La Plata

It was a long and gritty performance, but in the end the fourth-ranked River Hill wrestling team was victorious in the Maryland 4A-3A dual state championships last night at home, taking down top-seeded La Plata of Charles County, 31-18. It is the first championship for the Hawks, who were making their second appearance in the dual championships. River Hill lost to Old Mill by two points in 2000 after being up by 10 points with two matches left. "That [2000 match] was something we talked about," said River Hill coach Earl Lauer.

Fallston charged into a state championship game for the fourth straight year when it scored twice in the second half to thwart La Plata, 2-0, in a Class 3A semifinal game at Goucher Colege yesterday.The Cougars, who lost to Centennial last year after two straight titles, will play Magruder for the title at 11: 30 a.m. Saturday.Carrie Wirth and Meagan Fuller accounted for the Fallston goals, as the area's fourth-ranked team (14-1-1) made good on two of its three shots against junior goalkeeper Nicole Downs.

LA PLATA - Gov. Parris N. Glendening, who toured this town's most devastated areas yesterday, asked President Bush to declare Charles, Calvert and Dorchester counties federal disaster areas after Sunday's ferocious and fatal tornado. The request, announced by Glendening as he was shown the wreckage of law offices, a home improvement center and a flower shop, is the first step to receiving federal assistance to help repair damage estimated by state officials at more than $100 million. A response from the White House could take several days.

It was the dive that kept top-ranked Fallston from taking a baseball fall yesterday. Leading by a run in the bottom of the seventh with two outs but a runner at second, the Cougars held on for a 5-4 win over La Plata in the Class 3A state semifinal, thanks to a prayer of a catch by left fielder Matt Toomey. La Plata's Jason Boyd, who had homered earlier in the game, hit a shot to left that looked out of the park for what would have been a game-winning homer. Left fielder Toomey broke back and got near Arundel High's warning track before realizing that wind had killed the drive's momentum.

LA PLATA - The tornado that roared across Southern Maryland on Sunday night, killing three people, was the worst twister in state history, the National Weather Service reported yesterday. And it showed. Stunned residents and elected officials who surveyed the damage in Charles and Calvert counties yesterday saw a church with its white steeple snapped off, a bank with the letters of its corporate name ripped from the wall, and pile after pile of rubble that had been someone's home or business.

Mixed results brought mixed feelings to Broadneck cross country coach Dana Dobbs. After celebrating his top-ranked girls team's convincing win in the 31st annual Doc Jones Anne Arundel County Invitational, Dobbs watched his No. 1 boys squad drop its bid for a sweep on the 3.1-mile course at Annapolis High yesterday. Broadneck collected five top-26 places and pushed its first five runners across the finish line before any other team, but it wasn't enough to pass La Plata. The Warriors from Charles County posted 76 points, while the Bruins recorded 83. The key was La Plata's ability to place its top three runners before Broadneck senior Andrew Younger, who was the Bruins' top finisher in 10th place in 17 minutes, 40 seconds.

LA PLATA - A tornado watch this frazzled town did not need yesterday, even if the advisory was so broad it covered parts of three states. With residents still reeling from Sunday's disastrous twister, the thought of a repeat was unfathomable. "Please, Lord, let it not be another one," prayed Sherrie Jones, who had her first bad tornado dream the night before. Her body shook as she packed up belongings in the condemned rented townhouse where she and her 8-year-old son Travis had lived through the twister.

South Carroll senior Bo Sauter could not have picked a better time to come through big. The left-handed pitcher struck out 12 batters, walked one and allowed just six hits in 6 1/3 innings, and senior Josh Lewis struck out the final two batters to lead the Cavaliers to a thrilling 3-1 victory over La Plata of Charles County in the Class 3A state baseball championship game last night at Joe Cannon Stadium in Harmans. South Carroll (15-9-1), which won its fifth straight game, claimed its second state title in four years.

LA PLATA - Gov. Parris N. Glendening returned to this devastated Southern Maryland town yesterday to pledge $3.1 million in aid for communities that were struck by tornadoes last week. The governor, who last visited the county seat of Charles County a week ago, returned to survey the progress being made in cleaning up the destruction left by the twister that tore through the heart of La Plata's business district. In addition to bringing the promise of money to aid in the recovery, the governor announced formation of a task force to help rebuild La Plata and dispatched caseworkers to make sure families who suffered storm damage receive the help they need.

LA PLATA - On the outskirts of downtown, in the neighborhood of historic homes and the one of 1980s vintage, a chorus of hammers securing shingle to roof is the soundtrack of progress. The newest lawn ornament here is the sign proclaiming which contractor is doing the repair work, and there's plenty to be done. But the center of La Plata's business district - the three square blocks that bore the brunt of the deadly April tornado that slammed through this country town turned Washington suburb - is eerily quiet for a place that until that night boasted more than 160 stores and offices.