Due to wet fields following Saturday's snow and heavy rains, some MPSSAA field hockey playoff games today have been changed.

The 2A North semifinal between No. 2 seed Winters Mill and No. 3 seed will be played at Towson at 3:30 p.m., instead of at the higher seed. And 2A East No. 1 seed Glenelg and No. 4 seed Loch Raven will move from Glenelg to Western Regional Park at 3:30.

The games between 1A West No. 1 seed Manchester Valley and No. 4 seed Catoctin and No. 3 seed Francis Scott Key and No. 2 seed North Carroll have both been postponed until Tuesday at the higher seeds.

The 3A North game between at No. 1 seed Hereford against No. 4 Bel Air is on as scheduled today at 5 p.m., as is the 2A North game at No. 1 seed Century against Rising Sun.

Field hockey fans might want to contact schools to confirm all other games and times for today's playoff games before heading out..

Posted by Sandra McKee at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

After nine weeks of high school football action, competition is fierce for those last few contested playoff berths and for high seedings. Here are some of the numbers that stand out this week:

1
Week left in the regular season

1
Extra point kicked in overtime by River Hill’s Davis Grove to make the difference in a 21-20 win over Glenelg

1
9-1 team that could miss the playoffs in Class 4A North, a region that could have two 10-0 teams and three 9-1 teams for only four playoff berths

2
Teams left undefeated in the Carroll County league – Westminster and South Carroll who meet on Friday night

3
Overtimes for Calvert Hall to beat McDonogh 48-42

3
Touchdowns by Fallston’s Ryan Umpleby – two receptions, one interception return – to open their 35-20 win over North Harford

3
Rushing touchdowns by Perry Hall’s Eric Latham in a 24-14 win over Franklin

3
Third-quarter touchdowns for Meade in less than seven minutes in a 46-19 win over Severna Park

4
Interceptions by Severn in its 31-7 win over Lutheran that clinched the top seed for the MIAA C Conference playoffs

6
Turnovers forced by Fallston in its 35-20 win at North Harford

7
Touchdown passes thrown by Calvert Hall quarterback Thomas Stuart in the 48-42 triple-overtime win at McDonogh

7
Touchdowns scored by Gilman’s Cyrus Jones (four) and Kenneth Goins (three) in a 56-28 win over Mount St. Joseph

7
More wins posted by Severn this season than last when the Admirals were 0-10

13
Straight wins for Overlea – the area’s longest active winning streak

13
Total turnovers by North Harford in its only two losses this season

15
Game Annapolis losing streak ended with a 35-21 win over Northeast

17
Straight UCBAC wins for North Harford before Fallston ended the run 35-20 Friday night

31
Touchdowns this season by Old Mill’s Rob Chesson

68
School record for points set by South Carroll in its 68-12 win over Francis Scott Key

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

A few upsets at the bottom of the poll and a nailbiter of a triple overtime game highlighted this week's football action in The Baltimore Sun's Top 15. Following is a look at how the ranked teams fared this week and who they play on the final weekend of the regular season.

Look for the new rankings in Tuesday's paper.

Ranking/Team/Record/Latest result/Next opponent/
1. Gilman/7-1/Def. Mount St. Joseph 58-28/at McDonogh, Sat.
2. Calvert Hall/7-1/Def. McDonogh 48-42 3OT/Vs. Mount St. Joseph, Fri.
3. Old Mill/9-0 /Def Glen Burnie, 21-0/Vs. South River, Fri.
4. Atholton/8-1/Def. Mount Hebron 38-0/At Centennial, Fri.
5. Poly/9-0/Def. Mervo 34-20./Vs. City at M&T Bank Stadium, Sat.
6. Arundel/8-1/Def. Chesapeake-AA, 40-7/Vs. Southern, Fri
7. Dunbar/7-2/Def. Carver 22-12/Vs. Patterson at Poly, Sat.
8. McDonogh/6-3/Lost to Calvert Hall 48-42 3OT/Vs. Gilman, Sat.
9. Archbishop Spalding/6-3/Def. Leonardtown 62-33/Vs. Loyola, Fri.
10. Catonsville/9-0/Def.Kenwood, 48-0/At Parkville, Sat.
11. Loyola/4-4/Lost to Georgetown Prep 20-16/At Spalding, Fri.
12. Westminster/8-1/Def. Manchester Valley 57-7/At South Carroll, Fri
13. Perry Hall/8-1/Def. Franklin 24-14/At Hereford, Fri.
14. Glenelg/7-2/Lost to River Hill 21-20 OT/Marriotts Ridge, Fri.
15. North Harford/7-2/Lost to Fallston 35-20/At Joppatowne, Fri.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Aberdeen 41, C.M. Wright 8

Atholton 38, Mt. Hebron 0

Bullis 26, Landon 21

Centennial 26, Marriotts Ridge 0

Gonzaga College, D.C. 17, DeMatha 9

Good Counsel 54, Bishop O'Connell, Va. 19

Hammond 44, Oakland Mills 0

Joppatowne 34, Owings Mills 15

Lewis 20, Southside 6

Maret, D.C. 30, St. James 6

New Town 37, Western Tech 0

St. Frances 44, Mt. Carmel 0

Posted by David Selig at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Calvert Hall-McDonogh and Loyola-Georgetown Prep football games scheduled for
this afternoon have been postponed until Sunday, because of the snowy weather.

No. 2 Calvert Hall will play at No. 8 McDonogh at 1 p.m. while Georgetown Prep will play at No. 11 Loyola at 3 p.m.

In some areas of Baltimore County, a light coating of snow covered the grassy areas by early in the morning today with more snow expected.

"I'm up in Carroll County and it wasn't good when I left my house," Loyola coach Brian Abbott said. "If we have snow covering the lines, we can't play. It's not like he NFL where you can bring the sweepers out there."

The Dons and McDonogh have grass fields, but with precipitation scheduled to end later Saturday, both coaches expect no problems Sunday.

"I guarantee the field will be a mess," Abbott said, "but it will be sunny."

Calvert Hall coach Donald Davis said he would prefer to play on an artificial turf field even if it is a neutral site, but McDonogh wants to keep the home game. A decision will be made early Sunday morning about whether to move the game to Calvert Hall's turf field, but McDonogh coach Dom Damico said he's 95 percent sure the game will be at McDonogh.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Gilman's Melvin Keihn stiff-arms Mount St. Joseph's Drexel Mosby after recovering a fumble during the No. 1 Greyhounds' 56-28 victory Friday. (Brian Krista/Patuxent Publishing)

From Sun Staff Reports

FOOTBALL

Playing under new temporary lights for the first time, Archbishop Curley defeated visiting St. Paul’s, 35-0, Friday night and clinched the league title and top-seed in the upcoming Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association’s B Conference playoffs.

Kenny Thomas led the way with 84 yards on nine carries as the Friars racked up 339 yards on the ground. In addition to their bruising ground attack, Curley’s defenders picked off four Crusader passes with Thomas returning one 31 yards for a score.

No. 1 Gilman 56, Mount St. Joseph 28 : Senior wideout/running back Cyrus Jones scored four touchdowns in the first half as the host Greyhounds (7-1, 5-0 MIAA A Conference) rolled to a 42-14 halftime advantage over the Gaels (3-5, 2-3). Senior Kenneth Goins added three TDs and junior Micah Kiser one for the Greyhounds. Junior quarterback Luke Casey came off the bench to run 55 yards for a touchdown and threw two passes for scores to Samuel Benjamin and Marcus Alston for the Gaels.

No. 5 Poly 34, Mervo 20: Priestly Shuler had 104 yards on nine carries and racked up 12 tackles and two sacks from his linebacker position on defense as the Engineers (9-0) rolled over the Mustangs in league play. Also, Virgina Tech bound Donovan Riley returned an interception 19 yards for a score. With the win Poly clinched the city league championship.

No. 7 Dunbar 22, Carver 12: Charles brown scored on a three-yard run, Ryan Crowder had a 51-yard interception for a touchdown and Carlos Austin took a kickoff 90 yards for a score as the Poets (7-2) held off the host Bears.

No. 10 Catonsville 48, Kenwood 0: DeAndre Lane had three rushing touchdowns to give the Comets (9-0) a 20-0 lead. Lane had rushes of 26, 78 and 50 yards for touchdowns.

City 46, Southwestern 12: Steffen Wilkens had a hand in four touchdowns as the Knights routed the visiting Sabers in city league action yesterday. He scored on runs of 1 and 14 yards and threw touchdown passes of 39 yards to Dieon Petty and 12 yards to Brandon Jones.

BOYS SOCCER

McDonogh lost its number one ranking last Friday to Loyola. The No. 2 Eagles bounced back from the setback, shutting out Calvert Hall, 7-0, and claiming the regular-season Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference title and the number one seed in next week’s playoffs.

After the 4-0 loss to the Dons, McDonogh beat Spalding, 8-0, Wednesday, and finished their season on a 2-0 run.

Against the Cardinals, Wake Forest-bound senior Mike Gamble and Malcolm Harris each had hat tricks and Grant Ringlman added another for the host Eagles in the last game of the regular season.

No. 4 Archbishop Curley 2, John Carroll 0: Rick Greensfelder and PJ Koscher scored to lead the host Friars over the Patriots. With the win, Curley becomes the number three seed in the playoffs.

GIRLS SOCCER

No. 15 Bel Air 13, Milford Mill 0: Nicole Lentz had a hat trick to power the host Bobcats (10-2-1) past the Millers in the opening round of Class 3A North Regional Playoffs.

Bel Air advances to Tuesday’s quarterfinal round where they will face the winner of Hereford/Patterson.

North Harford 1, Aberdeen 0: The visiting Hawks scored 12 minutes into the second half on a goal by Samantha Verzi following a pass from Meghan Root in Class 3A North.. North Harford keeper Emily Briggs had two saves for the Hawks.Chelsea Thomas had 13 saves for Aberdeen.

FIELD HOCKEY

No. 12 River Hill 5, Hammond 0: Kat Varga scored twice to power the host Hakws (11-3) past the Bears in a Class 2A East regional quarterfinal.

CROSS COUNTRY

The No. 3 Winters Mill boys and Liberty girls came away with the team championships in Friday's Carroll County cross country title meet at McDaniel College.

Weston Carvalho of Winters Mill won the race, and the school took five of the first top 10 spots to finish with 25 points and easily beat Century (49). For the girls, Hannah Oneda of Winters Mill won by nearly two minutes, but Liberty finished with 54 points to upset No. 4 Century (59). Casey Sullivan led Liberty with her third-place finish.

Posted by David Selig at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Fallston's Chris Rose catches a third quarter touchdown pass in front of North Harford's Connor Davis during Fallston's 35-20 victory Friday night. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

High School football scores from thoughout the state Friday:

Albert Einstein 20, Northwood 0

Annapolis 35, Northeast-AA 21

Annapolis Area Christian 53, Riverdale Baptist 6

Arundel 40, Chesapeake-AA 0

Bethesda 30, Clarksburg 12

Brunswick 28, South Hagerstown 26

Cape Henlopen, Del. 63, Washington 0

Catonsville 48, Kenwood 0

Century 24, North Carroll 14

Chestnut Ridge, Pa. 49, Allegany 28

Chopticon 13, Lackey 12

City 46, Southwestern 12

Curley 35, Saint Paul's 0

Digital Harbor 12, Douglass 0

Dunbar 22, Carver 12

Dundalk 27, Loch Raven 0

East Hardy, W.Va. 35, Clear Spring 14

Fallston 35, North Harford 20

Fort Hill 40, Mountain Ridge 0

Gilman 56, Mount St. Joseph 28

Howard 13, Reservoir 7

Hubie Blake 13, Springbrook 10

Huntingtown 21, Northern - Cal 0

Hyattsville Northwestern 41, Parkdale 0

John F. Kennedy 12, Wheaton 7

Kent Island 30, Cambridge/SD 0

Largo 26, Central 22

Liberty 21, Winters Mill 6

Long Reach 28, Wilde Lake 22

Magruder 11, Watkins Mill 8

Maryland School for the Deaf def. Model School for the Deaf, D.C., forfeit

McDonough 27, Thomas Stone 8

Meade 46, Severna Park 19

Middletown 33, Linganore 0

North Hagerstown 28, Boonsboro 21, OT

North Point 44, La Plata 0

Northern - G 43, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. 7

Northwestern-B 20, Du Bois 0

Old Mill 21, Glen Burnie 0

Overlea 50, Lansdowne 0

Paint Branch 47, Montgomery Blair 8

Patuxent 55, Calvert 6

Paul VI, Va. 49, St. Mary's Ryken 6

Perry Hall 24, Franklin 14

Poly 34, Mervo 20

Poolesville 35, Catoctin 28

Quince Orchard 35, Gaithersburg 0

Randallstown 38, Patapsco 7

Richard Montgomery 33, Rockville 13

River Hill 21, Glenelg 20, OT

Seneca Valley 29, Damascus 19

Severn 31, Lutheran 7

Sherwood 32, Northwest - Mtg 24

Snow Hill 44, Col. Richardson 0

South Carroll 68, Francis Scott Key 12

South River 47, North County 26

Southern-G 37, Silver Oak Academy 0

Spalding 62, Leonardtown 33

Sparrows Point 46, Pikesville 13

Thomas Johnson 41, Oakdale 6

Urbana 36, Tuscarora 6

Walkersville 68, Frederick 36

Walt Whitman 32, Walter Johnson 16

Westminster 57, Manchester Valley 7

Williamsport 21, Smithsburg 0

Winston Churchill 31, Wootton 14

Posted by David Selig at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Calvert Hall is now accepting resumes and letters of application for its varsity soccer coaching position.

Interested candidates should contact athletic director Lou Eckerl at Calvert Hall, 8102 La Salle Road, Baltimore, MD 21286 or eckerll@calverthall.com.

Deadline for receiving resumes is Nov. 11, 2011.

Coach Andy Moore announced last month that this would be his final season coaching the Cardinals. Moore has been with the program for 20 years, the past 14 as head coach.

Posted by David Selig at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

From Sun Staff Reports

VOLLEYBALL

No. 8 Mount de Sales will be attempting something Saturday that no other Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland girls volleyball team has ever accomplished -- a 4-peat. Standing in their way is a familiar adversary, No. 2 Archbishop Spalding, last year’s finalist.

In Thursday’s A Conference semifinals, the Sailors (13-1) beat No. 10 St. Paul’s in straight sets, 25-21, 25-21, 25-19, and the Cavaliers (19-0) beat Notre Dame Prep, 25-18, 25-17, 25-15.

Mount de Sales will face Spalding in Saturday’s championship 5 p.m.at Roland Park.

The Sailors' Jodi Schneider and Taylor Beaumont each had 10 kills against St. Paul’s.

The Cavaliers' Kristen Seeba served a perfect 24-for-24 with 14 assists and nine kills against NDP. Jami Rombach added 12 kills and 10 assists for Spalding.

No. 1 Arundel def. Severna Park, 3-0: The Wildcats finished a perfect 13-0 as Shannon Wilks had 11 digs and Ashlyn Tapley had 10 kills.

Arundel beat the Falcons, 25-21, 25-14, 25-18.

No. 4 Broadneck def. Glen Burnie, 3-0: Ali Graf led the defense with 18 digs and Karlee Vaillant led the offense with six kills for the host Bruins (11-2).

Broandeck beat Glen Burnie, 25-22, 25-13, 25-13.

No. 7 Fallston def. Elkton, 3-0: Rachael Holehouse had 14 kills and Abby Claborn had 18 assists in the Cougars' (13-2) last regular season match.

Fallston won, 25-17, 25-16, 25-15. The Cougars face C. Milton Wright in Tuesday’s Upper Chesapeake Bay Conference championship at Patterson Mill at 7 p.m.

John Carroll def. Mercy, 3-0: Elise Adamson had 11 kills and Heather Dunn had five to power the Patriots (14-4) past the Magic in the IAAM B Conference semifinal.

John Carroll won, 25-18, 25-14, 25-21. The Patriots face Institute of Notre Dame, a 3-0 winner over Annapolis Area Chrisitan School, in Saturday’s championship at 2:30 p.m. at Roland Park.

FIELD HOCKEY

No. 3 South River 7, Arundel 0: Jennie Milligan had a hat trick and the host Seahawks (14-1) beat the Wildcats in the Class 4A East regional quarterfinals.

South River faces Chesapeake-AA, a 2-0 winner over Great Mills, in Monday’s regional semifinal.

No. 4 Hereford 8, Patapsco 0: Mary Claire Abbott had two goals and an assist to power the host Bulls (13-0) past the Patriots in Class 3A North.

Hereford faces Bel Air, a 7-0 winner over Aberdeen, Monday.

No. 10 Fallston 4, Bohemia Manor 0: Danielle and Nicole McDiarmid each scored goals for the host Cougars (11-2) in Class 1A North.

Posted by David Selig at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With the postseason just two weeks away, Fallston football coach Dave Cesky has his Cougars 8-0 and contending for UCBAC and regional championships.

In his 35th season coaching the Cougars, Cesky carries on perhaps the most storied high school football legacy in Harford County. A Bel Air graduate, he followed his father Al Cesky into the coaching profession. Al Cesky coached Bel Air's football team from 1950-1965, finishing his career 90-33 with four unbeaten teams.

Dave Cesky, 58, has coached football in Harford County for 37 years and has been Fallston's athletic director for 26 years. He played football at Bel Air and at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in Westminster.

The Cougars, who made it to the regional final last season, are aiming for their third playoff appearance in four years. Despite their perfect record, they stand in second place in the Class 2A East region behind Kent Island, which is also unbeaten but has an edge in bonus points.

Friday's 7 p.m. game at North Harford could determine the winner of the UCBAC Chesapeake Division, because the defending champion Hawks also are unbeaten in the division. A win over North Harford or Aberdeen, which is 3-1 and the Cougars' opponent for the regular-season finale, could assure Fallston a regional playoff berth

As this week's football Coachspeak guest, Cesky answers five questions about this season, the playoffs and following in his father's footsteps.

What has been the key to this season's success?

The biggest key is we don’t have any selfish players at all this year. Everybody’s working as a team. The chemistry’s really good and on any given night, anyone could be the star of the game. It’s been a lot of different people. The scoring’s spread out – receptions, the running. We’ve remained focused on what we're trying to accomplish, what we need to do each week and we’re not looking ahead which sometimes is really hard. We don’t look at comparable scores like a lot of teams would and just assume things are going to happen. They really have come out to play each game.

What are the pros and cons of being undefeated going into the final regular-season games against your strongest two opponents?

