Mavericks

Eastern Tech's Kevin Murray slugged his team to a nine-run lead over Patapsco, then replaced the starting pitcher for the final two innings of a wild 10-9 Baltimore County East Division win.And what a relief Murray was.The sophomore left fielder went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, including a three-run homer in the first inning, to lead the visiting Mavericks' 13-hit attack. Kenny Bolyard was 2-for-5 with two runs scored for Patapsco (3-1, 1-1 league), which rapped 10 hits.In an earlier 5-4 victory at Eastern Tech, Patapsco had built an early 5-0 lead before holding off the Mavericks.

There was no better place for fourth-ranked Eastern Tech to launch its latest run toward a state football title than where the Mavericks last night spent the majority of their time eluding defenders. On the ground. The Baltimore County power racked up 233 yards rushing, including 88 yards and two touchdowns by senior Darian Conners, in a 31-6 win over Poly in a Class 2A North semifinal at CCBC-Essex. "We just want to get back to the state championship," said Conners, whose team lost to River Hill in the title game a year ago. "We're all seniors now. We want to finish off with that ring and go out with a bang."

Jerome Owens of No. 8 Eastern Tech rushed for 125 yards on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns yesterday. It almost wasn't enough.The defense of the visiting Mavericks (2-0) had to withstand intense fourth-quarter pressure by Woodlawn quarterback Vincent Fuller to survive with a hard-fought 19-12 win.Fuller completed 14 of 29 passes for 103 yards, and rushed for 42 more yards to lead the Warriors (0-2).The game was the conclusion of Thursday's game, which was stopped due to lightning with 47 seconds left in the first half.

Fourth-ranked Eastern Tech continued its march to the state football playoffs by clinching the Baltimore County 3A-2A league championship last night with a dominating performance against host Overlea. The Mavericks have developed a winning formula that blends a power running game with a defense that has allowed less than a touchdown per game. That strategy proved to be effective against the Falcons as Eastern Tech rushed for 232 yards and five touchdowns and got its third consecutive shutout in a 32-0 victory.

Eastern Tech hurler Bret Waskiewicz finished yesterday's 2-1 victory at defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference champ Cardinal Gibbons exactly the way he started it, by striking out a batter swinging. Waskiewicz pitched seven strong innings, striking out out 10, walking two and hitting one. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder gave up only three hits, improving to 1-1 on the year. The right-hander also fueled the Mavericks (1-1) at the plate, as his second-inning double scored Matt Bukowski for the game's first run. Waskiewicz was walked in the fifth inning, and his courtesy runner, Steve Shepers, eventually scored the game-winning run. Shepers crossed the plate from third base when the shortstop misplayed a difficult one-hopper that glanced off his knee.

Coach Nick Arminio took his "new" Eastern Tech Mavericks to Dundalk Community College last night. It's a team that is fast making a reputation as an over-achiever, winning games with grit and determination.On this night, however, it was no match for the size and speed of Woodlawn.The Warriors rushed for 314 yards and three touchdowns, including an 86-yarder by junior Reggie Damage that proved to be the game-winner, as they defeated Eastern Tech, 22-6, in a Baltimore County Class 3A-4A League game.

Coming off a lopsided loss in last year's Class 2A state final, Eastern Tech was intent on beginning this football season on a strong note. Facing Milford Mill on Friday night, however, the No. 7 Mavericks needed until the final minutes of a seesaw game to truly hit a fever pitch. After nearly blowing a two-touchdown lead, Eastern Tech scored 20 straight points in the final 4:21 to put away the Millers, 33-12, at CCBC-Essex. The Mavericks (1-0) now have won 27 of their past 29 games. "There's always going to be people that doubt us and spectators who aren't on our side, so it's a good thing that we come out and play strong," sophomore tailback Marquiese Bannister said.

DALLAS -- Now that he's finally gone, gone, gone, the worst possible reaction is remorse for Roy Tarpley. What Tarpley deserved, Tarpley received. Life proved to be extremely fair in this case.If the human element has to be involved, then reserve your sympathy strictly for fellow Dallas Mavericks Rolando Blackman, Derek Harper and Brad Davis. Those three teammates had to endure Tarpley the longest. And what a hardship it must have been.Otherwise, this is nothing more than a great business deal.

Three days after seventh-ranked Franklin edged Eastern Tech by one run in a pitchers' duel, the two Baltimore County Division I rivals met again yesterday.This time, the game featured 14 runs, 17 hits and 10 errors, but visiting Franklin again prevailed, 11-3.The Indians (9-0, 8-0), who scored two unearned runs in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Mavericks (7-3, 4-3), parlayed six Eastern Tech errors into four unearned runs.Eastern Tech's fielding woes began almost immediately, as Franklin took a 3-0 lead in the first inning without getting a hit.After pitcher Kristen Evans retired the first two batters, the next four hitters reached on errors.

Archbishop Spalding's Erica Page is a dazzling forward who is dangerous on any part of the soccer field. She attacks defenders, makes deft passes to teammates and generally takes over a game. Her curling strike in the 38th minute proved to be the difference in No. 5 Spalding's 1-0 victory over No. 4 Eastern Tech yesterday at CCBC-Essex. It was a marquee, late-season matchup between one of the area's top private schools and one of its best public schools. After withstanding Spalding's relentless attack for much of the opening half, the Mavericks (10-1-1)