John Carroll

players to watch Ashley Bruns * Mount Hebron, attack * Headed for Florida, Bruns has emerged as not only a big scorer but also a nifty passer. The senior finished last season with 60 goals and 31 assists and has the competitive drive to lead her team. Kitty Cullen * McDonogh, midfield * With blazing speed, the Florida-bound All-Metro senior sparks a potent transition offense. Cullen had 26 goals and 14 assists in a balanced attack but was most dangerous off her 58 ground balls. Brittany Dashiell * John Carroll, midfield * Also signed with Florida, Dashiell is known for her poise under pressure.

The Bel Air football team didn't get a lot of breaks in 2006. The Bobcats lost several close games under new coach Tony Belcastro, and he saw a lot of good things from his team despite its 3-7 finish. That's why he's not too surprised that Bel Air turned in strong performances in a 2-0 start this season. The Bobcats shut down John Carroll in a 20-7 victory in the opener and came back the following week to outlast Riverdale Baptist, 12-6, in overtime. "There's more confidence this year," Belcastro said.

Julia Bouchelle Notre Dame Prep, midfield An under-17 national pool player and the Blazers' focal point, the four-year standout brings incredible ball skills, good vision and experience. Ali Brennan McDonogh, defense A dominating presence at center back, the 5-foot-11 junior, who had four goals and seven assists in 2006, will have an impact in all facets with her high ball skills and athleticism. Amanda Carta St. Vincent Pallotti, goalie Defense will be the Panthers' foundation and the starting point is with Carta, who went 16-2-1 and allowed just nine goals in the team's run to the Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference title game.

Most of the lights had been turned out in the end zone near the parking lot in the minutes after North Harford lost to visiting Wilde Lake in the Class 3A East regional final Nov. 23. But there still were emotional scenes being played out near the goal posts. North Harford football coach Ken Brinkman stood in the back part of the end zone and made a point of quietly saying farewell to several of the Hawks after they had lost, 26-6. A number of players came up to Brinkman and gave him a hug and thanked the coach for a memorable season or career.

Below is a list of area high school seniors who plan to sign national letters of intent to accept athletic scholarships from NCAA Division I or Division II programs during the early signing period for basketball, lacrosse, baseball and some other sports. The early signing period begins today and lasts through next Wednesday. Sports such as football, track and soccer have a later signing period. Baseball Name High school College Sander Beck Severn Maryland Paul DeVito Arch. Spalding Radford Alex Frederick Dulaney UNC-Greensboro Josh Futter Wilde Lake James Madison Tyler Hibbs Arundel Florida State Ray Kemp Mt. St. Joseph St. Joseph's Boys basketball Brad Bald* Severna Park UNC-Wilmington Larry Bastfield Towson Cath.

John Carroll junior catcher Nicole Lowenstein forms one of the area's top batteries with pitcher Angela DiBeneditto. Lowenstein is hitting .436, leads the team with 14 RBIs, has three home runs and two doubles and has thrown out four out of seven runners attempting to steal. She also has been intentionally walked five times. Lowenstein, an intense player who is one of three team captains, worked on her catching skills six days a week last fall with Ed Lynch, a former minor-league catcher who coached Lowenstein last summer on the Maryland Legends.

With senior forward Deanna Dydynski's 17 points leading a balanced attack and a defense at its harassing best, the No. 14 Mount Hebron girls basketball team opened its season with a comfortable 59-27 home win over Howard County rival River Hill last night. The Vikings forced 36 turnovers and spread the floor on offense to attack zone defense of the No. 12 Hawks. Mount Hebron made 21 of 29 free-throw attempts to contribute to the win. Senior forward Monica Zabel added 13 points, Qiana Coleman had nine and Brittany Bowen scored eight.

Throughout yesterday's Arundel Duals, Broadneck senior Abe Hunter and Chesapeake junior Zach O'Keeffe wrestled with one eye on their opponents, and the other on each other. A returning runner-up in Anne Arundel County as well as the 4A-3A East Region and state tournaments to Annapolis' Bubby Graham, Hunter split time at 152 and 160 pounds while improving to 26-1 with eight victories yesterday, including a 5-0 shutout of Mount Mat Madness champ Nathan Cortes-Peck of DeMatha. Tom Mulligan (285)

Rob Torres, the head coach at No. 5 John Carroll, told his girls cross country team this week that the 18th annual Knights Invitational at Baybrook Park would be its only opportunity to knock off top-ranked Severna Park. His team responded yesterday by placing three runners in the top 10 for a first-place finish with 74 points, ahead of No. 4 River Hill (101) and Severna Park (103) in the 28-team meet hosted by North County. John Carroll's Nicole Clarke, who finished second in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland meet last season, came in first with a time of 18 minutes, 29.1 seconds, just three-tenths of a second ahead of Liya Kasimova of Severna Park.

