Centennial

By winning the 126-pound state championship in Class 4A-3A on Saturday, Kraisser became only the fifth wrestler to win four individual titles over a career. The senior went 36-3 this season to finish with a 152-6 record. His coach, Dave Roogow, says Kraisser "doesn't really feel the pressure because he really does treat every match like his opponent is in the state finals. " Through four years Kraisser has won every match in the state tournament by major decision, technical fall or pin. He carries a 3.5 GPA and has signed to wrestle at North Carolina.

John Elder Robison taught himself electronics while growing up and was so skilled that despite dropping out of high school in ninth grade, he designed pyrotechnic guitars for the rock group Kiss and sound effects for electronic games. Yet to hear him tell it, some of Robison's greatest work comes while he's standing on stage speaking to crowds about how he's lived with Asperger syndrome and conveying to young people with the disorder a message that no one told him when he was a child.

Western's basketball team was just a little too quick for Centennial in Thursday night's state Class 3A girls basketball semifinal. The No. 7 Doves pressed their way to a 40-35 victory at UMBC's RAC Arena after the No. 15 Eagles clawed back from a 12-0 opening deficit. "We wanted to play an up-tempo style of game and see if they could" handle the press, Doves coach Tiffany Silver said. "Once we realized they had a little trouble with it, we wanted to stay with it." The press forced many of Centennial's 38 turnovers and that, combined with the early deficit, proved too much for the Eagles (17-6)

One semifinal of the Centennial Conference tournament pits a pair of familiar faces as No. 1 seed Washington meets No. 4 seed McDaniel in Chestertown, Md., on Friday. That familiarity, unfortunately, hasn't bred much success for the visiting Green Terror, which has dropped the last 12 contests in the series. “They've had our number for a long time now,” McDaniel coach Matt Hatton said. “I think if you look closely at the rivalry - although it's tough to call it a rivalry when you've lost 12 games in a row - there are a lot of one- and two-goal losses that we've suffered, and this year was no exception to that.

Glenelg held off a furious Centennial rush in the fifth and deciding game and defeated the No. 1 Eagles, 10-15, 15-1, 3-15, 15-5, 15-11, in a Howard County volleyball match yesterday at Glenelg.

Howard softball pitcher Samantha O'Connor faced only 15 batters because of the mercy rule, but she was perfect as the visiting Lions beat Centennial on Wednesday, 15-0. O'Connor had six strikeouts and Julianna Natoli was a home run short of the cycle. No. 2 Glen Burnie 12, Old Mill 2: Melanie Slowinski (2-for-3) had a triple, a home run and three RBIs to power the host Gophers (4-0) past the Patriots. No. 6 C. Milton Wright 8, Perryville 2: Kayleigh Allender had a two-run homer and Jessica Canami went 4-for-4 to lead the Mustangs (3-1)

Four years of high school wrestling have not changed Nathan Kraisser's basic reason for pursuing the sport: "It's still fun just to roll around on the mat and wrestle," he said. It hasn't been so much fun for his opponents. The senior became only the fifth wrestler ever to win four Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association state titles over a career. In his final season he went 36-3, winning his fourth Howard County, East regional and Class 4A-3A state titles. He finished 152-6 overall for his career and is ranked 11th in his weight class nationally by Intermat.

vTC

Kat Varga opened the season with a hat trick as River Hill defeated Patterson Mill on Friday. River Hill 4, Patterson Mill 2 Goals: RH - Kat Varga 3, Pauline Shih. PM - Keesling, Lebovic. Assists: RH - Leyla Baltimtas, Sarah Rusenko. PM - none. Saves: RH - Emily Glass 8. PM - Hedrick 9. Halftime: River Hill, 2-0. Marriotts Ridge 6, South Carroll 1 Marriotts Ridge's Bri Hanlon had a goal and four assists as the Mustangs breezed by South Carroll, 6-1, on Friday.

With six seconds left, visiting Marriotts Ridge took a 3-pointer for the win and missed. Keonte Potts got the rebound, was fouled and made two from the line to seal a 61-57 win for No. 10 Centennial on Wednesday. Potts finished with a game-high 23 points. In a nip-and-tuck game, the Eagles (3-0) managed to stay ahead of the Mustangs (2-1) most of the way. Loyola 73, C. Milton Wright 36: The host Dons (4-2) used a zone press to trap the ball and limit the Mustangs (2-2)

Saturday didn't begin well for No. 19 Washington, which absorbed a disheartening 17-5 loss to top-ranked Salisbury. But the day improved when the Shoremen learned that they had a chance to gain the top seed and homefield advantage in the Centennial Conference Tournament. That opportunity came about after McDaniel tagged league-leading Gettysburg with a 12-10 decision. The Bullets fell to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the conference and tie for first place with Washington (9-4, 6-1). “A bit shocked, to be honest with you,” coach Jeff Shirk said of his staff's reaction when they learned about Gettysburg's setback after returning to Chestertown late Saturday.