The main thing is everybody is ready to knock you off. Like the Orioles at the end of the season beating Boston, they’d like to be the spoiler if they’re not in playoff contention. The fact is it does go along with our philosophy that each week (the schedule) gets a little bit tougher and it’s good to build into that. It’s a good thing. We want to be in those kinds of games. It prepares you for the playoffs if you’re heading in that direction.

What has turned the Fallston program into a playoff contender for the past four years after not making the playoffs at all until 2008 -- or were you a contender and just didn't make it?

We were a contender and didn’t make it for some years. In 1999, 2000, 2001, we were 9-1, 8-2 and 7-3 and the system didn’t allow us to get in. In 2008, we got in and we were 7-3. They expanded the playoffs a little bit to help out that cause, but still, with points and bonus points with your opponent, if we lose the last two games, we might be in danger of not getting in, which is remarkable. We had three teams last week that were undefeated in our region. Now there’s only two left and they all kind of play each other, so that might work its way out. For our program recently, we’ve focused more on weight training, we’ve had a better turnout at weight training during the winter months. We do a lot of agility drills indoors which is something we didn’t do before. We work a lot of footwork which is what you see now at these pro combines and there's kind of a push in that direction. That’s what’s making a lot of our kids improve. And I think when you win, you thrive. More kids come out. They get interested and it just builds on itself a little bit.

Watching your dad coach, did you always want to be a football coach?

Always. In the fourth grade, I was following those teams around as the manager. I used to ride the bus with the team and I just liked what I saw, how the kids respected him and how they worked hard every day. It was just something I wanted to do. Right away, I picked one college to go to. I wanted to go to a teaching college which is what Western Maryland was pretty much known for and I wanted to play so I could continue with that knowledge you get with playing. When I got hired in 1975, principal Walt Potter at Aberdeen said, “Well, I have good news. I’m going to hire you and I need a volleyball coach this year. I want my volleyball program to thrive.” I said, “I’ve never played volleyball, but I’m willing to learn. I’m a coach, I can teach.” Fortunately, I had a lot of good athletes back then. A lot of basketball players played and we had a good team. The only team we couldn’t beat was Bel Air. At the end of volleyball practice, I would go out and help out with football, help scouting and on game days. I didn’t interfere with it, but I didn’t want to get away from football. The next year, I became a football assistant under George Connelly.

What do you remember about your dad’s style of coaching and how did he influence your coaching style?

His style was you’re going to do it right. He’d make you repeat the play over and over and over until it was perfect. That was his style of coaching. He was a very disciplined coach and he wanted it just perfect every time. Repetition and the fact that he really knew technique. Back then, he brought new techniques in with linemen in a four-point stance, their nose down and getting off the ball real low. That’s kind of changed a little bit as strength has changed in the game. You see a lot more three-point stances now and that’s just because they’re bigger and stronger. But back then, he was real disciplined that way and a lot of people had never seen that before. Dad had experience at City College and he did play at Maryland one year under Bear Bryant. A lot of people don’t know Bear Bryant was at Maryland for one year. I think for the first 15 or 20 years as a coach, I probably ran everything that he did, offense and defense. Then football started to change a little bit. It started to become a wide open game. My offensive coordinator and my defensive coordinator, they both played for me and both played in college, and they brought back a lot of good ideas, so we kind of opened up our offense I want to say six years ago to not really a West Coast but sometimes four wide receivers. You would never see that before. Back in the early 80s and 90s, we never did anything like that. I think as the passing game has come about in college and in the pros, a lot more kids are throwing the ball than they used to. That’s the key. If you don’t have a quarterback who can throw, you can’t run those kind of offenses. We have spread it out more and the theory is to get the ball in different people’s hands, very athletic people who can do something with it once they catch it. We’ve been very fortunate over the years to have more speed and have more kids who can do that.

(Photo of Cesky by Russell Tracy/For The Aegis)

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

On Wednesday at Hereford High, the 16th annual Baltimore County Pumpkin Bowl took place, an Allied Sports Program soccer tournament featuring 11 schools. Three fields were set up across the Hereford stadium turf with each team playing three 15-minute games. Two first-year programs -- Franklin (coached by Kieran O'Connell) and Milford Mill (Gordon Amato) -- were among the teams competing.

No winners were declared at the Pumpkin Bowl, which stresses camaraderie and friendly competition. Dundalk (coached by Meredith Bagnell) won the regular season in the East division and Hereford (Weston Fellows) won the West division.

Modeled after the Special Olympics’ "Unified Sports" program, Allied Sports is a totally inclusive program that affords students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in interscholastic sports along-side their non-disabled peers.

The program was designed for students who are interested in playing a sport but do not necessarily possess the skill or desire to play on a varsity or junior varsity team. There are three Allied sports offered, one per season with soccer offered in the fall, bowling in the winter, and softball in the spring. All team activities are co-ed with the appropriate rule modifications to ensure a safe and successful experience for all students, regardless of ability.

The goals of the Allied Sports Program and those of the existing interscholastic athletic program are similar. Both programs strive to teach students good sportsmanship, to build positive self-esteem, to acquire new sport-specific skills, to improve physical fitness, to foster new friendships, and to develop the concept of teamwork.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Garrison Forest field hockey coach and athletic director Traci Davis is one of seven being inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame on Saturday.

A three-sport athlete at St. Paul's (lacrosse, field hockey and basketball), Davis, played lacrosse and field hockey at Ursinus, earning All-American honors in both sports.

She went on to play for the women’s national lacrosse team (1979-1989), the U.S touring team (1981, 1984), and the world cup team (1986). And she's already a member of the Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame and the St. Paul's School or Girls Hall of Fame.

At Garrison Forest she was the school's lacrosse coach for seven years. She has been the Grizzlies' field hockey coach for 12 years and the school's athletic director since 2005.

The 51-year-old mother of two grown children -- daughter Cody and son Griff -- leads her No. 2 field hockey team into the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs as the defending A conference champion. (Davis' teams also won the league championship in 2007 and 2008.)

And this week she checked for five questions as the latest Coachspeak guest.

What does it mean to you to go into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame?

It's a tremendous honor. I am completely humbled by it. I just loved playing and loved my teammates. So, an honor such as this is something I never thought of. It's quite something.

Of all the things you've done -- as a player, a coach, an athletic director, a mom -- what has been the most rewarding?

Hands down, it has to be being a mom. It's definitely the most challenging and most rewarding. But I loved all of those things -- playing, coaching, being an AD and mom -- all four for different reasons.

Each one has brought a lot of joy and fulfillment to my life. And, in a way, all these teams I've been part of -- working together, playing together, helping the students as AD -- it's like they're all part of my extended family.

What was the most helpful piece of advice you ever got?

I don't know where it came from, but it is something I try to live by: Work hard and love what you do. It's a recipe - not necessarily for success, but for something good to happen. I want things to be good and I hope I pass that on to others.

It doesn't mean things work out the right way all the time, but you do your best and something good can come from it and you have no regrets.

What is your favorite personal activity now?

Mountain biking. I try to get out in the woods and ride whenever I can. I love to go out west to Colorado. I love to be outside and exercising, and it's spectacular in the woods. No cars. No noise. Just you pedaling. You have to focus on what you're doing or fall. It clears my head. You get your heart rate up. You sweat. You ride through streams and over logs. It takes skill and endurance. It's a physical and mental test and I've always liked that.

At this stage of your life, do you still set goals?

Absolutely. There are always goals. Not life goals, but small things. Progressing, doing a good job as a coach, persevering as mom and athletic director. No doubt there are still bumps in the road.

And I set goals for my team, but they're not about winning, necessarily. The measurement of our team's success is not a championship. A championship would be icing. With it or without it we're having a terrific season. I think it would be a shame for a team, any team, to think it wasn't successful because it didn't win a championship. There's so much more to be gained through the experience of working and being together through a season than that. But, having said that, a championship would be sweet.

NOTE: Being inducted with Davis at Saturday's ceremony at the Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley are Bruce Allison, David W. Huntley (Johns Hopkins), John "Jake" Lawlor (Navy), Suzanne Honeysett McKinny (posthumously), Jon Reese and Sandra Lanahan Zvosec (Loch Raven and Maryland).

(Photo of Davis by Arianne Teeple/Patuxent Publishing)

Posted by Sandra McKee at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

David Brookhart and Glenelg beat Howard this week and remain atop the standings in Class 2A South. (Noah Scialom/Patuxent Publishing)

All eight Baltimore-area football teams held onto their top spots this week in the MPSSAA regional playoff standings with just two more weeks to play in the regular season.

Poly's win over Dunbar kept the Engineers in first in one of the area's tightest races. The Engineers hold the lead over Catonsville by one tenth of a point in Class 4A North. Both teams are 8-0 in a region in which a team with just one loss could miss out on the playoffs. Paint Branch, currently third; Perry Hall, fourth; and Westminster, fifth are all 7-1. Westminster is in the toughest spot, because it likely doesn't play enough Class 4A schools to match the others in win points.

In Class 2A East, undefeated Fallston trails Kent Island by one point. The Cougars could make up some ground if they win their last two games against North Harford and Aberdeen -- both Class 3A schools with good records that would improve the Cougars' bonus points.

Here are the local teams currently leading their regions:
Poly in Class 4A North
Old Mill in Class 4A East
North Harford in Class 3A North
Atholton in Class 3A East
Edmondson in Class 2A North
Glenelg in Class 2A South
Overlea in Class 1A North
Dunbar in Class 1A South

Only one team fell from the ranks of the undefeated last week, leaving 15 of the state's 185 public school teams without a loss including Old Mill, Poly, Catonsville, Fallston and Overlea.

One region still includes three undefeated teams remaining -- Class 1A West with Boonsboro, Fort Hill and Mountain Ridge all 8-0. There are no unbeaten teams left in Class 3A.

For a look at the complete points standings, go to the MPSSAA web site.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Severn first-year football coach Chris Kirchenheiter was named the Ravens High School Coach of the Week Tuesday after leading the Admirals to a 42-7 victory over Friends that ensured the program its first winning season in five years.

Kirchenheiter, a former Severna Park assistant coach, has the Admirals off to a 6-1 start -- a considerable improvement over last year's 0-10 finish.

"We came in and had 11 seniors and they said, 'We want to change. We want to do something different,'" Kirchenheiter said in a news release. "So we put it on the 11 seniors to take charge. As a coaching staff, we put things in place to help them, but it was up to the 11 seniors to make it happen and that's exactly what they've done."

In Saturday's win over Friends, running back Jared Ryan scored two second-quarter touchdowns for a 14-0 halftime lead. Quarterback Ben Priddy threw for two touchdowns and kicked all seven extra points.

The Admirals are in first place in the MIAA C Conference with a 4-0 record and one opponent, Lutheran, left to play. If they beat the Saints (5-3, 2-1 conference), the Admirals will amass as many wins this fall as they have the last four years combined.

Kirchenheiter has coached on the youth level with the Green Hornets, on the high school level with Severna Park and Lake Braddock as well as on the college level at the North Carolina, but this is his first stint as a head coach.

"It's a great opportunity to coach at Severn," he said. "It's a dream come true. I'm in my hometown and in my neighborhood. I coached many of these young men in youth football and now in high school. It's been an exciting opportunity for me."

The Ravens will make a $2,000 donation to the Admirals football program in Kirchenheiter's name and he will join previous season winners at the Ravens-Browns game on Dec. 24 at M&T Bank Stadium where the Ravens will announce their High School Coach of the Year.

Previous winners this season: Catonsville's Rich Hambor, Glenelg's Butch Schaffer, New Town's Joe Holland and Reginald F. Lewis' Donte' Foster.

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Categories: Football
        

Dunbar's Kevin Estep grabs a hold of Poly's quarterback Darrell Milburn during Friday night's game. Estep might have taken him down on that play, but Milburn and the Engineers got an 18-14 win that helped them jump in this week's state poll. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

Not much changed in this week's ESPN High School Maryland football media poll, but one Baltimore-area game forced a shuffle involving three local teams.

Poly's 18-14 win over Dunbar boosted the Engineers a spot to No. 11 while the Poets dropped to No. 15. Dunbar's fall helped lift Catonsville to No. 14.

Atholton also improved a spot, jumping over DeMatha to No. 9 while No. 2 Gilman, No. 4 Calvert Hall, No. 7 Old Mill, No. 16 Arundel, No. 18 McDonogh and No. 25 Archbishop Spalding held their positions.

To see where everyone else falls this week, check out the full state football poll.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Archbishop Curley's football team will play its first game under the lights Friday night when it hosts St. Paul's in a critical MIAA B Conference game at 7 p.m.

After watching Calvert Hall, St. Paul's and John Carroll have success under temporary lights, Curley coach Sean Murphy met with his administration two weeks ago and they decided to give it a try. With their only remaining regular season home game Friday coinciding with a chance to clinch the top-seeded spot in the B Conference, the timing was perfect for a night game.

"This makes it a big deal for the kids, just the atmosphere of Friday night football," Murphy said. "It's usually a bigger crowd and, for the kids, playing under the lights is something special. It brings out more of the student body, more school spirit. Also, it allows the parents more time. They're not rushing home from work to get to a 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock football game on Friday."

Murphy said night games are also a good recruiting tool. Calvert Hall had so much success with night games under its temporary lights that permanent ones were installed this season.

"I'm originally from New Jersey, so when I was growing up, it was kind of like Friday night was the norm and then Saturday was college and Sunday was the NFL," Murphy said.

The game features another battle in a competitive B Conference race. Both teams are 6-2 overall, but the Friars are in first place at 4-0. St. Paul's is 3-1. Four teams will make the playoffs this season with the championship game scheduled for Nov. 18 at Towson University.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

There weren't many surprises in the eighth week of the regular season of high school football, but here are some of the numbers that stood out from the weekend's action:

0
Punts by Loyola in its 34-14 win over Mount St. Joseph

1
Blocked extra point by Long Reach's Allen Cross to make the difference in a 33-32 win over Hammond

2
Teams still undefeated in the county in Carroll (Westminster, South Carroll) and Harford (Fallston, North Harford)

3
Losses this week for Top 15 teams -- two (Archbishop Spalding, Mount St. Joseph) to teams ranked higher and one (Dunbar) to a team ranked just one spot below

4
Big plays by John Carroll's Walter Roche -- three interceptions and a blocked punt -- in a 24-7 win over Northwood

5
Teams in the Baltimore area remaining undefeated -- Old Mill, Poly, Catonsville, Fallston and Overlea

7
Straight wins for Dunbar over Poly before Friday night's 18-14 Engineers' victory

8
Yard overtime touchdown run by Winters Mill's Chase Cullison to beat North Carroll, 21-15

12
Straight wins for Overlea -- the area's longest active winning streak

21-0
Lead taken by Calvert Hall in its 29-23 win over Archbishop Spalding

21
Unanswered fourth-quarter points scored by Glenelg in its 35-13 win over Howard

21
Points scored off turnovers in Meade's 42-0 win over Glen Burnie

29
Touchdowns this season for Old Mill's Rob Chesson

37
Yard touchdown run by Poly quarterback Darrell Milburn with 1:55 left to seal the 18-14 win over Dunbar

47
First-half points scored by St. Paul's in its 54-8 win over St. Vincent Pallotti

64
Seconds for Aberdeen to score twice in the third quarter to beat Havre de Grace, 21-12

402
Total yards gained by Kenwood's Travis Jenkins -- 156 on runs, 121 on catches, 125 on returns -- in a 51-32 loss to Hereford

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Only three football teams in The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 lost over the weekend -- and two of them were to opponents ranked ahead of them. No. 6 Dunbar fell to a lower ranked team -- No. 7 Poly. Following is a look at how all the ranked teams fared this weekend and who's up next with just two weeks left in the regular season.

Look for the new rankings in Tuesday's paper.

Ranking/Team/Record/Latest result/Next opponent/
1. Gilman/6-1/Did not play/Vs. Mount St. Joseph, Fri.
2. Calvert Hall/6-1/Def. Archbishop Spalding 29-23/At McDonogh, Sat.
3. Old Mill/8-0 /Def. Southern 42-12/Vs. Glen Burnie, Fri.
4. Atholton/7-1/Def. Wilde Lake 35-0/Mount Hebron, Sat.
5. Arundel/7-1/Def. Severna Park 21-13/At Chesapeake-AA, Fri.
6. Dunbar/6-2/Lost to Poly 18-14/At Carver, Fri.
7. Poly/8-0/Def. Dunbar 18-14/At Mervo, Fri.
8. McDonogh/6-2/Def. Georgetown Prep 28-27/Vs. Calvert Hall, Sat.
9. Archbishop Spalding/5-3/Lost to Calvert Hall 29-23/At Leonardtown, Fri.
10. Catonsville/8-0/Def. Milford Mill 48-7/At Kenwood, Fri.
11. Loyola/4-3/Def. Mount St. Joseph 34-14/Vs. Georgetown Prep, Sat.
12. Westminster/7-1/Def. Century 46-0/Manchester Valley, Fri.
13. Mount St. Joseph/3-4/Lost to Loyola 34-14/At Gilman, Fri.
14. Perry Hall/7-1/Def. Woodlawn 31-26/ Vs. Franklin, Fri.
15. Glenelg/7-1/Def. Howard 35-13/At River Hill, Fri.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Loyola's Alex Hunt (left) and Cole Boozer sandwich Mount St. Joseph's Drexel Mosby during the third quarter of the Dons' 34-14 victory Saturday. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun)

High School football scores from throughout the state on Saturday:

Allegheny-Clarion Valley, Pa. 28, Hancock 24

Atholton 35, Wilde Lake 0

Atlantic Shores Christian, Va. 15, Riverdale Baptist 13

Curley 43, St. Mary’s 20

C.H. Flowers 7, Bowie 6

Conrad, Del. 32, MATHS Charter School 20

DeMatha 21, Archbishop Carroll, D.C. 20

Eleanor Roosevelt 14, DuVal 12

Forestville 28, Surrattsville 17

Franklin 41, Parkville 6

Frederick Douglass 57, Central 0

Friendly 30, Fairmont Heights 0

Glenelg 35, Howard 13

Henry Wise 47, Laurel 0

Landon 39, St. Stephens-St. Agnes, Va. 24

Long Reach 33, Hammond 32, OT

Loyola 34, Mount St. Joseph 14

McDonogh 28, Georgetown Prep 27

Parkdale 34, Oxon Hill 22

Penns Manor, Pa. 42, Bishop Walsh 29

Potomac 41, Crossland 13

Seneca Valley 22, Gaithersburg 16

Severn 42, Friends 7

Smithsburg 34, Clear Spring 15

South Carroll 35, Manchester Valley 18

Suitland 39, Bladensburg 6

Winston Churchill 24, Springbrook 6

Posted by David Selig at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

By Mike Frainie
Special to The Baltimore Sun

Fifth-ranked River Hill continued its unbeaten season Saturday by defending its tournament title at the second-annual Gator Invitational Volleyball Tournament at Reservoir.

