Mervo

Walter Sanders is a prime example of someone you may not expect to be affected by the NFL lockout. The Baltimore native is not a current player or coach, nor does he work for a team’s front office. Instead, Sanders is one of the numerous players who did not hear his name called during April's draft. He is a free agent in a world without free agency. For those who saw "Inception," he’s pretty much stuck in the NFL version of limbo. Sanders, a former three-sport standout at Mervo, continued his football career at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. The 5-foot-9 running back left St. Augustine’s with the school’s career rushing record and became the Falcons’ first 1,000-yard season rusher in the modern era last year.

When Byron Westmorland takes the floor with the rest of his Bowie State teammates Saturday night in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament, he'll do so knowing he's accomplished what he set out to do. Two weeks ago he led Bowie State on an unexpected run through the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament. In the championship game, Westmorland scored a career-high 38 points to help the Bulldogs capture their first conference championship in 10 years, and earned game MVP honors in the process.

Mervo upset previously-unbeaten and two-time defending city champion Patterson yesterday in a dual meet, 33-30.Coach Dwight Warren's Mustangs (11-1) can clinch this season's city championship with a win on Wednesday against visiting Poly.Pub Date: 2/12/99

Northwestern's Eyoseyas Afework easily won the individual title at the Baltimore City cross country championships Wednesday. Digital Harbor also had little trouble taking the team title with 42 points, ahead of Mervo (79). For the girls, Western won the team championship, while Lea Short from Poly took the individual crown in the event held at Herring Run Park. The city teams now head to next week's regional races.

When Byron Westmorland takes the floor with the rest of his Bowie State teammates Saturday night in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament, he'll do so knowing he's accomplished what he set out to do. Two weeks ago he led Bowie State on an unexpected run through the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament. In the championship game, Westmorland scored a career-high 38 points to help the Bulldogs capture their first conference championship in 10 years, and earned game MVP honors in the process.

With Wednesday's naming of Douglas, Dunbar and Mervo as the public school entries for the President's Cup baseball tournament, the field is set for the event, which pits private and city school teams against each other the next two weekends. Longtime Mount St. Joseph's coach Dave Norton remembers the last time teams met in such a tournament and suggests no one should take the outcome of these games for granted. Norton can recall a tournament more than 20 years ago in which his team felt it had the upper hand because the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association teams had a greater pool of players to draw from.

Mervo wants to win the Maryland Scholastic Association B Conference championship. And since the first day of practice, one subject has been repeatedly discussed -- the need to defeat two-time defending champion Walbrook."

A year ago, Mervo walked away with a victory at the Eastside Invitational when second-place Northern lost all four of its matches in the final round.This year the host Mustangs left nothing to chance.Mervo took a 19-point lead into the finals, then won five championships to win going away.It marked the third time the Mustangs have won in the tournament's four-year history.They racked up 187 points, Edmondson was second with 144 and Lake Clifton was third with 130.Patterson, Dunbar, Northern, City, Forest Park and Carver rounded out the field.

Words such as "rebuilding" and "learning" are not often used to describe wining teams.Unless, of course, that team is Western.Despite having a team comprised of mostly sophomores and freshmen, the 19th-ranked Doves moved within one win of returning to the Class 4A state semifinals by defeating visiting Mervo, 68-53, in a North region semifinal yesterday.Western (19-5), which graduated six Division I players from the team that won back-to-back state titles and reached the championship game three consecutive years, will travel to Perry Hall, a 61-37 winner over Dulaney, in the region final tomorrow night at 7."

Mervo coach Dwight Warren enjoyed a major surprise at the Baltimore City District 9 Wrestling Tournament yesterday at Southwestern.His Mustangs won the meet with 168 points, coming from behind to edge Poly by three. Northern, Dunbar and Walbrook finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively."We realized after the consolations that we were 16 points down, so we really didn't expect anything," Warren said.But that was before Wayne Lucas (125 pounds), McAnthony Thompson (130) and Shawn Grodie (heavyweight)

For the 72 nd year, the area's most deserving unheralded football and girls basketball players will be honored at the McCormick Unsung Heroes Award Banquet Monday night at the Hunt Valley Inn. One male and one female will receive the 2012 Charles Perry McCormick Scholarships, which are valued at $36,000 over four years of college. The athletes - 112 seniors - come from 68 schools in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland.

