall, because Perry Hall has given us fits for 10 years. And Hereford. Hereford’s the best program in the county.

What’s the difference between making a run for the regional playoffs in Class 4A now as opposed to Class 3A?

Now we’ve got some teams we haven’t been in a region with before. We’ve got teams like Sherwood and Westminster that we’ve never had to worry about playoffs-wise, so we’re just doing a little more keeping our eyes on that part of the state. If we get to Week 7 and 8, maybe having to go scout a few of their games which we haven’t had to do before. We’re moving away from the Harford County opponents, the C. Milton Wrights, North Harfords. In the county now it’s going to be kind of a weird situation. We’re competing now with Kenwood, Dulaney, Perry Hall and us. We’re the only 4As in the county, so we’re not in that playoff mix with Franklin, Hereford, Eastern Tech anymore. I wouldn’t be surprised if a team in our region maybe could get in at 7-3 where I don’t think that’s going to happen in 3A (North). Being in that (county) conference, we could conceivably come in behind a team in the conference, but make the playoffs in our region depending on how things shake out statewide. It’s a little bit different approach.

Montgomery County teams in your 4A North region like Sherwood and Springbrook play almost all 4A competition, so aren’t they at an advantage with points, because you play mostly 3As?

They are at an advantage. They’re going to gain those win points right off the bat. If they beat a 4A and we beat a 3A, they get the advantage. Dulaney, which is a 4A county school, they play a 2A schedule this year. They moved down, so that’s a 4A team we’re not going to get to play. But we have to beat the teams we’re going to play. There’s only X amount of points to be had and we have to get what we can get.

Bonus Question: Have you ever experienced a season where the first month was so disrupted by Mother Nature?

I’ve been playing football since I was eight years old. That’s since 1979, and I don’t remember August and September being like this. I’m sure there are people that do. Growing up in Ohio, we have our share of terrible weather in November, but not this early. Then again, everyone’s in the same boat. One thing I told the kids last week, we opted to play our game against BL. They were more than willing to change if we wanted to, but my philosophy was we’ve been preparing for that game since we lost to North Harford. We’ve been getting ready since last November. The fact that we missed two days out of those almost 10 months wasn’t really going to affect us That’s how we approached the game. That’s how we’ll approach [Friday] if we can’t get outside [Thursday]. We actually went outside on Tuesday, but we have advantage, because we have a turf field. Even in a downpour, we can go out and use the lines and work a little bit where we wouldn’t be able to do that if we had to go on grass.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Because of the saturated ground and continuing rainfall, Friday night's football game between Centennial and Glenelg has been moved to Monday at Centennial.

The Howard County Cross Country Invitational has been canceled. No make up date is schedule.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This afternoon’s boys soccer showdown featuring No. 2 Gilman at No. 1 McDonogh has been postponed due to the inclement weather. It will be played Monday at 4:15. Last season, Gilman captured the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship with a 1-0 win over the Eagles.

Posted by Chris Korman at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Bryn Mawr field hockey coach Jeanette Budzik could not keep the happiness out of her voice as she talked about what was about to happen Friday.

"We're cutting the ribbon on our new turf field," Budzik said. "We've been waiting for this for about 20 years."

Both the school's No. 13-ranked soccer team and the No. 5 field hockey team will play on the turf Friday.

"It's so nice," Budzik said. "We've always wanted a field like this. It means the girls' stick work will really shine because they'll be able to control the ball on the surface and it means that as long as there isn't any thunder or lightning we'll be able to play our games. We've been out there practicing every day in the rain."

The Mawrtians' field hockey team will face Roland Park, under the direction of new head coach Eliza McLaren, Friday at 3:30.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It isn’t rare to see a championship team become complacent when returning to defend its title the following year. Trying to avoid just that, McDonogh girls soccer coach Harry Canellakis is challenging his IAAM A Conference champion Eagles with one of the country’s most demanding early-season schedules.

It won’t get any tougher than this weekend at the program’s own McDonogh Invitational, set to run from Friday through Sunday. The tournament features six teams in the Powerade FAB50 ESPNHS national rankings – including the top three and four of the top six schools.

The feature game takes place at 10 a.m. Sunday when host McDonogh (2-0), ranked No. 1 locally and No. 2 nationally, takes on national No. 1 Lenape from Medford, N.J.

