Class 1a

Seventh-ranked Digital Harbor couldn't have planned a better way to start last night's Class 1A girls state championship game, scoring nine straight points and holding Surrattsville of Prince George's County scoreless for nearly six minutes. It was the way the Rams finished, however, that sealed their first state title. After watching its double-digit lead whittled to one, the Baltimore City team closed with eight straight points over the game's final 40 seconds to pull away for a 50-41 victory at UMBC.

Howard County had a day to remember at Saturday's cold and chilly state cross country meet at Hereford. River Hill swept the Class 2A state crowns; Glenelg took the Class 1A boys; and Howard captured the Class 3A girls title. Wilde Lake finished second - just one point behind Bethesda-Chevy Chase - in the Class 3A boys, and Joey Thompson (Howard) and Kyle Andrews (Oakland Mills) won individual titles on the hilly course. "It's kind of a special thing to be able to do this," said River Hill coach Earl Lauer.

River Hill made no secret of its goals for this cross country season. The Hawks wanted to sweep the Class 2A boys and girls state championships. Howard County schools dominated the state meet yesterday at Hereford. Glenelg's boys won the Class 1A title while the Howard girls took the Class 2A crown. Kyle Andrews of Oakland Mills won the Class 2A race in 16 minutes and 33 seconds. But the biggest moments came in the afternoon when the No. 3 River Hill boys and the No. 6 girls pulled off the sweep they so badly wanted.

Speed defeated size as visiting Blake's four-guard lineup dominated in a 51-45 win over previously undefeated and seventh-ranked Dulaney last night in a Class 4A North regional semifinal. The four starting guards, led by 14 points from Christine Weithman, scored 41 points. They also pestered the Lions' guards, accumulating 12 steals. After giving up two straight baskets out of a tied halftime (19-19), the Bengals (16-5) of Montgomery County went on a 14-2 run and never yielded the lead.

Basketball, education and cultural experience come together beginning tomorrow at the 11th annual Basketball Academy at Morgan State's Hill Field House. The tournament invites girls and boys basketball teams from the Baltimore and Washington areas to spend their days taking classes in SAT preparation, college admission process, personal finance and health, and touring the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Great Blacks in Wax Museum. Their evenings feature competitive basketball between mostly nontraditional rivals.

The girls from the Pikesville field hockey team began dancing to the music of Kanye West and Soulja Boy in the minutes after last night's Class 1A state semifinal matchup against Pocomoke. There was laughter, giggling, screaming and a whole lot of happy faces - not much sadness. Pikesville wasn't expecting to win against the four-time defending state champion, and Pocomoke's 14-0 rout of the Panthers at Broadneck was a truly dominating performance for the Worcester County school. The Warriors broke it open with five goals in nine minutes midway through the first half en route to an 8-0 halftime lead.

The look in the players' eyes "was of absolute dejection," coach Don Gilbert said after his Dunbar baseball team's extra-inning loss in the Class 1A South region semifinals two weeks ago. "We had been down in the game four different times, including by four in the seventh inning, and then we'd come back and tie it every time," said Gilbert, 38, in his 10th year with the Poets. "We just couldn't get the tying run in the ninth." The Poets lost, 20-19, in nine innings to Surrattsville of Prince George's County, but it didn't take long for them to begin focusing on the positives.

KEY QUESTIONSCan Dunbar reclaim its glory?Last year's Poets, of then first-year coach Ben Eaton, missed the postseason for the first time since city schools joined the state association in 1993. Dunbar's run under then-coach Stan Mitchell included five straight state semifinal berths and two state titles in three title game appearances.After a season of adjustment and a 5-5 finish, Eaton appears to have the players' attention. The Poets will have to hurdle such formidable opponents as Patterson, the defending City East Division champ, along with City, Poly and Mount St. Joseph.

Centennial won Howard County's only state title in field hockey in 1995. Four years later, the Eagles could have company.Three county teams - Long Reach in Class 3A, Mount Hebron in Class 2A and Glenelg in Class 1A - have advanced to tomorrow's state semifinals at Goucher College."

Player of the YearMarcus Hatten, Mervo, Sr., G: Possibly the area's best senior, Hatten, a 6-foot-2 combination guard, was a consistent force for a young Mervo squad this season. A repeat All-City/County first-team selection, Hatten averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 assists and 9.1 rebounds for the Mustangs, who were knocked out of the Class 4A regional playoffs by Dulaney. Flashy at times, Hatten was relentless on the court -- driving to the basket, hitting long-range jumpers and grabbing rebounds, sometimes with little rest.

