Gaels

Unless the team bus breaks down or Mount St. Joseph otherwise has problems making it to Essex Community College next Saturday, the Gaels will again rule as Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association indoor track champions.First by wide margins in the first two league meets, including yesterday's 146-point effort, all the Mount has to do is finish in the top three in the MIAA's third and final go-around on Saturday to retain its crown.The same holds true among the girls, with Spalding flashing a similar dominance over an eight-school field.

In the wake of Loyola's 16-4 win over Mount St. Joseph yesterday, the only thing left standing between the fourth-ranked Dons and the Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference playoffs is No. 1 St. Paul's.Sure, there's an alternate route to the playoffs, which involve the top two teams in each division. Loyola could lose to the visiting Crusadersin tomorrow's matchup on Hargaden Field and then hope that Severn upsets No. 3 Gilman. Either way, the Dons would get in. However, Loyola coach Joe McFadden prefers the more direct approach.

Number three had to pitch like a number one and senior Derek Loosararian was up to the task as No. 4 Arundel upset top-ranked Mount St. Joseph, 7-4, yesterday to win the latter's 13th annual Jack Conley Tournament.Before the big showdown, which pitted the reputation of Anne Arundel County baseball against that of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, Arundel coach Bernie Walter said that Loosararian had thrown exceptionally well in the bullpen on Friday.Walter was granted his wish that Loosararian, the team's third starter, had not left his best stuff in the pen in Gambrills.

Kevin Boland and Andrew Lucas each scored four goals, and Ryan Boyle contributed three goals and four assists as second-ranked Gilman whipped No. 10 Mount St. Joseph, 19-5, in a Maryland Athletic Association A Conference boys lacrosse game yesterday.The host Greyhounds (8-2, 5-2 league) had a season-high in goals and outshot the Gaels (5-7, 0-7), 41-18.* No. 8 Annapolis 17, Meade 4: Drew Samaris had a season-high seven goals -- six in the first half -- and Bret McConnaughhay had two goals and four assists as the host Panthers (9-1)

Gilman coach Johnnie Foreman tried to congratulate Gene Constantine at last night's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Indoor Championships. But with two events remaining, Mount St. Joseph's coach wasn't ready to make any acceptance speeches."It's not over yet," said Constantine, pointing to the high jump area at Essex Community College. "I'm the eternal pessimist. If we don't score in the high jump and we blow the [1,600 meters], anything can happen."Constantine was pleasantly unsurprised.

Calvert Hall stole the show from Mark Teixeira and No. 1 Mount St. Joe.With a crowd of scouts on hand to watch the switch-hitting third baseman, No. 2 Calvert Hall (7-1) pounded out a 14-5 victory over the host Gaels (6-3) yesterday.Teixeira, considered one of the top prospects in the Mid-Atlantic area, had his chance to make an impact, however. The senior came to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs and the bases loaded, his team down 8-4. But Calvert Hall sophomore reliever Brent Gossman got Teixeira to swing under an outside fastball and lift a harmless fly ball to left.

First-year coach Brian Murphy of No. 5-ranked Mount St. Joseph didn't have a full arsenal for his team's match at No. 11 Loyola yesterday, but he had enough to shoot down the Dons, 38-20.Pinning for the Gaels (9-0) were Kyle Chiaverini (140) and Ron Cooper (160) -- each of whom is ranked No. 3 in the state -- along with Steve Lanciotti (112). Marc Fecteau (119) scored a 19-4 technical fall, teammate Nick Salmon (130) beat Chris Ackerman, 6-3 and Mike McKinney (189), decisioned Rob Collins, 9-2.Top-ranked Mike Schaal (171)

A 7-4 decision by Sean Kelly (189) over Mount St. Joseph's Ryan Edwards gave visiting Calvert Hall an insurmountable 10-point lead in an eventual 32-25 win that is believed to be the Cardinals' first-ever dual-meet victory over their MIAA rival.The No. 2 Cardinals (13-0, 5-0), twice winners over the No. 5 Gaels (11-3, 5-1) in earlier tournaments, won five of the first six bouts and led 29-10, with pins coming from Kevin King (112), fourth-ranked Tony Russo (130) and Sean Ireland (145). King improved to 20-6, Russo to 26-2 and Ireland to 22-6.

After losing by just one try in the 2010 MIAA championship game to Loyola, the Mount St. Joseph rugby team entered this past season with one goal in mind: to not let history repeat itself and, in turn, win the program's first conference title. The team used the 2010 championship defeat as motivation all season, and players donned shirts emblazoned with the game's final score and the words, "Not this year. Gaels rugby all the way. " The Gaels lived up to the message printed on their shirts and followed through with their goal, defeating Calvert Hall, 29-24, on May 18 in the MIAA rugby championship.

Mount St. Joseph tennis coach Tom Hughes knew he had something special the first day his team stepped onto the court for its first practice in early March. Most of the players had already spent much of the year improving their skills, so they were already in mid-season form by the first drill. The Gaels then went undefeated through the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association regular season and knocked off defending champion McDonogh in the playoffs, dropping just one game in that entire stretch.