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>> CALLAHAN: County
championships were on the line,
and we've got highlights
in this edition of
"High School Sports Scene."
♪♪
Hi, and welcome to this edition
of "High School Sports Scene."
I'm Sydney Callahan.
We've got lots of county
championship highlights
to bring you, starting with
field hockey.
>> REPORTER: The 2011 Baltimore
County field hockey championship
was held at Lansdowne High
School on a chilly
Thursday night.
The undefeated Hereford Bulls
were looking for their fourth
straight county championship
against the Dulaney Lions.
For both teams, defense was the
order of the day in the
beginning of the first half --
until Mary Claire Abbott
drives the ball into the left
corner of the goal and puts
Hereford up 1-0.
[Cheers and applause]
Dulaney had a chance to score
before the half ended
on a penalty corner.
The ball was fed to Jamie Roth,
who takes a shot,
but Caitlin Abbott
was there for the block.
Half-time score --
Hereford 1, Dulaney 0.
In the second half, both teams
continued their defensive
display.
Mary Claire Abbott receives a
pass and takes the shot.
But it's blocked by goalie
Elizabeth Schaeffler.
On a penalty corner,
Anna Mowell receives the pass
and drives the ball to
Jessica Karwacki, who is there
for the easy score that puts
Hereford up 2-0.
Dulaney put up a valiant effort,
but in the end, Hereford was
just too much and went on to win
their fourth straight
county championship.
>> Next stop is cross-country,
as the top runners in the county
met at Dulaney for the county
championship.
>> REPORTER: Cool temperatures
and a fast course greeted the
county's top harriers at the
county cross-country
championships, held
at Dulaney High School.
>> MAN: All right, Anthony!
All right, Anthony!
>> REPORTER: In the boys'
varsity race, Perry Hall's
Vince Ciattei and fellow juniors
Julian Rivera and
Jonathan Luckin from Hereford
took up positions at the front
as the field settled in during
the first mile.
Halfway through, Ciattei had a
four-second lead over Rivera and
looked to be moving smoothly.
In the final mile, however,
Rivera accelerated, taking the
lead and pulling away
to cross the line in
16 minutes, 12 seconds, with
runner-up Luckin
14 seconds back.
Ciattei finished fifth, behind
Dulaney's Carus Cookman
and Hereford's Kevin Payne.
Hereford's boys took five of the
top ten places, to earn
the team title.
In contrast, the girls' race was
pretty much a two-person race
from the opening gun, as
Loch Raven senior Emily Ruppel
and Dulaney sophomore
Isabel Griffith immediately
went to the front.
At one mile, Ruppel had three
seconds on Griffith, with a trio
of Hereford girls in pursuit.
By the mile and a half mark,
Ruppel had established a
sizeable lead over Griffith,
both ahead of the rest of the
field.
Ruppel crossed the finish line
in 18:47, with Griffith
12 seconds back.
The final results
looked like this.
>> Now on to soccer, as both
boys and girls vie for county
titles.
>> [Cheering]
>> REPORTER: On a mild fall
afternoon at Franklin High,
Catonsville faced off against
Perry Hall for the girls' county
soccer championship.
Catonsville got a good early
chance when junior striker
Deborah Milani sent a cross
over sliding goalie
Emily Shandruk.
But Gator defender
Megan Strauch was there
for the clear.
Just under 13 minutes into the
half, Perry Hall got on the
board first, when Megan Strauch
worked the ball to the 18, where
sophomore Sofia Perzan
took up a loose ball
and slipped it past diving
Comet keeper Natalie Croom
for a 1-0 lead.
Minutes later, Comet freshman
midfielder Lauren McDonald
worked free to launch a strong
drive, which Gator keeper
Emily Shandruk snagged
for the save.
[Cheers and applause]
Back at the other end, Gator
striker Jamie Sokolis snaked her
way through the Comet defense to
drive a shot toward the goal,
which the Catonsville defense
stopped.
The Comets got their best chance
with about 13 minutes left in
the half, when Lauren McDonald
delivered a beautiful centering
pass to Jennifer Nonn,
but her shot went high.
Moments later, McDonald
delivered another cross that was
covered by the Gator keeper,
Shandruk.