Katie Harman certainly did her part to help No. 2 River Hill get off to a good start in the state track and field championships Thursday at Morgan State. The senior won the Class 2A 3,200 meters and ran a personal best in her leg of the 3,200 relay as the Hawks finished with 26 points for a six-point lead over North Point. Harman ran about a 2:17 in her 800-meter leg of the relay to help River Hill take second in the race. She later came back and beat a tough field in the 3,200. Although she was disappointed with her time of 11:06.

Seventh-ranked Digital Harbor couldn't have planned a better way to start last night's Class 1A girls state championship game, scoring nine straight points and holding Surrattsville of Prince George's County scoreless for nearly six minutes. It was the way the Rams finished, however, that sealed their first state title. After watching its double-digit lead whittled to one, the Baltimore City team closed with eight straight points over the game's final 40 seconds to pull away for a 50-41 victory at UMBC.

COLLEGE PARK -The Digital Harbor boys basketball team made an early, bold statement yesterday at Comcast Center. It came out loud and clear: The No. 6 Rams look like the class of Class 1A this season. In yesterday's semifinal against Allegany, the Rams made quick work of the Campers with superior athleticism, relentless defense and balanced scoring, coming away with a 66-45 semifinal win that puts them one victory away from the school's first state championship. Digital Harbor (22-5) will return to Comcast at 1 p.m. today to take on Pocomoke - a 56-54 winner over South Carroll in the other semifinal - in a bid to win the school's first state title.

LANDOVER - The No. 8 Western Tech boys kept it simple last night. They won the school's first state indoor track and field championship by relying on strong performances in the sprints and relays. Lance Wilkes won the 300 meters and helped the Wolverines take two relays late to pull out the Class 1A title at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex. Wilkes took the 300 (37.04 seconds) and then ran on the victorious 800 (1 minute, 33.37 seconds) and 1,600 (3:31.34) relays that helped Western Tech, which captured the outdoor championship last spring, finish with 69 points and beat Glenelg (56)

The Joppatowne football team's offensive game plan isn't a very complex one. Coach Bill Waibel's teams like to control the ball and the clock, don't pass much and try to dictate the tempo. That formula paid off handsomely again Nov. 21, when the visiting Mariners defeated Havre de Grace, 26-0, in the Class 1A East regional final. A snow squall hit the Havre de Grace area late in the afternoon and left the field half- covered with snow that iced over. It resembled a skating rink. It was hard to make cuts and turns, which played right into Joppatowne's hands and hurt the Warriors, who like to throw.

Dunbar's Tavon Austin, hearing the music over the loudspeaker, started dancing during warm-ups yesterday for the Class 1A state semifinal game against Catoctin and never stopped. The Poets' quick-stepping running back ran for 213 yards on 17 carries and scored four touchdowns as the two-time defending state champs made its way back to the 1A final for the third straight year with a 48-12 victory over the Cougars at Poly. Catoctin came into the game with an 8-4 record, making it to the semifinals off back-to-back upsets.

scoreboard Wildecats roll Jerrel Epps scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes to lead Wilde Lake past Hereford in the Class 3A state semifinals. Varsity, PGS 6-7 CLASS 2A * No. 1 River Hill 48, No. 10 Century 14 * No. 4 Eastern Tech 28, Queen Anne's 6 CLASS 4A * Linganore 59, No. 5 Arundel 34 CLASS 1A * Fort Hill 28, No. 9 Joppatowne 0

CUMBERLAND - Joppatowne has been on a roller-coaster ride in 2008. Last night, the season for the No. 9 Mariners came to a screeching halt. Host Fort Hill took advantage of five second-half Joppatowne turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions) to break open a scoreless game and defeat the Mariners, 28-0, in the Class 1A state semifinals. The Sentinels got a great game from running back Marcus Lashley, who rushed for 200 yards on 33 carries. The Sentinels (11-1) advance to next Saturday's Class 1A state championship at M&T Bank Stadium, where they will face the winner of today's Dunbar-Catoctin semifinal.

In one of its most dominating performances of the season, the third-ranked and No. 1-seeded Dunbar Poets won their sixth straight Class 1A South regional title yesterday, beating W.E.B. Du Bois, 46-0. The Dunbar defense, led by senior captain Anthony Walters and helped by interceptions from Davon Muse and Christopher Boynton, recorded its third shutout of the season while holding the Panthers to just 79 rushing yards and none passing. "No one missed any assignments," said Muse, who returned his interception 63 yards for a touchdown.

Joppatowne broke open last night's Class 1A East championship game at Havre de Grace with a 20-point fourth quarter. But it was a two-play sequence in the second quarter that changed everything. Hakeem Hines appeared to score a touchdown for No. 12 Havre de Grace late in the second quarter. But a penalty wiped it out, and Dominic Harper of No. 10 Joppatowne got an interception on the next play and returned it for a 77-yard touchdown. That put the Mariners in front, and they never trailed in a 26-0 victory last night.