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The new Varsity Letters has a snazzier look, but our aim is still to give you the most up-to-date news and analysis on all of the local high school sports.
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Ryan Ripken, a senior at Gilman and the son of Orioles Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken, has committed to South Carolina to play baseball.
Ripken, 6 feet 6, is one of four Greyhounds who will sign letters of intent Monday at a special ceremony at the Gilman Athletic Center.
“He’s been terrific for us and it’s a wonderful opportunity for him and I’m sure he’ll make the most of it,” said Gilman coach Larry Sheets. “He had a few choice, quality schools who pursued him. Who wouldn’t want to go to school of the caliber of South Carolina?”
Ripken plays first base and pitches. He is a three-year starter who batted .353 as a junior. According to South Carolina fan site The Big Spur, Ripken chose the Gamecocks over Coastal Carolina, Maryland and Wake Forest.
“It’s great news for Ryan,” said Gilman athletic director Tim Holley, who coached Ripken his freshman year before hiring Sheets. “He’s a solid Division I baseball player, who may go beyond that. South Carolina is a great place for him. They’ll benefit from his presence and he’s a hard worker who is going to get bigger and stronger. His physical maturity is still developing and I think his best years are ahead of him.
“I think he’s going to be a much more imposing athlete at 21 and 22.”
Also signing Monday from Gilman's baseball team are Brandon Casas (Maryland), Thomas O’Neill (Yale) and Seve Llanio (Delaware).
Click here for photos of Ryan Ripken through the years.
Photo of Ryan and Cal Ripken courtesy of 2011 Under Armour All-American Game staff.
After a wild season-ending weekend that unexpectedly ended some seasons and extended others, the playoffs are set to begin next week. Here's a look at a few numbers that stand out from this weekend's action and the playoff fields:
1
Outright Howard County championship for Atholton, which won this fall after sharing the title in 1976 and 1988
1
Team in the regional playoffs with a losing record – Havre de Grace at 4-6 in Class 1A East
1
Yard sneak by Archbishop Spalding quarterback Brian Louck to beat Loyola, 20-16 in overtime, and propel the Cavaliers into the playoffs in their first year in the MIAA A Conference
2
MIAA B Conference playoff berths decided on the last night of the regular season – Boys’ Latin with a win over St. Paul’s and John Carroll with a win over Archbishop Curley
2
Touchdowns for Poly in the final 2:23 of the 22-16 win over City
2
Undefeated teams in the Class 4A North region -- Poly and Catonsville
3
Defending state champions to miss out on this year’s playoffs – Urbana, McDonough and Wilde Lake – with only Dunbar left with a chance to repeat
3
Way tie for the UCBAC Chesapeake Division championship – Aberdeen, Fallston and North Harford
3
Fourth-quarter touchdowns for St. Mary’s in a 26-20 comeback win over Severn
3
Straight wins for Gilman over McDonogh
4
Straight wins for Poly over City
4
Baltimore area teams finishing the regular season undefeated – Old Mill, Poly, Catonsville and Overlea
4
Teams with one loss each in the Class 2A East regional playoffs – Fallston, Patterson Mill, Kent Island and Wicomico
4
Hammond turnovers – three leading to touchdowns – in Howard’s 39-6 win to clinch a playoff berth
7
Straight shutouts for Northwestern, which allowed its first points of the season this week and fell one shutout shy of the state record
8
Years since Chesapeake-AA posted a non-losing season until finishing 5-5 with a 25-0 win over North County
8
Teams remaining undefeated heading into the state playoffs – Old Mill, Poly, Catonsville, Overlea, Quince Orchard, Eleanor Roosevelt, Fort Hill and Perryville
9
Seconds left when Poly quarterback Darrell Milburn hit Priestly Shuler with a 1-yard touchdown pass to beat City
11
Seconds for Gilman to erase McDonogh’s only lead of the game when Cyrus Jones ran Gilman’s first play from scrimmage 63 yards for a touchdown en route to a 31-21 win
14
Straight wins for Overlea – the area’s longest active winning streak
15
Touchdowns this season for Dulaney’s DJ Foster – tying a school record
15
Yards of offense allowed by New Town to Owings Mills in a 36-6 victory
22
Of 43 Hammond plays going for two yards or less, including 11 for negative yardage, in the loss to Howard
22
Active players left on Century’s roster in a 26-20 win over Liberty
36
Touchdowns this season by Old Mill’s Rob Chesson
340
Yards on 21 carries for Glen Burnie’s Brandon Walker, who scored five touchdowns, in a 32-24 win over Annapolis
446
Yards of offense for City compared to 338 for Poly, which gained 195 yards in the fourth quarter to rally to win
10,683
Fans at M&T Bank Stadium Saturday to see the City-Poly game
The high school football regular season is over and it's on to the playoffs next weekend. Following is a look at how The Baltimore Sun's ranked teams fared this week and whom they play in the first round of the playoffs.
Look for the new rankings in Tuesday's paper.