Canellakis, who played collegiately at Kenyon College in Ohio and spent five seasons coaching at Culver Academy in Indiana, is now 30-3-3 in his third season at McDonogh. He checked in to answer seven questions in advance of the tournament (full schedule below).

With such an impressive field in this weekend’s tournament, what can fans expect to see that may be different than other tournaments?

I think with the caliber of teams, the level is going to consistently be very high. Sometimes at the high school level you get schools that keep the ball down and play, and you have other schools that just have great athletes that can score goals pretty quickly. My sense of it is that when you talk Lenape and Paul VI (N.J.) and program’s like that – these are schools that like to get the ball down and play quality soccer. So I think you’ll see some great organized teams and some great individual players as well. Overall, I think the level of competition is going to be fun to watch.

What are the benefits of playing a tough out-of-league schedule at the beginning of the season and high-level competition that play with different formations and tactics?

For us, I think it’s important the year after you win a championship to challenge the kids. What you always worry about, especially with a veteran group, is a little bit of complacency. So what we tried to do is set up a non-conference schedule that makes it not possible. Our girls are going to have to be at 100 percent to get results this weekend and that’s exactly what we wanted. There’s going to be a serious upgrade in the level of intensity in the games and we’re really comfortable in that as far as where we are in the season.

How are things different within the program after winning the championship?

We are making sure that this particular group has its own identity. We have been pretty conscious about establishing traditions within this group just so they understand they are their own group and have their own legacy that they’re going to make for themselves.

If you can identify one key to successfully defend the championship what would it be?

I think our defending has to be consistently very good, because of the quality of the opposition is always there in the IAAM A Conference. I feel pretty good about our ability to score goals in games, but our defending and the coordination within our back four is going to be very important. Part of the quality of that back four is we have a lot of kids that are great soccer players, but three of them don’t play soccer year round. They do an excellent job for us and are extremely committed to the program, but making sure they understand exactly what we are asking from them and making sure they are on the same page within one another is going to be a real key.

Having been at McDonogh for three years now, what is your impression of the soccer in the area?

I think it’s extremely strong and I was impressed from Day 1 when I met the quality of player in our own program and then was extremely impressed once we got into league play. I grew up in Northern California, and soccer there is very strong there as well. But it just seems like the concentration of good teams is in a smaller area here and it’s all right in the Baltimore/Washington metro area. The level of competition is fantastic and it’s very concentrated, which is a really exciting thing to be part of.

From a personal standpoint, what are your thoughts on the accomplishments the program made last year?

Last year was an exciting year because the program hadn’t won in 12 years. But at the same time, I have a tremendous amount of respect for what [former coach] Maurice Boylan had done in building a program up from the ground and achieving a huge amount of success, and also creating a program that people wanted to be a part of. In the first year, a lot of what I tried to do was build on the great work that was going on already. Last year was a little different in a sense where we were able to forge our own identity in the program and do some different things with training and practice points. After my first year, nine out of the 18 kids graduated from the program, so last year I felt I was working with a group that was my own.

What’s the biggest reward you get from coaching?

It’s definitely the relationship you make with your players. I also teach at the school, I like the age group I am working with, and even at my previous school, I still stay in touch with some of my players and check in to see how they are doing in their college careers. The soccer stuff is great, too. I’ve always considered myself a soccer junkie, but the relationship with my players has always been the most important thing to me.

McDonogh Invitational

Friday – Paul VI (Va.) vs. McDonogh, 5 p.m.; Maryvale Prep vs. Pennington (N.J.), 5.
Saturday – Paul VI (Va.) vs. Maryvale Prep, 8 a.m.; Paul VI (N.J.) vs. McDonogh, 10 a.m.; Bishop O’Connell (Va.) vs. Lenape (N.J.), noon; Mercy vs. Pennington, 2 p.m.
Sunday – Paul VI (Va.) vs. Paul VI (N.J.), 8 a.m.; Lenape vs. McDonogh, 10 a.m.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Gilman's football team rose to No. 42 in this week's ESPN High School Powerade Fab 50 national high school football poll.

The Greyhounds' 51-27 victory over Oscar Smith, from Chesapeake, Va., in Friday's I-95 Kickoff Classic, boosted them from No. 47 to 42.

