Wrestling: It’s not over yet

By Andrew Conrad
Posted: March 12, 2010

The mats have been rolled up at Cole Field House, but there is still one wrestling event left in the high school season before we switch over to lacrosse sticks, baseball bats and tennis rackets.

The Maryland State Wrestling Association Senior All-Star Classic will be held this Saturday, March 13 at 2 p.m., and this year’s event looks to be bigger and better than ever before.

The event, which has ably been hosted by River Hill High for the last several years, will be held for the first time at the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center, in the wrestling gymnasium.

This year’s event will also feature a team of all-stars from Virginia, in addition to Maryland’s 1A/2A, 3A/4A and private school teams.

The event is organized by Kevin Colabucci, a two-time ACC champ for Maryland in 1979 and 1980, and the father of Mark Colabucci, Reservoir’s state champion 145-pounder.

I have word from Kevin that Reservoir’s Brian Clinton (103), Josh Knox (112) and Mike Mullens (152), Glenelg’s Brendan Conway (135) and Hammond’s Sam Nuss (171) will all be participating in the event. Mount St. Joseph’s Bobby Bowman (171), a National Preps runner-up and Howard County resident, will be competing for the private schools team.

The quality of wrestling competition at this event will be top-notch.

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Net gain; net loss

By Carol Gralia
Posted: March 9, 2010

Centennial had already cut down the basketball net last Friday night, but senior captain Julia Benjamin, and a couple of her teammates, climbed back up the stepladder to retrieve a segment of net twine still clinging to the rim.

That brought back memories.

I once owned an inch-long piece of net from a regional championship basketball game.

I grew up in a portion of the country that reveres high school boys basketball, and winning a regional title was a really big deal.

Benjamin was claiming a souvenir that she had much to do with. She scored a game-high 16 points as Centennial beat Mt. Hebron for its first regional title since 1997.

The piece of net that I had was earned by someone else and my snippet came from a friend of one of the boys on the team, but I could not have been more proud.

That fiber connected me with the championship team that I cheered for, a team that had achieved success.

To me, that net was an icon, and I carried it in my wallet. It was a reminder of a special time in my life.

A year or two later, my wallet was stolen. I was a college student and didn’t have much in the way of money, so it wasn’t a huge financial gain for the thief. Some family photos and my driver’s license were also lost, but what I have missed most, and what I remember most, is that little piece of net.

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Boys basketball power rankings: Week 2 (Feb. 9)

By Brent Kennedy
Posted: February 9, 2010

With all the snow in the area during the last week, there hasn’t been a lot of game action but that doesn’t change the fact that, with five games left in the regular season, the race for the county championship and playoff seeds is very much in the air. Hammond holds a one-game lead in the county race and is the running for the top slot in 2A South. River Hill, which sits a game back of Hammond in the county race, is battling Stephen Decatur for the No. 1 seed in 3A East. The Columbia Flier/Howard County Times boys basketball beat reporter Brent Kennedy looks at those top two teams and the rest of the county in this week’s edition of the power rankings. As always, any questions or comments can be e-mailed to bkennedy@patuxent.com.

1. Hammond (12-2, 14-3). The Golden Bears keep rolling along, picking up wins over Mt. Hebron and Howard the last two times out. That makes 14 straight victories. There’s no denying that Hammond has depth – coach Karl Friedheim has 10 or 11 capable guys he can throw out there – but what really has taken this team to another level is the chemistry the seven to eight main guys have developed together. They’re unselfish and have four guys that are capable of pouring in 20 points on any given night in Brandon Bjerre, Cedric Blossom, Avery Terry and James Turner.

Hammond won’t look ahead, that’s why they’ve won so many in a row. However, the final game of the regular season, at River Hill, certainly is shaping up to be quite the showdown.

2. River Hill (11-3, 13-4). There’s really no shame in losing to Oakland Mills, especially a Scorpions’ team with Greg Whittington back, but the Hawks don’t have much room for error now if they want to catch Hammond. River Hill already lost to Hammond earlier this season and before the rematch of that game happens, there’s another meeting with Oakland Mills on the docket. In fact, four out of five of the team’s remaining games are against teams with winning records.

Varun Ram is a scoring machine of late, going for 18 points against Oakland Mills and 27 against Marriotts Ridge. The key is finding the consistent production from the supporting cast. If two other starters can score in double figures as well, the Hawks are nearly impossible to beat.