Just before the half ended,
Perry Hall's Alexa Quaranta
found a blocked shot at her
feet, eight yards out, but
lifted the ball high, leaving
the score 1-0 at the half.
Eight minutes into the second
half, the Gators got some
breathing room when
Samantha Testerman drilled a
shot from 10 yards out into the
top corner, to make it 2-0,
Perry Hall.
In the 56th minute, Sofia Perzan
got the ball from the Comet
defense and drove a shot into
the far corner to give the
Gators a 3-0 lead.
The Comets appeared to score
later in the half, when a corner
kick was headed into the goal.
However, the point was nullified
by a pushing foul.
Late in the game, Comet
midfielder Rachel Woods fed
Jennifer Nunn, but
Emily Shandruk once again made
the save.
That was the Comets' last good
chance, as Perry Hall earned the
title with a 3-0 win.
In the boys' county
championship, Franklin had
home field advantage, as they
played host to
the Catonsville Comets.
Franklin got off to a good
start, as just four minutes into
the game, junior forward
Scott Luthy got the ball
at the 6 and flicked a quick
shot that Comet goalkeeper
Kevin Sheppard just got
a foot on.
However, the Comets soon
tightened up at midfield,
limiting Franklin's ability to
work the ball in.
Comet leading scorer Jose Moran
began to make his presence felt,
both with shots of his own and
while distributing the ball to
his teammates.
Meanwhile, the Indians tried to
work the ball in
from long range.
Franklin forward Ryan Silcott
goes down hard, trying to
control a long pass.
A direct kick by
Michael Cronauer sails high.
The half ended in a scoreless
tie and left both teams trying
to find a way to score.
Early in the second half, the
Comets' Moran splits the
Franklin defense, but a sliding
tackle by Franklin keeper
Dylan Schuman prevents a score.
Finally, in the 54th minute,
Catonsville's Moran gets
through, and this time, gets a
shot past Schuman for the score
and a 1-0 Comet lead.
Moments later, Moran gets free
again and blasts a shot on goal
that is covered by Schuman.
With 11 minutes to go,
Catonsville middie Tim Burk's
drive goes high.
With seconds ticking down in
stoppage time, Franklin has a
last chance on a throw-in.
A foul is called, and Franklin
is awarded a penalty kick.
But Sheppard makes the stop, to
preserve the victory as time
expires, giving the Comets their
first county title since 1955.
[Cheering]
>> Now it's time to meet this
month's Outstanding Male Student
Athlete, Dundalk's
James Gonzales.
>> REPORTER: James Gonzales is a
junior at Dundalk High School
and a three-sport athlete.
Like many other athletes, James
was introduced to sports
at a young age.
>> As a child, my parents
encouraged me to try different
sports.
My first sport that I played
was soccer, and after that,
it was basketball.
>> REPORTER: While James had
played soccer and basketball, he
decided to try track
in high school.
>> My freshman year, after
basketball season, I knew that I
wanted to play a sport, and I
knew that I wanted to run, so I
went out for track and field.
I like that you get better by
hard work, by yourself.
It's not like a team sport,
where you have to rely on
everybody else.
Running, you can rely
on yourself,
and you know you'll get better.
>> My first impression with
James was a hardworking
student athlete who showed
leadership on the field
and also in the classroom.
>> REPORTER: In races, James has
a set strategy that he tries to
utilize in order to both take
the lead and size up the
competition.
>> GONZALES: I like to take the
lead and see if anybody likes to
stay with me.
And if they don't stay with me,
then keep on pushing, but if
they stay with me, I'll let them
take the lead, and during the
middle parts of the race,
when I feel comfortable,
that's when I take the lead.
>> He's always the pace setter
for most races.
Always come out in first, second
place for many different races,
and is also one of the hardest
workers on the team.
>> REPORTER: Not only is James a
multi-sport athlete, but he does
multiple events within track
and cross-country.
James both runs middle distance
and is a jumper, an unusual
combination.
>> He has always done multiple
events, you know, excelled in
everything.
I could see -- I saw James grow
from a ninth grader to now, in
which every year, he has got
better in every event he has
participated in.
>> REPORTER: James has matured
into a leader at
Dundalk High School, both on and
off the field.