This weekend, the Greyhounds (2-0) have a shot at making a big move in the poll when they take on Good Counsel in the Patriot Classic at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis Saturday night at 7:30. The Falcons moved from No. 19 to No. 11 in the Fab 50 after a double-overtime 24-17 win Friday over Manatee, from Bradenton, Fla.

Last season, the Greyhounds defeated Good Counsel, 28-7, in the Kickoff Classic.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

City coach George Petrides (left) and Eastern Tech's Marc Mesaros agreed to cancel their football game last Friday because so much practice time was wiped out by the weather.

The message boards lit up all weekend with opinions about whether officials at City and Eastern Tech were right to cancel Friday night's season-opening football game scheduled for CCBC-Essex, but both athletic directors stand by the decision to forgo the non-league contest for safety reasons.

Having only two days to prepare after four days without any practice at all just wasn’t enough time to get the players sufficiently ready for a football game, the coaches – City’s George Petrides and Eastern Tech’s Marc Mesaros – believed, so they opted to call off the game rather than risk injury.

“It was mutually agreed upon,” Petrides, also the Knights' athletic director, said. “The bottom line is we did what we thought was best for the kids. It was a situation where a lot of pulled muscles could occur and kids could be out for two or three weeks. Do you want that in a non-league game?”

Mesaros referred inquiries to athletic director Dave Scrivener, who said he agreed with the decision.

“It looks bad now, because everyone else did play,” Scrivener said, “but we were concerned with the health of our kids, not just how it could affect them for one game, but the ways that it could affect them for the rest of the year. Neither coach felt the necessity to play the game. Both felt, physically, their kids could be in jeopardy and no one wanted to get anyone hurt.”

Because the season had not started, the game could be canceled with no penalty to either team. Their playoff points will be determined by a nine-game schedule now instead of a 10-game schedule. Petrides said it won’t hurt either one's playoff chances.

The teams met in the Class 2A North regional final last season, with the Mavericks winning 7-6. The two could meet again in this fall's regional playoffs.

“It just bothers me that people say we were trying to avoid a loss,” Petrides said. “We scheduled each other, so weren’t trying to avoid a loss. I called them when I found out they had an opening and they accepted. It’s a two-year deal. We’re coming up there next year.”

Scrivener said the coaches first agreed to move the game to Saturday, which several other Baltimore County teams did. But Eastern Tech’s home field at CCBC-Essex was booked all day with rec games.

After the previous weekend’s washout from the remnants of Hurricane Irene, there wasn’t a free field to be found, Scrivener said. Petrides said lining up officials, security and parents to work the game were also issues because other games were already scheduled and families had Labor Day weekend plans.

Both teams scrimmaged on Friday, Aug. 26, but practices were canceled in Baltimore City and Baltimore County on Aug. 27 because of the rain from Irene. Monday and Tuesday practices were wiped out when schools were closed because of power outages. Public school teams cannot practice on Sundays.

That left only Wednesday and Thursday to prepare for Friday’s game.

“Usually, the day before a game is a walk through, so we’re talking one day of really getting in there and mixing it up after four days with no practice," said Petrides, who's in his 35th season as the Knights' coach. "It’s the first time we’ve ever been faced with that situation … where we were out of school at the beginning [of the season] like that. I didn’t feel we had enough practice and I think that was a good choice."

Both teams are in action this Friday. Eastern Tech visits Franklin at 7 p.m., and City hosts Douglass at 3:45 p.m.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Gilman quarterback Shane Cockerille runs for a touchdown last week against Oscar Smith. The Greyhounds are ranked No. 2 in the state by ESPN this week, and they face No. 1 Good Counsel on Saturday. (Steve Ruark for The Baltimore Sun)

Good Counsel remains No. 1 and Gilman, No. 2 in this week's ESPNHS Maryland High School Football State Poll. The Greyhounds take their shot at the top spot Saturday night when they play Good Counsel in the Patriot Classic at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.

To see which other Baltimore area teams landed in this week's Top 25, check out the new poll at ESPN High School.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Loyola All-Metro place kicker Jamie Dubyoski is so automatic when he steps up for a point after touchdown that he got credit for two points he didn’t even kick in Saturday’s game against DeMatha at the I-95 Kickoff Classic.