The tournament featured seven teams (Towson, Broadneck, River Hill, St. Paul’s, Mount de Sales, Severna Park, and Reservoir) in The Sun’s top 15. Centennial, Good Counsel, and Northern of Calvert County also participated.

After pool play ended, Reservoir, Centennial, River Hill and St. Paul’s advanced to the semifinals. The Hawks defeated Reservoir, 25-21 and 25-22 to claim a spot in the finals, while St. Paul’s upset last year’s state Class 3A semifinalist Centennial in a three-set thriller, 22-25, 28-26, 16-14 to claim the other spot.

River Hill used its height advantage to take down a scrappy St. Paul’s team, 25-16, 25-22, in the finals.

Hawks coach Lynn Paynter said the tournament, which was rescheduled from early October due to a conflict at Reservoir, happened at just the right time for her team.

“I was disappointed when I heard [about the tournament being rescheduled], but, in retrospect, it worked out great," she said. "We got to play against some of the best teams in the state, and we can use this as a measuring stick to see where we are and what we need to work on. It’s good us to be pushed like this just before the state playoffs.”

River Hill’s Amber Wiswell and Reservoir’s Kelsea Belt were named co-Most Valuable Players of the tournament.

The all-tournament team included St. Paul’s Kabria Haskins, Centennial’s Trisha Mockapetris, Severna Park’s Kimberly Belt, Broadnecks’s Ali Graf, Northern Calvert’s Jess Ward, Towson’s Hannah Wohltmann, Mount de Sales’ Chelsea Owensby, and Good Counsel’s Jen Morrisey.

Posted by David Selig at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

From Sun Staff Reports

BOYS SOCCER

Mike Distler had another two-goal performance and No. 3 Loyola rolled over top-ranked McDonogh, 4-0, Friday.

The Dons (9-2-3) beat No. 2 Archbishop Curley, 3-2, in overtime Wednesday.
Jamie Dubyoski, who scored the game-winner against Curley, had a goal and two assists against the Eagles (14-2-1).

No. 4 Gilman pulled to within a half-game of Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference leader McDonogh, and the Dons are within a game in third place.

McDonogh’s only other loss of the season was 3-2 to Curley on Sept. 14.

No. 4 Gilman 3, Archbishop Spalding 1: Sam Wancowicz, Anthony Kim and Jake Matthai each scored a goal for the host Greyhounds (15-3-1).

John Carroll 2, No. 10 Mount St. Joseph 1: Paul Hammons had a goal and an assist as the host Patriots (5-11-1) took a 2-0 lead and held on to win.

The Gaels (7-6-3) lone goal came with 10 minutes left in the game.

FOOTBALL

No. 5 Arundel 21, Severna Park 13: Matt Davis scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter and Cooper Hibbs hit Tyler Young for a 51-yard touchdown in the third quarter and threw 33 yards to Romeo Harris for a score in the fourth as the Wildcats (7-1) defeated the visiting Falcons on Friday night.

No. 10 Catonsville 48, Milford Mill 7: DeAndre Lane scored on runs of 20, 3 and 2 yards and returned an interception 90 yards for another touchdown as the host Comets (8-0) downed the Millers.

GIRLS SOCCER

No. 3 Archbishop Spalding 2, Notre Dame Prep 0: Madeline Ostrowski scored in the 70th minute and Sarah Martin scored five minutes later to lift the visiting Cavaliers (11-4-1) over the Blazers.

Kelly Patterson and Laikyn Duffey each recorded an assist in the win.

No. 10 Bryn Mawr 5, Garrison Forest 0: Maddie Stuzin, Dani Hogarth, Ellie DeGarmon, Kate Snouffer and Anne Kolle all scored as the Mawrtians (10-3) blanked the host Grizzles in league play.

Zoe Derrickson and Nadia Laniyan combined for seven saves for the visitors, while Mollie Myers had four saves for Garrison Forest.

Posted by David Selig at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Calvert Hall's Garrett Keene splits Spadling defenders Jeremiah Johnson (left) and Alex Trantin during the Cardinals' 29-23 victory Friday night. (Brian Krista/Patuxent Publishing)

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

Arundel 21, Severna Park 13

Annapolis Christian 28, Boys Latin 19

Bethesda 35, Rockville 0

Boonsboro 22, Brunswick 7

Broadneck 42, North County 0

Bullis 38, St. Albans, D.C. 20

Calvert Hall 29, Spalding 23

Catonsville 48, Milford Mill 7

Chesapeake-AA 36, Annapolis 29

Chopticon 47, Thomas Stone 14

Damascus 28, Walt Whitman 14

Eastern Tech 46, Towson 31

Fort Hill 51, Carrick, Pa. 8

Great Mills 26, La Plata 10

Gwynn Park 38, Largo 6

Hereford 51, Kenwood 32

Hubie Blake 7, Montgomery Blair 0

Huntingtown 28, Westlake 6

Hyattsville Northwestern 47, High Point 6

John Carroll 24, Northwood 7

Lackey 34, Northern - Cal 7

Leonardtown 16, Calvert 14

Liberty 42, Francis Scott Key 20

Linganore 27, Thomas Johnson 19

Maryland School for the Deaf 59, Fairfax Home School, Va. 3

Meade 42, Glen Burnie 0

Middletown 55, Tuscarora 19

Mifflin County, Pa. 28, Maryland Christian 27, OT

Mountain Ridge 35, Oakland Southern 7

Mt. Hebron 18, Marriotts Ridge 14

North Hagerstown 41, Catoctin 28

Northern - G 41, Alleghany 12

Northwest - Mtg 29, Albert Einstein 15

Old Mill 42, Harwood Southern 12

Patuxent 28, McDonough 14

Poly 18, Dunbar 14

Poolesville 27, Wheaton 0

Quince Orchard 21, Clarksburg 14, 2OT

Richard Montgomery 14, Magruder 3

River Hill 47, Centennial 0

Severna Park 21, Arundel 13

Snow Hill 48, Parkside 17

South Hagerstown 29, Williamsport 14

South River 40, Northeast 28

St. Frances 44, St. John's Catholic Prep 14

St. Paul's 54, Pallotti 8

Walkersville 49, Oakdale 7

Walter Johnson 42, John F. Kennedy 21

Western Tech 14, Sparrows Point 10

Winters Mill 21, North Carroll 15, OT

Wootton 36, Watkins Mill 17

Posted by David Selig at 9:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Tom Berg's wife jokes about how he can forget where he left his car keys, but he can recall every last detail of any given soccer game he has coached over his years at North Harford High.

There have been many. After spending 12 years coaching the boys team, Berg is in his 27th season as the girls varsity coach. The 39 years have produced plenty of wins, as he went 69-36-13 guiding the boys and will take a 253-112-51 mark into this year's playoffs on the girls' side after the Hawks posted a 7-6-1 mark this season.

Berg, who plans to coach another year or two, taught social studies and language arts for 39 years at North Harford's middle and high schools before retiring two years ago. As our latest Coachspeak guest, we asked Berg five questions about the evolution of girls soccer, his coaching philosophies and memories, and his thoughts on how concussions should be dealt with in the game.

How has the girls game changed over the years?

The game is much faster and the skill level is much higher than when I first started. I think that's because there's so many different learning opportunities. Now, we have camps and clinics; the coaches now have a lot more experience than the ones years ago; and the girls now make much more of a commitment. The fact that so many colleges are playing the game now gives scholarship opportunities that girls want to take advantage of. I just think the fact that there are so many leagues, so many club teams, so many opportunities -- some of the kids take advantage of them and some of them don't, of course. But the skill level is so much higher and the game has gotten so much faster. There's also television exposure -- kids now see more games, they don't just play in them and that has a big impact for both players and coaches.

What is the most important message you have tried to instill in your players?

I think the fact that soccer is a cooperative sport and not just a competitive sport. To really be successful, you have to be able to cooperate with your coach, your teammates and everybody you work with and then the competition becomes much more easy to take care of. I also try to emphasize to the girls that the game is about relationships. Years from now, they won't remember their won-loss record, but they are going to remember how they were treated and how they treated others. And then, of course, I try to emphasize sportsmanship with the fact that every player on the field is somebody's daughter.

Is there any one particular game or goal that stands out the most for you in all your years coaching?

When I was coaching in the boys program years ago before we had a girls program -- back in about 1983 -- I had a young lady, the first and only girl in our county that was playing soccer at the time. We were playing at Havre de Grace, and I had cut about 15 or 20 young men who had tried out for the team and I caught a lot of grief for it from parents. She scored the winning goal in that game and ended up being a great player. She went on to college and played there and came back and coached in our program. Her name is Michelle Jakubiak. That goal she scored was really huge and will always stand out in my mind.

What phrase have you most used in pregame or halftime speeches?

There's one I borrowed from Marv Levy, who was the football coach for the Buffalo Bills for so long. He used to say to his players before a game: "Where would you rather be than here, what would you rather be doing than this?" On occasion, before games that are quote-unquote big games I would say that and the kids are in almost universal agreement that this is a great opportunity and they wouldn't want to be anywhere but here and they wouldn't want to be doing anything but this. I always tell them "How many times in your life can you really say that?"

Concussions are a hot topic in sports today, what precautions do you feel are needed in high school soccer?

We just started something at Harford County now that is wonderful and that's having a trainer at all of our games. Having a trainer on the field is so important, and I think every school should have a full-time trainer. We don't have that yet in Harford County, but we're getting closer every year. That's the first step. I think the second step is to not ignore the concussion studies of soccer. We like to bury our head in the sand and say "Well, we've been playing soccer for hundreds of years and haven't had to deal with it." I think we just ignored it. The studies are showing that concussions are a big concern in soccer, not just heading the ball, but head-to-head and head-to-ground concussions. We had four concussions last year on our varsity team and two of them were serious enough where the girls missed most of the season. I think if the girls wear protective head gear we may alleviate some of the problems. Our team has head gear that girls have the option of wearing. Every player has a headband that we purchased and gave to them. Some of the girls choose to use them and some don't. We can't mandate it, but we strongly encourage it. I think that's the coming thing, we'll see some kind of head gear in the future. It's not because it's just the right thing to do, but also because of the liability issues.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

From Sun staff reports

FIELD HOCKEY

Senior Alyssa Parker had two goals and six assists in No. 1 Glenelg's 12-0 win over Towson, becoming just the second player in national federation history to total 100 goals and 100 assists for a career.

Parker, who passed 100 goals Monday, now has 107 goals and 102 assists over her four years.

(See our feature story on Parker here.)

GIRLS SOCCER

No. 4 River Hill 1, Atholton 0: Sheridan Street scored the game-winner at the 33rd minute of the first half for the visiting Hawks (11-2-1). Alex Hamer advanced the ball from the midfield, passed to Street, who one-timed it into the goal. The Raiders fell to 4-6-2.

BOYS SOCCER

No. 6 Reservoir 4, Wilde Lake 0: Gibril Sheriff had a hat trick to power the visiting Gators (10-2-1) past the Wildcats.

No. 12 Fallston 5, Rising Sun 3: The visiting Cougars (8-4-1) took a 4-0 lead and crusied past the Tigers (6-6).

Jame Glezen scored twice for Fallston.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

No. 1 Arundel def. South River, 3-0: Ashlee Felton had nine kills and Shannon Kelly had seven to power the host Wildcats (12-0) past the Seahawks.

Arundel won, 25-10, 25-8, 25-16, have two games left in the regular season, next week against North County on Tuesday and No. 10 Severna Park on Thursday.

No. 4 Broadneck def. Old Mill, 3-0: Sisters Alli and Mimi Graf led the host Bruiins (9-2) with Alli serving 17-of-18 with four aces and seven kills and Mimi going 10-for-10 with three aces and 23 assists.

Broadneck won, 25-6, 25-11, 25-23.

Padua Academy (Dela.) def. No. 7 Fallston, 3-0: Error riddled play troubled the Cougars throughout the match. Rachael Holehouse had 12 kills and Anna Holehouse had 16 digs.

The Pandas won, 25-21, 25-12, 25-17.

No. 9 Reservoir def. Wilde Lake, 3-1: Kelsea Belt had 21 kills to lead the host Gators (10-3) past the Wildecats.

Reservoir won, 25-9, 25-18, 22-25, 25-10.

No. 10 Severna Park def. Annapolis, 3-0: Olivia Roy had 18 assists and nine aces and Abbie Hoekstra had nine kills for the host Falcons (8-3).

Severna Park won, 25-12, 25-11, 25-10.

No. 11 St. Paul’s def. Covenant Community, 3-0: Kabria Haskins had 15 kills and Haley Fitzgerald had 28 assists to lead the host Gators (10-3).

St, Paul’s won, 25-9, 25-20, 25-20.

No. 14 Glenelg def. Howard, 3-2: Morgan Perry had 17 kills and Alli Dillon added 13 for the host Gladiators (9-2), who were taken the distance by the Lions.

Glenelg won, 25-23, 19-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-7.

Posted by David Selig at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

High School football scores from throughout the state Thursday:

Aberdeen 21, Havre de Grace 12

Digital Harbor 10, Mervo 8

Easton 50, Kent County 6

Edmondson 18, City 12

Elkton 26, Harford Tech 0

Fallston 46, Joppatowne 8

James M. Bennett 54, Washington 40

Kent Island 17, Wicomico 14

Lewis 34, B.D. Jamison 0

New Town 32, Bel Air 0

Patterson Mill 27, North East 0

Paint Branch 14, Sherwood 13

Perryville 41, Edgewood 0

Queen Annes County 56, Col. Richardson 8

Stephen Decatur 42, North Caroline 6

Urbana 41, Frederick 12

Westminster 46, Century 0

Posted by David Selig at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

No. 1 Glenelg is the top seed in Class 2A East and has a bye into the third round of the playoffs, which begin next Thursday. (Brian Krista/Patuxent Publishing)

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association field hockey draw for regional playoffs is complete, and matches will begin Oct. 27.

No. 1-ranked Glenelg, the defending 2A champion, is the top seed in Class 2A East and has a bye into the third round. There, on Oct. 31, the Gladiators will face the winner of the Oct. 27 game between Wilde Lake and Long Reach.

Century is the No. 1 seed in 2A North and will play the Liberty/Eastern Tech winner.

One of the biggest surprises of the season is Sparrows Point, which has earned the top seed in 1A South. The Pointers get a bye into the third round. Fallston is the top seed in 1A North.

Nearly all of the No. 1 seeds received at least first round byes. But in 3A North, Hereford plays Patapsco in the opening round Thursday. C. Milton Wright is the No. 2 seed in the North and will face North Harford.

Westminster, the 4A champion last year, is the No. 1 in 3A West. The Owls face the winner of Einstein/ Tuscarora, who play on the 27th. In 3A East Howard captured the No. 1 seed and faces county rival Centennial in the second round.

In 4A East, South River, by virtue of its 2-1 victory over South River Wednesday, is the No. 1 seed, while Severna Park is the second seed.

Manchester Valley has earned the No. 1 seed in 1A West and with it a bye into the third round. No. 2 seed in 1A West, North Carrol, also can rest until round three.

For complete seeding and game dates, click here.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Bryn Mawr teammates Tate DeWeese and Hannah Park (right) celebrate a goal by DeWeese as Severn goalie Cara Anstey looks on during Wednesday's field hockey game. DeWeese and Park each scored twice in the No. 8 Mawrtians' 4-2 victory. (Brian Krista/Patuxent Publishing)

From Sun Staff Reports

BOYS SOCCER

Jamie Dubyoski scored the game-winner three minutes into the first overtime as the No. 3 Loyola boys soccer team (8-2-3) handed host No. 2 Curley (12-4-1) its second straight loss.

Loyola’s Mike Distler scored twice in regulation. In the overtime, Tyler Welsch applied pressure to the Curley defense allowing Dubyoski to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Curley lost, 3-0, to No. 4 Gilman on Monday.

No. 1 McDonogh 6, John Carroll 1: Mike Gamble scored twice and the host Eagles (14-1-1) kept the top spot in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference with three games left.

McDonogh has a 1 1/2 game lead on second-place Gilman and a two-game lead on third-place Loyola.

No. 4 Gilman 1, No. 10 Mount St. Joseph 0: Sam Wancowicz led a 40-yard jail break, went one-on-one with the Gaels goalie and scored the game-winner with 2:30 left in the game.

The Greyhounds improved to 14-3-1.

GIRLS SOCCER

No. 10 Bryn Mawr 3, Friends 1: Erica Matz had two goals and an assist and Danielle Hogarth had a goal and two assists to power the host Mawrtians (10-4) past the Quakers.

Matz broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second half and added an insurance goal with 10 minutes left in the game.

FIELD HOCKEY

No. 8 Bryn Mawr 4, Severn 2: Hannah Park and Tate DeWesse each scored twice to power the host Mawrtians (11-3-1) past the Admirals.

Posted by David Selig at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Reginald F. Lewis football coach Donte' Foster was named Ravens' High School Coach of the Week Wednesday after leading his team to a 24-18 win last week over Maritime Academy.

The victory boosted the Falcons' record to 5-1, a big improvement over last season's 3-7 finish.

“The turnaround is unbelievable,” Foster said in a news release. “My staff deserves kudos because of the time and effort that they put in these young men. Even though this is called the ‘Coach of the Week’ award, it really represents the efforts made by our entire staff. I feel that I have the best staff in Baltimore City.”

The Falcons' running game powered their win over Maritime on Friday as running back Jamal Williamson led the way with 11 carries for 104 yards and two touchdown. Williamson also had an interception and six tackles on defense.

A Franklin graduate, Foster has coached at St. Frances, Century and Loch Raven, but Lewis is his first head coaching position. He has the Falcons in a tie for second place in Baltimore City's Division II.

“Although these kids know they will have a winning record for the season, they are not satisfied with just that, and we are looking forward to November,” Foster said. “We have determined kids who are also outstanding in the classroom. This award is huge. We are a Division II school and not a lot of people know about us. The kids and the coaching staff deserve this award just as much as I do.”

Foster receives a $2,000 dollar donation for his football program and will join the rest of the season's winners at the Dec. 24 Ravens-Browns game at M&T Bank Stadium where the Ravens will announced their High School Coach of the Year.

Previous winners this season: Catonsville's Rich Hambor, Glenelg's Butch Schaffer and New Town's Joe Holland.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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When Blake Henry took over the Mount St. Joseph football program, he said he expected the Gaels to be in the hunt for the MIAA A Conference championship every year. Nineteen months later, they are.

Friday night's 21-14 victory over then-No. 4 McDonogh boosted the Gaels into a tight race for second place behind No. 1 Gilman, which is 4-0 in the seven-team conference. The Gaels are 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference heading into Saturday's home game against No. 11 Loyola. This week, the Gaels broke into The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 poll at No. 13.