McDaniel's 12-10 victory over then-No. 13 Gettysburg Saturday produced two positive results. It snapped a 17-game losing skid to the Bullets and put the Green Terror in position to make the Centennial Conference Tournament for the third time in four years. If McDaniel (8-6 overall and 4-3 in the league) can beat Swarthmore (6-8, 2-5) this Saturday, it will finish the season in fourth place and clinch the final spot in the tournament. The Green Terror can qualify for the tournament if Haverford (5-8, 3-4)

When the 2012 season ends, Washington will look back to Saturday's 13-11 loss to then-No. 17 and Centennial Conference foe Gettysburg as either a minor hiccup or a major spoiler. Falling from No. 15 to No. 17 in Monday's United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, the Shoremen could only wonder what could've been. Coach Jeff Shirk said Monday afternoon that the most significant factor in the setback was the team's low shooting percentage. Washington (8-3 overall and 5-1 in the league)

Granted the program's first ranking in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll, Washington will test that No. 15 ranking this Saturday when No. 17 Gettysburg visits Roy Kirby Jr. Field in Chestertown. The Shoremen (8-2 overall and 5-0 in the Centennial Conference) own a half-game lead over the Bullets (7-3, 4-0), who have captured the league championship 13 times. But Washington, winners of eight straight, is riding its own wave of confidence. “It's one of those things where that can absolutely work in our favor,” coach Jeff Shirk said Monday.

As hot as Washington is - a seven-game winning streak tends to heat up things nicely - the Shoremen will meet a hotter opponent this Saturday in No. 5 and Centennial Conference foe Dickinson. The Red Devils (9-1 overall and 3-0 in the league) have not lost since Feb. 25 when St. Mary's prevailed, 12-9, and have strung together eight consecutive wins. They are the reigning conference tournament champions, and they represent the sternest test of the season for Washington (7-2, 4-0)

Washington is 4-0 in the Centennial Conference for the first time in four years and 7-2 overall after registering a 13-8 victory over Muhlenberg Saturday. The Shoremen are a half-game ahead of No. 8 Dickinson and No. 20 Gettysburg - who are both 3-0 in the league - and enjoying their unfamiliar spot atop the standings. “I think it's pretty big because we're all about conference play in terms of qualifying for the conference tournament,” coach Jeff Shirk said last week. “And anything can happen once you qualify for the tournament and the only way you're guaranteed to get to the NCAA Tournament is with that automatic bid. I think with our focus and emphasis on conference play, being able to get a quick start is really big so that you're not always playing from behind.

The No. 9 Edmondson boys basketball team had been trailing the entire game to No. 10 Centennial at the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials Board 290 Mixer at Northwestern. But the Red Storm made a defensive adjustment, subbing in Steve Everett, who didn't allow the Eagles' Keonte Potts to score in the fourth quarter, and Edmondson shot well in the final two minutes at the free-throw line to win, 62-59, on Wednesday. Centennial (6-2) used the transition game to take a 34-28 lead at the break.

By the third game of yesterday's Class 3A East regional semifinal against No. 1 and host Centennial, Broadneck's intermission high-fives became less spirited and their claps half-hearted.Broadneck coach Tom Cole could see that Centennial's clinic in the first two games had taken the Bruins out of the playoffs.With the exception of uncharacteristic errors in the third and final game, Centennial had little problem advancing past eighth-ranked Broadneck, 15-4, 15-13, 15-10.Centennial (20-1) will play host to county rival and sixth-ranked Mount Hebron (14-5)

Howard softball pitcher Samantha O'Connor faced only 15 batters because of the mercy rule, but she was perfect as the visiting Lions beat Centennial on Wednesday, 15-0. O'Connor had six strikeouts and Julianna Natoli was a home run short of the cycle. No. 2 Glen Burnie 12, Old Mill 2: Melanie Slowinski (2-for-3) had a triple, a home run and three RBIs to power the host Gophers (4-0) past the Patriots. No. 6 C. Milton Wright 8, Perryville 2: Kayleigh Allender had a two-run homer and Jessica Canami went 4-for-4 to lead the Mustangs (3-1)