Ranking/Team/Record/Latest result/Next opponent/
1. Gilman/8-1/Def. McDonogh 31-21/Vs. Archbishop Spalding, Fri
2. Calvert Hall/8-1/Def. Mount St. Joseph 26-7/Vs. McDonogh, Fri.
3. Old Mill/10-0/Def. South River 54-20/Vs. South River, Fri.
4. Atholton/9-1/Def. Centennial 48-0/Vs. Stephen Decatur, Fri.
5. Poly/10-0/Def. City 22-16/Vs. Perry Hall, Fri.
6. Arundel/9-1/Def. Southern 58-13/Vs. North Point, Fri.
7. Dunbar/8-2/Def. Patterson 32-0/Vs. Southside at Poly, Fri.
8. McDonogh/6-4/Lost to Gilman 31-21/At Calvert Hall, Fri.
9. Archbishop Spalding/7-3/Def. Loyola 20-14 OT/At Gilman Fri.
10. Catonsville/10-0/Def. Parkville 28-16/Vs. Paint Branch, Fri.
11. Perry Hall/8-2/Lost to Hereford 34-31 OT/At Poly, Fri.
12. Westminster/8-2/Def. South Carroll 39-6/Season over.
13. Fallston/9-1/Lost to Aberdeen 21-14/At Wicomico, Fri.
14. River Hill/8-2/Def. Mount Hebron 42-0/Vs. Howard Fri.
15. Archbishop Curley/7-3/Lost to John Carroll 23-12/Vs. Boys’ Latin
The regional football playoffs kick off next weekend, and MPSSAA officials announced the schedule this morning. Here are the matchups involving Baltimore-area teams:
Class 4A North
4 Perry Hall at 1 Poly, Friday, 7
3 Paint Branch at 2 Catonsville, Friday, 7
Class 4A East
4 South River at 1 Old Mill, Friday, 7
3 North Point at 2 Arundel, Friday, 7
Class 3A North
4 Digital Harbor at 1 North Harford, Friday, 7
3 Franklin at 2 Aberdeen, Friday, 7
Class 3A East
4 Stephen Decatur at 1 Atholton, Friday, 7
3 Howard at 2 River Hill, Friday, 7
Class 2A North
4 Dundalk vs. 1 Edmondson at Poly, Saturday, 6
3 Lake Clifton at 2 Chesapeake-B at CCBC-Essex, Friday, 7
Class 2A South
3 Gwynn Park at 2 Glenelg, Friday, 7
Class 2A East
4 Patterson Mill at 1 Kent Island, Friday, 7
3 Fallston vs. 2 Wicomico at Wicomico County Stadium, Friday, 7
Class 2A West
3 South Carroll at 2 Walkersville, Friday, 7
Class 1A North
4 Lewis at 1 Overlea, Friday, 7
3 Northwestern vs. 2 New Town at site TBA, Friday, 7
Class 1A South
4 Southside vs. 1 Dunbar at Poly, Saturday, noon
3 Surrattsville vs. 2 Du Bois at Poly, Saturday, 3
Class 1A East
4 Havre de Grace at 1 Perryville, Friday, 7
To see the regional matchups for the rest of the state as well as the final points standings, go to the MPSSAA website.
Poly's Jamal Chappell and the team mascot celebrate the Engineers' 22-16 victory over rival City in their 123rd meeting Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun) For more photos, click here.
Bowie 28, Northwestern-PG 21
C.H. Flowers 33, Laurel 6
Catonsville 28, Parkville 16
Chesapeake-B 40, Randallstown 6
DeMatha 21, Bishop McNamara 8
DuVal 10, Parkdale 6
Eleanor Roosevelt 27, Suitland 20
Forestville 37, Fairmont Heights 6
Fort Hill 50, Allegany 7
Georgetown Prep 28, Landon 7
Gwynn Park 33, Surrattsville 6
Henry Wise 40, Bladensburg 8
Linganore 33, Urbana 6
Maryland Christian 50, Fairfax HomeSchool 7
Pope John Paul the Great, Va. 53, St. James 0
Potomac 47, Central 0
Severna Park 42, Northeast 28
South Hagerstown 40, North Hagerstown 7
Thomas Johnson 48, Frederick 12
Towson 58, Kenwood 36
Tuscarora 56, Oakdale 12
Calvert Halls Delando Johson retrieves a fumble by Mount St. Joseph quarterback Luke Casey in the second quarter of the Cardinals' 26-7 win Friday night. (Brendan Cavanaugh/Patuxent Publishing)
From Sun Staff Reports
FOOTBALL
Northwestern beat host Reginald F. Lewis, 20-6, and clinched the Baltimore City Division II football title. But Friday's victory was bittersweet, as the Wildcats were 20 minutes away from tying a state record when the defense did something it hadn't done all year — give up a touchdown.
With eight minutes left in the third quarter and Northwestern leading 8-0, Lewis' Tayvon Queen completed a pass to Earl McNair for a 13-yard touchdown, ending the shutout bid and Northwestern's chance at the record set by Henry A. Wise from Prince George's County in 2009. The Wildcats (8-1, with the loss coming by forfeit) had shut out their previous seven opponents. The Falcons fell to 7-2.
No. 2 Calvert Hall 26, Mount St. Joseph 7: The Cardinals locked up the second seed in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference playoffs with a workmanlike victory over the visiting Gaels at Paul Angelo Russo Stadium in Towson.
The Cardinals (8-1, 4-1) will host No. 8 McDonogh on Friday night in a conference semifinal. The winner of that game will advance to the championship at Towson University on Nov. 18.
Calvert Hall struck first on its opening drive, covering 65 yards in four plays finished on a 10-yard sweep by senior running back Brandon Neverdon before junior Stephen Kelly scored on a 27-yard pass from quarterback Thomas Stuart for a 13-0 advantage.
The Gaels (3-6, 2-4) scored on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Bryan Jangro to Samuel Benjamin. Calvert Hall added scores on a 2-yard touchdown run by Garrett Flannery and a 35-yard pass from Stuart to Trevor Williams.
No. 7 Dunbar 32, Patterson 0: William Crest threw three touchdown passes and scored on a 1-yard run as the Poets (8-2) rolled over the visiting Clippers.
Boys' Latin 6, St. Paul's 0: Brandon Cherry carried 39 times for 219 yards as the host Lakers (4-6) topped the Crusaders. Quarterback Andrew Roswell scored the only touchdown on 2-yard draw with 2:30 remaining in the first quarter.
Aberdeen 21, No. 13 Fallston 14: Kenny Faulcon scored on 35-yard run and had a 60-yard touchdown pass to Chavez Cheatham as the visiting Eagles (8-2) upset the Cougars (9-1).
No. 4 Atholton 48, Centennial 0: The Raiders (9-1) shut out the Eagles (1-9) to clinch their first ever outright Howard County title. Atholton shared the county title in 1988 and 1976.
Howard 39, Hammond 6: The host Lions (7-3) clinched the third seed in Class 3A East by defeating the Bears (6-4).