A 1998 Loyola graduate, Henry played football at Northwestern for a year and then transferred to Wake Forest, where he was a first-team All-ACC offensive guard as a senior. Henry, 32, had a brief stint with the Atlanta Falcons after signing a free agent contract and then returned to Loyola to join its coaching staff in 2003.

Henry, a phys ed and health teach at St. Joe, took over a Gaels program that had gone 2-8 through a disappointing, injury-riddled 2009 season. Last fall, they finished 3-6. As this week's football Coachspeak guest, he talks about the Gaels' turnaround and the challenge of competing in the A Conference.

What are the challenges you face as a new head coach when you have to rebuild a team in the A Conference?

It was an inexperienced team in that the seniors I inherited had not played a lot. Changing the offense and defense and getting them used to me as a coach and our coaching staff and our style took a little bit of time. We have a lot of good kids here and the kids are willing to work hard. Most of them accepted what we brought in and the ones that didn’t aren’t playing football here anymore. The challenge for us was to put in an off-season program. They really hadn’t done a lot with that. Getting the kids to come in four days a week in the summer at 8 a.m. was a struggle at first, but once the kids started seeing the benefit of getting stronger and being better football players, they really bought into it. We’ve had a much better response to that this year than last year. Teenagers want instant gratification, and in football you don’t get that. You prepare for five or six days for one game a week.

How difficult is it to win in the A Conference?

It’s the toughest league in the state and I know that because teams won’t schedule us. I can’t get a lot of teams I ask to play us. It was the same way at Loyola and people around the state know we have a great reputation in the league. We won two games in the league this year and our guys were all going nuts after we won. If you win a league game in our conference, it’s like winning a playoff game. Now we have playoffs (for the first year in the A Conference) and everyone is fighting for those spots. For us, it’s come down to the last possession of the game in each game we’ve won.

What does that say about this team that they’re able to win games on the last possession?

That’s the biggest difference between this year and last year when our guys kind of folded. This year, every game but one was won or lost on the last series of the game. One wasn’t. That was in Ohio and we fumbled the ball and they won. We were down by a touchdown with three minutes to go in the game and we fumbled the ball and they picked it up and ran into the end zone. That’s the one game we lost by more than one score. We were up 14-7 against McDonogh and they ran the kickoff back to tie the game. That would have deflated our team last year, but this year, they got over that quickly. That shows their growth as players.

Do you like having a playoff in the A Conference?

I love having a playoff, because if you lose a game early in the season, it still gives you something to play for. It gives your kids motivation for the next week. Looking at the numbers, if you lose more than two games, there’s a chance you might make the players, but we know the margin for error is very, very small right now with three games left to go. (A playoff is) a reward for our guys. Football, at our school at least, starts the day the season ends. It starts in November, so some of these guys work almost all year around and they deserve to have a playoff as part of football tradition in our country. It’s great for our conference.

What is your coaching philosophy and how did it develop?

My coaching philosophy is try to get the kids to play to their full potential by keeping them accountable every day and teaching them to compete. If I do that, have the best chance to win on Saturdays. We do that by having off season workouts and guys have to make a certain amount of workouts in the off season. If they don’t, they have to prove to the team that they’re in good enough shape by passing a grueling conditioning test. They have to be accountable, because everybody’s position is on the line every week. We’ve juggled our starters at almost every position every week based on who played the best that week. We do a tug of war every week. That’s one of the ways we teach the kids to compete. There’s a clear winner and a clear loser. We’ll bring a rope out and everybody gathers around and one guy pulls the other over the line. It gets everybody riled up. As for my coaching philosophy, I had a good high school coach (Joe Brune) and then I had four college head coaches. I went to Northwestern for a year and my coach left and I transferred to Wake Forest. Just being around good coaches and thinking about football the whole time, you learn. My life is football. I think I was preparing to be a coach when I was a player. I was always evaluating a player and what he was doing, because in the back of my mind, I knew I might want to be a coach one day. I had two head coaches at Northwestern and two at Wake, so that exposed me to a lot of different styles.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Dafne Lee-Blakney (right) pumps up her Southside team team during the 1A state championship in 2006. (David Hobby/The Baltimore Sun)

Dafne Lee-Blakney, a Walbrook graduate who played at Maryland and coached Southside to three state finals, has been named girls basketball coach at Western, principal Alisha Trusty announced Tuesday.

Lee-Blakney, who most recently coached at Coppin Academy, led Southside to the state Class 1A championship game each year from 2004 to 2006. They claimed the 2005 championship when New Town -- which won the title game 62-53 -- forfeited the title for using an ineligible player.

At Maryland, Lee-Blakney played on the 1992 Terrapins team that was ranked No. 1 for four weeks and reached the regional final, just one step away from the Final Four. She also played professionally in Switzerland, Belgium, Israel and Greece.

Lee-Blakney takes over a Doves team that reached the state Class 4A title game three of the last five years and won five of the last six Baltimore City championships. The Doves have won 14 regional titles and two state titles, 1994 and 1995.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Girls basketball
        

Jabari Weems and McDonogh fell nine spots in the state media poll after losing to Mount St. Joseph on Saturday. (Brian Krista/Patuxent Publishing)

McDonogh's 21-14 loss to Mount St. Joseph cost the Eagles nine spots in this week's ESPN High School Maryland football media poll, but most of the other local teams moved up a notch or so.

The Eagles dropped from No. 9 to No. 18. While the Gaels did not get into the poll, they received votes for the first time this season.

The area's top three teams, No. 2 Gilman, No. 4 Calvert Hall and No. 7 Old Mill, stayed put, but Atholton, Dunbar, Poly and Catonsville moved up. Arundel lost a spot and Archbishop Spalding jumped in at No. 25.

To see where your team falls this week, check out the full state football poll.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Tyjuan Eaton and Edmondson hold down the top spot in Class 2A North. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

Only one team lost its first-place status in the latest state football regional playoff standings -- undefeated Fallston. The Cougars dropped to third place in Class 3A East behind Wicomico and Kent Island, who are also undefeated and now tied for first place -- thanks to picking up more bonus points than Fallston for last week's wins.

After seven weeks, eight teams hold on to their top spots in the battle for one of four playoff berths in each region.

Here are the other teams that held on to their top spots:
Poly in Class 4A North
Old Mill in Class 4A East
North Harford in Class 3A North
Atholton in Class 3A East
Edmondson in Class 2A North
Glenelg in Class 2A South
Overlea in Class 1A North
Dunbar in Class 1A South

Of the state's 185 public schools teams, 15 remain undefeated, including Old Mill, Poly, Catonsville, Fallston and Overlea.

To see all of the regional standings and for an explanation of how the bonus points work, check out the MPSSAA web site.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Undefeated and fifth-ranked Hereford will play No. 12 Dulaney (8-4) for the Baltimore County girls field hockey championship Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Lansdowne. The junior varsity teams from the same schools will play at 5 p.m. for the JV crown.

Officials say if the games have to be postponed because of weather, they will be played Thursday at Lansdowne. The game times will be 5:30 for JV and 7:30 for varsity. Please note the half-hour later time is only if the games are moved to Thursday. If played on Wednesday, the times remain 5 and 7.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's hard to believe that only three weeks remain in the regular season of high school football and the playoffs are nearly upon us. After seventh-week action, here are a few of the numbers that stood out:

1
Yard sneak by Reservoir’s E.J. Montgomery to beat previously undefeated Glenelg in overtime, 19-13

1
Pass completed by Atholton in its 40-21 win over Hammond

2
Seconds left when Patterson Mill quarterback Luke DePasquale hit Mike Reed with the game-winning touchdown pass in a 23-16 win over Edgewood

2
Kickoffs returned for touchdowns by Meade in its 35-21 win over Northeast

3
Of seven teams in the MIAA A Conference with just one conference loss – Calvert Hall, McDonogh and Mount St. Joseph – in a crowded second-place race behind Gilman (4-0 in the conference)

3
Fourth-quarter touchdowns thrown by Broadneck quarterback Brady George in a comeback attempt that fell short 34-31 against Arundel

4
Shutouts by Old Mill this season

5
Undefeated teams remaining in the Baltimore area – No. 3 Old Mill, No. 8 Poly, No. 12 Catonsville, Fallston and Overlea

5
Loyola fumbles in a 27-14 loss to Gilman

5
Touchdowns on its first five possessions for Aberdeen in beating Bel Air, 42-8

6
Average points allowed by Dunbar in its six games

10
Years since Glen Burnie beat South River before Friday night’s 50-32 win

11
Straight wins for Overlea, the area’s longest active winning streak

14.5
Tackles for Mount St. Joseph middle linebacker Carey Wells-Jowers in the Gael’s 21-14 upset of No. 4 McDonogh

24
Touchdowns scored this season by Old Mill running back Rob Chesson

26
Second-half points scored by Annapolis Area Christian in a 29-16 win at St. Paul’s

37.4
Average margin of victory for Old Mill this season

54
Yard field goal kicked by Broadneck’s Adam Greene in the loss to Arundel

76
Yards of offense managed by Winters Mill against Westminster in the Owl’s 14-0 win

139
Points scored by River Hill in winning three straight games after scoring just 9 in losses to Atholton and Hammond

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

And then there were five.

One more team fell from the ranks of the unbeaten this week as Reservoir nipped Glenelg, 19-13 in overtime. That leaves five Baltimore-area high school football teams boasting perfect records with just three weeks of the regular season left.

Here’s a look at how the 7-0 teams won this week and who stands in their way next:

No. 3 Old Mill 55, Annapolis 0
Rob Chesson scored four touchdowns to bring his season total to 24 as the Patriots continue to dominate Anne Arundel County. They posted their fourth shutout and have allowed only 40 points while winning by an average of 37.4 points. On Homecoming against the Panthers, Chesson, a senior running back, rushed for 211 yards on 11 carries. Deonte Shields also threw two touchdown passes to Torie Wagner.
Next up: Southern at home Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Bulldogs are 4-3, coming off a 33-13 win over North County. Earlier this season, they beat No. 14 South River, 25-24, but Old Mill’s defense will be the toughest challenge they have faced all season.

No. 8 Poly 34, Southwestern 7
After giving up nearly three times as many points as they had all season in a 44-34 win over Patterson last week, the Engineers’ defense clamped down again this week. Rashid Tynes had nine tackles and Priestly Shuler had eight tackles and a sack. Shuler also scored two rushing touchdowns, carrying the ball six times for 104 yards. Nigel Benjamin scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass and returned a fumble 87 yards for a touchdown.
Next up: No. 7 Dunbar at home Friday at 7 p.m. This is the game every high school football fan in Baltimore City has been waiting for. The Poets are coming off a 45-8 win over Douglass that boosted their record to 6-1. The Poets are unbeaten on the field too, but had to forfeit the second game of the season against Southwestern as punishment for a bench-clearing brawl in the win over Dunbar (D.C.) at the I-95 Kickoff Classic. The Poets have been even stingier on defense than the Engineers. While Poly has allowed a touchdown or less in six of its seven games, Dunbar has not allowed more than eight points in a game this fall. The Poets have allowed just 36 points in six games.

No. 12 Catonsville 40, Towson 6
The Comets continue to roll through the Baltimore County Class 4A-3A Division, sparked by a pair of Aaron Jones to Deniko Carter touchdown passes in the first half. Jones added another touchdown pass to Julian Jones, while DeAndre’ Lane and Josh Hylton ran for touchdowns. L.J. Childs finished off the Comets' scoring on a pass from Justin Sprankle.
Next up: Milford Mill at home Friday at 7 p.m. The Millers (4-3) suffered a pair of tough losses this week, falling to Franklin, 34-24, Monday in a game continued from the previous Thursday and to Hereford, 24-14, Friday, but the Millers remain dangerous. At 3-3 in the division, they have been within 10 points or less in all three of their conference losses.

Overlea 34, Western Tech 16
The Falcons scored the first 28 points and held off the Wolverines’ late comeback attempt to take over first place in Baltimore County’s Class 2A-1A Division with the win over the defending division champs. Alex Wells scored on a 39-yard run and his 65-yard punt return four minutes into the second half was the Falcons’ fourth unanswered touchdown. To get things started, Tevin Berry hit Dequan Pettway with a 33-yard touchdown and Sherrod Hawkes ran 30 yards for a touchdown off a fumble recovery.
Next up: Pikesville at home Friday at 7 p.m. The Panthers (3-4) have struggled against their division rivals with an 0-3 record. With the momentum the Falcons bring to the contest, riding an area-best 11-game winning streak, they could make it 12 in a row and hold onto the top spot in the division and in the Class 1A North region.

Fallston 41, Lansdowne 0
Marc Badger scored two rushing touchdowns to lead the Cougars over their Baltimore County opponent. Chris Rose, Ryan Umpleby and Steve Hill also scored touchdowns as the Cougars remain in a tie with North Harford for first place in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference Chesapeake Division. Although the Cougars have won a couple games by one touchdown, they have outscored the opposition by an average of 20.1 points. In their last three games, however, they have scored 104 points and allowed only 18.
Next up: Joppatowne at home Thursday at 7 p.m. The Cougars play on Thursday this week because schools will be closed Friday for the state teachers’ convention. The Mariners (3-4) beat C. Milton Wright, 20-0, this week to stop a three-game skid that has them 1-3 in the Chesapeake Division. After facing Joppatowne, the Cougars finish the season with probably their toughest two opponents, Aberdeen and North Harford.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Here's a look at how the Baltimore-area football teams fared this weekend in case you missed any scores:

Aberdeen 42, Bel Air 8
Annapolis Area Christian 29, St. Paul’s 16
Arundel 34, Broadneck 31
Atholton 40, Hammond 21
Boys’ Latin 7, John Carroll 0
Calvert Hall 22, Georgetown Prep 13
Caravel Academy, Del. 17, Curley 14
Carver 14, Edmondson 12
Catonsville 40, Towson 6
City 13, Digital Harbor 6
Du Bois 39, Bluford Drew Jemison 6
Dunbar 46, Douglass 8
Fallston 41, Lansdowne 0
Franklin 60, Kenwood 20
Gilman 27, Loyola 14

Glen Burnie 50, South River 32
Harford Tech 8, North East 0
Hereford 24, Milford Mill 14
Howard 33, Marriotts Ridge 7
Joppatowne 20, C.M. Wright 0
Lake Clifton 18, National Academy 0
Lewis 24, Maritime 18, 2OT
Long Reach 26, Mount Hebron 6
Lutheran 34, St. John's Catholic Prep 0
Manchester Valley 13, Century 6 OT
Maryland Christian 49, Virginia Lions 14
Meade 35, Northeast 21
Mount St. Joseph 21, McDonogh 14
New Town 22, Sparrows Point 14 OT
North Carroll 56, F.S.Key 0
North Harford 42, Havre de Grace 13
Northwestern 34, Masonville Cove 0
Old Mill 55, Annapolis 0
Overlea 34, Western Tech 16
Owings Mills 35, Pikesville 13
Parkville 34, Woodlawn 26
Patterson 6, Mervo 0
Patterson Mill 23, Edgewood 16
Perry Hall 42, Eastern Tech 18
Poly 34, Southwestern 7
Reservoir 19, Glenelg 13, OT
River Hill 59, Oakland Mills 6
Severn 52, Mt. Carmel 14
Severna Park 47, Chesapeake-AA 16
Southern 33, North County 31
South Carroll 27, Liberty 0
Spalding 24, Valley Forge PA 13
St. Mary’s 48, St. Vincent Pallotti 30
Westminster 14, Winters Mill 0
Wilde Lake 30, Centennial 0

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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From Sun Staff Reports

No. 12 Catonsville's football team used its much touted “speed burners” to take an early lead and the visiting Comets cruised to a 40-6 victory over Towson on Saturday.

Quarterback Aaron Jones and wide receiver Deniko Carter connected on a 25-yard pass in the first and a 23-yard pass in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead. The Comets (7-0) totaled 20 points in the second and cruised.

Franklin 60, Kenwood 20: Jackson Thornton Jr. went six-for-nine for 173 yards and three touchdowns as the host Indians (5-2) won their homecoming game.

Franklin led 34-0 before the Bluebirds scored twice, late in the second quarter.

Meade 35, North East 21: Derrick Souder made seven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns as the visiting Mustangs beat the Indians.

Meade totaled 401 yards rushing, 65 passing and 137 return yards.

BOYS SOCCER

No. 2 McDonogh 4, No. 15 C. Milton Wright 0: Wake Forest-bound Mike Gamble scored twice, totaling 25 goals on the season, to power the host Eagles (12-1-1) past the Mustangs (6-6).

No. 4 Gilman 5, Bel Air 1: Tanner Vosvick had a goal and an assist to lead the host Greyhounds (12-3-1) past the Bobcats.

No. 11 Towson 7, Pikesville 0: Kelton Lynch scored a goal in each half to lead the visiting Generals (9-1) past the Panthers.

FIELD HOCKEY

Mount de Sales 2, No. 13 Marriotts Ridge 0: Juliana Shearer scored twice as the visiting Sailors upset the Mustangs (9-2).

Mount de Sales’ Eve Lukowski made four saves to register the shutout.

Posted by David Selig at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Overlea stayed perfect on the season with its victory over Western Tech. (Noah Scialom/Patuxent Publishing)

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

Bishop Walsh 26, St. Mary's Ryken 21

Bowie 25, Bladensburg 12

Boys’ Latin 7, John Carroll 0

Brunswick 34, Williamsport 7

Bullis 39, St. Stephens-St. Agnes, Va. 0

Calvert 28, Alleghany 20

Catonsville 40, Towson 6

DeMatha 13, St. John's, D.C. 7

DuVal 48, Oxon Hill 8

Eleanor Roosevelt 20, C. H. Flowers 12

Flint Hill, Va. 49, St. James 0

Franklin 60, Kenwood 20

Frederick 38, Tuscarora 30

Frederick Douglass 42, Forestville 8

Gilman 27, Loyola 14

Good Counsel 35, Bishop McNamara 0

Gwynn Park 35, Fairmont Heights 6

Henry Wise 41, Parkdale 6

Hyattsville Northwestern 36, Laurel 0

John F. Kennedy 21, Poolesville 0

Kent County 12, Col. Richardson 6

Long Reach 26, Mt. Hebron 6

Meade 35, North East 21

Mount St. Joseph 21, McDonogh 14

New Town 22, Sparrows Point 14, OT

North Carroll 56, Francis Scott Key 0

Old Mill 55, Annapolis 0

Overlea 34, Western Tech 16

Riverdale Baptist 28, KIPP College Prep, D.C. 6

Suitland 47, High Point 0

Surrattsville 26, Crossland 13

Woodberry Forest, Va. 28, Landon 16

Posted by David Selig at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Quarterback Brian McMahon and No. 6 Atholton scored a big 40-21 victory over Howard County rival Hammond on Friday night. (Jen Rynda/Patuxent Publishing)

Results were mixed this week for The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 football teams. Most won, but there were some notable upsets, including one in the Top 5. Following is a look at how the ranked teams held up this weekend, and who they play next.

