Hammond

Following is the All-Howard County football team, as selected by the county's coaches Wednesday. ( NOTE: The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro team will be announced early next month.)   OFFENSE Player of the Year: Devon Paye, Hammond, RB First Team QB: Brian McMahon, Atholton RB: Aaron Wells, River Hill RB: Allen Cross, Long Reach RB: Kenny Thomas, Atholton WR: Joey Usher, Reservoir WR: Dominic Drew, Oakland Mills WR: Dequan Ellison, Atholton TE: Tom Klotz, Wilde Lake OL: John Pickett, Long Reach OL: Paul Federinko, Atholton OL: Kyle Jackson, Hammond OL: Justin Lee, Reservoir OL: Karrs Johnson, River Hill K: Luke Brister, Glenelg A/P: Raamah Vaughn, River Hill Second Team QB: E.J. Montgomery, Reservoir RB: Michael Anderson, Howard RB: Joey Bonavitacola, Howard RB: Chancy Waters, Wilde Lake WR: Jordan Mynatt, Wilde Lake WR: David Brookhart, Glenelg WR: Robert Armstrong, Reservoir TE: Olumide Sokoya, Long Reach OL: Jack Friedman, Howard OL: Zach Plotkin, Atholton OL: Eric Handy, Wilde Lake OL: Lyle Fugate, Marriotts Ridge OL: Derek Sicca, Hammond OL: Tommy Testoff, River Hill K: Brett Haas, Atholton A/P: Morgan Powell, Atholton DEFENSE ...

Anyone who heard that Atholton completed only one pass and thatHammond's star running back Devon Paye rushed for more than 200 yards Friday night might have assumed that the host Golden Bears ran away with a victory. After all, the game was billed by some as Atholton's pass-heavy offense against Hammond's running attack. But, as it turns out, the Raiders can run the ball as effectively as they can throw it. Kenny Thomas and quarterback Brian McMahon each rushed for two touchdowns, and McMahon's lone completion was a 49-yard touchdown strike to Dequan Ellison, powering No. 6 Atholton to a 40-21 victory over No. 15 Hammond in a Howard County league game.

No. 6 Atholton (5-1) at No. 15 Hammond (5-1) When : Friday, 7 p.m. Coaches : Kyle Schmitt, Atholton; Dan Makosy, Hammond Last meeting : Hammond won, 19-13, last season Key players to watch Atholton : QB Brian McMahon, Sr. (58-for-92 passing for 839 yards, 6 TDs; 48 carries for 380 rushes, 4 TDs); RB-CB Kenny Thomas, Sr. (62 rushes for 509 yards, 9 TDs); WR Dequan Ellison, Sr. (27 catches for 488 yards, 4TDs); OL-LB Steve Whiting, Sr. (26 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 fumble rec., 4 pass break ups)

Hammond's rain-slicked and fog-covered field was the scene of a battle of ball control Friday evening. The No. 13 Golden Bears, who protected the ball, defeated No. 8 River Hill, which did not, 12-9. River Hill (2-2) turned the ball over six times - four fumbles and two interceptions - and had three drives end inside the Hammond's (4-0) 5-yard line. The game saw the return of River Hill's all-county running back Aaron Wells, who sustained a knee injury in a Week 1 win over Reservoir, and wasn't expected back until October.

Roselyn Elizabeth Hammond, a retired Morgan State University biology professor who often entertained at the piano, died of cancer Sept. 3 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Ashburton resident was 72. Born Roselyn Elizabeth Brown in Grambling, La., she was the daughter of Bienville Parish educators. Known as Rose, she excelled in science. She earned a biology degree at Grambling College and won a scholarship to Ohio State University, where she earned a master's degree in science education.

Charles Willis "Bill" Hammond Sr., the retired longtime executive vice president of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors, died Sept. 1 at Gilchrist Hospice Care of complications from a fall he suffered last month. The former Roland Park resident was 92. Born in Baltimore and raised on Oak Hill Avenue, he grew up near Green Mount Cemetery. Family members said that as a child he would scale the cemetery wall and play football with neighborhood friends, including Garry Moore, who later became a CBS television game show host, and Joseph Thomas Mardaga, who became Roman Catholic bishop of Wilmington, Del. Mr. Hammond was a 1936 City College graduate and attended Gettysburg College.

The first edition of the power rankings is the most difficult. For starters, there is no empirical data to work from, save for last year's results when the rosters were vastly different. Also, I did not see the teams in preseason. (Let me point out that there was an earthquake and a hurricane.) Finally, this will be the list that can be flaunted in my face for the rest of the season. The mistakes can be held against me for the next three months. I have talked to every coach, waded through rosters, studied statistics and know who graduated, so I'm not exactly shooting blind here.

The Hammonds Ferry Road bridge over Maryland Route 295 will close for about 12 weeks starting next Wednesday so road crews can begin a $3.2 million rehabilitation project that will fully replace the 62-year-old driving surface of the twin spans. The State Highway Administration said it is closing the bridge so that crews can remove four steel beams, demolish the bridge decks, and build a new driving surface and walls, among other tasks. SHA spokesman Charlie Gischlar said the driving surface has been patched since it was built in 1949 but has never been fully replaced.