Dubyoski has been sidelined with back issues, so rookie kicker Bennett Bradley, a Dons’ volleyball player recruited by football coach Brian Abbott, stepped in and made two of three extra points. Bradley’s name was not on the roster handed out to the media, so he didn’t make it into the original box score as he should have.

When he walked out onto the Morgan State field for the first time Saturday to attempt an extra point, Bradley had never kicked in a football game. He had played rec football, but that was seven years ago and he played quarterback and safety.

“I was a little bit more nervous than I thought I was going to be actually,” he said. “Just all the pressure of it being the first game I’ve ever played and against a powerhouse like DeMatha. It was pretty frightening.”

It didn’t look that way as he nailed the extra point.

“It was a good feeling to finally get the first one out of the way and not be nervous anymore,” said Bradley, who was in the stands for the Dons game last season against DeMatha.

He missed his second attempt but hit his third, which gave Loyola a 20-14 lead although the Dons eventually would fall, 24-20.

Bradley also plays basketball and lacrosse at Loyola and plans to play lacrosse in college, but when the call came from Abbott to fill in for Dubyoski, it was too good to pass up.

“I said I’d give it a shot, help out the team,” Bradley said. “I just thought it would be a lot of fun. I know pretty much the entire team and I have a lot of free time with volleyball, so on the weekends, I can do something else.”

Stepping in as the kicker, Bradley had a few things going for him. He had been a soccer player until he switched to volleyball last fall, so he had the foot for kicking. He had also watched his brother Eddie, the Dons kicker two years ago.

Abbot said one of his assistant coaches suggested Bradley try kicking when Dubyoski’s troubles lingered.

“It was hard, but he came out and did a pretty good job,” Abbott said. “He does what we like to see in our kids. We like to see them doing more. Part of the philosophy of the school is to do more and to try to help others out when they need it. He’s living up to that.”

Dubyoski, who hit 46 of 47 extra points last season and three of four field goals, should be back soon, Abbott said. In the meantime, Bradley appears up to the challenge – and he likes it too.

Would the junior like to stick around and perhaps take over the kicking chores when Dubyoski, a senior, graduates?

“I think so, yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Football is back!

The first weekend of high school football in Baltimore featured some of the most intriguing matchups of the season thanks to the I-95 Kickoff Classic and some other non-conference rivalries. Here's a look at some of the numbers that stood out as the season kicked off:

1
Win for Aberdeen since 2009 – its season-opening 51-20 victory over Edgewood

2-2
Results for the defending state champions. Dunbar and McDonogh won; Wilde Lake and Urbana lost.

2:19
Left to play when Havre de Grace scored to nip Elkton, 8-7

3
First-half turnovers for Wilde Lake, which had only 13 turnovers in 14 games last season, during the 16-12 loss to Hammond

3
Third-quarter fumbles overcome by Winters Mill in a 17-14 win over Oakdale

3-0
Record for Baltimore-area teams in the marquee games at the I-95 Kickoff Classic: Gilman over Oscar Smith, Va., Calvert Hall over St. John’s (D.C), and Dunbar over Dunbar (D.C.)

6
Touchdowns for Arundel quarterback Cooper Hibbs (all passing) and Aberdeen’s Kenny Faulcon (five passing, one rushing)

13
Straight wins for Dunbar, the most of any local public school team

18
Straight wins for Annapolis Area Christian School, the area’s longest active streak

21
Arundel players who made defensive tackles in the 57-7 win over Annapolis

21
Unanswered points for Calvert Hall in boosting its 14-12 lead over St. Johns (D.C.) en route to a 35-18 victory

37
Total yards of offense for DuVal in Poly’s 28-0 victory

39
Points for Atholton in a shutout of Glenelg that will be forfeited for an illegal summer practice

314
Yards of offense by Gilman in the first half of the 51-38 win over Oscar Smith, Va.

441
Rushing yards gained by the Gilman duo of Cyrus Jones and Shane Cockerille against Oscar Smith

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Here are the results of the first full weekend of high school football in the Baltimore metro area:

Aberdeen 51, Edgewood 20
Annapolis Area Christian 31, Severn 14
Archbishop Spalding 21, Douglass, P.G. 8
Arundel 57, Annapolis 7
Bel Air 45, National Academy 0
Boonsboro 21, North Carroll 12
Brunswick 43, Manchester Valley 7
Buchanan, Pa. 35, Southside 12
Calvert Hall 35, St. John’s, D.C. 18
Catonsville 27, Boys' Latin 6
C. Milton Wright 40, Rising Sun 0
DeMatha 24, Loyola 20
Digital Harbor 26, Sparrows Point 7
Dulaney 26, Kenwood 20
Dunbar 22, Dunbar, D.C. 8
Edmondson 56, Spingarn 0
Fallston 35, North East 0
Frederick 42, Century 30
Friendship Collegiate, D.C. 18, Mount St. Joseph 13
Gilman 51, Oscar Smith, Va. 27
Glenelg by forfeit over Atholton
Gonzaga 17, McDonogh 14
Hammond 16, Wilde Lake 12
Havre de Grace 8, Elkton 7
Howard 41, Centennial 0
John Carroll 35, Bohemia Manor 0
Joppatowne 14, Harford Tech 10
Liberty 20, Williamsport 12
Linganore 28, South Carroll 6
Loch Raven 24, Mt. Carmel 17
Long Reach 55, Marriotts Ridge 14
Long Island Lutheran, NY 48, Balt. Lutheran 28
Maritime Industries 8, Patapsco 6
Maryland Christian 55, Fairfax Home School, Va. 0
Mervo 28, Du Bois 0
Middletown 42, Catoctin 12
Milford Mill 32, Douglass-B 16
Mount Hebron 26, Oakland Mills 0
North Harford 28, Hereford 23
Northeast 13, North County 12
New Town 44, Pikesville 6
Old Mill 10, Broadneck 0
Overlea 12, Owings Mills 6
Pallotti 40, St. John's-Catholic Prep 22
Parkville 38, Randallstown 0
Patterson 20, Archbishop Curley 13
Patterson Mill 21, Chesapeake-BC 14
Perry Hall 21, St. Paul’s 19
Poly 28, DuVal 0
River Hill 28, Reservoir 7
St. Frances 36, Buford Drew Jemiston 0
Severna Park 30, Glen Burnie 6
South River 36, Chesapeake-AA 7
Southern 15, Meade 14
Southwestern 26, Lake Clifton 6
St. Mary's 26, St. Alban's 14
Western Tech 26, Lansdowne 20
Westminster 33, Tuscarora 3
Winters Mill 17, Oakdale 14
Wise 30, Franklin 7
Woodlawn 24, Forest Park 0

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

Here is a look at how The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 football teams fared in the first full weekend of action. Also included, a look forward to whom they play next weekend.

1. Gilman/2-0/Def. Oscar Smith, Va. 51-27/Vs. Good Counsel, Sat.
2. Calvert Hall/1-0/Def. St. John’s (D.C.) 35-18/Vs. DeMatha, Fri.
3. River Hill/1-0/Def. Reservoir 28-7/At Long Reach, Fri.
4. McDonogh/0-1/Lost to Gonzaga 17-14/At Archbishop Carroll (Pa.), Sat.
5. Dunbar/1-0/Def. Dunbar (D.C.) 22-8/Vs. Southwestern, Sat.
6. Old Mill/1-0/Def. No. 15 Broadneck 10-0/At Severna Park, Fri.
7. Arundel/1-0/Def. Annapolis 57-7/Vs. Northeast, Fri.
8. Atholton/0-1/Forfeit to Glenelg./Vs. Howard, Fri.
9. Archbishop Spalding/1-0/Def. Dougalss 21-8/Vs. Potomac, Sat.
10. Poly/1-0/Def. DuVal 28-0/at Carver, Fri.
11. Franklin/0-1/Lost to Henry Wise 30-7/Vs. Eastern Tech, Fri.
12. Loyola/0-1/Lost to DeMatha 24-20/At Valley Forge (Pa.), Sat.
13. Hammond/1-0/Def. No. 14 Wilde Lake 16-12/At Mount Hebron, Fri.
14. Wilde Lake/0-1/Lost to No. 13 Hammond 16-12./Vs. Oakland Mills, Fri.
15. Broadneck/0-1/Lost to No. 6 Old Mill 10-0/Vs. Chesapeake-AA, Fri.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Left to right, Dennis Dimaio, Cam Phillips, Mark Allen and Peter Snarski go after a fumble. Phillips recovers it for DeMatha, which defeated Loyola, 24-20, Saturday. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