Look for some changes in the new rankings that appear in Tuesday's paper.

Ranking/Team/Record/Latest result/Next opponent/
1. Gilman/6-1/Def. Loyola 27-14/Mount St. Joseph, Oct. 28
2. Calvert Hall/5-1/Def. Georgetown Prep 22-13/Archbishop Spalding, Fri.
3. Old Mill/7-0/Def. Annapolis 55-0/Vs. Southern, Fri.
4. McDonogh/5-2/Lost to Mount St. Joseph 21-14/At Georgetown Prep, Sat.
5. Arundel/6-1/ Def. Broadneck 34-31/Vs. Severna Park, Fri.
6. Atholton/6-1/Def. Hammond 40-21/At Wilde Lake, Sat.
7. Dunbar/6-1/ Def. Douglass 45-8/At Poly, Fri.
8. Poly/7-0/ Def. Southwestern 34-7/Vs. Dunbar, Fri.
9. Loyola/3-3/Lost to Gilman 24-17/At Mount St. Joseph, Sat.
10. Archbishop Spalding/5-2/Def. Valley Forge, Pa. 24-13/At Calvert Hall, Fri.
11. Glenelg/6-1/Lost to Reservoir 19-13 OT/Vs. Howard, Sat.
12. Catonsville/7-0/ Def. Towson 40-6/Vs. Milford Mill, Fri.
13. Westminster/6-1/Def. Winters Mill 14-0/At Century, Thurs.
14. South River/4-3/ Lost to Glen Burnie 50-32/Vs. Northeast, Fri
15. Hammond/5-2/Lost to Atholton 40-21/At Long Reach, Sat.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Junior quarterback Luke Casey threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Mount St. Joseph celebrated its Homecoming Saturday with a 21-14 upset of No. 4 McDonogh in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference game.

In a game that was tied at 14 late in the fourth quarter, Casey hit Marcus Alston with a three-yard game-winning touchdown pass on a drive in which Drexel Mosby had a couple of nice runs. Sophomore defensive back Jacob Forrest-Jones all but sealed the victory with an interception in the Gael’s end zone on the Eagles' next drive.

“It was a huge win for us,” second-year Gaels coach Blake Henry said. “We want to make the playoffs and while we didn’t feel this was a must-win game for us because we have other games, it was pretty close to it.”

With the win, the Gaels (3-3) improve to 2-1 in the A Conference while the McDonogh (4-2) is also 2-1. Both trail No. 1 Gilman (6-1), which is 4-0 in the seven-team conference.

Casey also threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Angelo DeShields in the third quarter to tie the game at 7 and scrambled 15 yards for a 14-7 lead early in the fourth. McDonogh ran the ensuing kickoff back to tie the game at 14.

“Our defense gave up only touchdown to one of the best offensive teams in the state,” Henry said. “We had a fumble recovery and an interception and we stopped them on downs a bunch of times. And our offensive line -- we were able to run the ball in the second half and they did a good job of blocking their D-line which is a very good D-line.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Calvert Hall's C.J. Williams sacks Georgetown Prep quarterback Tre Johnson during the first half of the Cardinals' 22-13 victory Friday night. (Steve Ruark/Patuxent Publishing)

A roundup of notable sporting events from Friday:

FOOTBALL

No. 2 Calvert Hall needed everything it had to hold off underdog Georgetown Prep, 22-13, Friday night. The Cardinals (5-1) clung to a 15-13 lead before senior running back C.J. Williams scored the clinching touchdown on a 2-yard plunge with 2:54 left in the game.

Calvert Hall out-gained the Little Hoyas, 220-60, in the first half but could only manage a modest 9-3 advantage at the intermission.

Quarterback Thomas Stuart scored twice for the Cardinals and Austen Strachen added a 30-yard field goal.

Mike DePaul scored on a 66-yard pass from quarterback Tre Johnson nd Ed Brenne added two field goals for Georgetown Prep (3-5).

No. 8 Poly 34, Southwestern 7: The visiting Engineers (7-0) used tough defense to shut down the Sabers (2-5) scoring in three quarters.

Rashid Tynes led Poly’s defense with nine tackles and Priestly Shuler had eight tackles and one sack.

Shuler and Nigel Benjamin led the offense, each scored two touchdowns.

During a 20-point second quarter, Benjamin caught a 14-yard pass and had an 87-yard fumble return. Shuler closed out the scoring with a 35 and 26-yard runs. Shuler had six carries for 104 yards.

Southwestern’s lone score came in the second quarter, a 10 touchdown run by Tony Gardner.

No. 10 Archbishop Spalding 24, Vally Forge Military Academy (Pa.) 13: Alex Trantin had an interception in the fourth quarter that led to a D.J. Smith three-yard run that put the game away as the Cavaliers (5-2) defeated the visitors from Pennsylvania.

City 13, Digital Harbor 6: Tayshawn Mayo capped the Knights first drive with a 34-yard touchdown run and Derell Shelton added a fumble return for a 13-0 City lead in the first quarter.

BOYS SOCCER

No. 1 Archbishop Curley 0, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) 0 2OT: The Friars (12-2-1) of Baltimore went to Long Island, N.Y. and battled those Frairs to a 0-0 tie in a game lasted into two overtime periods. Jake Ossie had 8 saves for Curley and Anthony Lopatowski had 5 saves for St. Anthony’s. Curley takes on Chaminade later today.

St. Paul’s 5, St. Mary’s 1: Freshman Nate Hall had a goal and two assists to power the host Crusaders (12-3) past the Saints.

St. Paul’s outshot St. Mary’s, 12-5.

FIELD HOCKEY

No. 2 Garrison Forest 1, St. Paul’s 1, OT: Trailing 1-0, Sam Fine scored on a penalty corner 3:30 into the second half to knot the scoring for the visiting Gators.

Austin Davis gave the Grizzlies (12-1-1) a 1-0 lead at the 14:40 mark of the first half. Garrison had several chances to score, but St. Paul’s goalie Carrera Lucas made a game-high 14 saves.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

No. 3 Towson def. Owings Mills, 3-0: Emily Lansinger had seven kills to lead the Generals (11-1).l

Towson won, 25-4, 25-7, 25-13.

No. 14 Dulaney def. Patapsco, 3-0: Bridget McManus anchored the defense for the host Lions (11-0).

Dulaney won, 25-5, 25-12, 25-10.

Posted by David Selig at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

St. Paul's defensive back London Fitzhugh intercepts a pass intended for AACS's Chandler Edmonds in the third quarter Friday night. AACS won 29-16. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

High school football scores from throughout the state:

Annapolis Area Christian 29, St. Paul's 16

Arundel 34, Broadneck 31

Atholton 40, Hammond 21

Avalon 28, Maret, D.C. 14

Bethesda 28, Wootton 7

Boonsboro 47, Hedgesville, W.Va. 14

Calvert Hall 22, Georgetown Prep 13

Caravel Academy, Del. 17, Curley 14

City 13, Digital Harbor 6

Dunbar 46, Douglass 8

Clear Spring 46, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. 24

Damascus 28, Rockville 7

Fallston 41, Lansdowne 0

Fort Hill 62, Southern-G 6

Glen Burnie 50, South River 32

Great Mills 34, Leonardtown 20

Hancock 26, Hundred, W.Va. 0

Harford Tech 8, North East 0

Hereford 24, Milford Mill 14

Howard 33, Marriotts Ridge 7

Huntingtown 35, Patuxent 7

Joppatowne 20, C.M. Wright 0

Lewis 24, Maritime 18, 2OT

Lutheran 34, St. John's Catholic Prep 0

Middletown 49, Thomas Johnson 12

Mountain Ridge 34, Northern - G 27

North Hagerstown 38, Smithsburg 14

North Harford 42, Havre de Grace 13

North Point 21, McDonough 6

Northwest 34, Gaithersburg 27

Patterson 6, Mervo 0

Perry Hall 42, Eastern Tech 18

Poly 34, Southwestern 7

Potomac 40, Largo 6

Reservoir 19, Glenelg 13, OT

River Hill 59, Oakland Mills 6

Seneca Valley 38, Blake 0

Severn 52, Mt. Carmel 14

Severna Park 47, Chesapeake-AA 16

Sherwood 14, Springbrook 6

Silver Oak Academy 20, Wheaton 15

Southern-AA 33, North County 31

South Carroll 27, Liberty 0

South Hagerstown 20, Catoctin 6

Spalding 24, Valley Forge PA 13

St. Mary’s 48, St. Vincent Pallotti 30

Thomas Stone 12, La Plata 7

Urbana 43, Oakdale 6

Walkersville 14, Linganore 12

Walt Whitman 35, Montgomery Blair 15

Watkins Mill 21, Northwood 0

Westlake 16, Lackey 13

Westminster 14, Winters Mill 0

Posted by David Selig at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Friday night's football game between North Carroll and Francis Scott Key has been postponed until Saturday. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at North Carroll.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

City sophomore forward Dwayne Morgan has been named to the USA Basketball men's developmental national team, which is preparing to compete for the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship in Lithuania next summer.

The team, which currently has a roster of 29, will conduct a minicamp this Saturday and Sunday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

On the heels of a gold medal at the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, the USA will utilize four practice sessions to begin its defense of gold at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship, which will be played June 29 - July 8 in Lithuania.

Morgan, a 6-foot-7 small forward, participated in the Elite 75 Prep High School Showcase on Sept. 24.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Severna Park at Broadneck soccer doubleheader that was halted Thursday because of lightning will take place Monday.

The girls game, which was scoreless with 15 minutes left to play, will pick up there at 5 p.m. The boys game will start at 6 p.m.

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

Lightning suspended play of the Severna Park at Broadneck girls soccer game Thursday night and postponed the boys game between the schools that was scheduled to follow.

The girls game was scoreless when play was suspended with 14:58 to play in the second half. It will pick up at that point Monday. The boys game also will be played on Monday at Broadneck with times still not set.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It was supposed to be a big evening at Hereford's turf field. The undefeated and No. 6 Bulls were hosting Baltimore County rival No. 12 Dulaney. It was senior night and also breast cancer awareness night.

It turned out to be an unusual night. The fog rolled in early and the thunder started just before the game.

And with 7:24 to play in the first half, with the game still scoreless, Hereford's athletic director Mike Kalisz announced the game was being cancelled due to a tornado warning and lightning.

"We'll take care of business at the county championship game next Wednesday," he told the crowd, reminding everyone of the game at Lansdowne that will feature those two teams battling for the county title for the fourth consecutive year.

The cancellation assured Hereford a perfect 11-0 regular season, while Dulaney is 8-4.

"I think we'll be ready for Wednesday," Dulaney coach Kendra Zeller said. "This was a good opportunity to get all the nerves out."

Hereford coach Tammy Mundie said she couldn't remember a game ever being cancelled like Thursday's.

"I thought we could play through the thunder," she said. "But when they said there was a tornado warning, it wasn't worth taking a chance."

Mundie said her team, too, will be ready for Wednesday.

"It's odd to be playing Dulaney again," said the coach whose team has won four straight county titles. "But we like good competition. It will be a tough battle."

Before the start of Thursday's game, Hereford celebrated its seniors and included Dulaney's senior's in the program, introducing each one and giving them and their coaches a bouquet.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The George E. Sonnefeld Foundation will be awarding at least one scholarship this spring to college-bound high school senior golfers. The potential recipients must have an established handicap and live in the greater Baltimore area. Each award will be for $2,500 and be paid directly to the college where the recipients will be attending next fall. High school seniors who would like to receive an application should contact their athletic directors, golf coaches, guidance counselors, golf course professionals or contact Susan DiLonardo at 410-841-5670 or DiLonardo2@aol.com.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The year before Craig Rollins took over the football program at Overlea, the Falcons posted a 3-7 record. Last fall, in his first season, it didn't look much better until the seventh week of the season when the Falcons beat Patapsco, 20-13.

They haven't lost since.

After going 5-5 last fall, the Falcons are 6-0 and in first place in Baltimore County's Class 2A-1A Division and the Class 1A North region. They're aiming to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Although they made it nine times between 1983 an 1993 with a trip to the state final in 1988, they've qualified only twice since.

Saturday's game against Western Tech (1 p.m. at CCBC-Catonsville) could determine who wins the division and regional titles. Western Tech (5-1) is the defending champion in both.

Rollins, 34, had been an assistant coach at Aberdeen and Milford Mill before taking over the Falcons. He played football at Morgan State and finished his playing career at West Chester (Pa.). After three years coaching at his alma mater, Abington Senior High in the northern Philadelphia suburbs, he and his wife, an Edgewood graduate he met at Morgan, moved to Maryland to be closer to her family.

As this week's football Coachspeak guest, Rollins talks about the Falcons' success, his coaching style and his goals for the program.

How did you end up at Overlea?

The position opened up last year and I applied for the position. They wanted to go in a different direction. Overlea’s had a tradition of winning and it’s definitely a good place to be, good rec programs around the area. And it was my first opportunity to become a head coach.

What has been the driving force behind the turnaround at Overlea? What happened last year to spark it?

Discipline. Having the kids believe in themselves and making them believe anything worth having is worth working for. Nothing worth having is easy to get. You’ve got to fight for it. The last four games of the season we started turning things around with the hustle, the work, the drive, the will power. It was the mental change. They wanted to win. They wanted to get better.

How has the team improved as you’ve gone along this season?

Discipline, getting the plays down, conditioning, hustling to the ball. People are starting to identify their roles on the team. The Randallstown game was the turning point, holding each other accountable, persevering. We were down a couple players for disciplinary reasons (minor infractions) and we were able to get through the adversity. You’ve got to be disciplined in school as well as on the field. They have to understand that. They have to be student-athletes. I believe the student-athlete comes first.

How would you describe your coaching style and who did you look to in developing it?

I would say I’m a players coach. I can relate to what they go through. I played the game from rec to high school to college. I was a student-athlete and I understand some of the things they have to go through. Coach Reggie White from Milford Mill was a mentor. He played in the League (NFL) and at (North Carolina) A&T. He brought me in as a defensive guy. I learned a lot from him because he played defense in the League. My coach back in high school, Doug Moister, he taught me a lot too when I first got the job there as a young coach. He taught me how to be a coach and how to understand different aspects of the game. Chris Davis, my position coach in high school, helped me. He was at Potomac in Maryland when I started coaching and he started calling me and mentoring me. They were real important people in my life, Coach Davis and Coach Moister. They were there for me as a young man. I think about them now when I make decisions about my team and my players.

What are your goals for the program short term and long term?

Short team, making a winning program and getting the boys believing in themselves, so things go the right way. We want to win the county championship. The long-term goal is to get the boys into school, to get the program to the point where they can receive scholarships possibly. Championships and stuff may come, but my goal is to make them into great young men and get the into college and, hopefully, they can come back and give back to the program that helped them. That’s my long-term goal.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Football
        

Former Calvert Hall football coach and longtime math teacher Augie Miceli will be honored before the Cardinals' home game Friday night. (Brendan Cavanaugh/Patuxent Publishing)

Calvert Hall will honor former football coach Augie Miceli at a ceremony before Friday night’s game to dedicate a coaches’ wing in his name in Paul Angelo Russo Stadium.

Miceli coached the Cardinals from 1974 to 1987 and won 104 games – more than any other Cardinals’ coach. In 1979, he was named The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro Coach of the Year after leading the Cardinals to an undefeated season and the MSA A Conference championship.

Miceli’s teams won a handful of MSA titles, but he is perhaps most revered for winning seven straight Turkey Bowls, the most consecutive wins for the Cardinals in the Thanksgiving Day rivalry with Loyola that is in its 92nd year.

Last year, Miceli celebrated his 50th year of teaching at Calvert Hall, where he helped out with the football team at times after leaving the head coaching position.

“This will be the first thing that will be permanent in his name,” said Frank Kelly, a 1982 graduate who, along with his three brothers, played for Miceli. “I think 10 or 15 years ago, a scholarship was endowed in his name, but this is tied to him as a football coach. He has taught at Calvert Hall for more than 50 years, but this is really related to football.”

Before the game Friday, a sign will be unveiled near the spot where the Cardinals emerge from their locker room, proclaiming the Augie Miceli Sr. Coaches’ Wing, Kelly said.

“It’s a great way to recognize him for his many years of coaching and all the championship teams he coached,” he said.

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

The Anne Arundel Sports Hall of Fame will introduce five new members at its 21st annual induction ceremony set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie.

This year's nominees are John Dolch, George Kazmarek, Carin Peterson, Dan Ruland and Joyce Stefancik. Former state Sen. Mike Wagner also will be recognized with the County Executive's Award.

Here's a closer look at the five new members:

John Dolch, wrestler
The Northeast grad went 70-8 in high school with two district and region titles and one state crown before winning two national championships at Salisbury State University. After he finished wrestling, he also served as an official and coach for many years.

George Kazmarek, baseball
One of the most feared hitters in county baseball history, Kazmarek enjoyed a stellar high school career at Mount St. Joseph and then starred at the University of Maryland. He was drafted by the New York Mets in 1968 and played in the minor leagues.

Carin Peterson, lacrosse and field hockey
After a stellar two-sport career at Severna Park, Peterson was a key member of national championship teams in both sports at Maryland, where she is a member of the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Now coaching lacrosse at Severna Park, she has led the Falcons to 10 state championships.

Dan Ruland, basketball
The Annapolis High graduate was a standout at James Madison University before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. He played professionally overseas and in the Continental Basketball Association and United States Basketball League.

Joyce Stefancik, soccer
A member of the St. Mary's College and Severna Park High hall of fames, Stefancik is best known for starting the girls soccer program at Severna Park, where she won more than 200 games and captured four state titles in 20 years.

Tickets for the induction banquet are $30. For more information or tickets, call Ken Pumphrey at 443-223-3388.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Joe Holland, who has New Town's football team off to a 5-1 start after last week's 56-8 win over Lansdowne, was named the Ravens' High School Coach of the Week Wednesday.

Against Lansdowne, the Titans gave up their only points on an early kickoff return and the defense took charge the rest of the way. The defense has allowed just 38 points this season while the Titans have scored 243.

“First, we take our hats off to the offensive line,” Holland said in a news release. “We have a motley crew of guys and two of them are under 200 pounds. Our team is watching film, and we’ve changed our blocking scheme. We finished with 359 rushing yards last week, spread amongst five running backs.

