First Team All Metro

players to watch BRETT BAER * Westminster, defense * Widely regarded as the best defenseman in Carroll County, the senior also is turning heads statewide, earning recognition as second-team All-State on the Maryland State Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason team. HARRISON CHAIRES * Centennial, attack * The senior can score in bunches. He produced 62 goals and 30 assists in leading the Eagles to the Class 3A-2A state semifinals last spring. PATRICK FANSHAW * Calvert Hall, midfield-attack * The versatile senior brings creativity and a determined approach wherever he plays.

PLAYERS TO WATCHSteve Althoff, D, Archbishop CurleyThe 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior sweeper used his intimidating physical presence, agility and powerful foot to help the Friars record a school-record 17 shutouts and hold opponents to five goals. He was first-team All-State and All-Metro.Chris Borcik, F, FranklinThe 5-11, 175-pound junior is a physical player with a quick shot who scored 19 goals and had six assists last fall. The second-team All-Metro and honorable-mention All-State player led his team to a county title and the regional finals.

PLAYERS TO WATCHMichelle Allen, F, LibertyA four-year starter who twice has been on the All-Metro first-team, Allen led Carroll County in scoring last fall with 15 goals and 10 assists. The senior also stands out in basketball and lacrosse.Jen Biscoe, MF, John CarrollThis senior's splendid two-way play at center midfield last season was a major reason the Patriots spent most of it atop the metro rankings before closing at No. 2. The first-team All-Metro selection had 14 goals and eight assists.

Former Oakland Mills football coach Steve Matters called Chet Gee "the best of the best."If the former Scorpions athlete wasn't the best, he was close to it.Gee, 36, died in an automobile accident Feb. 28, and a moving memorial service was held for him yesterday at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center.Numerous friends and relatives hailed Gee for his generosity, his infectious smile, his leadership and charismatic personality.Gee quarterbacked Oakland Mills to its first Howard County football championship in 1979, and a 10-1 season.

Bill Stara, whose coaching has helped to lift Centennial's soccer program to a consistently high place in the Baltimore-area and national rankings, said an emotional goodbye to his Eagles soccer team last Thursday.After 15 years at Centennial, Stara will teach next fall at River Hill, one of two county high schools scheduled to open in September."I have mixed emotions," Stara said. "I'm happy to be opening a new school and building a new program. But telling the kids that I'm leaving was difficult."

Catch Julie Allen in the right mood on the volleyball court and she will put on a show anybody would enjoy watching.Except the opposition.The Severna Park senior can hit the ball so hard that it is sometimes dangerous for the players on the other side of the net."There are certain times in a match when I say to myself on every ball 'This one's going down,' " said Allen. "The most exciting thing about playing the game is pounding the ball on the floor. I kind of grunt when I hit the ball and that adds a little to it."

Coach of the YearTom Marron, Havre de Grace: After watching his team stumble to an 0-3 start, Marron, who is in his second tour of duty at Havre de Grace, picked up his 21-player squad and coached it to eight straight victories, including a 36-15 upset of then-No. 4 ranked C. Milton Wright. Marron's Warriors, who hadn't enjoyed a winning season since 1988, went 6-1 in the league and shared the county title with C.M. Wright and Aberdeen before defeating Hickey School and losing to Southern-Garrett in the state playoffs.

The focus is education for Poly's All-Metro receiver Martin Prosper, who stands 6 feet 4, weighs 165 pounds, carries a 3.67 grade-point average and scored 1,000 on his Scholastic Assessment Test.And this morning, the first of the NCAA's seven-day early signing period for fall athletes, Prosper will sign a national letter of intent to attend Lafayette College in Easton, Pa.Prosper, who considered Johns Hopkins and Lehigh, likes the fact that the football team was 8-2 overall and 5-0 as champion of the Patriot League.

Archbishop Spalding Cavaliers1994 record: 1-14. Coach: Jay Trainor.Top players: Steve Odenwald, Sr., A; Sean O'Toole, Sr., A; Paul Menges, Sr., M; Clayton Greene, Jr., M; Dave Marcian, Sr., D; John Edwards, Jr., G.Outlook: Trainor, then the assistant coach, said last season was a "nightmare" from the time goalie Steve Windsor broke his leg on a fall on the ice in January. Plagued by injuries, the team lost its enthusiasm, and the varsity and JV won only one game combined.Defense might be a strength, with Marcian leading a group of four returning defensemen and Edwards benefiting from a year in the goal.

1 Fallston -- The defending Class 1A-2A state champion Cougars have nine regulars returning from their 17-0 season in 1994. This year, Nancy Ferguson's team makes the jump to Class 3A-4A. Senior striker Beth Blasi, last season's Harford County Player of the Year, leads a potent attack up front. She has scored 37 goals and added 20 assists over the past two seasons and has Courtney Benner (17 goals, eight assists last season) to work with again up front. The defense yielded 14 goals in 17 games last season with returning goalie Emily Weibel recording nine shutouts.