Stephen Decatur defeated Snow Hill to claim the fourth and final playoff spot, eliminating Hammond, which won its first playoff game last year.
Hammond turned the ball over four times, with three of the giveaways leading to touchdowns, including a 20-yard interception return by Andrew Young. The Lions also scored on an 81-yard run by Joey Bonavitacola and a 51-yard pass from Ryan Wade to Evan Jackson.
Hammond's Devon Paye averted the shutout with a 60-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds remaining.
Last year, Hammond won at Howard on the final day of the regular season to clinch a playoff berth and a share of its first Howard County title, knocking Howard out of playoff contention.
BOYS SOCCER
Class 4A East semifinal: No. 14 Severna Park (11-1-2) got a goal from Alex Moore and held off the visitors from Broadneck (10-5-1). The Falcons won, 1-0. John Nefeth had two saves for the winners.
Class 2A North semifinal: Brad Martinelli had a goal and two assists to power host No. 9 Marriotts Ridge (11-3-1) past Owings Mills, 5-0.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Class 2A East first round: No. 6 Fallston (15-2) got off to a fast start behind Rachael Holehouse's 10 kills and four aces and Abby Claborn's 20 assists and won in straight sets over Harford Tech.
The Cougars won, 25-8, 25-5, 25-4 and advance to Monday's quarterfinal against visiting Rising Sun at 5 p.m.
Westminster's Dan Johnson runs for one of the four touchdowns he scored in a 39-6 win at South Carroll Friday night. (Patrick Smith/Special to The Baltimore Sun)
Aberdeen 21, Fallston 14
Annapolis Area Christian 40, Pallotti 0
Arundel 58, Southern-AA 13
Atholton 48, Centennial 0
Bel Air 21, C. Milton Wright 14
Bethesda 28, Walter Johnson 14
Bishop Ireton, Va. 48, St. Mary's Ryken 0
Bishop Walsh 57, Randolph-Macon, Va. 47
Boonsboro 34, Smithsburg 13
Boys' Latin 6, St. Paul's 0
Broadneck 31, Meade 24
Brunswick 50, Catoctin 22
Bullis 42, Episcopal, Va. 7
Calvert Hall 26, Mount St. Joseph 7
Cambridge/SD 52, Easton 0
Carver 14, Southwestern 8
Century 26, Liberty 20
Chesapeake-AA 25, North County 0
Crossland 26, Largo 8
Damascus 35, Northwood 6
Digital Harbor 6, Edmondson 0
Douglass-B 6, Mervo 0
Du Bois 2, Masonville Cove 0
Dunbar 32, Patterson 0
Dundalk 55, Patapsco 6
Eastern Tech 21, Milford Mill 14
Edgewood 38. Bo Manor 14
Franklin 32, Woodlawn 18
Frederick Douglass--PG 38, Friendly 0
Gaithersburg 40, Wootton 14
Glen Burnie 32, Annapolis 24
Glenelg 40, Marriotts Ridge 7
Good Counsel 35, Archbishop Carroll (DC) 0
Great Mills 36, Northeast - AA 28
Hereford 34, Perry Hall 31 OT
Howard 39, Hammond 6
Hubie Blake 20, Albert Einstein 14
Huntingtown 48, Thomas Stone 0
John F. Kennedy 20, Montgomery Blair 13
John Carroll 23, Curley 12
La Plata 20, Chopticon 12
Lackey 43, Wheaton 0
Lake Clifton 12, Forest Park 6
Long Reach 42, Oakland Mills 7
Maritime Academy 14, Bluford Drew Jemison 12
McDonough 26, Calvert 3
Middletown 32, Walkersville 25
Mountain Ridge 45, Keyser, W.Va. 0
North Caroline 32, Col. Richardson 6
North Carroll 49, Manchester Valley 21
North Harford 28, Joppatowne 16
North Point 27, Westlake 15
Northern-G 36, Southern-G 6
Northwestern-B 20, Lewis 6
Old Mill 54, South River 20
Overlea 34, Havre de Grace 0
Oxon Hill 35, High Point 0
Paint Branch 36, Whitman 8
Patterson Mill 35, Rising Sun 20
Patuxent 50, Leonardtown 6
Perryville 66, Harford Tech 33
Poolesville 21, Rockville 14
Queen Annes County 31, Kent Island 21
Quince Orchard 48, Magruder 0
Reservoir 14, Wilde Lake 8
River Hill 42, Mt. Hebron 0
Seneca Valley 10, Watkins Mill 7
Southside 20, National Academy 8
Spalding 20, Loyola 14, OT
Sparrows Point 41, Lansdowne 3
Springbrook 20, Clarksburg 13
St. John's Catholic Prep 58, Mt. Carmel 26
Stephen Decatur 56, Snow Hill 20
Western Tech 20, Pikesville 17
Westminster 39, South Carroll 6
Williamsport 13, Clear Spring 6
Winston Churchill 14, Sherwood 9
Winters Mill 38, F.S. Key 8
Fittingly, Under Armour is kicking off its “Are You From Here?” Tour here in Baltimore Monday. To promote its basketball brand, the company is having four of its sponsored NBA players compete in an exhibition against host St. Frances that's free and open to the public.
Former Terp Greivis Vasquez (Memphis) will be joined by Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee) and rookies Derrick Williams (Minnesota) and Kemba Walker (Charlotte) in the game, which is scheduled to tip off at 3:30.
Afterwards, the players are scheduled to visit Foot Locker in the Mondawmin Mall to interact with fans, sign autographs, and participate in a Q&A session.
For more information on the event, visit facebook.com/uabasketball.
We'll have more on Perry Hall's decision to revive its boys soccer season as the day goes on.
But here's a look at how Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and running back Ray Rice reacted when asked about the story today by reporter Edward Lee at the team's facility in Owings Mills. (The Perry Hall players were initially punished for imitating the "Bernie" dance Suggs and Rice are known for doing.)