“Our defense has been phenomenal, and we have great leadership on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Shawheem Dowdy has committed himself to the game, and we have guys willing to follow. We haven’t had to rely on one person. We have a lot of talent across the board, and every week we have different players stepping up. We’ll continue to focus on getting all three aspects of the game right, so we don’t give up points. I hope our guys continue to stay hungry.”

The Titans suffered their only loss to undefeated Overlea and are tied with Western Tech for second place in Baltimore County's Class 2A-1A division. New Town is third in the Class 1A North regional standings behind Overlea (6-0) and Western Tech (5-1) as the Wolverines have an edge in points. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs.

Holland, in his fourth season with the Titans, is a repeat winner of the Ravens' Coach of the Week award. He also won in 2009 while coaching at Douglass in Baltimore City.

As a weekly winner, Holland receives a $2,000 donation to the Titans' football program as well as a certificate and a Coach of the Week hat.

On Dec. 24, Holland will join previous 2011 winners Catonsville's Rich Hambor and Glenelg's Butch Schaffer and future winners at the Ravens-Browns game at M&T Bank Stadium when the Ravens will announce their High School Coach of the Year. The overall winner will receive an additional donation to his football program.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The Hereford boys and the Dulaney girls won the team crowns at the Baltimore County Golf Championships Tuesday at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Timonium.

The Bulls placed two golfers in the Top 10 -- Gary Schmalenberger, who shot 76 to finish fourth, and John Wiedel, who shot 79 and finished 10th.

In the girls competition, Dulaney's Jane Moon won the individual title, shooting 81. Five of her teammates also finished in the Top 10 -- 3. Danielle Chandler (88), 5. Sandra Moon (91), 6. Shannon McKew (91), 8. Jenny Park (94) and 10. Lizzie Muangrat (100).

Pikesville's Matt Oshrine shot the round of the day with a 68 to take the boys title by seven strokes over Catonsville's Mike Fiato (75).

Other Top 10 boys' finishers: 3. Brett Kofsky, Owings Mills (75); 5. Alex Moore, Dulaney (76); 6. Dallas Rowe, Lansdowne (77); 7. KC Nightingale, Towson (77), 8 Brian Park, Dulaney (78); and 9. Duncan Berry, Catonsville (79).

Other Top 10 finishers in the girls' competition: 2. Casey Pollock, Towson (84), 4. Kelsey Long, Perry Hall (89); 7. Bailey Nance, Western Tech (93); and 9. Danielle Drecchio, Hereford (99).

When two or more golfers shot the same score, their scores on the hardest handicap hole broke the ties. If they were still tied, the next hardest handicap hole was used and so on.

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

Jostling for first place in the regional playoff standings is getting serious with six of 10 weeks in the books, but plenty of Baltimore-area teams held on to their top spots after last weekend's action.

Only one regional leader changed this week -- in Class 4A North, where Poly edged Catonsville for the top spot after the two were tied last week. Both remain unbeaten, but because of the strength and classifications of their opponents, they could keep bouncing back and forth.

Two other teams also broke out of ties -- Glenelg in Class 2A South and Fallston in Class 2A East. Both teams are also 6-0.

Here are the other teams that held on to their top spots:
Old Mill in Class 4A East
North Harford in Class 3A North
Atholton in Class 3A East
Edmondson in Class 2A North
Overlea in Class 1A North
Dunbar in Class 1A South.

Seventeen public school teams remain undefeated, including Old Mill and Overlea.

To see how your team is faring in the regional standings, check out the MPSSAA web site.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Players on both teams sported pink gloves and tape during Dunbar's game against Edmondson on Saturday. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

A number of high school football teams are showing their pink sides in October to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but none more than Dunbar's.

At Saturday night’s game between the Poets and Edmondson, players on both sides sported pink gloves, pink cleat covers, pink wrist bands, pink shoelaces, pink towels and other pink apparel. Not everyone wore everything, but each player displayed some pink. On the Dunbar side, even the coaches were decked out in pink polo shirts with pink ribbons.

Poets coach Lawrence Smith said he believes it’s important for teenage boys to know about a disease that could affect their mothers, grandmothers and other women close to them.

“It’s a disease that can kill you,” Smith said, “and they need to know that it’s real. We do an awareness with our kids. We don’t just wear it. We do an awareness with them so they know what’s going on. It’s a big deal. They’re not just wearing the pink, they know why they’re wearing the pink.”

Poets running back Charles Brown has seen the effects of the disease up close.

“My mother’s best friend since childhood died from breast cancer about three or four years ago,” Brown said. "It was pretty emotional, so this means everything to me. I watch the NFL players and we learn from the best. They do it, so you might as well learn at a young age. Not every team here in Baltimore wears the pink, but we like to do it to support the women who suffer from breast cancer.”

A part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the NFL has partnered with the American Cancer Society to wear pink and use pink coins for the opening toss as well as special game balls in their campaign dubbed “A Crucial Catch.” Referees are also wearing pink, including their whistles, during October. Much of the apparel as well as footballs and coins will be auctioned off to benefit the American Cancer Society.

“We know it’s a big movement with the NFL,” Smith said, “and we really wanted to make a statement. I know other than the NFL, you don’t see a lot of coaches with the pink shirts on. A lot of folks come up to us and say they like it, so our staff and our kids really take it seriously and Under Armour really did a good job of dressing us up for the month of October.”

Brown and his younger brother Paki, also a Poets running back, already understand the importance of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign to stress the need for annual mammograms for women over 40. They’ve seen what the disease can do.

“I saw the process from having the breasts removed to slowly becoming more sick and getting worse and worse,” Brown said. “It was pretty emotional for the whole family. We constantly prayed for her and now she’s in a better place.”

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Calvert Hall quarterback Thomas Stuart tries to escape Gilman's defense during the Greyhounds' 28-21 win on Friday. The loss dropped the Cardinals one spot in the state media poll. (Jen Rynda/Patuxent Publishing)

Calvert Hall and Arundel suffered their first losses last week, and it cost them in the ESPN High School Maryland football media poll. The Cardinals dropped from No. 3 to No. 4 after falling to No. 2 Gilman, 28-21, and Arundel plummeted from No. 7 to No. 17 after falling to then-No. 10 Old Mill, 47-10.

Old Mill moved up to No. 7, while Atholton, Dunbar and Poly each moved up a notch. McDonogh is up two spots, Catonsville jumped three and Loyola dropped seven. Glenelg held on at No. 25.

To see where your team falls this week, check out the full state football poll.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Many teenagers spend their summers going away on vacations and swimming.

Caitlin Shanahan, who plays volleyball, basketball and lacrosse at Mercy, spent her's swinging a sledgehammer, moving concrete blocks and doing a complete remodeling job of the school's ticket booth to create a new concession stand.

From July until the stand was blessed and opened Oct. 6, the junior spent nearly every day working on the project.

It was developed as a way for Shanahan to earn her Girl Scouts Gold Award.

She got assistance from her mother -- who is also her Girl Scout troop leader -- her father and several other fathers in Mercy's Fathers' Club. Along the way, she learned how to manage a project by developing timelines and handling budgets. She also learned how to hang drywall and lay floor tiles, as she did the manual labor herself.

The concession stand will be used during all the school's indoor athletic activities to help raise money for Mercy teams. The school did not previously have a concession stand.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference boys soccer game with No.1 Archbishop Curley playing host to No. 2 McDonogh, originally set for 4 p.m. Wednesday, has been moved to Tuesday withthe same 4 p.m. start.
The teams mutually agreed to play the game one day earlier to avoid potential bad weather on Wednesday. Curley (12-1) is in first place in the MIAA with a 7-1 mark with McDonogh (10-1-1) in second at 6-1-1.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 7:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Franklin's football team finished what it started Thursday by holding onto its lead and defeating Milford Mill, 34-24, Monday afternoon in a Baltimore County Class 4A-3A contest.

The game had to be called due to darkness Thursday when the EMT arrived late, delaying the 4 p.m. start by an hour at Milford Mill, which does not have lights.

With a 28-22 lead and 10:24 to go, the Indians resumed the game on Milford Mill's half-yard line and quarterback Jackson Thornton sneaked in for a touchdown. The Millers held him off three times, but on fourth down, he finally got over the end line.

"We would like to have scored the first time," Franklin coach Anthony Burgos said, "but it kind of worked out in our favor, because we burned about three minutes."

The Millers added two more points when a high snap soared over the Franklin punter's head and the Indians fell on the ball in the end zone.

For the Indians (4-2), every game is now a must-win, Burgos said, if they want to get back to the state playoffs after a trip to the Class 3A title game last fall. They came into the game in seventh place in the highly-competitive Class 3A North region and only four teams make the playoffs.

Milford Mill was in second place but will drop with the loss that gives them a 4-2 record.

"This is a big win for us," Burgos said. "We had the mind set this week that our season was on the line right here as far as making the post season. With two losses, we're kind of in a do-or-die mode -- you win or you go home. We're in playoff mode right now."

Millers coach Reggie White likely will have his players thinking the same way heading into this weekend's games.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

After a weekend with some of the biggest games of the season, here's a look at a few statistics that stand out after Week 6:

-2
Yards of offense for Edmondson in the first half of a 20-6 loss to No. 7 Dunbar

1/2
Yard line of Milford Mill – where Franklin will have the ball when play resumes Monday with the Indians leading 28-22 in a game suspended Friday because of darkness

2
Catonsville returns for touchdowns in the first three minutes of the 38-17 win over Eastern Tech – Josh Hylton’s 90-yard kickoff return and Deniko Carter’s 65-yard punt return

2
Aberdeen touchdowns negated by penalties in the Eagles’ 14-12 loss to McDonough of Charles County

3
Touchdowns scored this season by City with no time remaining on the clock, including Brandon Jones’ 33-yard pass reception from Steffen Wilkens in the second quarter of Friday’s 26-6 win over Mervo

5
Straight Ben Eaton Memorial Trophy wins by Dunbar in the rivalry with Edmondson marked by the award dedicated to the beloved Dunbar coach – a mentor to both head coaches, Dunbar’s Lawrence Smith and Edmondson’s Dante Jones – who died in August 2007

6
Average margin of victory in the last five Gilman-Calvert Hall contests – three won by Gilman, which leads the series 32-21-2

6
Local teams remaining unbeaten at 6-0: No. 3 Old Mill, No. 8 Poly, No. 11 Glenelg, No. 12 Catonsville, Fallston and Overlea

7
Career kickoff or punt returns for touchdowns by Gilman’s Cyrus Jones, including a game-winning 97-yard punt return in the 28-21 win over Calvert Hall

7
Consecutive touchdowns for Old Mill in the 47-10 win over Arundel

7
Interceptions in three weeks by Old Mill’s Torie Wagner, including two in the win over Arundel

10
Straight wins for Overlea – the area’s longest active winning streak

10
Of the past 13 Catonsville scoring drives to go for more than 50 yards, including four of six in the 38-17 win over Eastern Tech

11
Points scored by Glenelg kicker Luke Brister in the 23-20 nailbiter over Long Reach – a 27-yard field goal, an 11-yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal and two extra points

20
Fourth-quarter points scored by Poly in its 44-34 win over Patterson

34.5
Average margin of victory for Old Mill this fall

35
Carries by Old Mill’s Rob Chesson, who scored five touchdowns and gained 312 all-purpose yards in the win over Arundel

260
Second-half yards gained by Gilman after Calvert Hall limited them to 61 in the first half in the Greyhounds’ comeback victory

358
Yards passing by South River’s Connor Cox – 17-for-36 for five touchdowns – in a 33-28 win over Severna Park

369
Yards rushing for Annapolis Area Christian’s Josh McPhearson in a 26-24 loss to Archbishop Curley

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Six is the number of the week in high school football. After six weeks, six teams remain unbeaten at 6-0. Which ones will be left standing after seven weeks? Here are the candidates with a look at their most recent wins and next week's matchups.

WAY TOO EASY
No. 12 Catonsville 39, Eastern Tech 17
The Comets have rolled through the heart of their Baltimore County Class 4A-3A Division, scoring an average of 38.2 points. In the past three weeks, they have beaten Franklin, Hereford and Eastern Tech by an average of 28.7 points. Special teams got them off to a quick start against the Mavericks. Josh Hylton returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. After forcing a punt on the Mavericks’ first possession, Deniko Carter returned it 65 yards for a 13-0 lead in less than three minutes. DeAndre’ Lane had 10 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Hylton’s 70-yard touchdown run gave the Comets a 39-0 lead with almost nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Next up: At Towson on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Generals are 1-5 and considering they lost to Hereford 42-0 while the Comets beat the Bulls 50-14, Catonsville’s unbeaten streak likely will live on.

Fallston 35, C. Milton Wright 11
Quarterback John Hetterman threw two touchdown passes in the first half to get the Cougars off to a quick start in a game in which they never trailed. The Cougars are 3-0 in the UCBAC Chesapeake Division with North Harford right behind at 2-0 as the division title could come down to their Oct. 28 meeting. Friday, the Cougars led 21-3 at the half. Hetterman hit Chris Rose with an 80-yard touchdown strike to open the game and then tossed a 27-yard scoring pass to Connor Davis. Marc Badger also scored two touchdowns
Next up: Lansdowne at home Friday at 7 p.m. The Vikings, who play in Baltimore County’s Class 2A-1A division, are 2-4, coming off a 56-8 loss to New Town. The Cougars, with their offensive weapons, should be in good shape to keep their win streak alive.

Overlea 55, Sparrows Point 15
The Falcons have won their past two games by an average margin of 33 points. Against the Pointers, Alex Wells ran for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Dequan Pettway caught two touchdown passes from Tevin Berry and Fyne Ndukwe also scored twice. With four wins from the end of last season, the Falcons boast the area’s longest active winning streak at 10 games.
Next up: vs. Western Tech on Saturday at CCBC Catonsville at 1 p.m. At 5-1 the Wolverines are one of the best teams on the Falcons’ schedule. Both are unbeaten in Baltimore County’s Class 2A-1A Division. The Wolverines are 5-1 overall, with their only loss to St. Paul’s. The Wolverines won the division title last season, and whichever team wins this is in good position to take the title this fall. The two also are jockeying for position in the Class 1A North region. The Falcons, looking for their first regional playoff berth in five years, are in first place with the Wolverines right on their heels.

LATE START
No. 3 Old Mill 47, Arundel 10
Arundel scored the first 10 points of the game, but after that it was all Old Mill in the battle of undefeated Anne Arundel County rivals. Rob Chesson ran for five touchdowns, finishing with 233 yards on the 34 carries as the Patriots scored seven consecutive touchdowns. The Patriots’ defense tightened up and used multiple blitz packages to contain Wildcats quarterback Cooper Hibbs, who completed his first 10 passes and then went 11-24 and was sacked six times. The Patriots beat the Wildcats for the first time during the regular season in three years, and they take sole possession of first place in the county and stay on top in the Class 4A East region.
Next up: Annapolis at home Saturday at 1 p.m. The Panthers have yet to win a game after falling to Broadneck, 27-25, Thursday night. That doesn’t bode well against an Old Mill team that has scored 203 points in its last four games and allowed only 24 all season. The Patriots likely will not be tested again – if then -- until they meet No. 14 South River in the final week of the regular season.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
No. 8 Poly 44, Patterson 34
The Engineers’ defense hit a Clippers’ speed bump Friday night., but their offense came through to make the difference. Jamal Chappell scored two touchdowns, including one on a 67-yard punt return to put the Engineers on the board first. Quarterback Darrell Milburn ran for one touchdown and threw for another. After allowing just 12 points in its first five games, Poly gave up nearly three times that many to Craig Oliver, Nyme Manns and company. Poly needed 20 points in the third quarter to seal the win.
Next up: At Southwestern on Friday at 3:45 p.m. Despite a 2-4 record, the Sabers are no pushovers. They benefited from a forfeit win over Dunbar but they also played tough against Edmondson before falling 12-7. Still Poly’s defense will strive to return to its stingy ways. The Engineers will need that when they meet Dunbar two weeks from now in a game that likely will decided the winner of Baltimore City’s Division I, where the Engineers hold a one-game lead over the Poets.

WHEW!!!
No. 11 Glenelg 23, Long Reach 20
Two fourth-quarter defensive stands and another big game from place kicker Luke Brister and running back Nick Crabill kept the Gladiators in first place in the Howard County league. Facing a Lightning offense that had scored 180 points coming into the game – more than any other team in the county – the Gladiators' defense held off two late surges after Crabill scored the final touchdown on a 32-yard run with 10:44 left. Brister had a 27-yard field goal, hit Ryan Perry with an 11-yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal and kicked two extra points. Crabill ran for 132 yards on 18 carries.
Next up: Reservoir at home Friday at 7 p.m.. The Gators (3-3) are coming off a 34-0 win over Centennial, the identical score the Gladiators beat the Eagles by in Week 2. The Gators turned the ball over three times, something the Gladiators would jump all over. Two straight three-point wins, including 17-14 over Hammond, have the Gators ready for anything.

NO MORE
Two more previously-unbeaten teams fell this week:
No. 2 Calvert Hall, 28-21, to No. 1 Gilman
No. 5 Arundel, 47-10 to No. 3 Old Mill

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Football
        

In case you missed anything over the three-day football weekend just passed, here's a complete list of scores for Baltimore-area teams in Week 6. The game between Franklin and Milford Mill was suspended due to darkness with Franklin leading the Millers, 28-22, and will resume Monday at 3:30 p.m. at Milford Mill.

Atholton 56, Oakland Mills 7
Boys' Latin 37, St. Anne's Belfield, Va. 14
Catonsville 39, Eastern Tech 17
Chesapeake-AA 44, Glen Burnie 14
Chesapeake-B 40, Loch Raven 10
Curley, 26, Annapolis Area Christian 23
City 26, Mervo 6
Du Bois 28, Maritime Industries 6
Dulaney 44, Patapsco 6
Dunbar 20, Edmondson 6
Dundalk 41, Randallstown 0
Edgewood 30, Rising Sun 22
Digital Harbor 18, Carver 0
Dundalk 41, Randallstown 0
Fallston 35, C. Milton Wright 11
Forest Park 28, Bluford Drew Jemison 12
Friends 41, Mount Carmel 12
Gilman 28, Calvert Hall 21
Glenelg 23, Long Reach 20
Hammond 35, Marriotts Ridge 0
Havre de Grace 28, Joppatowne 26
Hereford 42, Towson 6

John Carroll 37, Pallotti 14
Kenwood 39, Woodlawn 26
Lewis 34, National Academy 0
Liberty 28, North Carroll 14
Maryland Christian 27, Frederick HomeSchool 7
McDonogh 42, Loyola 17
McDonough 14, Aberdeen 12
Meade 42, North County 19
New Town 56, Lansdowne 8
Northeast 23, Southern-AA 14
North Harford 34, Bel Air 19
Northwestern 22, Lake Clifton 0
Old Mill 47, Arundel 10
Overlea 55, Sparrows Point 15
Patterson Mill 19, Harford Tech 0
Perry Hall 37, Parkville 26
Poly 44, Patterson 34
Poolesville 21, Pikesville 20
Reservoir 34, Centennial 0
River Hill 42, Howard 7
St. Frances 26, Lutheran 21
St. Paul’s 44, St. Mary’s 3
Severn 41, St. John’s-CP 22
South Carroll 34, Century 14
South River 33, Severna Park 28
Southside 30, Masonville Cove 6
Spalding 23, Georgetown Prep 16
Steubenville, Ohio 35, Mount St. Joseph 20
Western Tech 20, Owings Mills 12
Westminster 49, Francis Scott Key 6
Wilde Lake 42, Mount Hebron 0
Winters Mill 33, Manchester Valley 24

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

After six weeks of a 10-week season, it's getting to crunch time for some football teams. But The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 fared well this week. Only two teams lost -- to teams ranked above them in the poll.