Saturday's scores from throughout the state:

Archbishop Spalding 21, Frederick Douglass 8

Bladensburg 33, Carver Vo- Tech 0

Bowie 41, Oxon Hill 0

Chopticon 38, Calvert 6

Crossland 30, Parkdale 0

DeMatha 24, Loyola 20

Dunbar 22, Dunbar, D.C. 8

Forestville 20, Central 0

Georgetown Prep 41, Fork Union Prep, Va. 6

Gonzaga College, D.C. 17, McDonogh 14

Gwynn Park 14, Potomac 12

Huntingtown 35, Great Mills 16

James Buchanan, Pa. 35, Southside Academy 12

Long Island Lutheran, N.Y. 48, Baltimore-Lutheran 28

Maryland Christian 55, Fairfax Home School, Va. 0

McDonough 34, Northern - Cal 5

Parkville 38, Randallstown 0

Patterson 20, Archbishop Curley 13

Patuxent 47, Thomas Stone 0

Perry Hall 21, St. Paul’s 19

Queen Annes County 54, James M. Bennett 7

Spalding 21, Douglass 8

St. James 21, Hancock 4

Surrattsville 40, Fairmont Heights 8

Westlake 21, Urbana 20

Posted by David Selig at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Matthew Centrowitz (right) poses with gold medalist Asbel Kiprop (center) and silver medalist Silas Kiplagat after their 1,500-meter final at the IAAF World Championships Saturday. (REUTERS)

Former Broadneck star Matthew Centrowitz used his patented late kick down the final straightaway to win the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter race at the IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday in Daegu, South Korea.

The 21-year-old senior at Oregon crossed the line in 3 minutes, 36.08 seconds, finishing behind Kenyans Asbel Kiprop (3:35.69) and Silas Kiplagat (3:35.92).

Centrowitz, of Arnold, Md., is the youngest American to ever medal in the event, and he was the youngest runner in the field.

“I’m still trying to figure it out,” Centrowitz told USA Track & Field. “Taking that victory lap, I didn’t think it was real. It was a tough race and it was similar to the semis with a little tactics in there being involved. It just came up to not giving up that last 200 meters.”

Centrowitz — the reigning NCAA and U.S. champion in the 1,500 — won his semifinal heat Thursday in 3:46.66.

In Saturday’s race, Centrowitz ran through the bell lap in the middle of the pack, but he kept the leaders in his sights, and his late kick allowed him to pull into third before reaching the line.

That kick was enough to defeat two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June, but it couldn’t get him past the two Kenyans at the head of the pack Saturday.

“They went so hard with 350 to go,” Centrowitz said. “Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t cover them. It was so hard, they were so fast. Each 50 [meters] was just one more guy, one more guy, then I found myself in almost medal position and l kept digging down.”

During his days at Broadneck, Centrowitz enjoyed the most prolific high school distance running career in the area — and arguably the state. He set the high school mile record at the prestigious Penn Relays, won three state cross country titles and a number of track titles, and he was named The Baltimore Sun's Male Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2007.

MATTHEW CENTROWITZ PHOTOS

Posted by David Selig at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Gilman's Connor Webb tries to pull down Oscar Smith quarterback Jaylian Williamson during the Greyhounds' 51-27 win Friday night at Morgan State University (Steve Ruark/The Baltimore Sun)

Scores from throughout the state on Friday night:

