Gilman

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.

Boys lacrosse No. 1 Gilman @ No. 3 St. Mary's WHEN: Friday, 4 p.m. OUTLOOK: The visiting Greyhounds have the area's finest midfield, led by seniors Jack Doyle and Greg McBride, to go with standout attackmen Marcus Holman and Davey Emala. The Saints counter with midfielder Mark McNeill and attackman Nick Doub. Gilman has a decided edge in depth and experience. THE BALTIMORE SUN'S PICK: Gilman Girls lacrosse No. 7 Archbishop Spalding @ No. 3 Notre Dame Prep WHEN: Thursday, 4 p.m. OUTLOOK: Spalding has lost All-Metro goalie Cosette Larash to a season-ending knee injury, but Mackenzie Jones has stepped in. The Cavaliers' Danielle Kirk and NDP's Erin Laschinger, an All-Metro selection, are two of the toughest players in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference to contain.

Mike Kelen, St. Paul's -- Kelen was the top golfer among 125 players at the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association individual championships in the spring. The senior won the title by beating Gilman's Brad Miller by four strokes after finishing 22nd last season. Kelen also led St. Paul's to the team title over Gilman. With his 6-foot, 165-pound frame, Kelen can consistently drive the ball nearly 300 yards. Kelen will continue his career at Bates College in Maine. COACH OF THE YEAR Rick Collins, St. Paul's -- Collins led the Crusaders to the MIAA title.

Ben Eaton Jr. gripped both sides of the lectern as if he had an opposing quarterback in his grasp. "He taught me to be a real man, husband and great father," he said. Eaton Jr., the former Gilman linebacker and The Sun's 2006 Defensive Player of the Year now playing at Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy, was among those who spoke at Ben Eaton Sr.'s funeral yesterday at the Carl H. Murphy Fine Arts Center at Morgan State. "I had him for 18 years, and I will take care of my mom, " said Eaton Jr., looking at his mother, Sandra.

The stark contrast between Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A and B Conference football was never more evident than yesterday at Gilman. Defending A Conference tri-champ and No. 3 Gilman was victorious, 36-0, over St. Mary's, a B Conference title hopeful, in the season opener for both. With junior running back Jordan Love leading all rushers with 81 yards on 11 attempts, including the game's first touchdown from the 12-yard line, the host Greyhounds rolled up 185 yards on the ground.

It's always darkest before dawn, the saying goes.And that's how it must have seemed for No. 1 ranked McDonogh last night after blowing a two-goal lead and seeing Gilman tie their Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference tournament semifinal, 10-10, with 2: 32 left.But 48 seconds into a four-minute overtime, the Eagles relocated the spotlight on a game-winning shot by Matt Primm. His goal ousted the defending champion Greyhounds, 11-10, in a hotly fought, see-saw game witnessed by about 3,000 loud fans at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field.

State champ Damien Davis decked Malcolm Bracey in 48 seconds as part of a four-bout sweep that brought Gilman back from a 16-point deficit for a 30-26 victory over visiting Calvert Hall yesterday.Tim Webb (152) avenged a loss from last year, 3-0, against Sean Ireland, who was in his first match of the year, and Brian Lewis (171) beat Mike Brannan, 6-0. Mike Faust received a forfeit at heavyweight in the MIAA A Conference win.Calvert Hall (11-6, 4-1) took an early advantage, 19-6, with a pin by Tyrone Bowie (125)

Junior midfielder Joe Thompson had four goals and an assist and junior attackman Justin Mullen had two goals and one assist as sixth-ranked St. Mary's upset No. 2 Gilman, 9-8, in Baltimore yesterday.Senior goalkeeper Chris Garrity had a career-high 20 saves for the Saints (2-0, 1-0 league) in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference game.The win was the 211th for St. Mary's coach Jim Moorhead, who is in his 20th season. It shocked the defending league champs."They're a great team, but our defense -- Matt Pessagno, Kevin Stodd and Mack MacAdams, they all played outstanding," said Garrity, who is bound for Penn State on a lacrosse scholarship.

An avid snowboarder and surfer, Gilman's Andrew Lucas describes himself as an "easy-going guy" and "a free spirit." Put him in a lacrosse uniform, and the 6-foot, 190-pound junior attackman is plain vicious."

In basketball, one or two stars can be enough to carry a team to a league championship. But in swimming, in which the top 12 in every event score points at the conference championship meet, does the same hold true? Can a team top-heavy with blue-chippers outscore teams with fewer standouts but more depth?McDonogh coach Brent Miller hopes so.The McDonogh boys team features four of the top swimmers in the area, but depth could be a major factor as the Eagles take aim at Loyola, which has won six straight Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association titles.

Each fall, Gilman's football team aims for two primary goals - to beat McDonogh and to win the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship. Saturday, they did both. Darius Jennings rushed 35 times for 252 yards and three touchdowns and Anthony Ferguson and Bryan Willis combined for a game-saving sack, as the No. 5 Greyhounds dealt host and No. 2 McDonogh its first conference loss, 34-27, in the season finale. Both teams finished with 4-1 conference records, but Gilman, whose loss was to Calvert Hall, takes the title with the head-to-head victory.