3. Oakland Mills (10-4, 12-5). It’s hard to state how important Greg Whittington is to the Scorpions. Not only is the team 1-3 in games he doesn’t play this year, but he gives the team a totally different look on both ends of the floor. He took over against River Hill in the fourth quarter with his midrange game on offense, scoring 16 points, and he alters 7-10 shots a game on defense. The team can only hope the issues that kept him out of two straight games during the team’s 3-game losing streak are behind him.

The Scorpions need some help to get back in the title race, but there’s certainly the potential to gain some momentum and a top three seed in 2A South for the playoffs.

4. Centennial (9-5, 10-6). After winning eight of nine games, the Eagles got a little bit of tough luck against Mt. Hebron on the road. Two-point losses are tough to swallow, no matter who you are. It’s even tougher, though, considering Centennial had a chance to pull within one game of River Hill in the seeding race for 3A East.

Still, Centennial has done a lot of good work to get itself into this spot. Earning a season sweep (two wins) of Oakland Mills is something no other county team will be able to have on its resume at season’s end. Sean Anderson and Matt Harbinson are both averaging in double figures scoring.

5. Reservoir (9-5, 11-5). An argument can be made for the Gators to be a spot higher on this list, especially considering the 24-point win over Centennial the team picked up in December. In fact, the two team’s resumes are almost identical. Each team has beaten Oakland Mills, each team has lost to Mt. Hebron, and each has lost to a team at .500 overall or worse. Right now, Centennial gets the edge merely for its two wins over top three teams (Reservoir has one). Reservoir and Centennial are scheduled to play again Feb. 18, so they ultimately will decide things on the court.

The fact remains that the Gators are at their best when utilizing their big-man combination of Shane Reybold and Eddie Hayes. Those two put up a combined 34 points in the team’s win over Marriotts Ridge and Reybold is averaging right around 20 points during the second half of the season.

6. Wilde Lake (8-6, 8-8). The Wildecats continue to be a tough team to figure out. They have won four out of their last five games, but that one loss was against a Howard team that has just four county wins. A season sweep of Reservoir is certainly nice to have in your hip pocket and the team also beat Mt. Hebron in their only meeting thus far. It’s also worth noting that the team is 5-1 at home this winter and three of the last five regular season games are on the Wildecats’ home court.

Dennis Williams is developing into one of the county’s top scorers, putting up 26 in the team’s most recent win over Glenelg.

7. Mt. Hebron (8-6, 10-7). The 35-33 win over Centennial Feb. 3 makes the Vikings 4-2 in games decided by two points or less this season. It also gives Mt. Hebron three wins over teams ahead of them in these rankings.

The one-two punch of Mike McCarthy and Zach Neal continues to produce, but any significant run down the stretch is dependent on another player or two stepping up to average between six to eight points a night. The likely candidates to fill that role come from a group made up of Ryan Fetzer, Chaz Scott and Deonte Moses.

8. Atholton (6-8, 7-10). Just when the Raiders seemed to be turning things around, winning two straight at the end of January, they turn around and lose games against Glenelg and Long Reach. Things don’t get any easier, with four of the last five games against teams with winning records.

The team really misses Connor Cortes (injured) and desperately could use their starting five being able to get back on the floor at the same time. It’s been since December that Coach Jim Albert has been able to field his entire squad. As for bright spots, Brian McMahon’s 19 points against Glenelg showed there’s help for Matt Robinson in the post.

9. Howard (4-10, 6-11). The Lions are seeing glimpses of their potential, beating Lansdowne and Wilde Lake for a pair of wins during their last four games. Right now, though, the consistency is just not there.

Kevin McDuffie has two straight double-digit scoring games in county play, but before that he had two straight outings of seven points or less. Reed Scott, who now leads the county in scoring, needs a little more help. Perhaps, though, the real key is on the other end of the court. When Howard holds the opposition under 70 points it is 6-3 this season.

10. Glenelg (4-10, 5-12). The Gladiators got Atholton back for the buzzer-beating defeat earlier in the year, but couldn’t sustain the momentum against Wilde Lake. Glenelg hasn’t won back-to-back games since mid-December. Not having Shane Kellaher, who averages in double figures scoring, didn’t help matters against the Wildecats.

Troy Spurrier has been playing well of late, going for 12 or more points in the last four games.

Others: Long Reach (3-11, 3-14); Marriotts Ridge (0-14, 0-17).

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No gurlz allowed

By Carol Gralia
Posted: February 6, 2010

A year after County Executive Ken Ulman hosted a signing day/photo op for four Division I-bound football players, I thought I would have cooled down.

But I haven’t, because he’s done it again.

Friday, Feb. 5, Ulman hosted his second Signing Day Ceremony at the county government offices. This time three football players were honored – Howard’s Trey Jackson will play at Towson University, Atholton’s Matt Robinson is headed to Maryland and River Hill’s Kevin Johnson is off to Wake Forest.