Suggs on his reaction to the controversy: “You’ve got to remember that these are young adults that have achieved the highest level they could achieve at that age level, and I think the punishment was too harsh. Whatever I could do, I definitely want to help because I was just flattered that they did that.”
Suggs on if he thinks the dance is lewd or inappropriate: “I did the dance on Monday Night Football, but I didn’t tweet or say, ‘Everybody should do this.’ It was fun. I saw the dance online, and I thought, ‘That’s cool. I’m going to do that after I get a sack.’ Maybe the kids saw me and did it. I don’t know if they did it after me or if they saw the same thing I did [online], but if they did do it after me, I’m flattered. I think it was way too harsh for them to get suspended because they were happy and did the dance.”
Rice on his reaction to the controversy: “I feel that the penalty was a little harsh. The dance is harmless. I just remember my high school days when we were winning. When we went to our state championship, I used to get in the middle and our high school coach would dance with us. It’s just all fun and celebration. The penalty was a little harsh, and I’m glad the kids got reinstated. You just don’t want to take that shine away from them. My brother just had his last high school football game, and for the kids, this is their moment. These kids have something to look up to. For some of these kids who are seniors, just imagine if this had been their last game because of a ruling that would have ruined their whole season because of a celebration. That could have been a kid’s last high school experience, and imagine him waking up and saying, ‘We were going to states, and we didn’t get a chance to go because we did the “Bernie” dance.’ It just wouldn’t end right. So I’m glad the kids got reinstated. The dance is harmless. It’s a fun celebration.”
Rice on if he thinks the dance is lewd or inappropriate: “I don’t think it’s lewd. I don’t think it’s offensive in any way. I think parents can understand that the dance is harmless. It’s not promoting violence, it’s not doing anything offensive. It’s something that’s harmless.”
Goalkeeper Matt Sanchez and McDonogh face Gilman again in Saturday's MIAA A Conference final. (Karl Merton Ferron /Baltimore Sun)
Last year, Gilman got a first-half goal from forward Cotter Brown and leaned on goalie Andrew Harris (10 saves) to come away with a thrilling 1-0 win over McDonogh to capture the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship. In the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title game, McDonogh needed overtime -- getting a goal from Casey Martinez -- to earn a 2-1 win over Archbishop Spalding that ended the Cavaliers' run of two straight crowns. This year, the playoffs stayed true to form, with the top two seeds in both leagues getting through to the championship games. Here's a look at how the two title games stack up.
MIAA A championship game
No. 1 McDonogh (17-2-1) vs. No. 2 Gilman (18-3-1)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Archbishop Spalding
Outlook: The two teams have contrasting styles. The defending champion Greyhounds, seeded second, are blue collar all the way. They challenge themselves to win every 50-50 ball, lean on an incredibly staunch defense led by All-Metro Player of the Year Harris and have proven to be opportunistic on offense, with Brown and Tanner Vosvick creating most of the chances. The top-seeded Eagles like to play with finesse and can piece together creative scoring opportunities with Mike Gamble and Malcolm Harris able to score at any given moment. It's just been much more difficult for the Eagles to score against Gilman. The teams played to an overtime tie at McDonogh on Sept. 12 before the Eagles were finally able to break through for a 1-0 overtime win at Gilman on Oct. 17. Expect another tightly marked game in Saturday's final with no margin of error afforded to either team and the game's first goal crucial. The best-case scenario for McDonogh would be a first-half goal to ease the pressure and force the Greyhounds to open up and need to push forward. No team protects a lead better than the Greyhounds, so an early goal from them would enable them to bunker down and have the Eagles thinking about last year's frustrating result.
IAAM A Conference championship game
No. 1 McDonogh (17-3) vs. No. 4 Archbishop Spalding (14-5-1)
When: Sunday, 11 a.m.
Where: Gerstell Academy
Outlook: McDonogh has decisively been the class of the conference this season -- going 8-0 in league play during the regular season and outscoring its opponents 35-1 in those eight games. Included was a 2-0 win at Spalding on Sept. 19, but the Cavaliers were able to hold their own at times. Led by All-Metro Player of the Year Ashley Spivey, a midfielder, and gifted forwards Taylor Cummings and Martinez, the Eagles have dynamic players who can piece together scoring chances or create on their own. How the Cavaliers' defense handles the pressure will play a big role in the outcome. Goalie Cassidy Babin and center back Sammie Kirk have been the glue to the Cavaliers' defense, which played stellar in Thursday's 2-0 semifinal win over No. 2 John Carroll. While the Eagles like to work the ball methodically from the back, look for the Cavaliers to try to go over the top or send long through balls to Mo Ostrowski and Margaret Quinn. The Cavaliers, who have reached the title game the past four years and have won three titles in the past six, play hard and determined.
Garrison Forest's Garland Mooney hits a ball past Spalding's Summer Liberto during the first half of Thursday's IAAM A Conference field hockey semifinal. The Grizzlies won 3-0. (Steve Ruark/Patuxent Publishing)
By Sandra McKee
The Baltimore Sun
No. 3 Garrison Forest had the upper hand midway through the first half of its Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference field hockey semifinal against Archbishop Spalding Thursday afternoon. And once Spalding lost its only goalie to injury, it was just a matter of time before the Grizzlies put the game away.
With a 3-0 victory, Garrison (17-1-2) advances to Sunday’s final at Goucher College to face No. 14 McDonogh (13-4), which defeated No. 11 Notre Dame Prep, 1-0, in overtime.
This will be Garrison Forest’s sixth straight trip to the A Conference final, which the Grizzlies won in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
Junior goalie Kendall Kuntz made three saves to earn the shutout, Garrison Forest’s eighth of the season.
Bayly Jarrett scored the first goal with 19:10 to play in the opening half when Garrison’s defense made a rare mistake, leaving half the goal wide open.
The goal gave Garrison something to build on. And when Spalding’s goalie, junior Melissa Rize (4 saves), exited with a knee injury at the 19:12 mark of the second half, the Cavaliers’ prospects dimmed.
“When we saw that, we kept playing the way we had been, but we were more determined to score,” Jarrett said.
