Eagles

Most of the things Tom Scott holds precious came from football. It opened the doors of opportunity but, more importantly, provided lessons in life that gave him inspiration and strength to draw on when he was backed up against his own goal line. The death of his first wife, parental problems that come with raising children and then being told he had cancer.But Tom Scott is more than a survivor; he's a winner. First it was Calvert Hall, then the University of Virginia, first team All-American, 12 years as an end/linebacker in the National Football League and, ultimately, election to the College Football Hall of Fame.

McDonogh's No. 1 girls lacrosse team didn't finish its season with a perfect game, but the end result still added up to perfection, especially for the senior class. The Eagles rallied from four goals down to beat St. Paul's, 11-8, Monday afternoon to put the finishing touch on a 22-0 season with their fifth straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship. The 17 McDonogh seniors did not lose a game during their high school careers as the Eagles ran their winning streak to 91 games, the country's longest active girls lacrosse streak and the third longest in history behind the record of 103 set by Loch Raven in 1982 and matched by Mount Hebron in 2007.

There's more to sport than winning. There are life lessons. There's the camaraderie. There's the fun of it all. But there's also the thrill of victory, and it's a thrill known many times this season by the girls on the Aberdeen High School basketball team, most recently over the weekend when they won the Maryland Class 3A state high school championship game. The Eagles had a spectacular season, defeating just about every opponent they faced. Their only defeat came at the hands of Riverdale Baptist, a team ranked sixth in the nation by USA Today . Even in the team's one loss there was consolation to be found as forward TK Fowlkes told the Baltimore Sun : "It's a great learning experience.

McDonogh's No. 1 girls lacrosse team is now within one game of its ultimate goal after Thursday's 17-10 victory over No. 9 Maryvale in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinals. The victory runs the Eagles' winning streak to 90 games and sends them after their fifth straight A Conference championship Saturday at 5 p.m. at Gerstell Academy in Finksburg against No. 4 St. Paul's, a 12-9 winner over Bryn Mawr in the other semifinal on Wednesday. Because of thunderstorms rolling near their Owings Mills campus Wednesday, the Eagles had to wait an extra day for their semifinal, but they took a 16-4 lead five minutes into the second half and cruised into the title game.

Ravens 3, Eagles 0 First quarter: 11:53 Billy Cundiff 53-yard field goal   Eagles 7, Ravens 3 First quarter: 7:58 Brent Celek 3-yard touchdown pass from Michael Vick (Alex Henery made PAT)   Eagles 10, Ravens 3 Second quarter: 7:58 Alex Henery 35-yard field goal   Eagles 13, Ravens 3 Third quarter: 7:39 Alex Henery 24-yard field goal   Eagles 13, Ravens 6 Fourth quarter: 3:10 Billy Cundiff 34-yard field goal   34-yard field goal

RAVENS PASSING GAME: What will quarterback Joe Flacco do for an encore? A week after lighting up the Cincinnati Bengals in one of the best performances of his career, Flacco brings the Ravens' suddenly explosive offense to Lincoln Financial Field, a short drive from where he grew up. Eight players caught passes in the Ravens' opener, led by tight end Dennis Pitta. Flacco figures to get far less time to operate against a fast and aggressive Eagles defense . EAGLES PASSING GAME: Michael Vick played one of the worst games of his career against the Cleveland Browns last week, completing just 29 of 56 passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Posters in the locker room, stricter guidelines on the field, investments in research — all of those are good things. But if the NFL wants to be taken seriously on the issue of treating concussions, it has to do more. Namely, no more Philadelphia-type fiascos. A look back to Sunday: In the second quarter against the Packers, two Eagles suffered concussions in rapid-fire succession. First, quarterback Kevin Kolb was sacked from behind and his head was driven into the turf.

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 24, Eagles 19 First away game is always tough. And Philly crowds are as warm and fuzzy as the exercise yard at San Quentin. But Joe Flacco and the new-look Ravens' offense will prevail. Edward Lee Eagles 27, Ravens 21 The Ravens' offensive line will face its toughest challenge with the Eagles' depth in their defensive front, disrupting Joe Flacco's timing with his receivers. And the defense will miss outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who would have contained quarterback Michael Vick.

A person familiar with the team's thinking says the Eagles are strongly considering releasing quarterback Michael Vick . The person says the team might cut Vick no matter what police conclude during their investigation of a shooting that followed his birthday celebration in Virginia Beach, Va., last week. The person spoke to The Associated Press early Saturday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. The Eagles issued a statement on Saturday saying "any report or speculation that suggests the Eagles are considering releasing Vick are not true.