Bodies bruised and egos battered after last week's upset loss to Calvert Hall, sixth-ranked Gilman emerged from its corner Saturday to deliver a roundhouse knockout blow. Junior quarterback Darius Jennings ran through the rain and mud for 326 yards on 22 carries, continually dashing through gaping holes to score five touchdowns as the Greyhounds stunned host No. 4 Loyola, 56-7. "Last week against Calvert Hall, they kind of manhandled us and pushed us around," Jennings said. "Our coach [Biff Poggi]

Calvert Hall used a superb defensive effort to upset No. 2 Gilman on Saturday, 21-12, for its first victory over the Greyhounds since November 2003. The Cardinals scored the second upset of the day in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference after No. 7 McDonogh surprised No. 1 Loyola, 21-0. Calvert Hall improves to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference while McDonogh is 5-1 and 1-0 in the conference. They remain the only two teams unbeaten in the conference. On Saturday, the host Cardinals held down a prolific Greyhounds offense that had averaged 40.2 points through its first six games.

Varsity football Top-ranked Loyola, No. 2 Gilman go down No. 7 McDonogh, left, shuts down No. 1 Loyola's potent offense and ends the Dons' 19-game winning streak with a 21-0 victory. Loyola entered the contest averaging 41.6 points per game. Elsewhere, unranked Calvert Hall records its first win over No. 2 Gilman in six years, 21-12. The Greyhounds had been averaging 40.2 points. McDonogh and Calvert Hall are the only MIAA A Conference teams still unbeaten in league play. PG 10 Baseball NLDS Dodgers complete sweep of Cardinals Manny Ramirez, above, and the Dodgers advance to the NLCS for the second straight year, defeating the Cardinals, 5-1, to complete a three-game sweep.

When Gilman graduate Chisom Opara emerged as a standout wide receiver at Princeton, he started thinking about a career in professional football. Now, he has an NFL career - although it's not exactly the one he envisioned. Opara, an All-Metro and All-State receiver at Gilman in 1998, tried to make the Ravens as an undrafted rookie in 2003. His dream of playing for his hometown team ended when he was waived in the final round of cuts. Shortly after that, however, he was picked up by the Ravens' front office.

Darius Jennings tried to carry Gilman to victory Saturday against visiting DeMatha. The junior quarterback finished with 347 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in a memorable individual performance on a drizzly afternoon. But DeMatha running back Marcus Coker stole the show. Coker rushed for 392 yards and five touchdowns, constantly hurting No. 2 Gilman with big runs at the right times as the Stags rolled up 624 yards of total offense in a 56-35 victory. Jennings finished with 222 yards and two touchdowns rushing.

One of the most anticipated showdowns of the early football season won't have an impact on a league championship, but the outcome could end up assigning bragging rights in the Baltimore-Washington area. No. 2 Gilman hosts DeMatha at 7 Friday night at Cardinal Gibbons in what has become a hot rivalry over the past 10 years. DeMatha, a perennial powerhouse from Hyattsville, is ranked No. 1 by The Washington Post and in the MdVarsity Media State Poll. The Greyhounds (2-0) are No. 4 in the MdVarsity poll.

No. 1 Gilman (14-1) vs. No. 3 Calvert Hall (13-3) What: Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship Where: Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson University When: 8 p.m. Outlook: With a comfortable 13-6 win over two-time defending league champ Loyola in the semifinals, Gilman avenged last year's one-goal loss in the title game and looks poised to finish off the job this year. It won't come easy. Calvert Hall used a balanced attack on offense and cohesive play on defense to eliminate No. 2 St. Mary's, 12-9, in the other semifinal.

With one decisive stretch in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's game at No. 1 Calvert Hall, the No. 3 Gilman lacrosse team once again changed the landscape in the demanding Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference. Trailing by three goals late in the third quarter, the Greyhounds cranked up the intensity, scoring seven of eight goals to take control on their way to a 14-12 statement win over the Cardinals. Gilman, who was ranked No. 1 before being upset by Boys' Latin less than two weeks ago, improved to 12-1 overall and 8-1 in the MIAA, while Calvert Hall (12-2)

Patrick Foster scored two of his game-high four goals in the final 3:25 as the host and No. 4 Boys' Latin lacrosse team upset No. 1 Gilman, 13-12, on Friday. The Greyhounds (10-1) have lost just one game out of 25 over the past two seasons. The Lakers (11-2) fell behind 5-2 in the first quarter before going on an 8-1 run to take a 10-6 lead at the half. Boys' Latin led for most of the second half and took an 11-9 edge into the final quarter. Gilman scored twice to tie the game before Foster scored at the 3:25 and 2:55 marks to preserve the win. "Gilman dominated play in the second half, but we hung in there and withstood the pressure," Boys' Latin coach Bob Shriver said.