Before a meet, James likes to
give his team encouragement and
advice.
>> GONZALES: Before a meet, I
tell them that we know that
we're the smallest team out
there, but we tell them that it
doesn't matter.
All that matters is that you go
out there and run your best and
don't worry about anybody else.
>> BU: He also encourages us to
push through the pain.
During every race, there's a
certain amount of pain, and we
know -- well, he has taught
us -- that if you fight through
that, that's how you get better.
>> REPORTER: James works closely
with the coaching staff,
helping practices to run
smoothly and efficiently, as
well as helping his teammates
reach their full potential.
>> SKINNER: He has an
outstanding relationship with
all the coaches.
Really, James is like a player's
coach, in which he'll sometimes
come up with some of the
activities and the workouts
that we do.
>> BU: Not only does he coach us
before the meets, help us, give
us tips, but also, during
workouts -- he comes up with
most of the workouts, as well.
>> REPORTER: In the future,
James would like to continue his
love of sports past high school
and maybe even past
the college level.
>> GONZALES: If I continue with
running, hopefully maybe
to the Olympics.
I'd love that.
Basketball, NBA, that would be
great, too.
But, um, just keep my head held
high and just keep on dreaming.
>> REPORTER: James will take
away so many excellent skills
and memories from being a
student athlete at Dundalk,
but he hopes to leave his mark
on the school and his teammates.
>> I'd like to be remembered as
a hard worker, and definitely a
runner that never gave up,
a runner that never gave up
during a meet or practice
and always pushed himself.
>> We wish James the very best
of luck with the rest of his
cross-country season, as well as
the rest of his school year.
For "High School Sports Scene,"
I'm Janie Brown.
>> Congratulations to James.
To honor his selection as this
month's Outstanding Male Student
Athlete, he'll receive an award
provided by Allogram,
Incorporated, of Timonium.
Coming up next is Randy Dase
with "Coach's Corner."
We'll be back in two weeks with
another edition of
"High School Sports Scene."
We hope you'll join us then.
I'm Sydney Callahan.
Thanks for watching.
>> Hi, I'm Randy Dase, and
welcome to "Coach's Corner."
My guests today are
Joe Holland, who's the
New Town High School varsity
football coach, and his
quarterback, Shawheem Dowdy.
Gentlemen, welcome to
"High School Sports Scene."
And first of all, a
congratulations.
I know it's late in October, but
right now, you have one loss,
right, and how many wins, Coach?
>> Seven.
>> Seven, so that's pretty good.
And the one loss this year was a
real tough loss.
It went right down to the wire,
didn't it?
>> Yeah, against Overlea.
That was a really big one,
second week of the season.
If I'd known then that was a
play-off game, pretty much,
because that determined, you
know, the front runner in our
division in the play-offs, so...
I would have been more mindful
of what we did that day.
>> DASE: [Laughs]
Shawheem, what did you think
about that game?
>> That game was real
competitive.
It was somewhat sloppy on our
head, but it was still
competitive.
We stayed in the game,
the majority of the part.
We forced it in overtime.
>> DASE: And what was the final
score?
>> Um, I think 26-18.
>> DASE: Okay.
And, Coach, you want to tell us
about what overtime is like in
high school football?
>> Yes, in overtime, you get,
both teams get a choice of
whether they want the ball or
not, you start
at the 10-yard line.
You get the opportunity to --
you get four downs, you get in
to score.
If you score and make your extra
point, then the other team has
that same opportunity.
If you stop that team from
scoring after you score,
of course, you win.
If they score, then you, of
course, what we did at Overlea,
we went to double overtime.
>> DASE: Really?
>> And what happened is, we
end up scoring, and then they
scored, but then we caught the
turnover.
But that wasn't enough.
We ended up turning the ball
over, and they had success.
>> DASE: Well, now, Coach,
you've been at New Town for how
many years now?
>> Four years.
>> DASE: Four years, and you
told me you're a City College
graduate, and you played for a
pretty good coach
down at City College.
>> Yeah, Coach Petrides.
>> Okay, he's a well-known name
in the Baltimore metropolitan
area.
And you played football at
Frostburg.
And I'm not a genius, but I
looked at you, and I figured you
were probably a lineman, right?
