Francis Scott Key

WILLIAMSPORT -- Williamsport scored the first 11 points of its volleyball match with Francis Scott Key. The Eagles, on the other hand, scored eight points the entire match.Defending state champion and top seed Williamsport dominated play throughout on the way to a 15-1, 15-2, 15-5 victory over second seed Francis Scott Key in the Class 1A, Region II title match last night.Williamsport (14-2) advances to the state semifinals on Tuesday at Centennial High. This is Williamsport's third straight regional title, and the Wildcats are shooting for their fourth state title in six years.

Chris Beale did not always enjoy wrestling during his junior league days. But steady success and new-found camaraderie has made the sport a lot more fun.Beale broke into Francis Scott Key's regular lineup early in his freshman year and has stayed since. He went 37-10 during his first two years, and hopes to make greater impact as a junior. Beale has improved each season. After missing part of his freshman year with injuries, he finished 14-4 at 112 pounds and was an alternate to the state tournament.

Francis Scott Key coach Brian Hollingsworth should be smiling a lot these days.He has a scintillating point guard, Erin Murphey, returning for a third season and two other outstanding seniors back for their third years on the varsity.Also, he has a 6-foot-2 junior transfer, Mady Hansborough, from Linganore.All girls basketball coaches in Carroll County dream about a 6-2 transfer suddenly walking into the halls of their school.That dream has become a reality for Hollingsworth.But guess what?

The Francis Scott Key field hockey team went to the state 1A semifinals last season with a 23-year-old coach directing a starting lineup that included a freshman forward and five sophomores.Talk about youth.Those young Eagles battled Pocomoke before falling, 1-0, in the semifinals at Goucher College.Key was a spitting image of its energetic and enthusiastic young coach, Mindi Wagner. Now 24, she remains the youngest coach in Carroll County.Wagner runs with her players throughout the preseason and fits right in, prompting people to ask: "Who's the new girl in school?"

Francis Scott Key seemed to toy with North Carroll in the first half last night before turning up the pressure in the third quarter to pull away from the Panthers for a 71-54 victory in Uniontown.It was the first win of the season for Key, which had lost to Liberty and North Hagerstown in its first two games.For the Panthers it was their third straight trouncing of the young season.The Eagles used a half-court trapping defense to force several North Carroll turnovers early in the third quarter and spark a 12-2 run for a 46-32 lead with 2:51 left in the third quarter.

There are the usual ingredients -- a surplus of talent, plenty of depth and the classic coaches' cliche "taking it one game at a time." -- that have all come together in the Francis Scott Key volleyball team's outstanding regular-season run.And then there's the unusual ones.I feel like a ringleader instead of a coach," said Key coach Leo Totten. Senior co-captain Ericka Rutzebeck was quick to chime in: "You'll never forget us."The 1995 Eagles made sure of that yesterday in Uniontown when they swept visiting Fallston -- 15-6, 15-8, 15-2 -- to complete an undefeated regular season.

County volleyball fans will see a couple of new faces on the bench this year.Otherwise, relatively few head-coaching changes seem imminent for the 1991-1992 high school sports season.Perhaps the biggest change on the horizon, though, will come in the winter season. Dave Brown, who coached the Westminster High girls varsity basketball team for one season after nearly a decade as junior varsity and freshman coach, will not be back.Jeff Oeming, the Westminster High athletic director, said Friday that no replacement had been hired.

For every question mark Francis Scott Key coach Joe Linthicum has found in his lineup, there seems to be a bright spot elsewhere to even things out.The goal early on for the Eagles is to exploit those strengths and, in the meantime, find answers to the questions in time to make a run at the region playoffs.The biggest question is pitching. In last year's 13-5 campaign, senior Kathy Bower handled most of the pitching chores with the help of sophomore Amber Smith.Bower has graduated, and Smith, now a junior, suffered a separated shoulder -- the one she throws with -- during the basketball season and is not expected back until early April.

Francis Scott Key baseball coach Bob Caples has a problem.He has his best team in five years at the school and he can't even challenge any of the other Carroll County schools."

Speed and quickness can do wonders for a soccer team.On offense, it can create plenty of scoring opportunities. On defense, it can cover up a lot of miscues.When Francis Scott Key coach Joe Linthicum watches junior forwards Carri Ryer and Kelly Jirout get to a ball most wouldn't, he can't help but smile. At the other end, sophomore sweeper Pam Lochner uses her speed and aggressiveness to clear a potential scoring threat.The Eagles, who improved to 5-7 last year after winning only ongame the year before, want to continue the upward march, and Linthicum believes he might have the combination of players to get over the .500 mark for the first time at Key."