Allegany 24, Oakland Southern 21

Annapolis Christian 31, Severn 14

Arundel 57, Annapolis 7

Avalon 32, Bishop Walsh 7

Bethesda 20, Montgomery Blair 6

Boonsboro 21, North Carroll 12

Brunswick 43, Manchester Valley 7

Bullis 49, St. Mary's Ryken 33

C. H. Flowers 38, Largo 0

Cambridge/SD def. Col. Richardson, forfeit

Catonsville 27, Boys Latin 6

Clear Spring 41, Fairfield, Pa. 12

Damascus 19, Clarksburg 18

Easton 21, North Caroline 19

Edmondson-Westside 56, Spingarn, D.C. 0

Eleanor Roosevelt 35, Norview, Va. 6

Fort Hill 43, Silver Oak Academy 0

Frederick 42, Century 30

Gilman 51, Oscar Smith, Va. 27

Good Counsel 24, Manatee, Fla. 17, 2OT

Hammond 16, Wilde Lake 12

Harwood Southern 15, Meade 14

Henry Wise 30, Franklin 7

Hubie Blake 20, Northwest - Mtg 14, OT

Hyattsville Northwestern 28, Wheaton 8

Joppatowne 14, Harford Tech 10

Kent Island 42, Parkside 0

Lackey 12, La Plata 0

Laurel 49, High Point 0

Liberty 20, Williamsport 12

Linganore 28, South Carroll 6

Loch Raven 24, Mt. Carmel 17

Long Reach 55, Marriotts Ridge 14

Magruder 14, Walter Johnson 0

Maritime Industries 8, Patapsco 6

Maryland School for the Deaf 8, Frederick Christian Academy 0

Mergenthaler 28, Dubois 0

Middletown 42, Catoctin 12

Mountain Ridge 53, Jefferson, W.Va. 33

Mt. Hebron 26, Oakland Mills 0

North Harford 28, Hereford 23

North Point 45, Leonardtown 0

Northeast - AA 13, North County 12

Old Mill 10, Broadneck 0

Paint Branch 39, Rockville 6

Pallotti 40, St. John's Catholic Prep 22

Perryville 53, Kent County 8

Poly 28, DuVal 0

Quince Orchard 23, Sherwood 6

Rappahannock County, Va. 21, Hancock 4

Seneca Valley 24, Albert Einstein 6

Severna Park 30, Glen Burnie 6

Smithsburg 7, Northern - G 0

South Hagerstown 59, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. 7

South River 36, Pasadena Chesapeake 7

Springbrook 13, Northwood 6

St. Mary's 26, St. Albans, D.C. 14

Stephen Decatur 52, Washington 6

Thomas Johnson 28, Friendly 8

Walkersville 43, Francis Scott Key 0

Walt Whitman 35, Wootton 30

Watkins Mill 42, Poolesville 12

Wicomico 52, Snow Hill 7

Winston Churchill 40, John F. Kennedy 0

Wise 30, Franklin 7

Posted by David Selig at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Roland Park junior Katie Tutrone won her first career Women's International Squash Players Association match with an upset victory over No. 7 seed Elpiniki Clement Thursday at the WISPA Dread Sports Squash Series in Washington, D.C.

The unseeded Tutrone won her best-of-five match 3-2 to advance to Friday’s quarterfinal, which she dropped to top-seeded Siyoli Waters, of South Africa, 3-0.

Tutrone won the U.S. Under-17 championship in March.

(Photo of Tutrone by Matt Roth/Patuxent Publishing)

Posted by David Selig at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

North Harford graduate Corey Donohoe, The Baltimore Sun's 2007 Female Athlete of the Year and an All-American lacrosse standout at North Carolina, has joined the women's lacrosse coaching staff at the Naval Academy as a volunteer assistant.

"It is an amazing opportunity to work at Navy with Cindy Timchal, the rest of the coaching staff and the team," Donohoe said in a news release. "Cindy is the face of the women's lacrosse world and I am really looking forward to learning a lot from the coaches. The girls on the team want to work hard and they know they can continue to get better. I am looking forward to helping them improve every day and have a great season."

This summer, Donohoe earned a spot on the U.S. national team which is preparing for the 2013 World Cup in Canada.

A three-sport standout at North Harford, she led the Hawks girls lacrosse team to the state final in her senior year and was The Sun's All-Metro Player of the Year. She had 83 goals and had 44 assists to lead the No. 7 Hawks to a 17-2 finish that year as well as the first state championship appearance in the program's history. She finished her career with 193 goals and 119 assists.

At North Carolina, she became the Tar Heels' all-time leading scorer with 192 goals and 256 points. The two-time All-American played in three final fours and 2009 national championship loss to Northwestern.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Girls lacrosse
        

Because Glenelg High School is still without power after Hurricane Irene, the football game between the Gladiators and No. 9 Atholton has been moved up to 4 p.m. from the regularly-scheduled 7 p.m., according to Glenelg athletic director Jack Davis.