Robinson and Johnson were co-Players of the Year in football last fall.

I have no problem with these young men being honored by our county executive. They are fine athletes who have worked hard for their Division I scholarships and deserve recognition, and Ulman is working equally hard to keep connected with the community.

What annoys me, and gets my ire up, is that this football only.

Howard County’s female athletes also receive Division I scholarships, and probably in greater numbers than the boys. For example, Wilde Lake’s Beth Glaros (lacrosse, University of Maryland), Howard’s Nicole Clark (soccer, UMBC), Howard’s Alyssa Kozlowski (soccer, Bryant University) and Chapelgate’s Kelly Stambaugh (soccer, Air Force Academy) have also accepted Division I college scholarships.

I suspect that they, too, might have enjoyed a face-to-face meeting with the county executive.

One of the founding concepts of Columbia was openness and equal treatment for all – that should include girls and players from sports other than the traditional “big three” – football, boys basketball and baseball.

Ten or 15 years from now, when Ken Ulman has a different job should one of his daughters earn a Division I college athletic scholarship, I wonder how he’ll feel if the county executive only recognizes football players at the annual meet-and-greet signing day celebration.

Come on, Ken, girls vote, too.

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Boys basketball power rankings: Week 1 (Jan. 20)

By Brent Kennedy
Posted: January 20, 2010

Just over halfway through the county’s regular season, there’s a three-way tie atop the standings and only two games separating fourth through eighth place. So far the coach’s preseason predictions, the ones that said this would be one of the most balanced seasons in recent county history, have come true.
The Columbia Flier/Howard County Times boys basketball beat reporter, Brent Kennedy, takes a look at some of the trends from the first half of the season and where teams are heading into the stretch run in this week’s edition of the power rankings. Any questions or comments can be sent to bkennedy@patuxent.com.