For the second consecutive year, the John Carroll girls soccer team found trouble in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinals. St. Vincent Pallotti knocked off top-seeded John Carroll, 1-0, on Nov. 1. The Patriots fell to Archbishop Spalding in last year's semifinals. Spalding and Pallotti went on to win the championships. The double-overtime loss to Pallotti left the Patriots with a season-ending mark of 17-5. John Carroll had beaten Pallotti, 2-1, in the regular season, but the Laurel school scored the game-winning goal off of a corner kick in the second overtime.

The late-blooming and stellar volleyball career of John Carroll grad Andrew Cranford began with a watchful eye and a positive push. A three-sport athlete who grew up taking turns among soccer, basketball and lacrosse, Cranford was unexpectedly cut from the soccer team in 2002, his sophomore year. It opened the door for volleyball, a sport he had never played until he stepped onto the court in his junior year. Cranford, a 6-foot-5 middle hitter, went on to enjoy a stellar four-year career at Stevens Institute of Technology before getting a taste of professional volleyball in Germany, from which he recently returned after a month with a team in Rottenburg.

Swimming Spitz not resentful about Phelps' record gold haul Mark Spitz says he's not bitter about losing swimming's most sacred record to Michael Phelps, who 15 months ago cemented a spot in Olympic history with eight gold medals, one more than Spitz won in 1972. "It's sort of like I'm the first man on the moon," Spitz said. "He's the second man on the moon. He collected more rocks." Phelps of Baltimore also is collecting scrutiny. "Of course, there's a lot of pressure," Spitz said.

Swimming Phelps is 3rd in 100 medley, misses 2 finals in Stockholm Sporting a beard and an old-style swimsuit, Michael Phelps of Baltimore finished third in the 100-meter medley at a World Cup short-course meet in Stockholm, Sweden, after missing out on two other finals Tuesday. Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, swam the medley final in 52.14 seconds. South Africa's Gerhard Zandberg won in 51.77. Earlier Tuesday, Phelps, 24, failed to qualify for the finals of the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, in which he was disqualified for swimming too long under water.

After some confusion as to which team won the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference cross country title Thursday night, league officials confirmed Friday that St. Paul's is the champion. St. Mary's was originally listed as the winner in results that were printed out and distributed to the news media after the race at Oregon Ridge Park. However, a mix-up as to how the points were tabulated was discovered later, and it was determined that St. Paul's was the rightful winner.

When the season started for top-ranked Mount de Sales, it was pretty much a given that All-Metro first-team selection Katy Buck would be the leader. The question was whether junior Hannah Schmidt could lead the supporting cast. Question answered. Schmidt stepped up early and often Saturday, boosting the Sailors (17-0) to a 25-15, 25-12, 25-18 victory over Seton Keough (8-7) and the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title at Roland Park. The championship was the second straight for the Sailors, who upset heavily favored St. Paul's to win the crown last year.

Scoring a dramatic goal to help her team is a rare and special feat for a soccer player. Archbishop Spalding forward Courtney Hoyes had twice the thrill. With the No. 1 Cavaliers on the verge of elimination against a determined John Carroll team in Thursday's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinals, Hoyes provided new life with a game-tying goal with six seconds left in regulation. Then, in the closing minutes of the second overtime period, Hoyes finished off a cross sent in by junior Maggie Morrison to give the defending league champs a 2-1 win that sends them back to the title game.

Everything fell into place Wednesday for the No. 6 John Carroll girls as the Patriots won their first Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference cross country championship in three years. Elizabeth Tauber led the Patriots, winning for a second straight year on the somewhat muddy course at Oregon Ridge Park. She finished in 19 minutes, 26.5 seconds, beating McDonogh's Jo Baird (19:45.7). John Carroll put five runners in the top 12 to finish with 33 points, edging No. 3 McDonogh (36)

Major League Soccer United's Quaranta out 4-6 months with foot injury D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta (Archbishop Curley) will be sidelined four to six months with a foot injury. The team said Monday that Quaranta broke a bone in his left foot during practice Friday. He'll have surgery today in Baltimore. He had a similar injury in his right foot in 2006. Quaranta finishes the season with two goals and six assists in 22 games. United also announced the acquisition of goalkeeper Steve Cronin on loan from the lower-division Portland Timbers.

With a confident "been there, done that" approach, the No. 1 Archbishop Spalding girls soccer team walks onto the field for every game firmly believing it will come out with a victory. Wednesday's game against No. 8 John Carroll was another prime example, as the visiting Cavaliers made good on their opportunities on offense and played their typical seal-tight defense to come away with a 2-0 win over the Patriots. The defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champions improved to 12-0-1 overall and 6-0 in league play, getting two goals from junior forward Maggie Morrison and their 11th shutout of the season.

The John Carroll girls soccer team is a mix of new and old this season, with a different approach toward getting to goal: moving forward as one with short passes. Before the season, coach Gary Lynch believed it would take time for things to come together. But early indications are the No. 4 Patriots are way ahead of schedule. In Saturday's home game against No. 13 C. Milton Wright, the Patriots attacked with poise and persistence, coming away with a sturdy 3-0 win over the Mustangs. Sophomore Leah Pace scored in the first half, with senior Colleen O'Connell and freshman Olivia DiFonso finishing chances in the second half.