Spalding junior Kelly Harner, who had no goalie experience, volunteered to go into the net.
She made two saves, and her teammates rallied to keep Garrison at a distance for most of the remaining 19 minutes. But at 5:03, Erica Marshall put away a second rebound for a 2-0 Garrison lead and then, with just 1:47 left, Geagy Pritchard, who had assisted on Jarrett’s goal, made it 3-0.
“It was a very good game until we lost our goalie,” said Spalding coach Leslee Brady, whose team finishes 12-5-3. “I thought they were beatable. It’s a tough one to take. It’s tough when you lose not just a really good player, but one in a key position. But Kelly volunteered and did a great job, and I thought the team rallied around her. She only saw a few shots. Everyone stepped up, but unfortunately for my eight seniors, there is no tomorrow.”
GIRLS SOCCER
No. 8 C. Milton Wright 4, No. 14 Bel Air 3: Megan Frailer scored twice and the Mustangs (13-4) scored three unanswered goals in the second half to pull away from the Bobcats (12-4-1) in Class 3A North regional semifinal.
No. 11 Glenelg 3, Marriotts Ridge 2: Christina Kaminsky had a goal and an assist to power the host Gladiators (11-2-1) past the Mustangs (7-4-3) in Class 2A North regional semifinal. Glenelg led 3-0 at the half.
No. 15 Bryn Mawr 3, Roland Park 1: Riley Barger scored twice and the host Mawrtians (13-5) are one game away from a 3-peat in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference.
Bryn Mawr faces Severn, a 4-1 winner over Friends, in Sunday’s title game at Gerstell Academy.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
No. 3 Towson def. Franklin, 3-0: Hannah Glazer had six kills and five aces and Emily Lansinger had five kills to lead the host Generals (13-1) past the Indians in Class 3A North.
Towson won, 25-4, 25-4, 25-16.
No. 11 Reservoir def. Annapolis, 3-0: Rachael Smith served 30 points, including 15 aces to power the host Gators (112-4) past the Panthers in the opening round of Class 3A East. Reservoir travels to Stephen Decatur Monday at 5 p.m.
Reservoir won, 25-8, 25-10, 25-10.
CROSS COUNTRY
Class 4A: Dulaney boys and girls swept the Class 4A Regional Championship. The Lions totaled 35 points and had four finishers in the the top 10 for boys. For the girls, Dulaney had 40 points and Isabel Griffith finished first at 19:14.
Class 3A: Wilde Lake boys and River Hill girls took the top-spots at the Class 3A Regional Championship. The Wildcats placed three runners in the top ten, including a first-place finish by Timothy Virostek at 17:14. The Hawks placed two runners in the top ten, but Mount Hebron’s Rachael Yep took first with a time of 20:37.
There were some revisions to the scores from Wednesday's MIAA cross country championships. The same teams and individuals won, but some of the team scores and places were changed a little bit after a scoring error was rectified.
Following are the revised leaders:
A Conference
Team scores (top 5): 1. Loyola, 38; 2. Gilman, 66; 3. John Carroll, 82; 4. Calvert Hall, 126; 5. McDonogh, 162.
Individuals (top 10): 1. Corbusier (LOY), 15:52; 2. Meadows (GIL), 16:04; 3. Pickett (JC), 16:28; 4. Zunkeler (GIL), 16:30; 5. Ozarowski (CUR), 16:35; 6. Wegner (LOY), 16:38; 7. Terpos (LOY), 16:40; 8. Spear (LOY), 16:46; 9. Naylor (GIL), 16:52; 10. Hedlin (SPA), 16:56.
B Conference
Team scores (top 5): 1. St. Paul’s, 206; 2. Boys’ Latin, 290; 3. Glenelg Country, 342; 4. Severn, 359; 5. Friends, 398.
Individuals (top 10): 1. Hamed (SP), 17:04; 2. Byrns (SEV), 17:43; 3. Greenwald (FR), 17:46; 4. Tribble (PAR), 17:46; 5. Noble (SEV), 17:46; 6. Mullally (BL), 17:47; 7. Moreland (SP), 17:50; 8. Pickens (GCS), 17:53; 9. Heilman (LUT), 18:03; 10. Peters (SP), 18:12.
For the revised story, click here.
By Todd Karpovich
Special to The Baltimore Sun
Officials at Perry Hall have decided to forfeit their boys soccer team’s upcoming Class 4A North Region semifinal game following allegations of taunting after the Gators’ 2-1 win at Dulaney in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.
Several family members of Dulaney players sent emails to Perry Hall principal George Roberts complaining about the Gators’ celebration following their victory. One alleged the Perry Hall players made “lewd and suggestive movements that showed absolutely no respect or sportsmanship.”
Players told coach Pete Eibner that they were imitating a dance called the “Bernie” performed by Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and running back Ray Rice after big plays, but that they were not taunting anyone from Dulaney.
Roberts said he spent more than eight hours Wednesday interviewing players and coaches and sorting through emails from people who were at the game to determine what happened during the celebration. After compiling all of the information, Roberts decided the best course of action was to terminate the rest of the season.
“No educator likes to see kids that upset,” said Roberts, who noted that there was no video available of the incident. “Depending on whom you ask, the [players’] dance was either offensive or non-offensive. Based on the information I received, my concern was that they engaged in a celebratory dance at that time and in the manner that they did. Ray Rice might do that dance, but performs in front of 60,000 people. He is a pro athlete and is paid to play. These are high school athletes.”
The Gators were scheduled to play James Hubert Blake in the regional semifinals Friday. A forfeit would result in James Hubert Blake automatically advancing to the regional final.
Parents and players from Perry Hall are trying to convince Roberts to reverse his decision before that.
Dave Liberto, who has a son on the soccer team and works as a liaison between the Perry Hall boosters and the team, said there was no taunting and the players were simply celebrating the victory. He said the players did a similar dance after their first-round playoff victory over Sherwood.