>> Yeah, I played
defensive nose guard.
>> DASE: Okay, so you have a
great passion and love for
football.
>> Yes, sir, I do.
>> DASE: What about the game do
you really enjoy?
>> The main thing I love about
football is that it's never
the same thing twice.
Even though you're learning a
wealth of skills, in the game,
you're deciding when to use
those, like having a tool belt.
So when you get those skills,
you'll find out which skill
you've learned applies to that
situation.
And as a coach, you know, giving
those skills to players
makes me satisfied.
>> Now, this is not your first
coaching position, is it?
>> No, not at all.
>> Tell us a little bit
about your background.
>> I coached in Baltimore City
for a number of years.
I started as an assistant at
Northwestern High School
back in 1999.
From that point, I went to
Warbrook High School as an
assistant, then became defense
coordinator at
Douglass High School,
eventually became head coach
at that program.
>> What was your biggest
challenge, coming to New Town as
a brand-new coach?
>> Coming to a new school
district, learning kids -- I'm
learning, you know, the ins and
outs of a new system.
And just getting kids, you know,
to buy in to what I'm trying to
offer at New Town.
And luckily, after four years,
you know, it's starting to pay
off, and we got a pretty strong
group this year.
>> Shawheem, you're a
three-sport athlete at New Town,
aren't you?
>> Yes, sir.
>> Football, basketball,
and baseball.
>> Uh-huh.
>> And I asked you before, what
sport are you partial to?
>> Of course, football is
my number one.
But if I have a pick for a
number two, it would be
baseball.
I really like that sport.
>> What position do you play?
>> I play multiple positions.
I play catcher, pitcher,
shortstop, and third base.
>> And you're a good size.
You're about 6'3".
>> Yes.
>> Pretty strong-looking
young man.
You've got speed
and quickness, too?
>> Um...
[Laughs]
>> Say, "Yes."
>> Yeah, I got some type of
speed.
Enough to get away.
>> Now, August 13th, I know, the
Titans took the field, right,
first day of football practice.
And as a player, what was your
goal for this team this year?
>> Well, playing under him for
three years -- well, two
years -- this year will be my
third -- um...I want to go to
state's.
We got close every year, and we
just really haven't
picked it up.
So this year, we're
picking it up.
>> Now, Coach, let's talk about
how you get to state's.
You're in a region, you're a 1A
school.
You want to tell us right now --
it's late October -- what the
region looks like for New Town?
>> Yeah, right now, in the state
region, we are sitting at
number two, behind Overlea,
where we had that one loss.
Coming up in third and fourth
slots are Northwestern High
School in Baltimore, as well as
Reginald Lewis.
The way the state standing is,
they take the top four teams
into the play-offs, and the
number one ranking team plays
number four, number two plays
number three.
So right now, we're in good
standing for at least
a home game.
>> And you have basically two
more games left at this point in
time.
>> Right, so if we maintain what
we've been doing, we should
maintain the second spot and go
into the play-off pretty strong.
>> Now, Shawheem, looking back
at the season, I know the
Overlea game was a tough game,
but tell us about a couple of
the wins.
Any highlights, as far as you're
really proud of a couple of
victories that you had?
>> I'm really proud that we beat
Sparrows Point, 'cause for the
past couple of years, that's
been one of our real tough
games, 'cause they've been
beating us for
the last two years.
And this will be my first time
beating them.
>> And, Coach, I know that
you're a biology teacher
at New Town.
But when you come in as the head
football coach, it's almost like
a full-time job, isn't it?
>> Definitely so.
When I first got to New Town,
you know, I first had asked for
doing wrestling, as well as
lacrosse, and once taking on the
program, I realized that it's
going to require a lot of
energy, so I kind of deferred
those other two positions just
to focus on developing the
program at New Town.
>> DASE: And you say it's
basically a year-round job, in
terms of -- what activities do
you have for the young men
year round?
>> Usually, when the -- right
after winter break, we get
started in the weight room, and
we do various workouts
throughout the season --
biometrics, speed training --
just to keep guys in fire for
the sport.