Following is a look at how the Top 15 held up 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/5-1/Def. Calvert Hall 28-21/At Loyola, Sat.
2. Calvert Hall/4-1/Lost to Gilman 28-21/Vs. Georgetown Prep, Sat.
3. Old Mill/6-0/ Def. Arundel 47-10/Vs. Annapolis, Sat.
4. McDonogh/5-1/Def. Loyola 42-17/Vs. Mount St. Joseph, Sat.
5. Arundel/5-1/Lost to Old Mill 47-10/At Broadneck, Fri.
6. Atholton/5-1/Def. Oakland Mills 56-7/At Hammond, Fri.
7. Dunbar/5-1/ Def. Edmondson 20-6/Vs. Douglass, Fri.
8. Poly/6-0Def. Patterson 44-34/At Southwestern, Fri.
9. Loyola/3-2/Lost to McDonogh 42-17/Vs. Gilman, Sat.
10. Archbishop Spalding/4-2/ Def. Georgetown Prep 23-16/Vs. Valley Forge, Pa., Fri.
11. Glenelg/6-0/Def. Long Reach 23-20 /Vs. Reservoir, Fri.
12. Catonsville/6-0/Def. Eastern Tech 39-17/At Towson, Sat.
13. Westminster/5-1/Def. Francis Scott Key 49-6/Vs. Winters Mill, Fri.
14. South River/4-2/Def. Severna Park 33-28/At Glen Burnie, Fri.
15. Hammond/4-1/Def. At Marriotts Ridge 35-0/Vs. Atholton, Fri.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

As Calvert Hall’s punt bounced inside the 5-yard line, Shane Cockerille’s first reaction was, “Uh oh.”

With three minutes remaining in a tie game, the Gilman quarterback had been told that he was going to take a deep shot to star receiver Cyrus Jones on the very next snap. But if the Greyhounds got pinned back close to their end zone, those plans would probably have to change.

It turns out that Cockerille never got to take that shot, and Jones was all to blame.

With much of the Gilman sideline screaming for Jones to let the punt go, the senior All-American chased the ball down, scooped it up at the 3 and then took off on a 97-yard return that will forever be part of his high school legacy.

“That one, I wasn’t going to let it go,” said Jones, whose breathtaking touchdown gave the No. 1 Greyhounds a 28-21 come-from-behind victory over No. 2 Calvert Hall Friday afternoon. “I had to do something, man. I was desperate at that point. I had to try to make a play for my team.”

Jones is widely believed to be the best player in the area, which is supported by his numbers (1,358 all-purpose yards and 14 TDs through six games) and the fact that 10 major Division I programs are still vying for his services (he plans to announce his choice at the Jan. 5 Under Armour All-America Game).

But that stardom comes with a price.

It means that most of the fans that circled Gilman’s home field on Friday expected Jones to awe them on every snap. And, for three quarters, if you didn’t know who he was, you probably wouldn’t have guessed that No. 5 in black could be playing at a school like Auburn or Alabama next fall.

That wasn’t all Jones’ fault, of course.

As Calvert Hall built a 21-7 halftime lead, the Cardinals swarmed Jones at the line of scrimmage every time he took a handoff in motion.

They also stayed close to his body when he ran slant patterns toward the middle of the field.

While some star players would grow frustrated at a similar lack of productivity, Jones was soaking in the way he was being defended and noticing how he could exploit it.

On the Greyhounds’ first drive of the fourth quarter, Jones made a 19-yard grab, followed by a 23-yard catch.

And then, after a running play, Gilman sprung the trap with a hitch-and-go.

“I knew they bit up real hard when you ran short routes,” Jones said, “so I just tried to sell the hitch and just get around [the cornerback] and use my speed to get behind him.”

Cockerille hit Jones in stride, and he toe-tapped the back of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown that allowed Gilman to pull even with 6:32 remaining. (Jones finished with six catches for 94 yards and 8 rushes for 32 yards.)

When the Greyhounds forced Calvert Hall to punt on its next possession, you had to wonder if the Cardinals would kick it anywhere near Jones.

The punt actually bounced well short of where Jones was standing, but it hopped past him and forced him to retreat inside the 5.

Most teams have rules for when and where their return men can pick up a punt, but Jones?

“He has no rules,” Gilman coach Biff Poggi deadpanned. “All he has to do is come in his uniform, and that’s all we require.”

Make no mistake, Jones wasn’t the only reason Gilman won Friday. Cockerille passed for 124 yards and rushed for another 25. Kenneth Goins chipped in with a hard-earned 32 yards rushing and a TD, and he also keyed a relentless pass-rush.

But the difference between the two best teams in the area came down to one special player, and the Greyhounds felt fortunate to have him on their side.

“You like having a lot of receivers,” Cockerille said. “Matt Tilley was good today. Henry Poggi was good. Kenny [Goins] was good running the ball. But, definitely, you’ve got to have a player like Cyrus to make plays for you.”

It’s what Jones thrives on. After he had already gone through the wringer with a handful of newspaper, TV and radio reporters, I asked him if the attention and the stakes of Friday’s showdown actually allowed him to shift into another gear that he might not reach in a typical game.

“Oh yeah,” he said. “When it’s an atmosphere like this, you can’t help but bring all you’ve got. This is where they test you, right here. This is where you make a name for yourself if you don’t have one already.”

Cyrus Jones already has a name. And now he has yet another thrilling highlight that can be forever attached to it.

David Selig is the high school sports editor at The Baltimore Sun. He can be reached at david.selig@baltsun.com and twitter.com/SunVarsity.

Posted by David Selig at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Gilman's Micah Kiser wraps up Calvert Hall's Trevor Williams in the second quarter of the Greyhounds' 28-21 win over the visiting Cardinals Friday afternoon. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

Alleghany 57, Frankfort, W.Va. 36

Bowie 30, Parkdale 6

Curley 26, Annapolis Area Christian 23

City 26, Mervo 6

Douglass-PG 32, Crossland 24

Du Bois 28, Maritime 6

Eleanor Roosevelt 48, Laurel 6

Edgewood 30, Rising Sun 22

Fallston 35, C.M. Wright 11

Forest Park 28, Bluford Drew Jemison 12

Friendly 40, Forestville 0

Gilman 28, No. 2 Calvert Hall 21

Gwynn Park 44, Central 0

Havre de Grace 28, Joppatowne 26

Henry Wise 45, Oxon Hill 0

John Carroll 37, Pallotti 14

Largo 34, Fairmont Heights 0

McDonogh 42, No. 9 Loyola 17

North Harford 34, Bel Air 19

Northern - G 31, Hampshire, W.Va. 14

Northwestern-B 22, Lake Clifton 0

Northwestern-PG 15, Bladensburg 14

Patterson Mill 19, Harford Tech 0

Poly 44, Patterson 34

Potomac 28, Surrattsville 0

Randolph-Macon, Va. 40, Hancock 20

Reginald F. Lewis 34, National Academy Foundation 0

Severn 41, St. John’s-CP 22

South Hagerstown 21, Smithsburg 6

Spalding 23, Georgetown Prep 16

St. Annes-Belfield, Va. 14, Boys Latin 3

St. Paul’s 44, St. Mary’s 3

Steubenville, Ohio 35, Mt. St. Joseph's 20

Posted by David Selig at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Football
        

Reservoir senior forward Colin Bonner, a three-year varisty starter, has made a commitment to play soccer at UNC-Wilmington. The team captain has led the No. 6 Gators to a 7-1-1 mark this season with five goals and seven assists. Last season, Bonner earned second-team All-Metro honors after finishing with 12 goals and seven assists to help the Gators capture the Class 3A state crown. He has totaled 31 goals and 25 assists in his career.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Last year, Ashley Yuscavage took the Arundel volleyball team to new heights with the program's first trip to the state tournament.

In her fifth season, the Wildcats (8-0) are No. 1 in the area and have aspirations of making a state title run.

A native of western Pennsylvania who played college volleyball at Dickinson College, Yuscavage also teaches English at Arundel and is expecting her first child in February. As our latest Coachspeak guest, we asked her about the challenges of raised expectations, becoming a mother for the first time and being a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan in these parts.

How have you used last year's close call to motivate your players this season to reach the team's ultimate goal of capturing a state title?

I think all season we've said we can't let that happen again. We were so close, but we can't be so close -- we have to be there. Our mentality always is whenever there's something we do well, we say, 'OK, how do we make it even better?' And then if it's something we may do badly, it's what do we need to to change it.

What's it going to take to win a state championship?

I think it's going to take the girls to have a lot of confidence in themselves and each other. I think that's something that last year they didn't quite have. They got there and had no idea what to expect. They were sort of star struck, being at [the University of] Maryland, in the big gym and having so many fans was just completely different for them. And then, skillwise, I think they're going to have to play faster and smarter than they've ever had to play, and I think they're very capable of doing that.

What's the most basic fundamental you instill in your team?

The importance of passing. Every girl wants to learn how to hit and how to hit the ball as hard as they can. Sometimes they don't realize that if no one on the team can pass the ball, then no one on the team is going to get the chance to hit the ball.

What is it like being a Steelers fan in the Baltimore area?

It is really very hard. I take a lot of talk from my students, and some weeks are much harder than others. Most of the time [I have the better of the say though]. I didn't actually hear too much [about the Ravens' season opening win over the Steelers] because it was such a blowout, so the kids didn't know what to say. But, overall, it's a good thing that they're that interested.

What are you looking forward to most about becoming a mother for the first time?

I think one of the things will be sharing the things that I love and my husband loves. We're already talking about what sports our son will play. We hope he will like playing sports, because that's the plan. We're also excited about going on trips that we wouldn't plan to go on as adults, like going to Disneyland -- that's somewhere we haven't been together.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Old Mill's Nadim Raddar sacks Arundel quarterback Cooper Hibbs in the second quarter of the Patriots' 47-10 win Thursday night. Hibbs finished 21-for-35 for 236 yards and a TD, but he was sacked six times. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

Football scores from throughout the state on a busy Thursday night:

Atholton 56, Oakland Mills 7

Blake 33, Wootton 23

Boonsboro 39, Catoctin 33

Brunswick 50, Clear Spring 25

Bullis 42, Paul VI, Va. 20

Catonsville 39, Eastern Tech 17

Chesapeake-AA 44, Glen Burnie 14

Chesapeake-B 40, Loch Raven 10

Dundalk 41, Randallstown 0

Franklin at Milford Mill suspended (will be completed Monday)

Frederick 62, Oakdale 35

Glenelg 23, Long Reach 20

Hammond 35, Marriotts Ridge 0

Hereford 42, Towson 6

Huntingtown 35, Leonardtown 0

Landon 13, Episcopal, Va. 0

Liberty 28, North Carroll 14

Linganore 42, Tuscarora 7

Maryland School for the Deaf 51, Moyer Academy, Del. 0

McDonough 14, Aberdeen 12

Meade 42, North County 19

New Town 56, Lansdowne 8

Northeast 23, Southern-AA 14

Old Mill 47, Arundel 10

Overlea 55, Sparrows Point 15

Patuxent 52, Great Mills 0

Perry Hall 37, Parkville 26

Poolesville 21, Pikesville 20

Reservoir 34, Centennial 0

River Hill 42, Howard 7

Seneca Valley 42, Rockville 0

South Carroll 34, Century 14

South River 33, Severna Park 28

Urbana 28, Middletown 6

Walkersville 28, Thomas Johnson 19

Western Tech 20, Owings Mills 12

Westminster 49, Francis Scott Key 6

Wilde Lake 42, Mount Hebron 0

Winters Mill 33, Manchester Valley 24

Posted by David Selig at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

When the EMT required to be on the sideline during any high school football game arrived at Milford Mill an hour late for Thursday's game against Franklin, both coaches knew they would have to hurry to get the game in.

But starting at 5 p.m. even in early October is just too late to beat sunset.

Milford Mill has no lights, so the game had to be called for darkness with the Indians holding a 28-22 lead with 10:24 remaining. The Indians will return to Milford on Monday at 3:30 p.m. to pick up where they left off -- driving from inside the Millers' 1-yard line.

"I don't want to lay blame on anybody. Those things happen," Milford Mill coach Reggie White said. "The EMT guy was late and both teams pass [which lengthens the game]. We skipped halftime pretty much. It was very quick and we went right back into the game, but it got too dark."

The game had been back-and-forth to that point that neither team scored consecutive touchdowns.The Indians got two touchdowns from Reggie Ellis and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a pass from quarterback Jackson Thornton to All-Metro wide receiver Ian Thomas. If they can tack on a quick score Monday, the Indians could take control.

White said his team will need to hold right away.

"It's got to be huge," White said. "They're on the half-yard line, so I'm looking for a quarterback sneak three times in a row. "

The two teams came into the game locked in a four-way tie for second place in Baltimore County's Class 4A-3A Division. Franklin, Milford Mill, Perry Hall and Parkville were all 3-1 in the division behind undefeated Catonsville.

The Comets (6-0 overall) rolled over Eastern Tech 39-17 Thursday night to improve to 5-0 in the division. Perry Hall beat Parkville, 39-26 to take over sole possession -- for three days, at least -- of second place at 4-1. In a division race this tight, Franklin and Milford likely need this win to stay in the race.

Coming back on Monday will be especially challenging because the teams cannot practice between now and then. Baltimore County teams cannot practice Friday and Saturday because of Yom Kippur, and Maryland public schools cannot practice on Sundays.

"It's going to be a challenge for the coaching staff to get the kids going," Franklin coach Anthony Burgos said. "It's a big game for both of us. We're both in the hunt right now and so it's a must win, I would like to say, for both teams. I think that's why it had the physical nature of the game tonight. Both teams were laying it on the line."

This will be the Indians first Monday action of the season, but the Millers played a Monday game two weeks ago after their Perry Hall game was rained out the previous Friday. That was the Millers' only loss this season, 12-7.

"It's tough when you put the kids in that situation," White said of not being able to practice. "You hope the kids can maintain their intensity and remember what was put in in the week of planning. You just go out there and put the game in their hands. Hopefully, they can respond."

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Football
        

Glenelg's Butch Shaffer was named this fall's second Raven's High School Coach of the Week after leading the Gladiators to a 17-14 victory over Hammond to remain undefeated.

With the win, sealed by Luke Brister's 42-yard field goal with 15 seconds left, the No. 11 Gladiators have already matched their win total from a year ago, when they finished 5-5. They remain the only unbeaten team in Howard County after dealing Hammond its first loss.

Running back Nick Crabill led the Gladiators with 116 yards on 25 carries and also made several key plays at defensive back. Quarterback Mark Darden scored on a 1-yard run and on an 18-yard touchdown pass to Glenn Lucas. Brister kicked both extra points.

Shaffer joins last week's winner Rich Hambor, from Catonsville, in receiving a $2,000 donation to the school's football program. The two will be invited to join future winners at the Ravens' Dec. 24 game against the Browns at M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens will named their High School Coach of the Year.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

It's already been quite a week of local field hockey upsets, and there are still a few days to go.

On Wednesday, No. 5 South River beat No.2 Severna Park, 2-1 in double overtime; Mount De Sales upset No. 4 Westminster, 2-1; Archbishop Spalding knocked off No. 6 Bryn Mawr, 3-2 in overtime; and C. Milton Wright beat Harford County rival and No. 12 Patterson Mill, 5-3.

Earlier this week, No. 3 Garrison Forest lost to Roland Park, 5-3; and No. 14 Howard lost to Marriotts Ridge, 1-0.

All of which appears to prove the adage that, on any given night, any team can beat another.

Only a few top teams failed to play along with the upsets, chief among them the only two undefeated teams left in the Top 15 poll. No. 1 Glenelg (9-0), beat No. 10 River Hill, 10-1, and Wilde Lake, 17-0, with its leading scorer Alyssa Parker sitting out most of those two games.

And No. 8 Hereford (9-0), beat No. 13 Fallston, 2-1 in overtime, and Towson, 5-2.

Posted by Sandra McKee at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Dante Jones has Edmondson off to a 4-1 start this fall, with the Red Storm's only loss coming in a 12-0 defensive struggle with No. 8 Poly. At midseason, the team stands just behind the unbeaten Engineers in Baltimore City’s Division I and in first place in its Class 2A North region.

A 1995 Dunbar graduate, Jones played on the Poets' first state championship team in 1994. After going on to play at Delaware State, Jones took over at Edmondson in 2004 and has taken them to the playoffs four times, including their only state title in 2006. Jones, 35, is also the Edmondson athletic director.

Saturday night, the Red Storm faces Dunbar at 6 p.m. at Poly's stadium. The game against the Poets (4-1) marks the fifth annual showdown for the Ben Eaton Memorial Trophy, named for the Poets' beloved late coach, whom Jones also played for.

The Red Storm is looking for its first victory in the series since the trophy was awarded for the first time in 2007 just a few months after Eaton's sudden death.

This week's Coachspeak guest, Jones answers five questions about Eaton's influence, the Red Storm's success and the state of Baltimore City football.

What does it mean to you to have this rivalry marked by a trophy dedicated to Coach Eaton?

That’s an amazing thing. Coach Eaton was a great person, a great mentor, a great friend, so to have this in his honor is just a blessing to be a part of.

How did coach Eaton influence your coaching style?

Coach Eaton gave me the other side. I had dealt with a lot of coaches with a hard side, the aggressive side, the yelling. Coach Eaton gave the other side. Coach Eaton was they type of coach that could calmly tell you what he wanted you to do and you did it. He was the guy who would give you hugs, and that was the type of coaching that I never had before. That gave me the idea that you have to approach every child differently. Some children, a hug will get through to them. Some, you have to get in their ear. He just gave that flow, that vision that you’ve got to do more than just be one way. It just widened the scope of the different levels that you have when you deal with these inner-city children.