The host McDonogh girls basketball team found itself trailing Seton Keough at the half, but the No. 3 Eagles regrouped in the second half behind Tiersa Winder and won their 10th straight game, 49-42, on Wednesday. McDonogh (12-1) stayed perfect in Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference play at 4-0. Winder had 11 points. Taylor Cummings added nine points and six steals, and Hannah Rees had nine points and eight blocks. No. 5 Glenelg 83, Wilde Lake 14: The Gladiators (10-0)

Walter Sanders is a prime example of someone you may not expect to be affected by the NFL lockout. The Baltimore native is not a current player or coach, nor does he work for a team’s front office. Instead, Sanders is one of the numerous players who did not hear his name called during April's draft. He is a free agent in a world without free agency. For those who saw "Inception," he’s pretty much stuck in the NFL version of limbo. Sanders, a former three-sport standout at Mervo, continued his football career at St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. The 5-foot-9 running back left St. Augustine’s with the school’s career rushing record and became the Falcons’ first 1,000-yard season rusher in the modern era last year.

Douglass shortstop Brandon Sampson had a wonderful day at the President's Cup. He went 2-for-3 and stole three bases. And when the game was over, Sampson and his teammates were smiling. If you hadn't just seen them lose, 25-0, in five innings to No. 3 Gilman at Medfield Heights Elementary in the first round of the baseball tournament that matches Baltimore city public and private schools for the first time in at least 20 years, you would have thought they had won. That's the kind of day it was. City schools — Douglass, Dunbar and Mervo — all lost Saturday afternoon, which means it will be all Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Schools in Saturday's semifinals and championship.

The Boys' Latin baseball team enjoyed getting picked to participate in the inaugural President's Cup tournament because it gave the players a chance to play a on bigger stage. Mike Gillespie made sure the Lakers' first performance earned some good reviews. Gillespie started and struck out seven in two innings of work in the first-round game on Saturday. He also had four RBIs — three of which came on a bases-loaded double — and scored three runs as Boys' Latin routed Mervo, 13-2, in a five-inning game at Johns Hopkins.

With Wednesday's naming of Douglas, Dunbar and Mervo as the public school entries for the President's Cup baseball tournament, the field is set for the event, which pits private and city school teams against each other the next two weekends. Longtime Mount St. Joseph's coach Dave Norton remembers the last time teams met in such a tournament and suggests no one should take the outcome of these games for granted. Norton can recall a tournament more than 20 years ago in which his team felt it had the upper hand because the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association teams had a greater pool of players to draw from.

The Mervo boys and Western girls scored easy victories in yesterday's Baltimore City cross country championships at Herring Run Park. Anthony Rogers of Mervo won the race in 17 minutes, 29 seconds. The Mustangs put three runners in the top 10 to finish with 39 points, rolling over Digital Harbor (85) and Forest Park (100). Western fared even better on the girls' side. The Doves placed four runners in the top 10, including winner Brinae Robinson. She captured first place in a time of 20:57.

Mervo coach Andy Corbett doesn't mind throwing batting practice. That is until Curtis Pope steps up to the plate for his warm-up swings."He's liable to knock your head off with a line drive," Corbett said of his third-year starter.Making contact hasn't been a problem for Pope with his lean 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. Actually, getting a single has been a pleasant dilemma for the Mustangs junior catcher.In six games, Pope is batting .474 (9-for-19), with all but one hit being for extra bases (two home runs, four triples and two doubles)

The first President's Cup games will be played Saturday at two different locations: the Johns Hopkins Universtiy baseball diamond and the Medfield Heights Elementary School baseball field. The semifinals will be held April 16 at Mount St. Joseph and Swann Park at 9 a.m., and the championship game will be played at 1 p.m. that day at Camden Yards. All games can be heard on WLOY Loyola Radio, 1620 AM or at http://wloy.org/presidentscup/. If a rainout occurrs, the games will be rescheduled for a date during the coming week.

MONDAY BOYS BASKETBALL Coppin Acad. 66, ST. John's-CP 62 Franklin 58, Pikesville 39 GIRLS BASKETBALL TOP 15 No. 10 Roland Park 58, St. Paul's 26 OTHER SCORES Franklin 57, Pikesville 23 Friends 54, Beth Tfiloh 10 TUESDAY BOYS BASKETBALL TOP 15 No. 1 Patterson 86, Douglass 66 No. 2 John Carroll 47, Goretti 31 No. 4 St. Frances 73, Calvert Hall 60 No. 5 Edmondson 72, No....