Falcons

Running back Marcus Allen of the Los Angeles Raiders, who has delayed his negotiations with the Washington Redskins in hopes of getting another offer, may finally get another one today.Allen, one of the last of the big-name free agents on the market, is to visit the Atlanta Falcons today. The Falcons are considering switching Steve Broussard from running back to receiver, which would open a slot for Allen.The Redskins had hopes of signing Allen because they appeared to be the only serious bidder for him.Even though the Redskins drafted Reggie Brooks in the second round, coach Richie Petitbon is still interested in Allen as a third-down back.

For the briefest of instants, it appeared Broadneck might have a chance of beating Severna Park in yesterday's Class 4A-3A Region IV semifinal girls lacrosse game.Just 11 seconds into the game, the third-seeded Bruins' Megan McEwan (23 goals this year) raced downfield to score one of her three goals on the day, giving Broadneck a 1-0 lead.But McEwan's big day came at the expense of her high-scoring teammates Becca Fink (46 goals) and Michelle Meyer (39), who notched only a goal between them as the defending state champion Falcons (12-1)

Severna Park coach Tim Dunbar has ignored the preseason litany that swept the league concerning the inexperience of Glen Burnie's volleyball program.Basically, it went like this: "Glen Burnie's gonna get pummeled this year, because no starters return from last year's 18-0 Class 4A state champion volleyball squad, and Coach Juanita Milani is starting three freshmen.""I know they're starting from scratch, but from Juanita, they're learning the game right," said Dunbar, whose Falcons defeated the visiting Gophers, 15-2, 15-5, 16-14, Friday to improve to 8-0 overall, 6-0 against the county.

Severna Park coach Kevin McGrath doesn't even like to count that one defeat. It was in a Christmas tournament to a team from, appropriately for the season, Bethlehem, Pa.What matters, in McGrath's opinion, is that Severna Park is undefeated in Maryland.The No. 11 Falcons raised their record to 15-1 with a hard-earned 64-57 victory over visiting No. 17 Arundel last night."I didn't expect to be sitting 15-0 in the state at this point," McGrath said. "I'm not saying I'm surprised, considering the way we're playing, but it's not something I expected at the start of the season."

As the final seconds were counting down in Severna Park's 18-point win over Old Mill last Friday, a chant rose from within the throng of jubilant Falcon supporters."

It's been a wacky high school baseball season, but Severna Park got just plain whacked yesterday.Chesapeake handed the Falcons a mind-blowing 13-7 loss to avenge an earlier 10-5 setback.To break a 7-7 tie, the Cougars had seven hits, including three of their four triples on the day, and two home runs in a six-run fifth inning.Their 14 hits in the game came against three different pitchers, including the Falcons' No. 2 hurler, John Ritter (6-2).The Falcons were rocked most by senior center fielder Mike O'Brien, who went 3-for-5 with eight RBI, and lacked only a double to hit for the cycle.

The strategy couldn't get any more basic. Control the ball, and you'll control the game.The Severna Park field hockey team did both yesterday, rolling to its third straight win of the season as it defeated host Broadneck 1-0.Colleen Gately scored the only goal at 19:43 of the first half, and her team kept the ball on Broadneck's side most of the day."We had good passes and everything. We just couldn't get the ball in the goal, which is a problem," said Falcons coach Lil Shelton.Broadneck was taking part in its first game of the season, putting the Bruins at an apparent disadvantage before the opening draw.

Kevin McGrath greeted a visitor to Severna Park's gymnasium yesterday with a handshake and the remark, "I don't know how your holiday is going, but it has to be better than mine."Still smiling, he extended a hand to Wayne Mook, the coach of the Falcons' 6-0 boys basketball team, and said, "I know how this guy's been doing."Much better than McGrath, whose Severna Park girls are 2-4 after losing both games of last week's Holly-n-Hoops Tournament in Catonsville. They were beaten in the opening round by Seton Keough, 36-35, ona basket with 10 seconds left, and by Woodlawn in overtime, 56-49.

Don't paint CBS pro football analyst Randy Cross as one of those guys who follows the line of least resistance. After doing a couple of Atlanta games this fall, the former 49ers center says the Falcons are going to beat the Redskins tomorrow.Cross says the 11-point underdogs have "the best combination of talent and emotion going in the playoffs." Which recalls what former Southern Cal and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay once said: "They say emotion wins football games. My wife Corky's emotional as they come and she can't play the game worth a damn."

When Angela DeSalvo's family moved to Severna Park in August, she felt "really uncomfortable, like I didn't fit in.""There were a lot of cliques at the school," she said, "and I felt out of place until basketball season."Now, she's getting along just fine. And her team is doing even better.With the shooting touch and strength to score from the perimeter or in the lane, DeSalvo has emerged as one of the county's most impressive underclassmen. A 5-foot-8 guard, she leads Severna Park in scoring at 13.4 points per game, averages 5.5 rebounds and is a big reason why the Falcons are a surprising 14-1 and ranked No. 11 in the metro area going into today's meeting with No. 17 Arundel.