The junior varsity game will begin immediately after the varsity game.

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

John Carroll senior goalkeeper Gina Maiorana, who has been sidelined following knee surgery last January, is expected to be cleared to play on Sept. 8 and is hopeful of returning to goal for the No. 5 Patriots at some point this season.

In Thursday's fall preview section, it was mistakenly written that Maiorana was out for the season.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Lawrence Smith succeeded his mentor Ben Eaton as Dunbar's football coach in 2007 after the beloved Eaton's sudden death. Since then, he has carried on Eaton's legacy, adding three state championships to two won by Eaton's teams and two won by Stanley Mitchell's teams.

The Poets, ranked No. 5 in preseason, have won five Class 1A crowns in the last seven years including last fall's. A Dunbar graduate, Smith played football and baseball for the Poets and became an assistant coach under Eaton in 2001.

Saturday night at Morgan State, the Poets open their season with their first-ever meeting with Dunbar of Washington, D.C. at the I-95 Kickoff Classic. Game time is 7:45.

Smith talked with us about the new season and the Dunbar football legacy.

Winning a state championship with a young team has pushed expectations very high for this year. The team’s goal is always to win a state title, but how do you keep the pressure off the kids?

I always say that last year they were the hunter and now they’re the hunted. A lot of people didn’t expect them to win last year. Now, they can’t be complacent or think it’s going to happen easily, because now people are after them.

The team made a lot of turnovers last season but almost always pulled through. How does that ability to recover help the team this season?

Last year, we had a great defense and that helped us out. To this day, I don’t know how we won so many games turning the ball over so much. That’s definitely what we have to cut down on this year, turning the ball over, but that helped them out because they stayed strong. One thing about last year’s team, they never thought they were out of the game no matter how many times they turned the ball over.

How do you keep the kids focused when you go through a stretch like last year’s of six games in which you outscored the opposition, 254-0?

You’ve got to keep them hungry. They don’t want to lose. They’ve got to understand that they’re Dunbar. I say to every team it’s not because of what they’re doing that teams are after them, it’s because of what previous teams have done. Every year because you’re playing for Dunbar, people are really not going to lay down. People are going to give you their best game. Regardless of who we play – it could be a team with no wins or it could be a team that’s undefeated – they’re going to give us their best game because they’re playing against Dunbar.

How have you managed to maintain the consistency of this program through the four years since Coach Eaton’s death?

I’ve got great (assistant) coaches and that’s one thing I’ve learned. I have great mentors, Bob Wade, Biff Poggi, Bill MGregor, Doug Duvall. All these guys have mentored me. I remember when I became a head coach, Roger Wrenn and Bill McGregor telling me the first year when we won (the state championship) in '07 and everyone was happy for you. They said it’s easy to win the first one, but it’s hard to stay there. I remember Doug Duvall bringing me and my family out to his house and he sat down and he gave me a book and he talked to me on how to be a head coach. The perception that a lot of coaches mishandle when they become head coaches is when you’re a head coach, you’re more of an administrator. You’ve got to be able to have coaches that you trust and be able to run what you want to run in order to make your program successful. I’ve learned, from the years being an assistant to me being a head coach, that I am blessed with having great assistant coaches and great kids to make it easy and for us to continue being a success every year.

What’s the most interesting thing about the Dunbar-Dunbar match-up Saturday night?

It’s interesting because we’re so close and we’ve wanted to make this a rivalry. My years of being at Dunbar, Dunbar-Dunbar has always been a basketball rivalry, because they also have a great basketball tradition there. We’ve wanted to do this from when (Craig) Jeffries was still head coach there before coach (Ashaa) Cherry took over. We wanted to get together, because they have been just as successful as we have with the number of folks they have put in college making a mark and the number of guys they have put in the NFL making a mark. So this is something we wanted to put together and the I-95 Classic and Tony Kennedy and them just came in and made it better, putting this on that stage. There’s no other game being played in the state at the time we’re playing, so we’re expecting a big crowd and we know it’s going to be a great game. We just know it’s going to be a great atmosphere Saturday night.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football