And when the summertime comes,
we intensify the workouts,
getting some seven-on-seven
competitions, and, you know,
this year, we had a lot of guys
really buy in to that, and I
think that's kind of paying off
on the field.
>> Now, Shawheem, is this a
senior-dominated squad, or do
you have a mix of juniors and
seniors?
>> We have a mixture of seniors
and juniors.
>> DASE: Okay, and let me ask
you -- I haven't had a chance to
see you all play, but if I was
scouting you, right, tell me a
little bit about it -- on your
offense, do you run,
do you pass?
How would I summarize your
offense?
>> We do a little bit of both.
We're real dynamic, and we're
real, real nice.
>> DASE: All right, Coach, who
calls the offensive plays?
>> HOLLAND: I'm actually
offensive coordinator.
>> Are you really?
>> Which is a weird thing.
I've always been a
defensive-minded coach.
All my previous positions, I
called defense.
When I got to New Town, I became
offense coordinator out of
necessity, and so we've kind of
been joined at the hip since he
came on offense.
>> What does Shawheem bring to
your team as the quarterback?
>> One, he's a natural leader.
You know, in the classroom, as
well as on the field.
Guys are willing to follow his
example.
He's a very hard worker.
And he has a lot of resolve.
When things aren't going well,
he finds a way to come out of it
and, you know, for the
betterment of his team.
>> Shawheem, how about Coach?
Is he a teddy bear, or is he a
wild, crazy coach?
Describe Coach for us.
>> Well, Coach, he --
[Laughs] he's definitely not
a teddy bear.
He's real hard to work with
sometimes.
Like, he's always there for
us, he'll joke around with us
in practice, but at the same
time, we know he's coach, and to
a certain extent, he'll play
with us, then it's nothing but
serious from there on.
>> Coach, what's the magic
formula to work with high school
football players, do you think,
besides the "X"s and the "O"s?
>> I think the biggest thing is
recognizing the growth that's
available for the young men.
You know, they have a lot of
aspirations, and realizing their
potential and putting them in
situations where a lot of them
will grow and thrive.
Once they know that you have
their best interests at heart,
you know, they'll pretty much
follow you through a brick wall.
>> DASE: [Laughs] That's true.
Right.
And I always thought discipline
is very important, because
that'll help you in the big ball
game when the going gets tough.
Now, Shawheem, you're a
quarterback.
Is -- I know you just told me
before we started taping that
you're a Jets fan, and
unfortunately, I got a
Pittsburgh fan here, right?
But is there any quarterback out
there in the pros or college
that you try to emulate or
really have great respect for?
>> Yes, Tom Brady
and Aaron Rodgers.
>> DASE: Okay, and what do they
bring to the table for you?
>> They bring leadership to both
of their own teams, so that's
something I like to mimic.
>> DASE: Okay.
Coach, is there a coach out
there in the college or pro
ranks that you read the books,
you know, maybe go to the
clinic, or something?
>> Yeah, I'm not a Patriots fan,
but I am a big fan of the
Patriots' head coach.
I like the way he runs his
program.
The players identify with him.
At the same time, he's not
a pushover.
He's a stickler for attention to
detail and having to get the
most out of his players.
>> Now, we congratulate you on a
great season, and, Coach,
congratulations -- the Ravens
also tipped their hat off and
made you Coach of the Week a
couple weeks back.
Pretty neat?
>> Yeah, it was pretty nice.
We played against Lansdowne, and
we beat them by a pretty good
margin.
It was really a testament to the
guys' hard work, and even though
it says, "Coach of the Week,"
you know, I'd make it
"Coaches of the Week," 'cause
our staff is really putting a
lot of work, and my hat off to
them for that.
>> DASE: You're right.
You got a lot of co-coaches, and
you're only as good as your
talent, right, Coach?
>> Yes, sir.
>> Well, listen, gentlemen,
congratulations so far on a
great season, and, Coach, I'm
pleased to see that you're
enjoying and working, getting
that program off to a great
start after four years.
And I wish you good luck in the
region.
Shawheem, if you go to college
next year, hopefully you can
play football, baseball, it may
be, and let's see you throw some
touchdowns in the region
championships, okay?
>> Okay.
>> For "High School Sports
Scene," I'm Randy Dase.
Thanks for watching.
See you next time.