He said the Dulaney parents might have taken offense because the celebration was done on the Lions' side of the field.
“It was merely a simple, celebratory ‘Bernie’ dance,” Liberto said Thursday. “For them to cancel the season on us is brutal. [Roberts] can reverse his decision today and they guys can start training tomorrow. It's a big deal. We're a solid squad, and these guys have done a lot of good things.”
Liberto said some students held an impromptu protest outside the school Thursday morning.
Dave Carder, a Dulaney fan who emailed Roberts to complain about Perry Hall's celebration, said that at the end of the match, the Perry Hall players gathered in the center of the field and jogged over toward the Lions' fans. He said he initially thought they were going to applaud the fans, which is a tradition among soccer teams, but they instead broke into the controversial celebration.
"Several of them did a very noticeable pelvic thrust at the crowd and were pointing at their privates at the same time. It was 10 seconds," said Carder, who has a son on Dulaney's junior varsity team. "It was absolutely shocking. I was one of about a dozen Dulaney supporters who wrote an email to the principal. I spoke to him that night and I spoke to him the next morning. I wanted to register my disgust and my displeasure with him directly, because I'm involved in soccer. It was fine game. There was no particular animosity during the game.
"I find myself having mixed emotions about it, but I think it's the right decision. You can assume there were some ring leaders and some kids who just went along because of peer pressure. I feel bad for the kids who had nothing to do with what it was."
Ned Sparks, executive director of the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association, supported Roberts’ decision and he said it was Roberts’ prerogative to take any action he thought was necessary under the circumstances.
“We have to remember this is education-based,” Sparks said. “This isn't the rec league or AAU. He took action he deemed needed to be taken. From a point of view of teaching good behavior, to the point of view of sportsmanship, to the point of view of setting the tone for what level of behavior is expected, he should be applauded. They are high school kids and they're held to a different standard.”
Eibner said he did not see the incident following Tuesday’s game because he was talking to his own players and consoling two Dulaney players.
“We have said all season long that we win with class, lose with dignity,” Eibner said. “I cannot say that the boys handled themselves with class, because they obviously did something that was interpreted by their parents as taunting. They are now having their dignity stripped from them, and our goal is to hold our heads high through it.”
Dulaney coach Jerry Tana also said he did not see the dance by the Perry Hall players. However, he said Eibner has always been a role model for sportsmanship.
“I know that Pete feels terrible, and I feel terrible,” Tana said. “They played a good game and won fair and square. However, in this day of society, with the emphasis being good sports, that kind of conduct cannot be tolerated. I’ve seen brawls break out among high school players for less than that. I do feel bad for Pete. He’s a good guy and a good coach. They have a good program. We have a lot of respect for their program and their school. We hope there’s a bigger lesson here than winning games that can be passed down to all Baltimore County high schools. I feel terrible their program is not going forward.”
Perry Hall athletic director Robert Hruz and Dulaney athletic director Mike Lafferty could not be reached for comment.
Northwestern’s football team has been quietly rolling over its competition in Baltimore City’s Division II this fall. Not only have the Wildcats won seven straight games – they haven’t given up a single point all season.
With one more shutout, they would tie the state record of eight consecutive shutouts set by Henry A. Wise, from Prince George's County, in 2009.
“I’ve been coaching going on 17 years at various schools,” said Wildcats coach Eric Woodson, “and this is a first at any level. I’ve won some titles, I’ve played on the college level and I have never seen this before. This is uncharted waters, but I take my hat off to my coaching staff and our preparation – and foremost to my players because without them, we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
In addition to going for the state record when they host Reginald Lewis Friday at 3 p.m., the Wildcats will be going for the Division II championship. Because they play in Division II and don’t meet any ranked teams, the Wildcats haven’t garnered much attention for their season, but in addition to shutting everybody out, they score 31 points per game.
“I can’t really give you the magic formula and say, ‘This is what makes it work,’” Woodson said. “Our kids just step up on both sides of the ball. Going through our first four or five games, guys got hurt and other guys came in off the bench and didn’t miss a beat. We have 39 guys on the roster and being a 1A school, that’s a lot.”
The Wildcats are 7-1, because they had to forfeit their first league game after violating a roster rule in their season opener against Archbishop Carroll. Because both teams inadvertently made the same mistake, that game was declared no contest – as if it never existed – and the Wildcats were penalized with the forfeit.
In addition to the efforts of his defensive coordinator Daniel Bond, Woodson credits his defensive starters – Alan Grant, William Gatling, Rashad Allen, Anthony Hackett, Lamont Marable, Darshawn Grove, Qaaree Palmer, Jamal Marshall, Martaz Griffin, Terence Johnson and Tobias Townes – as well as his reserves with buying 100 percent into the game plan and executing every week.
“A good core of these kids are seniors, but it’s kind of a unique squad,” Woodson said. “My quarterback is a freshman. My center is a sophomore. We’ve got kids at the lower age bracket playing on the varsity level and doing pretty well. And we wouldn’t be doing anything without our line. We’ve been fortunate this year to have a decent-size line.”
Woodson prepared the players with a strong off-season program and they went to several 7-on-7 tournaments over the summer. The Wildcats struggled in Division the last two years going 3-7 and 4-6. The year before that, they won the Division II title.
After Friday’s game, the Wildcats will move on to the Class 2A North regional playoffs. Northwestern stands third in the region behind Overlea (9-0) and New Town (8-1) and just ahead of Lewis (7-1).
Woodson is inspiring his team with the story of an inner city Chicago school a few years ago that was given no chance to do well in the playoffs but went on to win the state title.
“If they can do it, we can do it,” Woodson said. “We love being the underdog.”
Fallston football coach Dave Cesky was named Ravens High School Coach of the Week Wednesday after leading the Cougars to a 35-20 win over Harford County rival North Harford last week that gave them sole possession of first place in the UCBAC Chesapeake Division.
Cesky, in his 35th season coaching the Cougars, has guided them to a 9-0 record this fall and the No. 13 ranking in The Baltimore Sun.