Players to watch Hannah Balleza : Severna Park, forward, senior Balleza is looking to follow up on her breakout season. Using her ability to carry the ball at high speed and blow by defenders to get into the circle, Balleza scored 13 goals and contributed 13 assists a year ago. Liza Blue : Garrison Forest, defense, senior Using uncommon defensive instincts to anticipate and thwart opposing offenses, Blue, who moved from midfield to center back last...

PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jack Doyle Gilman, midfielder The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion Greyhounds had an abundance of senior-laden talent, and the starting point - and often the ending point - was Doyle. Highly competitive with skills, smarts and athleticism to match, the Harvard-bound senior led No. 1 Gilman to a 15-1 season. "Jack continued to push himself to get better. Everyone knew he was going to be a real focal point for us, but he worked very hard to prepare himself for that.

players to watch BRETT BAER * Westminster, defense * Widely regarded as the best defenseman in Carroll County, the senior also is turning heads statewide, earning recognition as second-team All-State on the Maryland State Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason team. HARRISON CHAIRES * Centennial, attack * The senior can score in bunches. He produced 62 goals and 30 assists in leading the Eagles to the Class 3A-2A state semifinals last spring. PATRICK FANSHAW * Calvert Hall, midfield-attack * The versatile senior brings creativity and a determined approach wherever he plays.

Graham Bazell Atholton, cross country In capturing the Class 3A individual state championship at Hereford High on Saturday, the senior standout led the Raiders to their first team title in 19 years. Bazell, a first-team All-Metro selection last year, ran the 3.1-mile course in a time of 16 minutes, 29 seconds, with teammate Michael Lynch taking second (16:50), as the Raiders placed all five scoring runners in the top 30. At Hereford's Bull Run Invitational on Oct. 11, Bazell set a meet record (15:51)

River Hill junior Jake Pace, a first-team All-Metro soccer player and the county's Player of the Year, has made an oral commitment to play at the University of Maryland. Pace led the Hawks to the Class 2A state championship, scoring a header in overtime to give the team a 3-2 victory over Loch Raven in the title game. Possessing size, strength and ball skills, Pace played on defense, midfield and up front for the Hawks and finished the season with nine goals and nine assists. "We're real happy for Jake and he's real happy - it's real big for the program," River Hill coach Matt Shagogue said.

Zach Brown stepped on the track for the first time three years ago and found moderate success. He finished his first season by placing seventh in the 100-meter dash at the regional championships and did not compete at the state meet. "I didn't know anything about running," the Wilde Lake senior recalled. "I worked out a lot over that summer and really paid attention to my form." One of the major problems to overcome had to do with his hands. For most of his life, he had done his fastest running while cradling a football.

When Sean Mosley walked onto the court at St. Frances his freshman year, the comparisons to Mark Karcher, one of the most honored players in Panthers history, were inevitable. The two players are similar in size (Mosley is 6 feet 4, Karcher 6-5) and in their style of play, combining strength and flair. Although some players might downplay a comparison to someone as accomplished as Karcher, Mosley embraces it. In part, that's because Mosley has been working with Karcher to improve his game.

Smith of Atholton claims two 2A titles Sport Track and field GIRLS Atholton distance runner Alison Smith won two gold medals at the Class 2A state track and field championships, winning the 800 meters (2 minutes, 15.96 seconds) and 3,200 meters (11:02.30), as well as anchoring the Raiders' 3,200 relay team to a third-place finish. The standout junior, a first-team All-Metro selection and Howard County Performer of the Year last spring, had a third title taken away in the 1,600-meter event after it was ruled she was being paced by teammate and wheelchair participant Tatyana McFadden, a non-scoring competitor.

Mallory sparks McDonogh's run Sport lacrosse GIRLS McDonogh junior midfielder Brittany Mallory, a first-team All-Metro selection last season, has played an instrumental role in leading the No. 2 Eagles to the top of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference standings this season with a 14-0 record. In victories over Dulaney and league rivals Archbishop Spalding and Roland Park, Mallory had eight goals, five assists and 12 ground balls. Mallory, who is quick and has strong stick skills, leads the Eagles' possession game in the middle and has 43 goals, 12 assists and 64 ground balls for the season.

After surveying the amount of returning high school boys basketball talent in the Baltimore metro area, Mount St. Joseph coach Pat Clatchey had a message for fans. "Clean your slate, because you are going to really enjoy the next couple of years around here," said Clatchey, whose Gaels begin the season ranked No. 1. "It's a hot time for basketball in the Baltimore area, with a lot of guys who are going to play at the next level. It's going to be strong, with anybody capable of beating anybody else on a given night."