Gaels

Mount St. Joseph's 125-pound wrestler, Russell Fecteau, was the epitome of his team's season yesterday.After finishing second to Riverdale Baptist in the Curley and Annapolis tournaments, the top-ranked, 17-time defending Maryland Scholastic Association champion Gaels (235 points) blew away the 16-team field at yesterday's Cougar Invitational at Chesapeake (Anne Arundel)."It's incredible. I feel like I'm on top of the world tonight," said Fecteau, a junior who improved to 11-2 with his 7-1 decision over Frederick's Tim Fields and joined four teammates on the victory stand.

Danny Orem held a four-point lead over Archbishop Curley senior Steve Kain last night when Mount St. Joseph coach Kirk Salvo signaled for him to go for the rout. The sophomore responded, continually letting Kain to his feet and taking him down en route to scoring seven takedowns in a 17-6 major decision that paced the No. 2 Gaels to a 34-32 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference dual-meet win over the visiting third-ranked Friars. "When [Salvo] signaled for the optional start, it was time to go for the extra points," said Orem, whose Gaels (8-0, 5-0)

Jameel Day's pin at 2: 33 of his heavyweight bout lifted No. 7-ranked McDonogh over No. 6 Mount St. Joseph, 35-30, for the Eagles' first win over the Gaels since 1974.The win in yesterday's St. Paul's Duals Tournament was the second milestone of the season for coach Pete Welch's Eagles (3-0).Last weekend, the Eagles won their own Ray Oliver Tournament for the first time in 26 years.Also pinning yesterday for McDonogh were Joe Rosenbaum (171), Andy Seal (160), Matt Eder (119) and freshman Zak Johns (103)

Hal Sparks, a Mount St. Joseph Hall of Fame member who hasn't coached since 1980, will become coach of Northeast's football team. Eagles athletic director Marianne Shultz will make the announcement today. Sparks, 66, replaces Mike Cotham, whose contract was not renewed after seven seasons. "I'm excited to get back, " said Sparks, who has worked in fundraising and real estate the past 27 years after leaving Mount St. Joseph, where he was a coach and physical education teacher. "This is something I've wanted to do, and when I saw that Northeast had an opening, I decided to apply.

Mount St. Joseph starter Ben Daniels throttled host Calvert Hall on four hits yesterday.But there was one thing standing between the Gaels' ace and a win in the opening round of the Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference Tournament.Brian Matz.As sharp as Daniels was, Matz proved even sharper. The left-hander struck out 12, including two to end threats in the fourth and fifth innings, en route to a 2-0 win.The Calvert Hall ace went the distance, allowing just four hits -- including two on infield singles by Buddy Edmond -- and struck out two hitters in five of his seven innings.

Mount St. Joseph staked Ryan Baker to an early lead and the No. 3 Gaels took a 2-0 rain-shortened, five-inning victory over No. 4 Calvert Hall in Irvington yesterday.Baker's three-hitter and clutch hits by catcher Matt Martin and sophomore first baseman Mark Texiera clinched the top seed for St. Joe in next week's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference playoffs.In knocking off the three-time defending A Conference champion Cardinals, the Gaels ran their overall record to 24-4 and their conference mark to 12-1.

Mount St. Joseph coach Drew Bowden can live with the physical mistakes and he'll even tolerate the mental ones, as long as they are committed at full speed."

Third-ranked Mount St. Joseph had the daunting task of playing top-ranked McDonogh without three starters in Friday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference matchup. Gaels coach Mike St. Martin shuffled his lineup and moved 6-foot-2 forward Dave Arnold into the midfield to give the Gaels more height to win balls out of the air. The Gaels also relied on their top playmaker, Geaton Caltabiano, and some of the younger players to give the team a spark. The changes worked, as Caltabiano scored once in each half - including the game-winner with just under 10 minutes left in the game - to give the host Gaels a 2-1 victory over the Eagles, who also are ranked No. 1 nationally.

When facing No. 1 Mount St. Joseph, a perennial power in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, there's little room for error.And after yesterday's 47-12 rout at St. Joe (12-0), in which the visitors won just three bouts, No. 6 Curley (12-2) can attest that a slip against the Gaels usually leads to a fall.A Curley wrestler fell flat on his back after coach Alan Gephart's move at 130 pounds backfired.Curley was within 11-6 after Ken Willson (125, 32-6) scored his 19th pin of the season off a front-headlock to a corkscrew.

Top-ranked Mount St. Joseph had just 76 total offensive yards and trailed by 24 points at halftime.And after being routed, 58-20, by DeMatha, The Washington Post's No. 2-ranked team, coach Mike Working acknowledged his Gaels had gotten a lesson in football's fundamentals."