"Our major goal is to try and go undefeated," Cesky said in a news release. "We want to have the best record Fallston as ever seen and have a home playoff game. We played twice on the road last year in the playoffs and it was tough. A home playoff game is one of the most exciting things that the school community can have."
The Cougars currently rank second in the Class 2A East regional behind Kent Island, which is also undefeated.
Friday night, Ryan Umpleby scored the first three touchdowns, including two on receptions from John Hetterman as the Cougars built a 21-0 lead and held on against their top county rival which were also undefeated in the Chesapeake Division. The Cougars forced six turnovers in the game.
Last year, the Cougars made it to the regional finals and they plan to get at least that far again after they take on Aberdeen at home in Friday night's regular-season finale. This would be their third playoff appearance in four years.
"A lot of it has to do with the kids staying focused. They're the easiest team to work with because the chemistry is there. When you have a team like this and a lot of contributors, you can really do a lot of good things," said Cesky, who was also a Ravens Coach of the Week in 1999.
Cesky, who receives a $2,000 donation to his school's football program, will join the other weekly winners at the Ravens-Browns game Dec. 24 at M&T Bank Stadium when the Ravens will announce their High School Coach of the Year. Previous winners: Catonsville's Rich Hambor, Glenelg's Butch Schaffer, New Town's Joe Holland, Reginald F. Lewis' Donte' Foster and Severn's Chris Kirchenheiter.
After 40 years of coaching high school football in Baltimore City, Poly coach Roger Wrenn will hang up his whistle at the end of this season.
First, he'll guide the Engineers into the 123rd Poly-City game Saturday at noon at M&T Bank Stadium. After that, his career will extend as long as the 9-0 Engineers can continue in the Class 4A playoffs. They aim to make it to Dec. 2, so they can present Wrenn with the ultimate retirement gift – his first state title.
Wrenn’s career started here as an assistant coach at City in 1972. He took over at Patterson in 1974 and moved to Poly in 2006. The Engineers have already clinched the Baltimore City Division I title – the 14th city championship of Wrenn’s career. His career record is 183-113-2.
Although Wrenn’s many proteges coaching in the area insisted the he would never retire, Wrenn decided that it was time to do new things. He and his wife Donna Bowers, a former Patterson athletic director, plan to travel and visit family.
As this week’s football Coachspeak guest, Wrenn discussed the Poly-City game, his undefeated Poly team and his retirement.
What does the Poly-City game mean to you?
I was at Poly a couple years before I kind of reflected a little bit. It’s been the neatest thing about coaching there. The last year I played in college was 1969 and that was the 100th anniversary of the Princeton-Rutgers game, the first college football game. I know that because we all wore 100s on our helmets, everybody who played college football when I was playing at lowly Division III Frostburg. It wasn’t until I had been at Poly for a while and I thought, the 100th anniversary of the first college football game was in 1869 and by 1889, these two high schools were playing each other. That was just 20 years later. That had to be really at the advent of football in America, much less high school football in America. When you think of these long college rivalries, Poly’s played City longer than Arrny’s played Navy, longer than Michigan’s played Ohio State. It’s really an amazing rivalry. I was invited to a luncheon with the players who had played on 1944 team and they were obviously elderly gentlemen, but they were just as interested in what we do now. They would say, “Some of the spin stuff you do looked just like what we used to do with the single wing.” I thought the more things change, the more they’re the same. One guy said, “My brother played and they hadn’t beaten City in a while. Poly had lost three times in a row. Then we beat them and I wrote him a letter. I knew he got it and read it and had a smile on his face, because they found the letter on his body when he was killed in the Battle of the Bulge.” I was so moved when he talked about that. Isn’t that a great story? It was interesting that those elderly gentlemen were still just as interested in high school football and telling me all about their experiences and what it was like and how much they loved it. I always tell our players, “You’re just one in a very long line of guys who have worn those beautiful orange and Navy blue uniforms and represented Poly.”
You’ve said this is probably the best team you’ve coached at Poly. What makes that so?
The fact that they’re so hardworking. They have a lot of heart and they play together. The whole is the sum of its parts. We just have a lot of parts. We have a lot of good senior leadership and we have a lot of heart and guys who just play with a lot of personal pride and great determination. We have a lot of overachieving guys. We have some little teeny guys that you’d say, “He’s not big enough to play,” and yet they play for us and they play effectively. I kind of knew because we had a great year in the weight room. Their off-season work ethic was just terrific and all the 7-on-7 stuff we did in the summer and combine sort of things. They just showed up en masse and kept impressing people with how focused they were. Some of the other teams maybe had better individuals who went on to win in college, but this is certainly the best team I’ve coached at Poly.
Some of your proteges swore you would never retire. What made the timing right?
I‘ll be 65 later this month and I don’t want to be Joe Paterno. I don’t want to have the game pass me by. I don’t think it has, but I don’t want them saying, “Geez, you know you haven’t kept up with the Xs and Os of it.” I always tell the kids, “I’m old school. I don’t have pretend to be old school, because I really am old school.” But I don’t understand all the technology in it now. (Perry Hall coach and former Wrenn assistant) Keith Robinson was explaining to me this system they have where they put all their [scouting reports], all their game film in and they e-mail it to each kid and they get a reading back how many minutes each kid has spent studying the film. I’m not smart enough to do all that. Keith Robinson said, “Yes, you are,” but I’m not ready for all that technological part. I heard somebody at a clinic last year, this was a college coach, say, “My father was a high school coach and he’d take the game film and a legal pad and some 3-by-5 cards and he’d lock himself in the war room in our house where the equipment was and he’d watch and watch and watch, come out for a cup of coffee every couple of hours. When he’d come out, he’d have all these scribbled notes and stuff on his 3-by-5 cards and I thought, “That’s me!” But then he finished it and he was a little bit disparaging. He said, “No of course, we’ve moved beyond all that.” And I thought I haven’t moved beyond all that.
Won’t you miss football?
