Gilman

While Gilman and St. Paul's are only about six miles apart, there was a world of difference in the play of the two teams in the season opener Wednesday afternoon in Roland Park. The Greyhounds rolled to a 4-0 victory over the visiting Crusaders, building a 16-4 shot advantage while scoring three times in the second half in a match between Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A and B Conference foes, respectively. Junior forward Brendan Barger scored twice for the winners.

Annapolis Area Christian School baseball coach Talbot Watkins credited starter Phil Michael with taking the ball to high-caliber teams this year. And Thursday he took it to top-ranked host Gilman, upsetting the Greyhounds, 5-3, in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference game. The Eagles (15-9, 13-2) scored all five runs in the first inning, including a two-run single by Albert Taylor. Michael held the Greyhounds (26-7, 15-2) to single runs in the first, second and fifth on groundouts.

Yesterday afternoon at No. 1 Boys' Latin, second-ranked Gilman snapped the Lakers' winning streak at 14 with a 6-3 lacrosse victory.Gilman defenders Packer Rodgers, Chris Tully, Lewis Applefeld and Herb Beatson foiled Boys' Latin's high-powered attack with vicious checks and relentless pressure and goalie Cory Popham did the rest. Popham's eight first-half saves -- many from point-blank range -- enabled the Greyhounds to secure what proved to be an unyielding 3-2 halftime lead.Gilman (11-2)

Whenever the "breakdown" of American society comes up for discussion, the causes and effects often cited include drug abuse, crime, the dissolution of the family, violence and homelessness.For many citizens, these are problems they experience only indirectly, through reports they read in the newspapers or see on television. But if there is one troubling social trend of which most people can claim personal knowledge, it's the rude behavior of others -- from disdainful retail clerks to impatient, horn-blaring drivers to foul-mouthed teen-agers.

Buddy Hepfer has had a wild week.Last Saturday, the 24th-year Arundel wrestling coach watched his Wildcats (8-0) surprise a 10-team field to win their holiday tournament.On Tuesday, his squad downed North County, 54-10, as he became what is believed to be Anne Arundel County's first coach to reach 200 career victories.And last night, his No. 8 Wildcats swept their tri-meet, including DTC a thrilling, 34-30 victory over No. 7 Gilman (4-1)."I've got to give these kids all the credit in the world," said Hepfer, whose squad also downed Poly, 48-18.

The view from the Severn goal wasn't pretty yesterday for keepers Mike Hardy and Willis Woo.Hardy stopped five of 14 shots from second-ranked Gilman in the first quarter, with the remaining seven getting past him for a 7-1 deficit.Woo stopped 14 of 30 shots over the final three quarters, but 13 others whizzed by him and into the net.When the game was over, No. 7 Severn (0-5) -- a 20-1 loser -- had dropped its fifth straight game, its second in the Maryland Interscholastic Association's A Conference and its first in Division I of the league.

As Gilman prepares to kick off its football season at Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati Sunday night, the Greyhounds were ranked No. 2 behind Good Counsel in the preseason Maryland high school football state media poll Tuesday. Coming off a victory in the first MIAA A Conference playoffs, the Greyhounds finished 10-1 last season with their only loss to Good Counsel, 26-21. They have won two of the last three MIAA A Conference titles and 10 since 1998. Also ranked in the preseason media poll, MIAA A Conference runner-up Calvert Hall is No. 4 with Class 3A champion River Hill at No. 6, Class 4A champ Old Mill at No. 9 and Class 1A champ Dunbar at No. 14. Arundel is No. 18, followed by Catonsville at No. 19 and Atholton at No. 22. Franklin, Hereford, Westminster and Archbishop Spalding also picked up votes.

All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year Felix Isuk, who led the No. 1 Gilman football team to the school's first 10-0 season, will attend Harvard, Greyhounds coach Biff Poggi said yesterday.Isuk, a two-time All-Metro choice and a preseason All-American in several publications, had 13 sacks for the Greyhounds, who were No. 1 in The Sun from the season's beginning to end. A consensus All-State pick by Association Press, Isuk turned down Princeton and full scholarship offers from Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Duke and Virginia.

Emmanuel Toney came up with the game-saving play for No. 15 Annapolis Area Christian School in boys basketball Wednesday night. With AACS trailing host Gilman 54-52 with 25 seconds left, Toney stole the ball and passed it downcourt to Taylor Leabhart, who converted a three-point play, scoring the layup and making the foul shot, to secure a 55-54 victory. Toney finished with eight points. The Eagles improved to 14-6 (13-4 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference)

Two defending champions from the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association will participate in the inaugural Under Armour Brothers In Arms Classic high school football event this fall. Gilman, which has won the past two MIAA A Conference championships, is scheduled to play Manatee (Fla.) on Sept. 1 at 2:30 p.m. at the University of Maryland's Byrd Stadium. In the first game that day, two-time defending MIAA C Conference champion St. Frances -- which is moving to the A Conference this fall -- is set to face Friendship (D.C.)