How tough is the city football race this year, and what do you think it’s going to take to come out on top?

The playing field is just so level now. There’s really nobody who’s that much ahead of anybody else, so every week you line up in these trenches and you’ve got to play. Nobody really has a whole lot of superstars. Everybody’s built on team concept this year, and I think that’s why Baltimore City football is improving. You can’t play any of these top teams and just key on one person. You’re playing against quality teams. The level of play in Baltimore City has increased and will continue to increase.

Why do you think the top teams in the city are so heavily defense-oriented? Where has all the offense gone?

Before, everybody used to key on offense and defense was just something to do. Now, everybody realizes that defense wins championships. Offense may fill the stands, but it doesn’t win championships. So coaches are really keying their program around playing great defense. I think what happens now that the game of football is changing and they’re putting more athletes on defense, you don’t really see the large, large, large kids on defense as much anymore. They’re more of an athletic type of kid, so that just made defenses more potent.

Assess your team now that we’re at midseason. What are you doing well, and what needs some improvement?

Right now, we’re playing excellent defense. The kids are really grasping the defense really well. The offense is coming. It’s like a mountain range at times. We’re high sometimes and then we’ll come down. We have to level out. And the key to the success of a lot of these teams is the special teams. With so many schools in Baltimore City playing great defense, you’ve got to get to the other aspects of the game. Our special teams are doing well. We haven’t put up as many points in our return game, but we’re playing good, solid special teams. We’re just looking to improve each week. Our concept is just to come out there a unified team and everybody just do your job. We won’t ask kids to do anything more than your job. If you do your job, then you’re a star.

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

With goals so hard to come by in soccer, scoring one is always special. The first goal the Bryn Mawr girls soccer team put in against Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference rival Severn on Wednesday -- All-Metro senior Riley Barger scoring from an assist by sophomore Danielle Hogarth -- was more than that: It was picture perfect.

Midway through the scoreless first half, Hogarth collected a ball just past midfield and took a quick look up. What she saw was Barger making a smart run to her left. Hogarth threaded a pinpoint through ball between a couple defenders that found Barger in stride around the 18-yard mark.

After a couple dribbles got Barger inside the box, she unleashed a perfectly placed, left-footed shot that hit the far post and went in.

The game's all-important first goal took Hogarth's vision and precise touch, followed by Barger's sense of where she was on the field and a poised finish.

The Mawrtians, two-time defending league champions, got three goals from Hogarth and one more from Berger in the second half to go on to a comfortable 5-0 win.

It put Bryn Mawr (8-3 overall, 6-0 in the league) in the driver's seat for the top seed of the upcoming playoffs, while handing the upstart Admirals (8-3, 4-1) their first league loss.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Austin Ensor and North Harford defeated Aberdeen Friday night to take over the top spot in the Class 3A North regional standings. (Patuxent Publishing)

The number of local teams in first place in their regions jumped from seven last week to 10 this week. Several spots turned on head-to-head contests as North Harford supplanted Aberdeen and Glenelg dropped Hammond. Here are the regional leaders:

Catonsville and Poly in a tie in Class 4A North
Old Mill in Class 4A East
North Harford in Class 3A North
Atholton in Class 3A East
Edmondson in Class 2A North
Glenelg (in a tie with Patuxent) in Class 2A South
Fallston (in a tie with Kent Island) in Class 2A East
Overlea in Class 1A North
Dunbar in Class 1A South

The state has 20 undefeated teams remaining, including Catonsville, Poly, Old Mill, Glenelg, Fallston and Overlea. Arundel also is unbeaten but was edged out for first place this week by Old Mill although their head-to-head meeting Thursday night could settle the top spot for good.

To see how your team is faring in the regional standings, check out the MPSSAA web site.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

The boys golf teams from Catonsville and Pikesville qualified for the state championships later this month after finishing with the best scores at the District VI tournament Tuesday at Diamond Ridge.

Pikesville's Matt Oshrine posted the best score of the day, 71, and was the only golfer to shoot in the 70s. Oshrine, Mitch Goldstein (96), A.J. Layton (98) and Justin Beitler (100) had the best score in the Class 2A-1A classification.

In Class 4A-3A, Catonsville's Mike Fiato (84), Clay McCoy (86), Matt Brady (90) and Ryan Blum (92) finished first.

Only one team -- boys or girls -- qualified in each division, because every team finished over the cut of 336. All teams that make the cut qualify, but if none in a particular district makes it, only one team advances.

Six addition individual golfers made the cut, which was 84 for boys and 98 for girls.

In the boys' competition, Towson's Eric Kimball shot 81 while his teammate K.C. Nightingale and Dulaney's Boddy McDonald both shot 84.

Dulaney's Shannon McKew had the best round of the day for girls with a 91 while two of her Lions teammates also qualified: Jane Moon with a 94 and Sandra Moon with a 98.

The state championships begin Oct. 24 at the University of Maryland golf course. Finals for both classifications will be Oct. 26.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Golf
        

Glenelg fans celebrate the fourth quarter field goal that gave them a 17-14 win over Hammond on Friday night. The Gladiators remained unbeaten with that win and debuted in the state media poll this week. (Noah Scialom/Patuxent Publishing)

This week's local newcomer to the ESPN High School Maryland football media poll is Glenelg, which earned a spot after a 17-14 win over then-No. 16 Hammond. The No. 25 Gladiators are 5-0, with one of those wins coming by forfeit from Atholton.

However, beating Hammond, which knocked off River Hill earlier in the season, boosted the Gladiators' stock this week as they remain the only undefeated team in a tight Howard County race.

Glenelg is one of 15 undefeated teams in this week's Top 25.

Last week, Catonsville jumped into the state poll for the first time in school history. Sheldon Shealer, who compiles the poll from media votes, noted that the Comets' 50-14 win over Hereford on Friday was the 50th career win for coach Rich Hambor. Will the Comets score 51 this week?

There were no changes to the top nine teams, with Gilman at No. 2, Calvert Hall at 3 and Arundel at 7. Not much else changed for the other local teams -- six of them -- in the Top 15.

This weekend's action includes three Top 10 matchups and, in a rare twist of scheduling, you can catch them all. Close to home, Old Mill plays at Arundel Thursday night at 6:30 and Calvert Hall is at Gilman, Friday afternoon at 2:30. On Saturday, No. 1 Good Counsel plays at No. 8 DeMatha at 2 p.m.

To see where you're team landed this week, check out the entire ESPN state poll.

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

Bucknell junior punter Ryan Gutowski (Calvert Hall) was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week after a strong performance in the Bisons' 35-18 win over Georgetown on Saturday.

Gutowski punted seven times for a season-best 38.3 yard average -- landing three inside the 20-yard line. Five punts went for more than 40 yards and two were good for 50-plus.

In his second season as Bucknell's starter, Gutowski has 34 punts for a 35.7 yard average. Bucknell is 4-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Posted by Glenn Graham at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With half of the high school football regular season in the books, here is a look at some of the numbers that stood out in Week 5:

2
Devontes to score off turnovers in the fourth quarter in Maritime Industries' 25-14 win over Forest Park – Devonte Tabb on a fumble recovery and Devonte Lewis on an interception.

3
Touchdowns on his first seven carries for Chesapeake-AA running back Deon McDaniel, who finished with four touchdowns in a 45-8 win over Northeast

4
Local teams to suffer their first losses of the season this week – Milford Mill, Patterson Mill, Aberdeen and Hammond

5
Interceptions for Old Mill’s Torie Wagner in the last two weeks

8
Local teams remaining undefeated – Calvert Hall, Old Mill, Arundel, Poly, Catonsville, Fallston, Glenelg and Overlea

9
Straight wins for Overlea – the area’s longest active winning streak. Calvert Hall, which had a bye this week, has eight.

12
Points surrendered by Poly through the first five weeks

15
Seconds left when Glenelg’s Luke Brister booted the longest field goal of his career – 42 yards – to beat Hammond, 17-14

16
Years since Catonsville beat Hereford before Friday night’s 50-14 Comets win

17
Points allowed by McDonogh in the last four weeks

25
Average margin of victory for The Baltimore Sun’s top eight teams this weekend

90
More points scored by Catonsville in the second half than its five opponents

218
Points scored by Arundel in its first five games

220
Points scored by Gilman in its first five games

286
Yards on 10 carries for Edgewood’s Lavar Shannon who scored four times in the Rams’ first win of the season, 42-6, over Harford Tech

416
Yards passing for South River quarterback Connor Cox, who threw five touchdown passes in a 48-26 win over Annapolis

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

At the midpoint of the regular season, eight local football teams remain undefeated. Four fell this week as it keeps getting tougher to keep that 0 in the loss column. At least one will fall next weekend as Old Mill and Arundel battle it out Thursday night in a battle of undefeated Anne Arundel County teams.

Here's a look at which teams remain unbeaten and who they face next:

WAY TOO EASY
No. 2 Calvert Hall did not play
After beating Coolidge last weekend, the Cardinals (4-0) had a bye week.
Next up: At No. 1 Gilman on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The Cardinals have won two straight over the Greyhounds, but it’s never easy as last year’s come-from-behind victory showed. Trailing 21-7 going into the fourth quarter, the Cardinals scored three touchdowns – two in the final two minutes – in a victory that ultimately gave them their first championship since 1882 and The Baltimore Sun’s final No. 1 ranking. Look for another battle as the MIAA A Conference teams jockey for position in the standings that will determine the matchups for the first-ever post-season playoffs. Last year: Calvert Hall 26, Gilman 21.

NO QUESTION
No. 3 Old Mill 40, Meade 14
Rob Chesson ran for 222 yards and three touchdowns and Torie Wagner had three interceptions as the Patriots improved to 5-0. The Patriots rolled up a 33-0 lead on Chesson’s three touchdown runs and touchdown passes by Deonte Shields to Wagner and Ryan Kauffman. While the Patriots' offense averages 40 points a game, the defense is allowing just six.
Next up: At No. 5 Arundel on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. This rivalry has become one of the area’s hottest, because not only do these two usually battle for the county title, but they also battle for the regional title. In the past five years, Arundel has won four times and the Patriots, three, but the two years before that, Old Mill won both regular-season games and both regional playoff meetings. The Patriots have a variety of offensive weapons and their defense will be the best the Wildcats have seen all season. Last year: Arundel 30, Old Mill 7.

No. 5 Arundel 49, North County 13
The Wildcats rebounded from the 31-30 scare South River delivered the previous week. Cooper Hibbs continues to lead a dominating Wildcats offense, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another. The first-year starter completed 24 of 30 passes for 236 yards. The Wildcats are 5-0 overall and in the Anne Arundel County league.
Next up: No. 3 Old Mill at home Thursday at 6:30 p.m. THE GAME of the season in Anne Arundel County features a Wildcats’ offense that has scored 218 points vs. a Patriots’ defense that has given up just 30. Last year, the Wildcats won big with their strong aerial game and a tough defensive effort, forcing three turnovers and holding the Patriots to three trips into the red zone. Last year: Arundel 30, Old Mill 7.

No. 8 Poly 42, Douglass 6
Jamal Chappell scored three touchdowns – two on the run where he had 10 carries for 101 yards and one with a 32-yard reception. Priestly Shuler had nine tackles and two fumble returns, including one for a 71-yard touchdown as the Engineers improve to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in Baltimore City’s Division I.
Next up: Patterson at home Friday at 7 p.m. The Clippers are coming off Saturday’s big 32-25 win over City. Despite allowing its second touchdown this season to the Ducks, the Engineers defense is still one of the toughest in the city league, allowing just 12 points this season. Last year: Poly 30, Patterson 22.

No. 15 Catonsville 50, Hereford 14
The Comets continued their roll through Baltimore County’s Class 4A-3A Division by beating the Bulls for the first time since 1995. Deandre’ Lane had touchdown runs of 64, 66 and 58 yards, ran a punt back 75 yards for a touchdown and had an interception. Now 5-0 overall, the Comets are 4-0 in the division with wins over contenders Perry Hall and Franklin.
Next up: Eastern Tech at home Thursday at 7 p.m. The Mavericks, one of the county’s top teams in recent history, are struggling this season at 1-3 after Friday’s 34-10 loss to Parkville. Last year: Eastern Tech 19, Catonsville 6.

Fallston 28, Havre de Grace 7
John Hetterman threw for two touchdowns and ran for another while Chris Rose caught three touchdown passes and had more than 100 yards receiving. The Cougars improve to 5-0 and 2-0 in the UCBAC Chesapeake Division. They are in first place in the division while North Harford is 1-0.
Next up: At C. Milton Wright on Friday at 7 p.m. The Mustangs are 2-3 and coming off a 45-11 loss Saturday to another undefeated team, Overlea. Last year: Fallston 46, C. Milton Wright 6.

Overlea 45, C. Milton Wright 11
Alex Wells ran for 180 yards and three touchdowns and also had a touchdown reception. Fyne Ndukwe had two 60-yard touchdown catches and quarterback Tevin Berry threw for three touchdowns and 160 yards. Dequan Pettway returned a punt for a touchdown and John McCargo scored on a blocked field goal.
Next up: Sparrows Point at home Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The Falcons now boast the area’s longest active winning streak at nine games and are enjoying their first 5-0 start since 1994, according to coach Craig Rollins. They already have one more win than all of last season when they won their last four games. The Pointers are 3-2 and Rollins expects them to be disciplined and motivated to end the Falcons streak. Last meeting: Overlea 42, Sparrows Point 14 in 2006.

WHEW!
Glenelg 17, Hammond 14
In a battle of unbeaten teams, Luke Brister’s 42-yard field goal – the longest of his career -- with 15 seconds left secured the Gladiators’ position alone atop the Howard County standings. The Gladiators have their 5-0 record thanks to a season-opening forfeit from Atholton, a penalty for a Raiders summer practice violation. The Raiders won the game 39-0 on the field, so the Gladiators were out to prove that they belong at the top. Nick Crabill ran for 116 yards on 25 carries and also made several key defensive plays.
Next up: At Long Reach Thursday at 7 p.m. The Lightning is 3-2, coming off a 42-21 win over Centennial. The Gladiators’ defense has been tough in the last four games, allowing an average of just eight points per game. Last year: Glenelg 36, Long Reach 26.

NO MORE
Four teams saw their unbeaten seasons come to an end last week:
Milford Mill in Monday’s 12-7 loss to Perry Hall
Patterson Mill in Monday’s 20-0 loss to Perryville
Aberdeen in Friday’s 38-12 loss to North Harford
Hammond in Friday’s 17-14 loss to Glenelg

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Not many surprises this week as high school football reached the midpoint of the regular season. Here is a complete slate of scores for the Baltimore-area teams from this weekend:

Arundel 49, North County 13
Atholton 54, Marriotts Ridge 6
Bel Air 36, Joppatowne 16
Catonsville 50, Hereford 14
Chesapeake- AA 45, Northeast 8
Chesapeake-B 16, Sparrows Point 13
Curley 27, Pallotti 20
Du Bois 18, National Academy 12
Dunbar 53, Digital Harbor 13
Edgewood 42, Harford Tech 6
Edmondson 14, Southwestern 7
Fallston 38, Havre de Grace 12
Franklin 41, Towson 6
Gilman 42, Spalding 8
Glenelg 17, Hammond 14
Howard 27, Oakland Mills 15
Lansdowne 32, Loch Raven 27
Lewis 12, Lake Clifton 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
MATHS 20, Mount Carmel 0
McDonogh 35, Landon 3
Milford Mill 47, Woodlawn 7
Mount St. Joseph 20, Georgetown Prep 15
New Town 61, Randallstown 0
North Harford 38, Aberdeen 12

Northwestern-B 30, Southside 0
Old Mill 40, Meade 14
Overlea 45, C. Milton Wright 11
Parkville 34, Eastern Tech 10
Patterson 32, City 25
Patterson Mill 33, Bo Manor 6
Perry Hall 44, Kenwood 7
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
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
Walt Whitman 35, Bethesda 0
Western Tech 6, Dundalk 0
Westminster 42, Liberty 0
Winters Mill 28, Century 14

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football
        

Fans of NBC's Sunday night football -- which, to me, is by far the best football production on TV today -- are familiar seeing a few highlights from a local high school game each week.

The shots, typically shown coming out of a commercial, are filmed earlier in the week around the host city, and usually commentators Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will give the teams some love.

With the Ravens hosting the Jets this Sunday night, St. Mary's and Boys' Latin are the two lucky squads that will have a very small portion of their game from Friday shown to the nation.

From Z on TV:

[NBC's Fred] Gaudelli, who has produced four Super Bowls, says camera crews are often sent out to film a city during the week before the Sunday game, and that was the case this week with Baltimore. Friday afternoon, NBC Sports was in North Baltimore filming a high school football game between St. Mary's and Boys' Latin School. Friday night, a crew was scheduled to go up in an airplane for aerial shots of downtown buildings lit in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Check out Z's blog for a much wider look at how Baltimore will be portrayed.

And, in case you were wondering, St. Mary’s won the game 12-6.

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

After five weeks, we have reached the middle of the regular season. Following is a look at how The Baltimore Sun's Top 15 football teams held up 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/4-1/Def. Archbishop Spalding 42-8/Vs. Calvert Hall, Fri.
2. Calvert Hall/4-0/Did not play/At Gilman, Fri.
3. Old Mill/5-0/ Def. Meade 40-14/At Arundel, Thurs.
4. McDonogh/4-1/ Def. Landon 35-3/Vs. Loyola, Fri.
5. Arundel/5-0/Def. North County 49-13/Vs. Old Mill, Thurs.
6. Atholton/4-1/Def. Marriotts Ridge 54-6/Vs. Oakland Mills, Thurs.
7. Dunbar/4-1/Def. Digital Harbor 53-13/Vs. Edmondson, Sat. at Poly
8. Poly/5-0/Def. Douglass 42-6/Vs. Patterson, Fri.
9. Hammond/4-1/Lost to Glenelg 17-14/At Marriotts Ridge, Thurs.
10. Archbishop Spalding/3-2/Lost to Gilman 42-8/Vs. Georgetown Prep, Fri.
11. Westminster/4-1/Def. Liberty 42-0/At Francis Scott Key, Thurs.
12. Loyola/3-1/Def. Fork Union, Va. 50-40/At McDonogh, Fri.
13. Catonsville/5-0/Def. Hereford 50-14/Vs. Eastern Tech, Thurs.
14. South River/3-2/Def. Annapolis 48-26/At Severna Park, Thurs.
15. River Hill/3-2/Def. Wilde Lake 38-0/Vs. Howard, Thurs.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Football