I’m going to miss it something terrible. I told my staff I would have trouble going to high school games next year, because it’s just going to tug at my heart. A lot of people who came before me said, “You’ll know when it’s time,” and I guess I do.
What are you going to do after you retire?
My wife and I are going to travel. We’re going to go on a cruise and we’re going to go to Georgia where her whole family lives and my oldest son Russell and my two grandsons live with their mom and dad (Russell and his wife Erin). Russell is a high school football and baseball coach. He said any time I want to be his third base coach, just let him know, but I said, “No.” My wife and I both worked often in the summer and that accounts for the fact that we saved a little bit of money, but it precluded us from doing a whole lot of things. I’ve never been to California and there’s any number of places we’ve never been.
Year after year, Howard County produces some of the finest girls soccer in the area, with most every team able to present a formidable challenge to another on any given night. Tuesday's Class 3A East region quarterfinal round provided more evidence.
Atholton stunned county champ and No. 3 River Hill, the region's top seed, with three unanswered goals before hanging on for a 3-2 win. Defending 3A state champion Reservoir, which battled early injuries and a 1-7 start, upended second-seed and No. 7 Centennial, 1-0, to move on.
For Atholton, Selena Chin, Katrina Macadoff and Jenna Brewer scored goals to upset River Hill. The Raiders will next travel to fellow county foe Mount Hebron in the semifinals. Reservoir, which next travels to Stephen Decatur, appears to be peaking at just the right time with last year's valuable playoff experience showing up.
At Centennial, the Gators dominated throughout and got the necessary offense in the second half from senior midifelder Michelle Viegas.
St. Frances boys basketball coach Mark Karcher has abruptly resigned after three seasons, with assistant coach Nick Myles taking over. The season's first practice is set for this afternoon.
"I just want to put the kids in a good position to succeed," said Myles, also the school's athletic director, who declined to discuss specific details as to why Karcher stepped down. "It's an unfortunate situation. I'm just looking to prepare the kids to have a successful season."
Karcher, a 1997 St. Frances grad who is regarded as one of the finest players to come out of Baltimore, could not be reached for comment.
In his stellar four-year playing career at St. Frances, Karcher was twice named All-Metro Player of the Year, leading the Panthers to three straight Baltimore Catholic League championships.
He went on to play three years at Temple before becoming a second round draft pick by the Philadelphia 76ers following his junior year. Karcher played professionally overseas before returning to his alma mater in 2007. He spent one season as an assistant under longtime coach William Wells before taking over the program in the 2008-09 season.
In his first season as head coach, the Panthers swept the BCL and Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference titles and they went on to repeat as MIAA champs in the 2009-10 season.
Last season, St. Frances went 19-10 and finished runner-up to John Carroll in both the BCL and MIAA.
In May, Karcher became a charter member in the BCL Hall of Fame. Myles has been an assistant coach the past six seasons and the school's AD for two years. St. Frances opens the season on Dec. 2 at Calvert Hall.
Press release from St. Frances:
St. Frances Academy announces the appointment of Mr. Nicholas Myles as the Head Varsity Basketball Coach effective immediately. Mr. Myles succeeds Mr. Mark Karcher who resigned his position on October 29, 2011 after 3 seasons leading the Panther program. We sincerely wish Mark success in his future endeavors. And firmly support him in whatever career path he will take. We sincerely appreciate his leadership and dedication over the last three seasons.
Questions may be directed to: jfs@sfacademy.org
McDonogh's Taysean Scott out-ran Calvert Hall's Will Johnson for a touchdown in the first half of Sunday's game, but the Eagles dropped a spot in the state poll after the Cardinals prevailed 48-42 in triple overtime. (Steve Ruark/Patuxent Publishing)
Only one the 10 Baltimore area football teams in this week's ESPN High School Maryland football media poll dropped, while several others crept up a spot or three.
McDonogh dropped from 18th to No. 19 after its 48-42 triple-overtime loss to Calvert Hall. The Cardinals stayed put at No. 4 behind No. 1 Good Counsel, No. 2 Gilman and No. 3 Quince Orchard.
No. 7 Old Mill, No. 15 Dunbar, and No. 16 Arundel stayed put while No. 8 Atholton, No. 10 Poly and No. 13 Catonsville each jumped one spot. Archbishop Spalding moved from 25th to No. 22.
To see where everyone else falls this week and which three local teams also received votes for the Top 25, check out the full state football poll.
Wendy's announced 20 state finalists Tuesday for its High School Heisman Award.
Of the 48,000 seniors who applied nationwide, 458 applicants came from Maryland. According to a press release, these finalists embody the Heisman spirit of hard work and dedication through their outstanding achievements in athletics, academics and community/school leadership.
On Friday, one male and one female finalist from each state will be named state winners. Of those state winners, 12 will be chosen as national finalists and go on to compete for the national title Dec. 9 in New York. National finalists will be featured during a televised ceremony on ESPN networks and will receive gold medals and $2,000 awards for their high schools.
One male and one female national winner will receive a Wendy’s High School Heisman trophy, and Wendy’s will donate $10,000 to each winner’s high school.The winners will also be recognized during the collegiate Heisman Trophy broadcast Dec. 10 on ESPN.
Following is the list of state finalists:
Louisa Boison, Northwestern
Daniel Cericola, Stephen Decatur
Skylar Dewees, Grace Brethren Christian School
Danielle Harbaugh, Smithsburg
Grace Kearney, Poly
Danielle King, C. Milton Wright
Tiffany Lang, Oakland Mills
Lindsay Linamen, Washington
Zachary Lucas, Williamsport
Brice Manship, North Caroline
Brenan McAllister, Parkside
Kendall McMillen, North Point
Anna McQuaid, Saints Peter & Paul
Vibav Mouli, McDonogh
Daniel Mullen, South Carroll
Sean Mulligan, Kent Island
Alyssa Parker, Glenelg
Christopher Pellegrino , James M. Bennett
Reia Tong, Walt Whitman
Garrett Wiles, Hancock
For more information about the award, visit www.WendysHeisman.com.
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