As a long-stick midfielder for the No. 2 McDonogh boys lacrosse team, senior Eric Levin has had a season filled with tests. They come regularly in practice when he goes up against teammates Austin Frederick and Brinton Valis. They continue in games where every Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference foe has a quality attackman that draws his attention. "At this level, every week I'm playing against a top-notch midfielder and that only serves to make me better.

McDonogh senior goalie Nick Doyle was playing in his final lacrosse game at home Tuesday against rival Gilman with the winner receiving a prized first-round bye in the upcoming Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference playoffs. It was pouring for much of the game and his area in front of the cage was mostly mud. Doyle showed it was nothing he couldn't handle. He finished with 14 saves, blanked the visitors for a pivotal 20-minute stretch that included the entire third quarter and helped lead No. 2 McDonogh to a 10-6 over the No. 3 Greyhounds in the regular season finale for both teams.

On April 7, a Court of Honor was held to celebrate Nathan Cook achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. Nathan has been a member of scouting since first grade when he joined St. Mary's Pack 937. He bridged to Boy Scout Troop 965, Havre de Grace, in 2006. Since that time he has earned numerous merit badges, held many leadership positions and attended both Philmont and Northern Tier high adventure camps. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow, Boy Scouts Honor Society. Nathan's Eagle project consisted of building and installing three benches at the Harford Family House in Aberdeen.

One day after suffering a walk-off loss against Howard, Centennial's softball team got itself back on the winning track. The Eagles pounded out 20 hits and scored 18 times, cruising to an 18-4 victory on the road over Wilde Lake Friday afternoon. Centennial put at least three runs on the board in each of the first three innings to put the heartbreaking defeat from less than 24 hours earlier in the rear-view mirror. “Today was a really big game to win, to come back from yesterday when we were right there and lost it on a home run,” said senior second baseman Donna Coburn.

McDonogh's Miranda McCoy said her No. 1 Eagles learned an important lesson in Monday's scare at No. 5 Century - they don't want to get off to a slow start. The Eagles applied that lesson in Thursday's clash of the area's only two undefeated girls lacrosse teams, scoring three goals in the first two and a half minutes to spark a 19-9 victory over No. 6 Marriotts Ridge for their 88 t h straight victory. Those three early goals from Megan Whittle, Casey Black and Grace Muller were the opposite of what happened Monday at Century, when the Knights scored the first three goals and the Eagles had to rally for a 10-7 win. "We came out flat mentally against Century," McCoy said.

Aberdeen freshman Stephanie Jones is one of 33 players who have accepted invitations to try out for the USA Basketball women's under-16 national team later this month in Colorado Springs, Colo. Jones, a 6-foot-1 All-Metro forward, led the No. 2 Eagles to the Class 3A state championship in March, averaging 17.3 points and 9.2 rebounds. Although she plays strong on the inside, Jones could also handle the ball and hit 3-pointers. Jones' quickness and versatility were keys to the Eagles' stifling defense and quick-strike offense after her sister, 6-foot-3 Maryland-bound senior Brionna Jones, was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in January.

McDonogh's No. 1 girls lacrosse team didn't finish its season with a perfect game, but the end result still added up to perfection, especially for the senior class. The Eagles rallied from four goals down to beat St. Paul's, 11-8, Monday afternoon to put the finishing touch on a 22-0 season with their fifth straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship. The 17 McDonogh seniors did not lose a game during their high school careers as the Eagles ran their winning streak to 91 games, the country's longest active girls lacrosse streak and the third longest in history behind the record of 103 set by Loch Raven in 1982 and matched by Mount Hebron in 2007.

The Philadelphia Eagles have claimed D.J. Jones off waivers from the Ravens, who waived the undrafted rookie offensive tackle from Nebraska before their win over the Houston Texans in the AFC divisional round. Jones was waived on Jan. 14 so the Ravens could promote linebacker Josh Bynes from their practice squad. Jones, 23, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound tackle, was signed by the Miami Dolphins before the 2011 season. After the Dolphins waived him from their practice squad on Oct. 17, the Ravens signed him to theirs two days later.

Like the proverbial "wolf in sheep's clothing," a Texas energy company is promoting a massive Eastern Shore wind farm as an environmentally friendly "green" project ("Eastern Shore wind project confronts eagles, Navy," April 29). In reality, this project will kill large numbers of birds, such as bald eagles and ospreys, which are attracted to the lights necessary for aircraft safety at night. Why do our politicians fall for these projects that are supposed to improve the economy?

Century controlled play for much of the first 20 minutes against visiting McDonogh in girls lacrosse Monday night. The Knights scored the first three goals, won the first four draws and often kept possession. But top-ranked McDonogh slowly turned things around. The Eagles began to win the draws, gain possession and manufacture scoring chances, all of which helped McDonogh rally for a 10-7 victory over No. 5 Century. The Eagles improved to 18-0 and now have won 87 consecutive games.