1. Hammond (9-2 in county, 11-3 overall). Golden Bears coach Karl Friedheim has said all along that all his team needs to do is handle its business and everything else will take care of it itself. Well, since losing its first three games of the year (by a combined four points), Hammond has certainly done its part of the equation by winning 11 straight games.
And sure enough, after Oakland Mills’ loss to Reservoir last Friday, the Bears find themselves in a three-way tie for first. No county team is hotter. Hammond is not only winning, but it has won 10 of its 11 contests by double digits. The one victory that didn’t qualify was a seven-point win over Long Reach. Three guys, Brandon Bjerre, Avery Terry and Cedric Blossom, are averaging in double figures and Bjerre (16.2 points a game) is among the top four scorers in the county.
Things couldn’t be much better for the “Zoo on 32” heading into the rematch with Oakland Mills on Jan. 27.
2. Oakland Mills (9-2, 11-3). The Scorpions saw their 10-game winning streak snapped on the road at Reservoir, but still edge River Hill for the second spot based on the fact that their two county losses are against teams (Reservoir and Centennial) that are 7-4 in league play. The Hawks and Scorpions still have two games to play against each other this season, so they’ll eventually get to settle things on the court. And even before that, Oakland Mills gets Hammond, a team it beat by two points the second game of the season.
There’s no denying the fact that Oakland Mills, when on, boasts the county’s most balanced attack. Five guys who average in double digits, led by Evan Hopkins (15.1 ppg), is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. It will be interesting to see how the team handles the pressure, considering that the last time the program finished better than third in the standings was 10 years ago. There’s no denying the talent is there, though.
3. River Hill (9-2, 11-3). The Hawks have gotten back to their slow-down, methodical pace of late and that should scare the rest of the county. River Hill is 9-1 when holding opponents under 50 points, with Milford Mill standing as the only team to emerge victorious in a game in the 40s, 45-43, over winter break. Since losing to Glenelg, three of the team’s last four opponents have scored 44 points or less, including a Mt. Hebron team that had previously won seven straight games.
The team only goes seven deep, but it’s a very solid seven. Varun Ram leads the way with a 17.1-point average, which is third best in the county. Even more impressive, he’s gone for more than 20 points in four of the last six games. Because of its style of play, River Hill is always a risk to lose a game it shouldn’t. At the same time, the Hawks are not only capable of beating anyone in the county, but arguably anyone in the state.
4. Reservoir (7-4, 9-4). That was a huge win on Friday over Oakland Mills and it took a little of the sting out of losing to Wilde Lake for the second time this winter just two days earlier.
It’s further proof that, when clicking, Reservoir is awfully good. The problem, however, is that without forward Eric Washington, who left the team just before break, the margin for error is  small. Shane Reybold, who leads the county in scoring at 17.5 points per game, has taken over a good portion of the offensive load that Washington left behind. And when guys like Taz Larry, Kody Mayers, John Jones and Eddie Hayes get going, it can be a fairly deep attack as well.
As far as these rankings go, a 70-44 win over Centennial to go along with the Oakland Mills victory justifies this spot.
5. Centennial (7-4, 8-5). If you take away the egg the Eagles’ laid against Hammond Jan. 8, you’d be hard-pressed to find a team that has enjoyed a better turnaround than Centennial since winter break. Punctuated by an 87-56 win over Howard last Friday, the team has won six of its last seven games and has done so by an average of 18.3 points.
Sean Anderson and Matt Harbinson are averaging in double figures for a team that has become more and more balanced. Against Howard, for example, seven guys had six or more points. More good news is that there really are no bad losses on the resume. At the same time, there’s a victory over Oakland Mills early on to provide some confidence heading into the rematch with the Scorpions next Friday.
6. Wilde Lake (6-5, 6-7). As hard as it is to believe that the Wildecats could be ranked two spots below Reservoir, a team they beat twice already this season, there are two important factors to consider: First, Wilde Lake is just 2-6 away from home this season. Second, the team has won some big games but also has lost six games by 12 or more points. It’s an inconsistency that has even left first-year coach Dave Appleby perplexed at times.
Dennis Williams, who has put up 25 and 21 points in the team’s last two games, is the team’s heart and soul. He averages 15.3 points and is part of a very athletic backcourt with Larry Dangerfield. The key, though, is finding enough consistent play in the paint with forward Souley Diallo out with an arm injury to sustain a late-season run.
7. Mt. Hebron (6-5, 8-6). What a run the Vikings were on before running into River Hill Friday night, winning seven straight after starting the season 1-5. Even in the loss, Zach Neal (15.4 ppg) stood out as he scored 18 of his team’s 30 points. He and Mike McCarthy (13.9 ppg) give Mt. Hebron one of the best one-two punches in the county.
During the team’s recent run, though, it was the emergence of the team’s supporting cast that  made a difference. Ryan Fetzer, Deonte Moses and Sam Cassard had multiple games of eight or more points during the winning streak, which included a 12-point victory over Atholton. It’s also worth noting that Mt. Hebron remains one of only two county teams to beat Hammond, dealing the Bears a one-point loss in December. The team’s next four games, against Reservoir, Hammond, Centennial and Oakland Mills, will tell a lot.
8. Atholton (5-6, 6-8). It’s hard to express how badly the Raiders needed that victory over Marriotts Ridge last Friday. To put it in perspective, Atholton hadn’t lost seven games in a season since the 2005-06 campaign, let alone seven games in a row. But, starting with a loss to Randallstown in their Christmas Tournament, that’s the kind of slump Atholton found itself in going into the game against the Mustangs.
Matt Robinson carried a good bit of the load in the win, putting up a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds, and he will need to do much of the same the rest of the way if the Raiders are to turn things around. Injuries have been a factor, as guards Connor Cortes, Austin Tennessee and Mike Nolte have missed at least one game. But, even with the recent slump, never discount experience. This team knows what it’s like to play in big games at the end of the season and you better believe Robinson and Cortes aren’t going to go out as seniors without a fight.
9. Howard (3-8, 4-9). The Lions are hard to figure out. They have talent all over the floor, including senior forward Reed Scott and his 17.2 points per game, and the offensive firepower is downright dangerous at times. But, when it comes to winning games, Howard just can’t seem to put it together.
It doesn’t help that three county teams (Wilde Lake, Oakland Mills and Centennial) have scored 80 or more points against them. All the points the Lions score don’t mean a whole lot when they can’t stop anyone. The victories have come against Glenelg, Long Reach and Marriotts Ridge. On the bright side, Malcolm Tatum has developed at the point guard spot, Kevin McDuffie has a couple 20-point games and Scott is averaging double-digit rebounds.
10. Glenelg (3-8, 4-10). Make no mistake about it, the Gladiators aren’t as far back of the pack as their record might indicate. They have a nine-point win over River Hill and six single-digit losses. They’ve played nearly everyone close, although at some point moral victories only carry you so far.
There’s no questioning the effort. First-year coach Jansen McMillan has a team that hustles, plays good defense and competes every night. Rebounding and offensive execution, however, have been problem areas. Shane Kellaher, a guard, has established himself as the team’s leading scorer, and five other guys have scored in double figures at least once.
Others: Long Reach (2-9, 2-12); Marriotts Ridge (0-11, 0-14).

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